Crosscutting full 3/4 plywood sheets with TS55 and 55" (FS 1400/2) rail?

[benz240]

I got the 55" rail with my TS55 thinking it would be more than adequate for crosscutting a full sheet of 4x8 3/4" plywood, but I've been surprised how tricky it is to get it placed just right so you don't a) run the saw off the rail on either the start or the end, and b) leave a fragment of plywood uncut on either end. Also I have to use a deeper plunge depth than the 3/4" setting to counteract this, which causes me to cut more into the support material below the sheet than should be necessary...

Overall I guess I just wonder how everyone is doing full sheet crosscuts...I'm thinking I should have just gotten the 75" rail. I just use my tablesaw for all rips so I don't want to get another 55" rail and deal with connecting and aligning them.

 

[jcrowe1950]

I got the 55" rail with my TS55 thinking it would be more than adequate for crosscutting a full sheet of 4x8 3/4" plywood, but I've been surprised how tricky it is to get it placed just right so you don't a) run the saw off the rail on either the start or the end, and b) leave a fragment of plywood uncut on either end. Also I have to use a deeper plunge depth than the 3/4" setting to counteract this, which causes me to cut more into the support material below the sheet than should be necessary...

Overall I guess I just wonder how everyone is doing full sheet crosscuts...I'm thinking I should have just gotten the 75" rail. I just use my tablesaw for all rips so I don't want to get another 55" rail and deal with connecting and aligning them.

Hi Benz,

    Yes, it is a little tricky using the 1400mm track (55") for crosscutting a 48" piece of plywood. The reason for this is that you need probably 7" on each side of the cut to insure that the cams that adjust the track saw to the track are both engaged on both ends....your next step up is the 75"/1900mm track that is typically associated with the TS75 track saw. The good news is that if you get a 75" track, you can connect the 55"/1400mm and the 75"/1900mm and make rips the length of an 8' piece of plywood....

 

[benz240]

Yeah, I guess that's probably what I'll do. Still, I just was surprised since a lot of Youtubers and other reviewers seem perfectly happy using the 55" rail for crosscutting full sheets when breaking down panels...I don't really hear many people recommending to start with at least 75" of rail if mainly working with sheet goods.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That is indeed the reason I got a 1900 rail. The one I got at the time of purchase of the saw itself was the 1400, same as pretty much everyone else. It worked out fine on the cross-cut station that I built for it. Although it was made on a 4' x 8' table, the dog arrangement limits the cuts to about 40". That was fine for quite a while, as I have access to an Streibig panel saw for dealing with full sheets. I then bought a 1040 rail for some smaller cuts, because "too much" rail is nearly as bad as to little. A pair of connectors bridged the gap to longer cuts. That works ok for the TS but not so well with routers. The guide stop can catch or snag at the joint. After dealing with that a few times and having a project come up with some very long cuts, I bit the bullet and got a 3000 rail. That combination (1900 & 3000) can deal with a full sheet in either direction....and feed the habit at the same time.

 

[gunnyr]

My method for breaking down a sheet of plywood is to use a 2700 rail to rip and a 1700 with a [member=61691]TSO_Products[/member] GRS-16 to cross cut.

I have a 2700 cm track.  Two of them actually.  I keep one at home and one in my shop because they are difficult to transport.  I also have a collection of 1700, 1400 and 1080 tracks.  (My wife thinks I have so many because the light in the garage keeps getting left on.... [big grin])  On the job site I join the 1400 and 1700 to breakdown sheet goods.  In the shop I use the 2700.  I have never had the need to cut a sheet diagonally.  The 2700 is plenty long enough to rip sheets along the length.  I would have preferred a 3000 cm rail but found a 2700 in stock at the time from my local dealer.  My 2nd 2700 was an accidental find....