Homemade Plywood cutting table / sawhorses ?

[butzla]

Looks like they've seen some weather but still holding up fine!  I'm going to pick up some 2 by stock manana and build me a set presently.  BTW,  what's that white powdery substance in the background?!

 

[Ned]

OK, we're all waiting for Eli's response to Frank's last post. 

 

[dltflt]

Frank the island looks like a great place to get away from it all.  Great job!

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Frank, a while back I ran across your journal on building your workshop on the Net, and I enjoyed reading it very much.

I could truly indentify with all the trials and tribulations of trying to get such a major project done. Plan changes, budget increases, weather (although we rarely see any of that white frozen stuff here in Los Angeles), and just every day life keep getting in the way. Yet, you persisted and "got 'er done".

Good job all around.

John

Thanks John.  I really appreciate it when folks tell me what they think about my Workshop Journal.

Frank,  I enjoyed reading your Workshop Journal and appreciate your sending me a CD with the whole photo journel story!  How do you get your building materials, tools and fixtures to your island?  That seems like it could be a major logistics challenge of itself.  I've never been in anything more remote than a summer cottage in a (fishing) camp about 75 miles from Winnipeg.  And if you did all that construction unassisted by another adult, I am even more impressed.  Excellent photos of a beautiful setting, too. Vive Pellows Island!

Dave R.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Frank,  I enjoyed reading your Workshop Journal and appreciate your sending me a CD with the whole photo journel story!  How do you get your building materials, tools and fixtures to your island?  That seems like it could be a major logistics challenge of itself.  I've never been in anything more remote than a summer cottage in a (fishing) camp about 75 miles from Winnipeg.  And if you did all that construction unassisted by another adult, I am even more impressed.  Excellent photos of a beautiful setting, too. Vive Pellows Island!

Dave R.

We are off topic again but, oh well, I like the topic that were are off on and I appolgize to those who might not be interested.

Thanks Dave for letting me know that you to liked reading my shop building journal.

About getting everything to the island.  The baot trip is not far (about 3 kilometres) and I have 16 foot aluminum boat which is a real workhorse.  Here are a couple of pictures illustrating that the boat can carry a lot:

[attachthumb=#1]  [attachthumb=#2]

About 80 percent of the construction I have done by myself.  For the other 20 percent, I have been assisted by my daughters Kathleen and Kristel, by my brother John, by my brother-in-law Jeff, and by my friends Chum, Terry, and Chris.  And, I am starting to train my grandchildren.

As you say: "Vive Pellows Island!".  It is my real home!

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Thanks, Frank.  I'd say you have figured out how to have "balance" in your life!!  Otherwise you get to take some additional swims in the lake while retreiving your lumber.

I'm glad you are able to enjoy your island retreat with your family!!

Dave R.

 

[butzla]

Started building last night.  First project I've started since I became a Festool owner (TS75/CT33).  I wasn't even thinking of using my new toys for this simple project.  I cut 25 degree angle on bottom of legs with my miter saw then I looked at cut I needed to make at other end....a 65 degree cut.  Impossible on table saw or miter saw without making some angled jigs.  Too time-consuming of a project for this make-shift project.  A seasoned carpenter would just pick up a circular saw and crank them off.  But me being a cabinetmaker, don't have a lot of experience with a circular saw....I almost never use one.  And cross cutting a steep angle as this, I'd get marginal results at best.  A lightbulb went off in my head when I eyed my systainer in the corner of my shop and within minutes, I was making my first cuts.  I don't have an MFT so I just layed the studs out on my work table and layed down my guide bar over the pencil lines. Cutting one at a time with no clamps on guide or work piece.  Results were amazing compared to cuts on other end made with miter saw.  And I thought I had a pretty good blade on that saw.  The TS75 cuts have a glossy finish.  I dare say my finely tuned table saw with Forrest blade couldn't make a finer cut.  Not to mention the total absence of dust.  Anyhoo,  was very excited to say the least.  I can see where one day the table saw, at least the portable table saw will be a thing of the past.  These are just rantings of a first time user, not news to any of you experienced dudes.  Thanks for listening.

 

[Frank Pellow]

It's good to hear that the project is going so well and that your TS75 passed it's first test with flying colours.

I made my sawhorses about a week before my AFT55 and CT22 arrived so I had to make the cuts on my old craftsman table saw (with a jig).  Not as satisfying -but the cuts were accurate.

