How to work with sheet goods when you're space constrained

[Cheese]

Something else to think about is I do a lot of metal cutting. Sheets of metal tend to be smaller than sheets of ply, usually in the 2'-4' square range.
Last week I needed to cut a 1 3/4" wide strip off of some 5/16" aluminum. Rather than setting up the table, I just took one section of foam and laid it on the patio, made the cut and tossed the foam back into the garage.

Small pieces of foam or small pads are just easier to deal with.

 

[Cheese]

I love it. You even used dominos on the sheets. I'm assuming you just bolted those aluminum pieces to the sawhorses to accept pegs to hold the 80/20 extrusions.

Here's another photo I came across as I was clearing out my phone. Everything is nice and level/flat/planar.

 

[downtheroad]

I needed a way to store my foam backer in a small shop with low ceiling height. So, I used a 2" rigid foam 4'x8' panel, cut and hinged with the red construction seam seal tape. Made it easier to store and transport for me.

Here's what I did:
[attachimg=1]

 

[Rob-GB]

Nicked this pic from Frank Pellow's old post and it is close to what I made, quite possibly inspired by him as he is an inspirational guy.
Search plywood cutting tables or festool tracksaw table in google images for loads more.

Rob.

 

[Naildrivingman]

I'm assuming you want to use foam (or a sacrificial surface) for better dust collection?  I personally don't use a sacrificial surface. I have the typical lightweight metal sawhorses with 38" 2x6 on top. I don't get all the dust, but I get enough. The horses of course fold up when not in use.

 

[sancho57]

 

[ear3]

I'm in a similar situation as you [member=65062]DynaGlide[/member] insofar as when I process sheets, I have to do it outside my garage shop.  But I usually dispense with the backing altogether and just work off these foldable metal saw horses I got at home depot that are topped with scrap plywood (replaceable when they get too many cuts).  The legs are adjustable, so they also serve many other purposes.  The cut quality of the tracksaw is such that I don't have to worry about tearout on the underside of the sheet due to the lack of a continuous cut surface.  The saw horses fold up with a very low profile and hang in between the studs of the unfinished garage wall.  I have a total of five of them -- usually three is sufficient for a single sheet, but I've done site work in the past where I've used all 5 to set up an 8x8 work surface.

 

[waho6o9]

A Walko on top of Stanley horses works well for me.

View attachment 1

Gotta love cutting 2 sheets at once, three with the TS75.

Thank you Festool.

 

[DynaGlide]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] [member=64733]Naildrivingman[/member] [member=37411]ear3[/member]

I think I was afraid not having a cutting surface would cause splintering in the bottom of the cut. If I'm outside maximum dust collection isn't as much of an issue. Thank you for sharing I think I'll give it a go with the sawhorses I have and some 2x etc on top.

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] I just watched the video you posted. That's probably the most helpful to me because. .that guy is basically me. Same size garage, Harley parked in the corner, mechanics tools. Thank you for sharing.

 

[sancho57]

The thing I learned from using festools is being creative. Im not that creative so I come for ideas on how to do things. These tool take a different approach to woodworking. Way different :>D

 

[Naildrivingman]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] [member=64733]Naildrivingman[/member] [member=37411]ear3[/member]

I think I was afraid not having a cutting surface would cause splintering in the bottom of the cut. If I'm outside maximum dust collection isn't as much of an issue. Thank you for sharing I think I'll give it a go with the sawhorses I have and some 2x etc on top.

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] I just watched the video you posted. That's probably the most helpful to me because. .that guy is basically me. Same size garage, Harley parked in the corner, mechanics tools. Thank you for sharing.

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member]
Theoretically you should not have tearout on the bottom of the sheet if your blade is sharp and the saw runs straight.  Tearout occurs when the teeth exit the surface rather than enter.  the purpose of the splinter guard on the track is to "compress" the wood fibers and minimize the uplift.  Ultimate tearout control can be achieved by running a sharp utility knife on the cut line.

I personally have not had any significant problems with tearout using the track saw.  I support the material, set the track and cut.  No tape, no razor knife, no sacrificial surface.

 

[Sanderxpander]

My sheet goods are usually not the finishing layer so I usually lay them on top of each other. I might get a minor scratch but you can get pretty accurate with the saw and stacking them that way is super stable which helps a lot with accuracy of cut. When I get to the last one I usually have enough scraps to make a decent base. Doing it that way means working on the floor a lot though.

