I’m looking for opinions on cutting cabinet grade plywood with a circular saw. I read an article in Fine Woodworking about a year or so ago where the author recommended using a circular saw to cut sheets of plywood for cabinets. In the article the author used a dedicated circular saw, a sacrificial table, and shopmade straightedges. I’ve made a straightedge and I use it with a Skil worm drive saw.
The reason I’m posting here is that I’ve thought about upgrading my setup and wanted some advice. I don’t build cabinets for a living, but find myself cutting sheets of decent plywood several times a year; mainly for projects around the house or to help friends. I’ve considered some of the potential upgrades out there; I’ve eliminated the Festool as an option because I think it’s just too much for me to spend on something I won’t use a lot.
Something I have considered is the EZ system by Eureka zone, I’ve read about them in previous posts. Not sure if that would be a good choice for an ocasional user.
I’ve also considered purchasing another circular saw to use just for this type of cutting. I wonder if a dedicated saw is worth the expense?
Lastly, the cheapest option would be to make a few more guides and use the saw I have. With this, I have to ask if the saw is used for cutting framing lumber and ‘rough’ work, will it still give as clean a cut as a separate dedicated saw?
I’d like to hear what guys use to cut plywood down to size. Also, I should add that I have a decent contractor’s saw. It works well, but I don’t have the room to slide full sheets of plywood across it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Replies
The few times that we have to precut plywood to roughsize we use a 7 1/4 in 48 tooth ATB on a wormdrive.With a dedicated straight edge and masking tape on the top face of the ply. However for framing We use & 1/4 in 35 tooth ATB+R combination blades as the latter is better for ripping in wet lumber.when we did a lot of framing(before teflon coating) throwaway steel blades at a couple of bucks a pop were ok.Problem that I find with a Skilsaw is end float in the shaftgives slightly inconsistant smoothness of cut
I cut ply seldom but do on ocasion. I do have a dedicated saw for this. I have a portercable CS with the magnesium base. Very light and I liked the fact that it's an even easy measurement from the edge of the base to the blade. I have a seperate saw for construction cuts (old skil worm drive from my dad) That makes it easy to set if from my strait edge. The saw is easy to set and stays at 90. In my CS I have a Forrest WWII blade that gives me fantastic edges. For my strait edge I have a grip tite (I think thats the brand) clamp I use and it works great. If I need to cut the entire length I just pop a chalk line or use a board that gets me close and then finish with the clamp. You can get the thick sheets of insulation at lowes for a sacrificial cutting surface and they work great. It's not as good as a panel saw but it gets the job done. If I hade my choice I'd have the Festool TS55 with rail system. Great dust pick up and a riving knife. Dewalt and Makita both have something similar now in the same price range. Good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRvBNZRIek
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Renaldus Magnus
There are several cheaper alternatives to the EZ system if you don't need to use it that often. They involve a straightedge with built-in track and a matching saw guide plate that keeps the saw running true with less effort. LV has such a system, but for cabinet grade plywood I prefer something like this; http://ptreeusa.com/edge_clamps_guide-Plates.htm. This particular plate doesn't have a precut hole, so you can use it as a zero-clearance plate giving a smoother cut. You can in fact leave such a plate on the saw permanently, though rough work will mar it. It's possible to make your own plates from plastic or plywood, and add the runners, but the system's cheap enough for me to justify buying it for occasional use. You can use the straightedge for guiding a router, clamping and other things.
Jim
I have the EZ with a cheap makita circular saw.
It works very well because of the plastic edges on the guide which prevent tearout. Becuase of the edges you can get by with a less expensive saw and use a decent 40 tooth blade.
I think I paid $250 for the saw and the guide.
If you are cutting more than a few sheets it will be money well spent.
And if you don't want it then sell it on craigslist after you finish.
F.
Here's my setup for cutting plywood. It's simple, inexpensive, easy to use, and gives me excellent cuts.
