Supporting full sheets for cutting

[LaserGecko]

That's pretty much the sawhorse that the solid surface guys used at my house. The tops were scored beyond belief, but they were quick to setup and cheap to replace.

 

[Dave Rudy]

OK, here's a totally different approach.  It does require a little bit of floor space, but greatly improves the entire panel-handling process for those of us whose knees dont work and backs are finnicky.  Store sheet goods vertically (long side down) a short distance off the floor.  Move cart so sheet goods slide easily onto cart in its vertical position.  Cart pivot is designed so that it requires almost no effort to tip cart to horizontal from vertical.  There is a hydraulic mechanism run by foot pedal that allows raising and lowering of the cart.  Slide in a piece of foamboard first (or even after the panel is slid out, while the cart is in vertical position), and you have a foam-based cutting table at waist height (adjustable).  Use scrap or various sheets tailored to particular uses (which can be stored with your sheet goods) and you have an infinitely-variable worktable up to 4' x 8' which can be used for everything that your MFT doesnt do better.  It costs less than $600, takes about an hour to assemble, and is well-made.

Dave
(Sorry I dont have pics at the moment; here is the pdf assembly manual, which has a drawing at the beginning so you can see what the cart looks like).
http://www.hafele.com/us/documents/hac_00794000_panelcart.pdf

 

[Barry]

Dave:  That material cart is a great idea, probably awesome for rock hangers, but it would need some mods before being used to cut up panels. It has definitely given me some ideas on my next panel cutting table.

Lou:  I used saw horses and 2x4s to cut up sheets for a long time but never really felt comfortable doing so.  Often there is little support for the cut off piece which ends up falling and distracting me while I have a saw still spinning down, not a good thing.  As a pro you've probably made 1000's of more cuts on your setup than I have on mine but as a weekend WW I don't have the experience that you do, so I made a platform that allows me to make accurate and SAFE cuts that I am comfortable with.  To each their own I guess.

I am in the planning stages for a height adjustable assembly/panel cutting table.  When it is done I will post it here.  Thanks to this board I have run across a bunch of additional ideas to make it even more useful.

 

[Dave Rudy]

Barry,

Thanks for the reply.  What sort of modifications did you have in mind?  I've been using it for over a year as manufactured and it works great for me.  It is not a sheetrock cart but designed to handle up to 10 3/4" sheet good panels (4x8).  I just put a sheet of plywood on the bottom, styrofoam on that and the sheet to be cut on top.  The bottom layer makes it flat and stable.  The styrofoam buries the blade beneath the full sheet cut above. 

In vertical position, it is easy to slide a sheet from storage onto the cart.  Horizontally, it works great for cutting (and as a miscellaneous work table as well -- I'm thinking if you made a torsion box top it could be used for assembly and glue-up for example). 

But I'd be interested in more detail about how to improve upon it.

Dave

 

[Lou Miller]

Lou:  I used saw horses and 2x4s to cut up sheets for a long time but never really felt comfortable doing so.  Often there is little support for the cut off piece which ends up falling and distracting me while I have a saw still spinning down, not a good thing.  As a pro you've probably made 1000's of more cuts on your setup than I have on mine but as a weekend WW I don't have the experience that you do, so I made a platform that allows me to make accurate and SAFE cuts that I am comfortable with.  To each their own I guess.

I agree on the "to each their own" part. Being comfortable with what you're working with is important. If you're more comfortable with a platform, then go that route. Just a FYI though, to get the support you need with just 2x4's, you have to position them correctly. Depending on the size of your pieces, the best thing to do is have at least two 2x4s on each side of the kerf. Getting the ones on either side of the kerf close to each other helps too. 

 

[Per Swenson]

My two cents.

Make it a nickel.

I use the yellow steel horses from the creepo.

Screw a 2x4x4' flat across the top.

Pocket hole 4- 2x4x8s on edge to that.

Throw on whatever 4x8 sheet stock I have.

I use a 3/4 4x8 sheet of foam in between.

No clamping problems, no back problems.

whole deal disassembles as fast as you can use the screw gun.

Gives you a nice big table on the job to clutter up with stuff when

not actually in use.

Per

 

[fsrxcsteve]

I have 2 MFT 1080 tables that I set up slightly apart in a driveway.  I put on top of them 2 pieces of 1/2"mdf 24"x96" on top.  They are sacrificial.  Great support for the plywood.  2 55" guide rails and TS55 w/ct22.  I just finished a kitchens worth of cabinets by sliding sheets of ply right from my truck onto the tables.  Quick and easy with no lifting.  1 man job easily.  yes the tables are expensive, but they more than paid for themselves after just that one job.