 

[butzla]

Completed my sawhorses this morning and already put them to good service.  
In hind sight I think I would make them an 1" or 2 taller if I had to make them again.  I'm 6'1".  However, perhaps the low height might allow me to make wider rip cuts.  I posted another thread on a problem I had with cleat assembly  http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2736.new#new

Thanks again for plans and tips, Frank!

 

[Frank Pellow]

You are very welcome.  I encourage others to make these saw horses.  They are one of my most used "tools".

 

[Frank Pellow]

Looks like they've seen some weather but still holding up fine!  I'm going to pick up some 2 by stock manana and build me a set presently.  BTW,  what's that white powdery substance in the background?!

Yes they have seen some weather and a lot of rough handling. 

By the way, a quite a bit more of the white powdery substance has fallen since I took the pictures you were referring to.  Here is a picture at just about the same spot taken this morning (after I had shovelled a LOT of the white stuff).

[attachthumb=#1]

 

[phill-k]

Great Photos of the Island Frank, 2 questions, can you post a link to your journal, and are the plans for the cutting table / saw horses available on the net somewhere

thanks
phill

 

[Frank Pellow]

Great Photos of the Island Frank, 2 questions, can you post a link to your journal, and are the plans for the cutting table / saw horses available on the net somewhere

thanks
phill

If you would like to download a copy of my shop journal, Stuart Ablett has agreed to let people download a PDF version of the journal from his web site.  To do this: simply

(1) connect to:http://www.ablett.jp/frank/

(2) open the document: FrankPellow-v2.1.2.pdf

(3) select the ?diskette? icon in the top left of the Adobe Acrobat tool bar in order to save the file to your computer

The cutting trable is simply some ridgid foam insullation glued to a 4' x 8' x 3/4" construction grade fir plywood sheet.  The plans for the sawhorses don't seem to be on the internet any more, but if you send me your email address, I will send a copy to you.

 

[seaduk]

Frank,
Thanks for posting the link to your journal about your new shop.  I enjoyed browsing and making some copies.  I am setting up a much more modest area, and I appreciate your thoughts and ideas.
I would like the plans for the cutting table/sawhorses. 
I am planning a simple table to cut 4x8 plywood for my first cabinet - I'm very new at this.  I have read a lot of the posts, but I'm not sure how you line up the festool saw guide correctly with the edge of the plywood, and then how you quickly measure the width of cuts and make sure that all the cuts are the same width.  Are there some store-bought or custom things that make this easier?
Thanks, Charlie

 

[Frank Pellow]

I'm glad that you found my shop building journal to be of use.

The  sawhorse plans have now been sent to the address you mentioned.

I use either a steel ruler with a stop or a measuring tape to mark the location to position the guide rail.  Concerning your question about repetative cuts, occasionaly I make a "story stick" to use on the cutting table.  By "story stick" I simply mean a scrap piece cut to the approriate length. 

Others have gone much further than this and have made repetative-cut fences to use with the Festool Multi-function table.  For example, see the thread:http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2589.0

 

[vkumar]

Frank,

I too would like to receive a copy of  your plans-- I had sent you a pm couple of days ago.  My email is vvjk@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Vijay

 

[Frank Pellow]

Frank,

I too would like to receive a copy of  your plans-- I had sent you a pm couple of days ago.  My email is vvjk@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Vijay

Sorry Vijay, I skipped over that email.  I have now looked at it and have sent the plans to you.

 

[donsch6766]

Frank,

Are you still able to send plans?  Your offer was very generous so I sent an email but haven't seen a response. sdon@lightspeed.net.

Thank much,

Don

 

[Frank Pellow]

Frank,

Are you still able to send plans?  Your offer was very generous so I sent an email but haven't seen a response. sdon@lightspeed.net.

Thank much,

Don

Sorry for the delay.  The plans have now been sent to you.

 

[Wonderwino]

If you want to design your own, the angles I use are 20, 70 & 90 degrees (the 90 is 1/2 the triangle formed by the legs.  I want to build mine to be 34" high, plus an inch and a half foam board to total 35-1/2", the same height as the MFT/3.  I found a great tool to calculate triangles at:
http://ostermiller.org/calc/triangle.html

I used it to calculate the length of the legs at 36" with a total leg base width of 24" with the angles above.  It is easiest to calculate 1/2 the leg, (a 12" base), which is a right triangle.  That way, you can enter the total height, as 34".