Hi there,
I work in interior commercial retail and I install a lot of finished paneling like slat wall. More often then not it is prefinished 4 x 8 panels that have to get cut precisely on the job site. We usually use a skill saw and a straight edge. I make a zero clearance fence out of 1/2″ MDF and clamp it on to the panel and make the cut. No offset measuring required. The problem I am having is my skill saw is not cutting parallel to the blade. It has no adjustment for this so I just bent it straight again. Any ideas how to cut these panel quick and accurately would be appreciated. The only saw I know of with this adjustment is the 8 1/4 ” dewalt. I would rather have a smaller saw than that.
Thanks in advance for your help
Ace
Replies
this may be exactly what you are looking for this saw also has some neet anti splinter stuff and can be hooked into a vaccume ( by the way i don't work for them i just love their stuff and recomend it to anyone )
the web link is
http://www.festool-usa.com/portando/index.cfm
Plunge-cut saw 55mm cutting depth
561086
ATF 55 E-Plus 120V
Includes:
I use a shoot board too. I make mine of 1/4" mdf on the theory that the flimsier material is pushed tight to the stuff I'm cutting to reduce chipping on the face. The 1/4" mdf holds down the chips. Now to what you asked. I used (and abused) a skil wormdrive for years and it started to want to veer off like a car with bad alignment. I cursed it a long time and when the switch went out I just tossed it and bought a left handed milwaukee sidewinder. I'm not a leftie but I wanted a hook shoot board and with a left handed saw I could hold the hook board with my left hand and comfortably cut with my right (the larger shoe rests on my hook board). The other disadvantage to the wormdrive on a shoot board is the twist the saw makes when started. If your not careful you mess up the zero clearance feature by chewing out pieces of the guide edge not to mention the material you are cutting. Now for any framers out there yes I absolutely love the skil 77 mag I also bought. It's just not the saw for a shoot board. I hope I don't hear now that for 20$ skil would have aligned my old saw
Skil would have aligned your old saw for $20.00.
I was thinking abou the Festol saw too. It is pricey but for someone doing this kind of cut all the time...
I find that the dropfoot saws are better at keeping alignment for this kined of guide cutting than the swinfoot ones that everyone is going to now. The Makita swingfoot is especially bad about non-alignment between foot and blade. My old Milwaukee is still true after ten years or so.
Excellence is its own reward!
I am with you piffin. i have one 18 year old Milwaukee and a newer 10 year old. both are still true.
If you're going to buy a new saw fine but until then I think you have noticed that one thing that throws you off with a old saw is it has slightly different allowances at different cutting depths. This was the motivation for the adjustable set-back gauge (block with a screw) so I can calibrate to what setback the Makita is cutting at what depth.
hey ace can.
i cut alot of prefinished panels for kitchen cabinets and use the 8 foot edge guide from lee valley, its a great tool, had mine for 2 years or more and use it every day
i use it with a pc saw and also with a hitachi router for a perfect cut on both sides of prefinished panels.
check http://www.leevalley.com
I also use the Lee Valley and a 6 inch PC which has a drop foot.
Tim Mooney
I've used that festo quite a bit and it the greatest. It does things none of the other methods can do.
One thing that is really useful about it is the combination of the plunge cut and the self-holding guide rail. The rail has rubber strips on the back (replaceable) that allow the guide to just be set on whatever it is you want to cut and it will stay put. The rubber on one edge is also the demarcation of where your cut will be, so you just set the rubber edge on the line and make your cut. The plunge will let you start in the middle of something with dead-on accuracy.
I don't own one, and I'm not working with the guy who does anymore, so I've missd it sorely.
Steve
The Lee Valley appear to be the Tru-Grip Clamp N' Tool Guide. That company also makes a version with sliding bases where you can mount the saw or a router and it is fixed to the guide and can wonder off. It also looks like it offers zero clearance for the saw blade.
While I see the basic clamp and the back to back clamps in the WW catalogs. I think that the only place that I have seen the saw guide is at the WW shows.
http://home.att.net/~griset/index.html
Penn State has a different saw guide system.
http://www.pennstateind.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PSI&Category_Code=PS
Thanks for posting that link. I like the Penn State system better and its quite is affordable. You get a 64" cross cut and a rip fence for that price . Of course the attachment is a little pricey for me but should be worth it .
Thats how I make cabinets as I dont have a big shop table saw that will hold a 4x8 sheet. I do have a big table saw , buts its difficult by myself to cross cut a sheet. I also make glu lambs from a straight edge also. I have got along pretty well with the Lee Valley though.
Tim Mooney
Thanks for the idea's. I have a true grip guide. It has a little movement in the clamp, so it is not the greatest. That red staight edge seems ok. I don't trust that if you join it to make 8' and only clamp both ends that it would work good. We had one of these types of staight edges to make 8', although it was not as good quality. I think the only good 8' staight edge has to be one piece like the festo. Kind of long to transport around and not damage though. I think the festo system is great and it has the package deal of saw, staight edge and vacume for about $650. If money was not an option, I would buy this in a second as it is just what I am looking for. If you don't use the table saw on site much, you could just use the festo.
The second best, I think is to buy the 7 1/4" dewalt saw with the adjustable base, and use a home made zero clearance staight edge.
Thanks again, Ace
the leevalley edge is manufactured by leevalley not tru guide. both have there advantages, the tru guide will also double as a larger glue clamp and will accomadate thicker materials. the leevalley unit will cut at any angle across sheetgoods. i use both brands everyday as a cabinet builder. for a guy working alone thay are the best way to cut sheet goods
I agree especially if you are portable working alone. My shop saw is much too heavy for transport.
Tim Mooney
another alternative is a straight end that i own. actually i own two. they are made my tru grip and are available from tool crib, woodcraft, etc. they are available in 4 ft and 8 ft lengths (one piece) and they have option plastic mounting plates that ride in grooves on the straight end that will prevent a sloppy cut. the plastic plates are available for routers or saws, and if you saw is skewed, you can moun it skewed on the plastic plate so that it will cut straight.
good luck
another advantage of the leevalley straight edge is that it can be set up to cut at any angle. i have used this tool to cut miters in countertop materials
This might help. Now I've not tried this but it lookslike it might be the ultimate saw guide. Red-Line Cutting Guide aval at http://www.pricecutter.com heavyduty alum guide with clamps uderside with tool glide
hope this helps