Handling Plywood

[AllanD]

I agree with Chris, if you can afford a slider you will use it all the time. Mine is a MiniMax. If you spring for one though I would only consider one long enough to rip an 8 ft. sheet. The other issue is handling and moving the material. I use a cart I bought from Northern with hydraulic lift that will raise 500 lbs. I slide the sheets from my truck onto it and roll it to the saw, then raise it and slide it onto the carriage.

After seeing that video of the Crazy Horse I think I am going to have to have one of those too. The price seems a little high since we could all build the base with jack pretty easily but the rubber dome he makes would be a lot of trouble to make one-off.

 

[danmart77]

Willem it appears like you have good experience and you have thought this out in depth. Sounds like a winner.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

I'm remodeling a house and I'm actually paying someone to do all the casework for the new kitchen because some of it is quite complicated and I can't even come close to his cost. I found an excellent cabinet shop and before spending that much $ with them I spent some time actually in their shop observing their processes and quality. I was amazed when I watched 2 guys running Festool Track Saws breaking down the 3/4" 4X8 sheets then putting those on a large CNC machine for final machining. I asked the owner about that part of the process and he told me they used to have a big ole table saw with lots of roller outfeed space. Then he spent big bucks on an imported slider. He found that for $2000, a track saw and rolling dust collector allowed 1 person to do the same work, faster with the same or better precision. He also freed up a large amount of space because after doing the sheet breakdown for 2 or 3 jobs, they pack the saw horses away and, presto!, he gets back 100 sq.ft of floor space to work in. Just for grins, I took a VERY close look at the finished pieces. Now granted, these guys have been running track saws for over a year so they have the set up down pat but they can split a pencil line the length of a sheet of premium plywood. That was close enough for my kitchen!

 

[Willemjm]

Willem, with you only wanting to do a few kitchens a year why not look at outsourcing your ply work? I cut parts for many 1-5 person cabinet shops. They don't have to handle the sheet goods, the waste, the time. While I'm cutting there cabinet parts, they are building there doors and drawers. They seem to be happy with it. I don't know what someone around you would charge, but I charge $30 a sheet plus cost of the sheet. They come labeled and ready for install. That is one way to keep your costs down, and now have to handle sheet goods. Do your design, email the file done. Just another option to consider if someone in your area will do that.

That sounds like a plan Chris!!! Will be in touch. We are still drawing house plans, should be ready by Friday this week for pricing. If you can compete with wholesale prices for the hardwood lumber will also talk. I normally buy 1,000bf minimum, irrespective of what I need.

 

[junquecol]

I never take a full sheet of plywood into my shop. Comes straight off the trailer to the break down table, with home made guide first. Ripped to rough width, and then finish on both sides. Instead of spraying, I use a painter's pad. FYI, my finish is clear WB varnish. I only build for commercial applications, so seldom do I need anything else. I use home made guide to break down 9' melamine sheets. Took me a while to figure it out.

 

[Bear Republic]

I normally buy 1,000bf minimum, irrespective of what I need.

You must have quite the stockpile of odds and ends.

 

[JimD]

I have no experience with sliders but good experience with my DeWalt track saw. My hobby shop is 14x24 and I ditched the big extension table for my table saw before building it. So I planned to cut up full sheets with the track saw. I feel I loose nothing in accuracy by use of the track saw but there is technique involved to make that happen. I use a home made track positioning guide for repeatability and mark with a 0.5mm pencil if cutting to a mark for fine work. I have an Inca guage with holes for the 0.5mm pencil. Simple changes. If you are space challenged I think a track saw is a great addition and a good way to do quality work.

I also find it handy for other things. I am remaking an interior staircase, for instance, right now. I cut two of the three stringers using a circular saw but tried the track saw on the last one. Wish I had done all three that way. I used it exclusively for the skirt boards. Two short ones are open with miters for the risers. I cut them at 46 degrees with the track saw. I would not have made them as well with a circular saw. I also use it with the long guide to straighten boards. Lots of uses. Vital part of my shop at this point. Wish I'd bought it sooner.

You can also reduce handling a lot with a track saw. The ultimate, to me, seems to be a guy I saw on a you-tube video. He hauled the sheets in his pickup, slid them off to a cutting table in the driveway, and cut them up before ever bringing them into the shop. Or lifting a sheet. I can still handle a sheet of 3/4 OK so I just throw it onto the outfeed/worktable in my shop with a piece of foam or a wood lattice under it. It is much easier to move a 11 lb saw than a 75 lb sheet. Takes a lot less space too.

 

[Mike Davis]

My shop doesn't have room to lay a sheet of plywood. If I buy it I have to cut it in the driveway before it ever comes in the shop.

 

[ntboardman]

If you had to cut a lot of plywood, 8 x 4 sheet stock, what would you prefer?
Say you do 5 kitchens a year, small shop.

1.) Sliding table saw, around $7,000 for a good one with large capacity cuts.

2.) Panel saw with the same capacity $5,500 cross cut, unlimited rip cut size.

3.) Just make do with a Kreg two piece cut and rip track saw, and use a guide if the size goes beyond 24" at around $130 and use your circular saw at around $200, $330 total.

I would get a dedicated tracksaw and 102" rail. It will make your life much easier.

 

[Mark Johnson]

An option that I have used is to let a CNC guy cut the boxes for you, while all the doors, face frames, etc. stay in your hands. My experience was that the cost of having the parts cut plus material was only twice what I could get the plywood for (not wholesale), and the precision of the boxes makes assembly easy. No handling full sheets of plywood either!

 

[danmart77]

My shop doesn't have room to lay a sheet of plywood. If I buy it I have to cut it in the driveway before it ever comes in the shop.

How big is your shop Mike?

 

[Rwe2156]

Here ya go: The ultimate ww'ing machine IMHO.

Seriously, for that amount of work, I would get a good quality track saw. Once you break down the materials its easy to handle on a TS. Use a xcut panel cutting jig to get those perfect 90's.

If I were going to outsource, it would be for doors. Boxes are too easy to make.