Panel Saw: HD vs Friend's

[Matt Walton]

Hi all, I have been planning on building a MAME cabinet, and as such, I will have to have some very big pieces of MDF cut. So this is my question: If I had the option to have HD/Lowe's cut it, or haul the whole 4' x 8' sheets over to another shop, and cut it myself/with the help of a friend, what would you recommend? I would just have HD do it, except I'm not sure about the accuracy/repeatability. Here is a link to the page with the cut plan, and the one that says Rev. 7 is the one I'm talking about. So I guess one of my questions is: have you had good experience with HD/Lowe's and their panel saws? There are a couple problems with doing it myself. To start with, my friend with the panel saw was pointing out a problem to me where the action was not smooth the whole way down. Also, if I messed it up, I would only have myself to blame. On the other hand though, I would have more control over what was going on, and could take more time to make sure it came out right. But either way, another questions I have is: How would you do these cuts? What I mean by this is, in what order would you make these cuts? I think I will have to do a lot of them with a jigsaw, especially the angled cuts, as I can't think of any other tool that would be able to do that. And if anybody needs help visualizing it, I made a Sketchup model Here. I figured that would be a good first step when first planning it out, as the cut pattern is not extremely helpful in trying to figure out how it goes together. I will be posting progress on my blog at http://projectthings.blogspot.com if anybody is interested.

[Jerome Hanby]

They may not cut MDF for you, makes a ton of flour like dust, so that may not even be an option. If you have a circular saw, you can get a PSI Portable Panel Saw from Amazon for around $100. That will turn your circular saw into a great tool for breaking down sheet goods. I built my daughters "doll house" bed out of MDF and made all the major cuts with that arrangement. Lots of panels no too dissimilar from most MAME cabinets I've seen. Of course if you have money to spare, buy a Festool panel saw. I upgraded to one, but I still pull out the PSI for long cuts...

[Peter Stahl]

I agree with Jerome on using a track saw. I used to get really good cuts with just a straight edge clamped to a sheet of plywood and a circular saw. Just make sure the edge of circular you put up to the edge is parallel to the blade. I have a Festool saw now and the nice thing with them is they are a plunge saw so you don't have to lift the saw up just let the blade retract. You're still going to have to finish up inside cut with a hand saw or jig saw. There are several track saws out there, PSI (Penn State Industries), Dewalt, Eurekazone & Festool to name a few (only ones I could think of).

[Eric DeSilva]

Last time I had HD cut something for me on their panel saw, it was a 3/4" piece of oak veneer ply... The guy jammed the panel saw through it so hard and so fast the veneer was splintered and destroyed 3" from either side of the cut. I just stood there, jaw hanging down. He seemed shocked when I said I wasn't going to pay for it.

[Larry Rasmussen]

I will venture to say that there is no circumstance in which a lumberyard or home depot type store will do an accurate cut for you. I have had this done occasionally over many years and find the best places will promise (more like warn) you they can only get within a half inch and can't gaurentee exact squareness either. Usually they are not using precision machinery and if they are using good machinery it is still not realistic to expect everything to remain in good alignment with optimal sharpness on the blades with the amount of heavy stuff that gets cut up in a yard.

I have good luck specifying cuts one or two inches larger than the actual cut line I will do when I arrive home. Usually I'll have them split it the long way so it is easier to handle and fits better on the roof rack of my car. I also recommend a guided circular saw. I have a Festool and guides but before that I used a Porter Cable saw and a metal straight edge. Again in the old days I used to use a 2X3 inch lumber grid with 18" open squares thrown across a couple saw horses as a cut table. Just adjust the blade so it doesn't go much deeper than your panel. Actually if you are only going to do this once and have a dry bit of lawn you can always set the panel on it and cut away. If it's not new mowed you'll stay above the dirt.

Ok so what brought the circular saw approach up to excellent was when I discovered guided saws; that is the saw fits in a track and can't wander during the cut instead of just being run against a straight edge. Next good thing was hearing about using rigid foam as a cut surface. When fresh it ads a certain small amount of support to help reduce splintering on the down side of cut. It's also feather light, easy to store away and can be used on any flat surface. Since I've had the Festool I've noticed a few of the major companies have developed track systems for their saws and while not cheap they are generally a bit less.

