Track Saws, silly question I think

[Scott Brandstetter]

I have been looking at track saws and other methods of cutting larger sheets. I have always used my table saw but as I get older the thought of wrestling larger items is not appealing. The silly question is this....how do you use the track saw. I don't mean how does it work, rather, do you lay the plywood on the ground, across a large table? I'm trying to envision me bringing a sheet good to the shop and then making it easier than using my TS.

[Jim Becker]

One popular way to break down sheets safely at "floor level" is to buy some foam insulation board to put under the sheet goods. Set the track saw to cut just slightly thicker than the material you're working with. The foam will protect the blade from coming near the floor and you can literally kneel on it to get into a "comfortable" position. You could also use 2x stock to raise up the sheets...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I built a interlocking grid of 2x4's that interlock using half lap joints. The 2x4s stand on edge while interlocked. I assemble the grid on the floor, lay the plywood on top of it and rough cut it to size. I finish cut the plywood on my tablesaw.

[Eric DeSilva]

I cut up a lot of sheet goods before they get past my garage (shop is in basement). I found a bunch of plastic buckets years ago that I can put under the sheets of plywood and cut--the buckets also stack, which is nice. Since they were dirt cheap, I don't even worry about missing and cutting them up. I know some people cut on rigid foam too. The buckets work better for me since I can get under the sheet to clamp my guide rails down.

[Chris Padilla]

I have a nice 2" thick piece of rigid foam that I use: Toss 'er on the driveway, toss the ply on it, toss the guide on it, toss the saw on the guide, cut away. Amazingly, as cut up as the foam sheet is, it still has a fair amount of integrity left so it keeps on going. It rained the whole weekend here and I needed to still cut down some sheet goods so I tossed the foam on my workbench and cut inside. The styrofoam kinda gets everywhere and sticks to everything, too, so that is kind of annoying but it didn't drive me to the point of whipping up some 2x4s to cut upon instead. To Eric's point about clamping guides and I can only speak to Festool's guide (and track saws), but they don't need clamped to stay in place while cutting.

[Peter Quinn]

I've been running this through my head for a few months in odd moments, bought a track saw for the home shop, single rail so far, has proven very useful for cabinet mods on installs and some angled cuts, but main idea was to break down sheet goods. I have a jessem mast-r-slide NIB ready to go on cabinet saw, I have a very large panel sled built from a FWW article, never finalized it. Shop is in basement. Any scenario that involves me spending more time on my knees is a bad one. I've considered getting an MFT with the cross cut set up, man are those things pricey, trying to save some money for retirement.....So how to do it. I spent the weekend breaking down full sheets on the cabinet saw....it's just mental pushing an 8' long 24" rip sidewise through the saw to cross cut, we call it the "cowboy cut" because they can occasionally buck a bit! The rip is easy enough if the factory edge is good....and that's a big if. I've gotten very used to slapping sheets on the big altendorf at work, making a square crisp corner and going from there. I'm looking to develop that kind of work flow in the home shop, haven't got it straight yet.

I'm picturing a folding table with half lap grid, maybe poplar 1X3' something cheap and easy to replace, light enough to store...sheets go into full sized van at lumber yard via fork lift.....come out of van onto cutting table, sliced to make parts, Peter never lifts a full sheet again, just slide and slice. I keep looking for a video of a good total process, because I'm busy,and lazy, and a natural procrastinator. I just haven't found that simple solution for complete parts break down yet that won't cost me $1k.

[Ryan Mooney]

I built a interlocking grid of 2x4's that interlocking using half lap joints. The 2x4s stand on edge while interlocked. I assemble the grid on the floor, lay the plywood on top of it and rough cut it to size. I finish cut the plywood on my tablesaw.

Same except I put the grid on top of a pair of sawhorses. My grid is actually half lapped 2x3s that I pin with dowels though holes drilled diagonally through the junctions. That way I can back the pickup right up to it, slide a sheet out at waist height onto the grid then cut to size. Repeat as needed. Minimizes moving whole sheets of plywood which is nice and my back doesn't like bending over to cut on the ground all that much anymore.

The grid when raied up is easy to clamp around and to as well. If the blade scores the 2x3s a little its no real problem.

[Eric DeSilva]

To Eric's point about clamping guides and I can only speak to Festool's guide (and track saws), but they don't need clamped to stay in place while cutting.

You say that... Festool says that... I still can't bring myself to actually believe it. Every time I come close to trying it, I just say "eh, the Festool quick clamps only take 30 seconds to attach..."

[Joe Spear]

...toss the saw on the guide

I'm sorry. At the price I paid for it, I just can't bring myself to toss my Festool saw anywhere.

[Charles Wiggins]

One popular way to break down sheets safely at "floor level" is to buy some foam insulation board to put under the sheet goods. Set the track saw to cut just slightly thicker than the material you're working with. The foam will protect the blade from coming near the floor and you can literally kneel on it to get into a "comfortable" position.

+1. This is precisely what I do.

It helps with preventing tear-out on the underside as well. You can get a lot of cuts out of one piece of foam insulation.

If your floor is concrete or other material that is impossible to keep clean I would suggest choosing top and bottom sides and always put the foam down that way to avoid getting debris embedded in your material. It can ruin a nice piece of ply and dull your blade if you hit it.

[Chris Padilla]

You say that... Festool says that... I still can't bring myself to actually believe it. Every time I come close to trying it, I just say "eh, the Festool quick clamps only take 30 seconds to attach..."

Hard to use a clamp when you're 4x8 plywood is sitting on a piece of 4x8 foam board which is sitting on a concrete driveway (usually).

[James Zhu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YzIwK-g0E

Multifunction workbench, jump to 3:00 which shows the extension table supporting 4x8 sheets. The plan is available on his website, http://www.benchworks.be/tipstricks.html.

[Ralph Okonieski]

I use the foam insulation on the floor method.

I only use clamps occasionally with the guide but not when I'm breaking down the ply. Occasionally, my OCD kicks in and I will clamp down the guide for good measure.

[Chris Padilla]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YzIwK-g0E

Multifunction workbench, jump to 3:00 which shows the extension table supporting 4x8 sheets. The plan is available on his website, http://www.benchworks.be/tipstricks.html.

Eric,

See from 3:50 on...no clamps for the track!!!

James,

Thanks for that link...pretty sweet set-up he has there. I have two MFT1080s myself...rare that they aren't both opened up.

[scott vroom]

For me the hardest part is getting the sheet goods from the truck into the shop. Once in the shop it's relatively easy to lift the front edge of the sheet onto the saw table, and then lift the rear edge onto roller stands. When I get to the point that I can no longer carry the sheet goods to the shop I'll pay my supplier to break it down for me.