 

[Holmz]

...
Theoretically you should not have tearout on the bottom of the sheet if your blade is sharp and the saw runs straight.  Tearout occurs when the teeth exit the surface rather than enter.  the purpose of the splinter guard on the track is to "compress" the wood fibers and minimize the uplift.  Ultimate tearout control can be achieved by running a sharp utility knife on the cut line.
...

Well I was cutting two pieces of melamine a while back.
One was older and heavier duty stuff, and responded to theory.

The newer stuff had a thin layer of brittle melamine and chipped out like mad.

Wood also can vary in its sheer strength versus some other deal... Basically some can be easy to cut and some can like to chip out.
Then you combine that with the saw's tracking etc.

 

[Naildrivingman]

...
Theoretically you should not have tearout on the bottom of the sheet if your blade is sharp and the saw runs straight.  Tearout occurs when the teeth exit the surface rather than enter.  the purpose of the splinter guard on the track is to "compress" the wood fibers and minimize the uplift.  Ultimate tearout control can be achieved by running a sharp utility knife on the cut line.
...

Well I was cutting two pieces of melamine a while back.
One was older and heavier duty stuff, and responded to theory.

The newer stuff had a thin layer of brittle melamine and chipped out like mad.

Wood also can vary in its sheer strength versus some other deal... Basically some can be easy to cut and some can like to chip out.
Then you combine that with the saw's tracking etc.

Good points [member=40772]Holmz[/member]

I intended to edit my comments to exclude melamine, but forgot to do so.  Melamine is a special beast in and of itself.  The best way to deal with melamine is to establish a 1 mm scoring cut followed by a finishing cut.  Still not a guaranteed chip free cut, but better than without.  The trick with a scoring cut method is to EXACTLY follow the scoring cut with the finish cut. A slight variance from the scoring cut line can result in tearout.

Thin box store veneers can behave similar to melamine and may respond well to scoring cuts, but I can't definitively comment because I don't use these materials.

 

[Holmz]

I guess my point was that. Even with the good stuff I could not chip it.
With the crap stuff, even using the MT55's exclusive scoring cut... it was chipping like mad everywhere else.
Then with wood it can vary as well.

It is like a post complaining about X, and everyone else says I have no problem with X.

It does not identify anything helpful to the user other than maybe (s)he is the problem... When it could just be the material.

But I like theories in general... (More than specifics) So I liked your post that I responded to.

 

[Holmz]

Well 2 sheets of MDF and > a sheet of offcuts worked this afternoon.

https://flic.kr/p/Znsgsm

(Then took to the area with the leaf blower)

 

[tjbnwi]

At the risk of having this post deleted;

Set rail

Clamp in place (I use Geckos on melamine)

Set saw to 0.5-1mm depth of cut

Run saw backwards on rail to score cut

Adjust to proper depth

Finish cut

Tom

 

[demographic]

Whilst a Paulk style tracksaw table would be a very nice thing to have much of the time its just not needed.

I usually setup with two sawstools set about five feet apart.
Two lengths of 2x timber (can be 2x2, 2x3 or 2x4, it doesn't really matter and make them at least 1800 mm long but 2400 is better set as wide apart on the sawhorses as I can which on mine is mebbe 800mm apart.
Then across the 2x timber I have four or five bits of either timber, plywood or even MDF about 1200 long.
All that ^ setup allows me to fit my CTM 26 extractor between the sawhorses and under the top without any risk of the blade cutting so deep as to cut into my extractor.

That all supports the stuff I'm cutting as well as I need it.

I hardly ever bother with the clamps when I'm cutting as the track grips well enough for almost any cutting I do, the exception to this is when I'm cutting faced bathroom boards which cost eighty or so quid and it would be embarrassing if I knackered one.

 

[J0hn]

Dewalt makes these saw horses.  They have adjustable legs, but more importantly, they have a couple of notches at the top that will firmly hold a couple of 2x4's on edge
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-3...ith-Adjustable-Metal-Legs-DWST11031/203040645
[attachimg=1]

A couple of 90" 2x4s to fit into the notches and to act as the main support and then several 30" 2x4's as evenly spaced cross pieces.  All the 2x4's are simply notched so they fit together without any hardware

[attachimg=2]