Ok did some homework on Amazon. The integrated systems with saw and track at a glance are Festool with 55" track for $525, Makita with 55" track for $400, DeWalt with 59" and 102" tracks included $549 with many reviews on each system. In general DeWalt wasn't getting the love the other two did. There were the also several kits that were much much less expensive that attached to the user's saw and could be guided by some of the many clamp guides that have been on the market for years. I used "circular saw guide system" as a search phrase and could have read all afternoon about the choices. If I were looking now besides the obvious question of how well it stays on the track I'd look at the zero clearance anti splinter tape material that Festool uses and see if the other ones have it and also the effectiveness of the dust collection.

The Arcade looks like a fun set up, good luck with the build!

Larry R

[Jim Matthews]

Outside of the construction season, you may find qualified people working there.

If you're willing to shop on a weekday, when it's not busy - they may be willing to do more.
I just ask, most are glad to help.

If you spell out your project, the worst they can say is no.

I'm all for breaking sheet goods down at the point of purchase, as my minivan is high enough that loading the top is a pain (although I've done it).

If you look further afield, perhaps a cabinet shop could source parts for you?
They've got the gear, expertise, and in this economy - time to spare.

[Larry Rasmussen]

They could be wood cutting geniuses with very helpful attitudes and the goals outlined by original poster would not be achieveable. Usually the more knowledgeable they are whether at Home Depot or a specialty yard the faster they are to tell you they don't guarentee total accuracy on the cuts.
Larry
Seattle

[Myk Rian]

First; I wouldn't buy the wood at the box store.
Second; I've never seen them do an accurate cut.
Third; You have total control doing it yourself.

[Matt Walton]

Well, if I had money to spare, I'd just buy my own top-of-the-line panel saw!
Anyways, what I'm noticing is that up until the last post, everybody is pretty much saying don't have HD cut it, but also nothing was really said about doing it myself. I would consider just using my circular saw and a straightedge, but for one thing, I don't trust the saw, and also, I would have to either buy a straightedge, or try to find a piece of wood that is square.
Larry: I would definitely like to get a track saw, but right now, I don't have the money, since I'm spending it all on the cabinet!
Myk: I am a little bit curious as to why not. Is there as much of a quality drop at home centers with MDF as there is with Plywood? As for your 2nd and 3rd comments, that is why I am thinking about doing it myself. The saw I would have access to is actually a school my friend teaches at. It's really more of a tech center, but they have quite a few different workshops. Although I am homeschooled, I was going there to participate in a robotics team, and this person I am taking about is the coach of the team. Anyway, school might be out by this point, so I don't know if we would be able to get in, but if we could, and I decided to go this route, what would be some things to look out for to see if the panel saw would work or not? Are there any really good ways to determine accuracy, and is the little bit of hangup in the travel really anything to be concerned about?

[Greg Hines, MD]

That is a very clever panel saw.

[George Farra]

I've given up on HD/Lowes, or any other lumber yard for that matter, giving me clean cuts in sheet good...especially quality veneered plys. I bought a cordless circ saw and attached a zero clearance sole made from 3/8" MDF. I attach is with double sided tape....blade is exposed though, haven't figured out a solution yet....but I will

That and a straight edge & clamps....I cut my own sheets in the parking lot and load it into my SUV. I do cut slightly oversized and get them to finished size in the shop. So far its worked for me and the whole set up cost about $100.....craftsman c3 saw

[George Farra]

I should add...that I do bring my own scrap wood to act as a spacer in berween sheets or the metal HD orange cart . Pink rigid insullation works well too

George

[scott spencer]

I usually have the home center cut it to rough manageable sizes, then I do the final cuts in the shop. It's just really convenient to do while you're there buying it.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd use a circular saw with a shop made strait edge , just rip a factory edge of a sheet of 1/2" MDF, tack a 1/4" fence to one edge of this, make a rip cut through this with your saw to get the exact blade location, no measuring an offset, works as well as a $600 saw but with no plunge feature and DC must be rigged by you. I have cut $1000k hardwood doors to size using this type of $.29 guide. I have three lengths in my shop for a variety of circumstances, and have made them up to 20' by splicing.

I would maybe have the store split sheets into slightly oversize to drop weight and make the lifting easier, but unless you have a very special relationship with a local store it is unreasonable to walk in with a cut list that complicated and expect them to be either willing or able to do the work. I'd much rather do it at my pace with full control in my own shop. Keep in mind full sheets of MdF weight 100#'s, so it may be necessary to have a helper for your safety as far as moving e product.. For the sides with all the angles I'd cut the first one accurately then use it as a template for the second one. I'd cut the second one close and flush trim to the first with a router for accuracy.

[Dick Bringhurst]

It's been my experience the BLOG will not guarrentee accuracy. Also their blade leaves something to be desired. A hatchet would be better. Dick B.