All Replies on Breaking Down Sheet Goods with Hand Saws

I use a circular saw and an edge guide. I can’t get a full sheet into my basement shop, so I have to cut every sheet down in my driveway. I lay out 2×4’s underneath to support both sides of the cut. I just break down to rough dimensions so I can handle the pieces more safely on my table saw.

A track saw (Festool, Dewalt or Makita) is also a good option, but costs more. Or you could get a panel saw, if you have the room and the money.

-- John

Here is how I do it;

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/29870

You also will want to buy / build a straight cutting guide to keep your circular saw going straight down your cut line.

I have also seen others place a 4’ x 8’ sheet of the thick (about 2-3”) insulating foam sheets on the floor and cut plywood sheet with circular saw on top of the foam sheet.

Good Luck!

-- Rick Gustafson - Lost Creek Ranch - Colorado County, Texas

Thanks, I’m going to build one of these for myself.

-- Rodman

I have a small shop so I break up plywood quite a lot outside on saw horses. I then bring the parts inside and cut them again on the TS to make them accurate, However, if you use a good strait edge to guide your circular saw carefully you can cut quite accurately and not use the TS. You can even refine this some what more by leaving a small amount for the router to trim again using the strait edge as a guide along with a ball bearing bit or just an edge guide for the router and a strait bit. your strait edges could be just a good strait piece of would with c clamps to clamp them onto the plywood.

helluvawreck
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com/

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

I use Japanese saws.
Here’s a video of a device that I use when cutting sheet goods with a kataba.
I bought mine many years ago from Lee Valley, but they no longer carry this model.
They are still made by the Topman Company of Japan.

Japanese Saw Guide

Blessings.

-- 温故知新

Viking has the right idea. You can make straight cuts IF the plywood is supported while cutting it, nothing worse than trying to balance a sheet while making the last 6 inch cut (DANGEROUS TOO)

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

I like the above idea.
But years ago I built my own panel saw. Great item for cutting sheet goods in a small shop. Today you can get them for under $1000 on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Safety-Speed-Cut-PRO1K-Pro-Vertical-Panel-Saw-/170610315567?pt=LH Hope that link is correct I had to hand type it in I couldn’t copy and paste.
MIKE

-- See pictures on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44216106@N07/ And visit my Facebook page - facebook.com/MTEnterprises

I find that a model 77 Skilsaw works pretty well. Use a straight edge if you have difficulty cutting a straight line.

-- Darrell, making more sawdust than I know what to do with

I use the foam board on the floor with a cutting guide and a circ saw. I find it a heck of a lot easier to cut when the whole sheet is supported, even the offcut, rather than working out how to support it up in the air.

I use a regular 1” thick blue foamboard. All you need to do is make sure your blade height is only cutting 1/4” or so into the foam. That’s an easy adjustment. It’s cheap, safe, easy and effective. About the only “trick” I have is to cut off a couple inches on length and width of the board so the clamps from my straight edge can be placed.

You might be interested by the method of one of our inventive fellow lumberjock

bricofleur

https://atelierdubricoleur.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/cutting-sheet-goods-alone-coupez-des-panneaux-en-solitaire/

see also
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/tips/archive/2008/06/29/8-ftStraightedge-for-4.aspx
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/shop/archive/2010/01/14/fold-down-cutting-rack.aspx
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/techniques/archive/2010/01/19/working-alone-with-plywood.aspx or
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/tools/woodworking-hand-tools/sawing-particleboard-and-plywood

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/4283497

-- Sylvain, Brussels, Belgium, Europe - The more I learn, the more there is to learn

I use a Porter Cable circular saw and just lay sheetstock flat on 2×4s. Somewhere I have long straightedge although sometimes I just freehand cut (with a line) and true it up on the tablesaw.

I use Japanese saws.

My hat’s off to you sir. I wouldn’t even begin breaking down sheets with a handsaw.

-- -- Rick M.

Thanks for the advice and tips from everyone….@Hobomonk, man I’m sold on that tip! Thank You

-- users lose drugs

I should have looked at the video pointed to by Hobomonk before making any comment.

For those of us living in Europe, this Japanese saw guide is available in Germany :
http://www.fine-tools.com/miter-sawguide.html

They ship to USA but it is expensive unles you buy multiple item to diminish the cost by item.

-- Sylvain, Brussels, Belgium, Europe - The more I learn, the more there is to learn

A circular saw is a good way to break down sheet goods. It is messy and god-awful noisy, but it does work. For the handtool user, it is a much less expensive way to deal with a large volume of sheet goods without going out and buying a tablesaw. For smaller jobs with sheet goods, use your handsaws. I just finished a shelving project under my basement stairway that I used OSB on. I had the 4’x8’ sheets cut in half for ease of movement and transportation and cut everything else in the shop with my panel saw. Worked out great. No noise, no mess, and never a safety concern.

-- Mike

One warning about having sheet goods cut at the big boxes where you buy them: Last time I did that, their panel saw was off enough to be a significant problem. So you might want to ask them when they checked/adjusted the saw for squareness before letting them cut. Also, check the lower track where they rest the panel to make sure there’s no trash to affect the position of the panel in it, which would also affect accuracy. And make sure you check them before working with them at home.

-- Bob, Atlanta

Another BB warning, sometimes their blades arent’ so sharp and you get some ugly tearout, ruining an edge. I did the circular saw/edge guide thing for years before I got my table saw, and now I’ll never look back – the circular saw sits cold these days. The biggest differences with a TS are speed and accuracy. You can get the accuracy with the edge guide, but it’s effort and time that could be spent doing other things.

-- Don, Royersford, PA

Here’s a source for the Topman Saw Guide in the USA.
Manny's Woodworkers Place in Lexington, Kentucky.
Manny is a neat guy. He was an exhibitor at the WIA 2011 show, where I met him.

Blessings.

-- 温故知新

circular saw with a straight edge. just raise up the ply on a few 2×4’s or something. I’ve seen a 4×8 sheet of 1” rigid insulation used underneath the ply so the blade won’t get hurt.

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net