The "table" is two sawhorses with a 2-3 pieces of 2"x?" across them. Then, I lay on a piece of 1/2" particle board.
The guide is an 8' piece of 1/2" ply ~3" wide attached to an 8' piece of 1/4" ply. When I make these, I begin with a piece of 1/4" ply ~12' - 14" wide, and attach the 1/2" ply down the center with glue and brads from the bottom. Then, I run the saw down both sides of the guide trimming off the excess 1/4" ply. This gives me a full length edge that exactly matches the width of my saws base plate from its edge to the blade.
An inexpensive (B&D, Skil, etc) saw will work fine as long as it runs pretty true, holds a 90* angle, and has a decent blade. I use a 7.25", carbide, finish cut blade.
I slide my plywood out of the pickup face down onto the table, mark the width of the piece I want to cut, align my guide with my marks (the edge of the guide is the edge of the cut), clamp the guide, set the saws cut depth ~1/8" deeper than the thickness of the guide plus plywood, and run the saw down the guide keeping the base plate edge against the 1/2" guide.
It takes a little practice to keep the saw against the guide with the right amount of pressure. Too little pressure and the saw can drift away from the cut. Too much pressure can flex (or move) the guide messing up your cut line. You'll also want to have enough room to "walk" along as you make the cut, and always know where your extension cord plug is - if the plug hangs up during the cut, it can drag your saw off the cut line.
Finally, check your guide if you change saw blades. A different blade might not exactly match the guide cut line.
This works for me:I use a length of aluminium box section (80 x 20mm) as a straightedge. It is clamped to the plywood as in the attached poor quality photo.The box section is straight to better than 1mm in 9 feet. I bought a 20 foot length which gave me 4 straight edges (9, 6,3 and 2 feet)The sheet sits on 2 sawhorses and the piece to be cut off rests on 2 stands. I use a fairly fine toothed saw but cut about 2mm oversize and then use an electric plane to trim to size. This gets rid of the tearout.The way the guide is clamped avoids the problem of the saw motor fouling a clamp.
I now have a Festool setup but used to do exactly as you do. I find the Festool to be very fast and true. I think, because it costs so bloody much, I take extra good care of both the saw and the straight edges. Your description got me to thinking.... One might be able to apply the sticky rubber grip strips that are on the bottom of the Festool edge to a plywood straightedge. Then, the setup wouldn't need clamps and the kerf edge will be supported by the rubber edge. Those strips are sold as replacements by the Festool dealers.
Even though my saw is a big box cheapie, it's rarely used for anything outside of the shop. I think that the real "trick" is a good blade that's intended for finish cuts. A general purpose blade doesn't give me smooth cuts - even when new.My guides (I have another one for my cordless saw) usually last a couple of years, and I almost always have enough scrap laying around to make new ones. The rubber anti-skid stuff might do fine, but I'm way more comfortable with my clamps - especially when I'm cutting $100 per sheet plywood. Call me chicken if you wish. - lol
For a few time a year, I'd suggest you just use one of your sheets of plywood clamped to the other as a guide. I use a 40 year old craftsman saw with a 7" plywood blade. It works well enough.
I know there are those who will say the factory edge on a sheet of plywood isn't true, but other than being nicked at a few points I find them as straight as I need.
I like the EZ system. I can precisely align the edge on my cut line - I can be accurate within the width of the pencil line itself. The system is very, very well made. The main problem is that the guide and new saw base decrease the depth of cut by about 1/2".
The Wood Loon
Acton, MA
One of the neatest things that I was taught as a young man, I am still using today. I use this jig even for cutting expensive exterior doors, sides and bottoms. Take a nice sheet 1/4 inch birch plywood and a cheap piece of wedge door casing. The factory sawn edge of that plywood shoul be near perfect. Screw and glue the casing,wedge side to the edge of the plywood, down to the plywood. Next find a good wide base circular saw (porter-cable 315-1 was my choice) and install a real good 60 tooth carbide blade and set the depth of cut no more that 1/4 inch below the wood. This will help to keep the downward return rotation of the blade from splintering the edge of the wood. Now take your saw, jam it tightly against the molding on the plywood and cut the excess 38 inches off. Now you have a perfect crosscut jig, 8 feet long.
