Panel Saw

[hnewman]

Has anybody thought of making a panel saw using the festool and trac? I vision a t-sq attachment for the trac and building a simple tilted stand similar to the look of a panel saw. One would use the t-sq and trac to line up the cut ...using it for cross cutting only. Any thoughts?

 

[Frank Pellow]

It was while I was doing research about purchasing a panel saw six years ago that I first learned about Festool.  I bought a Festool saw, guide rail, and vac shortley thereafter and thought that I would do exactly what you suggest.  But, I found that it is so easy to set up the saw on the horizontal plane that there was no need at all to convert it to the vertical plane.

 

[Bob Marino]

Here's a link that may help you.

  http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/panel-saw-for-ts75/msg81074/

Bob

 

[hnewman]

The thing I like about a panel saw is that it doesn't take up a lot of space. So, maybe a tilt table setup would be a good idea. I vision carrying a sheet of 3/4 MDF, using a gorilla gripper, up to a vertical setup and then tilting it horizontal to make the cross cuts. For the money, buying a TS 55 and guides could certainly be more versatile than a panel saw. I could use it in the shop and in the field.

 

[Frank Pellow]

The setup that I use does not take up very much space either.  In fact I keep the parts (except for the saw)  in the garage and remove the car when I want to cut sheet goods.  What I have is a pair of knock-down saw horses:

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And a 2 inch thick pieces of styrofaom glues tho a sheet of construction-grade plywood:

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I can send you the planes for the knock-down sawhorses if you are interested.

 

[hnewman]

I still like the vertical idea. Fine Woodworking # 172 has a simple vertical plan using the poor man's wood guides. I"ve been laying my sheets flat on horses for years. And I've been using the wood guides as long as well. Now with the track saws, it seems like a nice upgrade.

 

[Frank Pellow]

OK, I will stop trying to convince you that horizontal is better. 

Please report here (with pictures) with your set-up and results once everything is in place.

 

[RDMuller]

In my path of migration to a Festool Guide and Rail system used horizontally on scrap plywood torsion box tables, I acquired an excellent table saw with a huge 3rd party sliding table accessory and  a panel saw (vertical -- U.S. made) that sells for about $3500.  Both of these are grossly inferior to the Festool system used horizontally.  Consider the following:

1.  You have to carry your sheet goods to either of the above systems.  I work alone and this is horrible -- I tore the rotator cuff in the shoulder.  If you don't know what that is or where it is, you will learn both with one false move while moving  a sheet of 3/4 mdf.  With the torsion box tables, I work right off the back of the delivery vehicle

2.  Panel type saws (vertical) work very well when making vertical cuts.  They are terrible for horizontal cuts because of a thing called gravity -- the blade gets pinched frequently

3. The Festool system used horizontally is very, very accurate and repeatable when used with proper techniques.  Converting to vertical would be a waste of time

 

[jeffinsgf]

I am going to second what RDMuller posted.

I've broken down sheet goods by just about every possible means, both with and without help.  Nothing I've come across matches a Festool plunge saw and guide rail for speed, accuracy, repeatability and ease of use.

 

[Texastutt]

Festool on the flat is the way to go. FWW had a knockdown setup w/ ply just as posted above. I knock it down, put it together, knock it down... pretty darn ugly by now though.

 

[EcoFurniture]

When breaking down sheet goods, I have two MFT/3 lined up with a scrap piece of ply on top. Guide rails and TS55 allow me to keep the sheets (that could cost up to $500/piece) scratch free! Something I never was able to do with a big sliding table saw/panel saw.
Another BIG advantage of the festool system is the cost. About 1/10 of what a good sliding table saw would cost. As an benefit, I can take my set up out to a job site and together with the other parts of the "system" I virtually have the whole shop with me!

I love it!

Keep in mind that we are just a small company. Someone who is cutting panel after panel day in day out wouldn't be able to make money with this set up...

 

[rnt80]

I started on a kitchen yesterday and used my Walko laid flat with the TS55 and parallel guides to make the cuts.  Everything went fast and the process was easy.  I've used a piece of styrofoam on the ground before and that would have worked in this application.  However, for pieces smaller than a full sheet I can fold the Walko up and use it in a different configuration to make the cuts.

 

[jvsteenb]

No one gets it

I think I see what you mean.
But it all depends on the way you move your panels. If you transport them vertically on trolleys from a magazine, and vertically in your van for instance, it would be a boon to be able to use a portable vertical panel saw on site.
But if you have the boards loaded by a forklift on a sacrifical board or pallet and you transport them laying flat in a trailer or pickup it's way more logical to carry someting like a Walko4, perhaps with some stackable boxes onder the edges to bring it op to heigth - you can slide your boards on your cutting table without much effort.
BTW: The Walko's can be used vertically against a wall as well as flat - but that would mean having to clamp the guiderails for crosscuts. For repetitive cuts you can use storysticks from the supports to position the guiderail, but still.

To answer your original question: I haven't used the Zapkut panel saw.

Regards,

Job

 

[Corwin]

I have used panel saws in the past and have to agree with the points made by RDMuller.  While the vertical panel saw is okay for crosscuts, one usually breaks down sheet goods with the long rip cuts first -- and those work better on the flat. 

Why not have a cutting table that tips from vertical to horizontal?  I have used two Triton MultiStands as bases for my cutting table, but I cannot recommend these stands due to their lack of quality control.  But, you can easily hinge a supporting structure from saw horses to create a cutting table that tilts.  This type setup works well.

 

[jmbfestool]

Here are some photos  where I had to cut loads and loads Sheets of MDF.

Were I properly destroyed my back

We rebuilt this entire building from ground level which included a large flat, 5 large garages which where not divded so created one large room able to hold 16 cars, a large gym and a libery which you can see below we reused the old trusses cleaned them up and any other old oak beams we used where we could to create a oak theme around the building

 

[jmbfestool]

More becuase it wouldnt let me load all of them at once for some reason

I didnt make the hairs by the way im just standing there making out I made them lol  All I made was the base and fixed them to the oak beam. The Forman carved them for the owners because there was alot of hairs around the property.

 

[jmbfestool]

More photos:

All them shelves are two sheets of 18mm MDF stuck to gether creating 36mm Deep shelves all with edgeing stuck on all round

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Using MDF a  can of foam and Mitre Bond spray can I designed this random curved unit  then used the MDF and routed it into 40mm oak
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[Corwin]

Does working in an enclosed space with all that MDF give you a headache?

 

[jmbfestool]

I found another 2 photos!   I cant find the finished ones I know I took pictures with the Flat screen TV inplace and all the books struggeling to find them because I obviously took the pictures at different times so I would of saved them in different places.

Them radiator covers took me ages to make routerd every sqaure out with a template I made which I routerd out before  then used a chisel and squared to corners up on all of them.  6 Panels another radiator which is out of the picture

 

[bellchippy]

Great pictures thanks for sharing, wish I could find a job like that , looks a lot of fun.