 

[Toolpig]

Yep -- I use hollow-core doors.  Super cheap -- you can often find them for $10-20 if they're slightly damaged.  I don't bother with the foam panels, though.  The doors are so cheap that I just cut right through them until they fall apart.  Easier for me to cut into small pieces and dispose of in the trash than a bunch of styrofoam.

TP

--- In FestoolOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Jill Gaddass
wrote:
> on a large piece of plywood over some workhorses aswell !?

You want more stiffness than a simple piece of plywood would provide,
and you'd like the big cutting surface to be as light as possible
(assuming you need to move it around).

My solution is a flat-faced hollow-core door. It's the usual cheapo
door you see at the big box stores. You want one without any lock
holes in it. Get a 36" wide one.

Also get a 4x8 sheet of rigid foam insulation, like styrofoam.
Anything 1/2 inch or more in thickness will do. Foam faced with
plastic or foil is better than unfaced.

Put the door on sawhorses at a comfortable height. Trim the
insulation to fit the door, and stick it together with a
(non-permanent) spray adhesive like 3M 77. If you want, cover the
edges of the foam with duct tape.

The result is stiff support that's very light. While the surface is
smaller than a full 4x8 sheet, it's big enough to support the sheet
well. I've never had a case where I felt the table should have been
bigger.

The foam is sacrificial. You'll be cutting little grooves into it
constantly. Eventually you'll want to replace it, which is why you
should use a non-permanent adhesive.

This solution works very well, is reasonably cheap, and goes together
so quickly that you won't spend all your time getting ready to build
what you wanted to build in the first place.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

                  I think there are as many variations for cut tables as there are TS55 75 owners. One thing that I note on reading through all these ideas is that  there is a big difference between ones for a permanent shop set  up and ones that get tossed into a truck. The set up time and portability issues.  There are several good ideas here for quick set and tear downs. Which is great if the table needs to be moved. But in contrast I don't have any set up time. Because  my table is always set up ready for use in the shop. There is nothing quite like having a large, flat, fully supporting, even, solid surface to to cut  sheet goods on.  Better rail support. Better DC with the bottom closed. Nothing moves, wiggles or teeters. The cut offs don't ever fall off.
                I like that hollow core door idea for something portable.  I used plenty of 2 x 4 s on saw horses prior to building a cut table. And I like the tabel much better.  Add a pair of folding table legs to the hollow core door and that sets up real fast.

Seth

 

[Corwin]

For use in the shop or on the go, one can put together a setup like this for around $100:

Attach ply and foam...

Sure makes it easier on the back!      ;D

Corwin

 

[timinct]

Corwin,
Where did you find those supports?  It looks like a 4x8 sheet is a lot wider than the tripod foot print.  How sturdy is it?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[Corwin]

These are the Triton's Multi-Stand and are available from time to time HERE.

This table setup is more than stable enough for cutting down sheet goods.  Way nicer that the two saw horses topped with 2x's and foam I had used.  That arrangement was fine, but this new system is far easier to set flat due to my garage floor.  And loading sheet goods by myself on the old setup was a little spooky at times if the saw horses went scooting.  Now it is so easy.  No lifting the sheet up and onto the table.  Just lean against table, tilt upright and tighten.  For the price, what could be nicer.  And you will most likely find a whole host of other uses for these stands around the shop.  Soon, you'll be wanting a couple more...

As I mentioned above, these stands are available from time to time...  from Amazon.  The first set I ordered took months to arrive -- and their site did state the approximate timeframe.  For a while after that they were unavailable.  More recently Amazon offered to email notices when available.  So, keep trying.  Do, however, watch for shipping damages.  Each time I have ordered these in sets of two.  Each time they send them individually, each in an outer box that is really sized for two of these stands.  Now, even though they claim that throwing a bag or two partially filled with air will protect the inner package, it does not always do so great.  Their explanation is what is filled with air -- hot air.  No, both of these last packages looked fine on the outside, but the heads had pounded their way through the inner box.  And they took a beating.  Was offered a few choices.  My choice would be for that outfit to seriously improve their shipping department.  Keep getting the same, "we're doing this and that" kind of thing, when I keep getting dings and dents.  Something's gotta give.  Probably won't be me for much longer.

Oops, sorry!  Just got carried away.
Corwin

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      I was wondering through a big box yesterday. Noticed that the hollow core doord come in bifolds also.  This could be convenient for transporting. Folding saw horses and a folding table top.

Seth