Clamp it tightly to your material and make your cut. I f you will dedicate that saw and plywood to this procedure, you will be able to lay the plywood edge on you pencil mark and have the confidence that it cut right on the mark. And by using a plywood gauge, you will also provide a top layer to aid in splintering the surface or plywood with the blade coming up. Alot of words but an easy procedure with a small investment. Any more questions, let me know. ;-)
I try to develop a reasonably accurate cut list as I plan the work and let the seller do the cutting using his panel saw. I just have no interest in handling full sheets (even 1/2 sheets) of plywood at all.
Like you I only experience this activity 2 to 3 times a year. Not worth the bother so I don't bother.
I have a friend who buys plywood by the lift. If he can't get help when running a big job, he is sore for days.
Don
This is precisely the reason I purchased the Festool system. After making a mess of some premium hardwood plywood, I needed a better way to cut this material.
Or you could spring for one of the sliding tablesaws with the scoring blade feature. I don't use this feature for all cuts, but it is nice to have.
The most cost-effective method for cutting ply with few splinters or tear-out is what I have used on occasion. Score the cut line with a utility knife, then apply some masking tape on the cut line, both on the top and bottom. This helps to hold the face veneers in place while the saw blade travels through the cut. Just be careful in removing the tape; pull it off at an angle. This works for plywood and melamine.
My son bought the EZ System from Eureka Zone. It is a pretty good system but we bought a new circular saw to go with it so we could get the depth of cut we wanted. By the time you add up those costs, you are not too far from the price of a Festool. A less expensive alternative is one of the clamp systems that has an attachment for your circular saw. There are a number of them out there. I have not used any of them but they look like they will work.Lastly, I have seen in several of the magazines where you make your own straight edge by attaching a strip of hardwood to a piece of Masonite and cut off the extra Masonite and use c-clamps. Even when I use my son's EZ System, I cut the pieces a little over sized and trim them on the table saw. It is a lot more accurate and having smaller pieces makes it a lot easier for one guy to cut on the table saw. There are lots of ways to skin the cat. Domer
Look at the Emerson
http://shopping.aol.com/home-garden/tools/hand-tools-and-metrics/gripping-tools/manufacturer-vendors_emerson-EMR/
At the link above see the attachments...
With the ridgid foam sheet (I use the 2 inch) and the U99 and/or U50 you can cut plywood all day long without a hiccup... Painters tape AND a zero clearance plate.. Away you go! But then again I am out in the driveway on my hands and knees. No room in the shop.
BE AWARE that the tape (even blue good grade tape) helps BUT I have seen it pull off fibers from the veneer. BUMMER!
I use a junk 99 dollar Ryobi saw with a quality blade. I would state the blade MFG. but my Nephew has it now and he is about a 5 hour drive away and I have no idea what his phone number is!
I like the Emerson brand because of the extra width of the clamp. Less flex (none?) in the middle.
My general comment on clamps of this type, not just the Emerson brand. I have other brands that do the same but the width is thinner. THEY CAN MOVE! I use a small extra clamp at each end.. JUST IN CASE!
And as always, Measure twice or four times and cut once!
Long ago I made a panel saw. I sold it. The clamps and foam work as well as my 'try' at a panel saw. Although the set-up time on the panel-saw was faster.
AND... If you use more than one type of blade /or even just one/ make a 'story-stick' for clamp placement to your cutting marks. In other words, a hunk of something to space the clamp at each end to where your blade will cut.
Just me though.. No need fer the fess tool unless you really want one. I'd get the Festool saw and guides in a heartbeat but I spend all (or at least most) of my extra money on my China Dolls these past years...
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