What’s the best tool to use if I want to turn a 4’x8’ sheet of plywood into two 2’x8’ sheets? Panel saw? Table saw?
If it’s relevant, 1/2" and 1/4" thick sheets, doesn’t need to be particularly precise.
The saw part of the panel saw does apparently rotate 90 degrees, so you could use that, but I’ve never seen it done and something about that seems sketchy.
I think your best option is the table saw, but you absolutely want to use one or two supports on the infeed, along with at least one person to assist.
Track saw is probably the easiest.
Panel saw can be rotated 90° on the rail and locked down, then the sheet just fed on the rollers from left to right. The rollers were slated to be replaced during the workday but not sure if that happened.
Table saw would be the most precise and give the best finish. I would find or make a friend to give you a hand.
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I’d definitely use a track saw. It’s safe, precise, and convenient. You’ll get the best results with a new/sharp plywood blade, but if you’re just roughing it doesn’t matter that much.
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Another vote for the track saw. It’s the safest option and will provide a clean accurate cut.
Panel saw is great for this. It does rotate 90 amd makes quick work of it. Track saw may be more accurate right now if the wheels on the panel saw are damaged.
The rollers were replaced on the panel saw
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So. What is wrong with using the table saw? Just scratching my head why the track saw that requires setting up of at least five minutes (if youre good at it) keeps coming up as a solution when you have a super safe table saw that only requires maybe a half minute to set up the cut. The panel saw was designed to cut up sheet goods up and down or length wise safely, there is nothing sketchy about it. The only problem is that you may not have the room to do it. If you think about it, the panel saw is a track saw on two pipes/rails. So if the track saw is prone to mistakes or something moving or going wrong, is only as accurate as the operator makes it, and most times, it is under powered (youre plugging it to an extension cord), why is it the top choice over the safety of the table saw followed by the panel saw? Just curious about the logic.
For me, I really hate running sheet goods on a table saw. At best they’re heavy and awkward, which makes them dangerous. Granted, Asmbly’s setup is better than most in that regard, and with a sliding table it’d be a completely different story.
A 4x8 sheet of pretty much anything is a “bring the tool to the work” situation for me.
I’ve never had any power problems with my track saw, and it takes a lot less than five minutes to set up a cut. Depending on how messy the shop is, it’s quicker than swapping a plywood blade into the table saw. My table saw hasn’t seen any piece of plywood bigger than a dinner plate since I got a track saw.
I’ve got nothing against the panel saw; it’s just not a tool I’m used to working with so it rarely comes to mind. Better dust collection might be the only advantage of the track saw.
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Is there a way to lock the height of the panel saw on its track? I guess there has to be for rotated cutting to make sense. What happens to the upper off-cut piece as you complete the cut? Seems like it’s very likely to fall down uncontrollably just as you are pushing the end past the blade.
I had forgotten about the track saw. It is certainly the safest option, but also the most effort. Yes, a 4x8 sheet is awkward on the table saw, but it’s readily doable with either two stand supports or one support plus an assistant. That would be my choice, personally.
I ended up using the 1 assisstant + 1 support table saw approach. But I discovered that I needed more pieces and realized that the best way to do this is to get the folks at home depot to use their panel saw on it before it even leaves the store.
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Panel saw does have a lock (knob on the left side) to keep it in position for horizontal cuts.
Track saw is the easiest for single person use.
Table saw is perfectly capable, but our space is a bit crowded for my liking to breakdown sheets right away on it. Supports at the infeed would make it doable.
Then comes the question of “how accurate” do you need it. You could rip it quick and dirty with a circular saw then clean up on the table saw.
If I don’t start with the table saw, I’ll leave myself some wiggle room then clean up on the table saw.
Lastly… Have someone else do it at home Depot is a great strategy
If you have home depot do it, just keep in mind their cut will likely have a lot of tearout.
I’m building a platform in my garage, and I needed the cuts to stack to counter the slope of the floor. The cut wood will be under more (nicer) layers, so “close enough” is totally fine
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The track saw just beside the front entry to the wood shop is the easiest and safest. Just lie down a piece of the styrofoam R-panel on a table for your piece to lie on, position the track where you want your cut to be, set the blade depth to where the gullet of the blade is even with the bottom surface of your piece, and cut.