# Ripping 4 x 8 sheets of plywood



## WANNAFARM2

Just wondering if anyone has any good tips for ripping sheets of plywood. It's almost impossible to run a full sheet of 3/4 ply through a table saw by yourself. Just wondering if anyone has come up with any jigs or straightedges to use to rip with a circular saw. Thanks.


----------



## cabinetman

WANNAFARM2 said:


> Just wondering if anyone has any good tips for ripping sheets of plywood. It's almost impossible to run a full sheet of 3/4 ply through a table saw by yourself. Just wondering if anyone has come up with any jigs or straightedges to use to rip with a circular saw. Thanks.


I cut full sheets all the time with no problems. If you have your saw set up with a right outfeed and an outfeed to the rear, cutting full sheets is pretty simple. 

As for jigs to be used with a circular saw, there has been many recently. Here is one.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/how-make-these-kind-sheet-goods-cuts-without-cabinet-saw-21890/












 









.


----------



## bofa

My rinky-dink table saw isn't big enough and I don't have the room for a bigger one or tables. I've had good success using a straight board clamped to the ply and cutting the board down on the floor with even the cheapest circular saw and a good blade, with either a foam board underneath or strategically placed 2x4s. 

I got a craftsman hypoid saw for Christmas and got to test that out this weekend... rips ply like butter with the included Freud blade. I was trimming 1/8"strips for fun off a sheet of 1/2" pine ply with no tear out. Can't wait to try on the better stuff.

Also there are a few ripping guides for sale at the box stores and HF has one on sale for $10 right now. I have that one too and it works fine, just be careful when clamping because it can shift slightly.


----------



## firehawkmph

Wanna,
I have the clamp on straight edges, and yes they work, but to me, to much time and pita. I bought a Festool plunge saw with the guide tracks. Unbelievably easy, accurate, and quick. Plus a cut that is splinter free and better than the factory edge. It's pricey, but after having one for awhile now, well worth it.
Mike Hawkins


----------



## mveach

i use in feed and out feed rollers. they have to be aligned square to the saw or they can make things worse. still the best is to have a helper.


----------



## Kirkus

I don't like putting anything on my table saw that I can't comfortably cut by myself, which limits me to about a 4'x4'. If I know I have enough extra on a full 4'x'8' sheet, and I don't need anything longer than 4' out of it, I'll have the store where I buy my sheet goods cut the piece in half for me before taking it home.

If that's not possible, I use a piece of 3/4" ply that I know has a straight edge on it and clamp it to the full size sheet and make the first several cuts with my hand held saw -- until the pieces are small enough to handle by myself.


----------



## Longknife

If you don't feel comfortable to do it on the TS and you can't afford a Festool this is a good way to do it. A simple jig and styrofoam to support the sheet


----------



## GeorgeC

cabinetman said:


> I cut full sheets all the time with no problems. If you have your saw set up with a right outfeed and an outfeed to the rear, cutting full sheets is pretty simple.
> 
> As for jigs to be used with a circular saw, there has been many recently. Here is one.
> http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/how-make-these-kind-sheet-goods-cuts-without-cabinet-saw-21890/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


You do this by yourself? As with the original poster I also have a problem handling them.

What is your secret? 

George


----------



## cabinetman

GeorgeC said:


> You do this by yourself? As with the original poster I also have a problem handling them.
> 
> What is your secret?
> 
> George


Maybe you should eat Wheaties for breakfast.:laughing: There are a couple of ways to pick up a full sheet. If it's standing on edge, grab the two sides (4' span), and carry it to the saw, lowering one hand so the sheet rotates horizontally. 

If the sheet is on edge, or on the floor, reach down with one hand lifting the edge, and balance the sheet with the top hand, carry to the saw, and lay the sheet on the edge of the saw, and let it down to the surface.

Or, pick up a panel carrier from HF. Stand the sheet on the long edge. Lift one corner and slide the carrier to the middle of the sheet. Carry to the edge of the saw, lift straight up until the sheet rocks over to the surface.

If you have an outfeed table that at least lines up with the left wing of the saw table, lift and place sheets on that edge. It will give the room to slide the sheet to a position where you can push it through the saw. Do not have the saw running until you're ready to cut.

A lot of the shop work is just leveraging, while some of it is just pure strength. It's a bit different when you do this every day.












 









.


----------



## WANNAFARM2

Longknife said:


> If you don't feel comfortable to do it on the TS and you can't afford a Festool this is a good way to do it. A simple jig and styrofoam to support the sheet
> 
> View attachment 19613


Seems like a nice simple jig. I only have a small contracter type table saw and no out feed table or anything. I started building cabinets for the garage today and had some 2x4 studs laing aroung so I laid them on the floor and laid the sheet of ply on top of them and than used an 8ft ling 1x4 clamped to the plywood for a guide. seemed to work well. Think I will make a jig like the one posted for use in the future. Thannks for all the input guys!


----------



## jpc

I have a 10 craftsman, and as cabinetman said, with the proper outfeed and side tables i rip full sheets of ply all the time. Aside from the most important "i.e" the tables, fence alignment to blade so no pinching and the proper feed rate for what your saw can handle, but for other methods, i have used my circular saw and the aluminum cutting cuts you can by at lowes but that was long ago, good luck


----------



## Brink

Longknife said:


> If you don't feel comfortable to do it on the TS and you can't afford a Festool this is a good way to do it. A simple jig and styrofoam to support the sheet
> 
> <img src="http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=19613"/>


That works very well. The hardboard lines up on the cut line, also eliminates splintering, as long as the waste is on the right.


----------



## GeorgeC

mistake


----------



## GeorgeC

cabinetman said:


> Maybe you should eat Wheaties for breakfast.:laughing: There are a couple of ways to pick up a full sheet. If it's standing on edge, grab the two sides (4' span), and carry it to the saw, lowering one hand so the sheet rotates horizontally.
> 
> If the sheet is on edge, or on the floor, reach down with one hand lifting the edge, and balance the sheet with the top hand, carry to the saw, and lay the sheet on the edge of the saw, and let it down to the surface.
> 
> Or, pick up a panel carrier from HF. Stand the sheet on the long edge. Lift one corner and slide the carrier to the middle of the sheet. Carry to the edge of the saw, lift straight up until the sheet rocks over to the surface.
> 
> If you have an outfeed table that at least lines up with the left wing of the saw table, lift and place sheets on that edge. It will give the room to slide the sheet to a position where you can push it through the saw. Do not have the saw running until you're ready to cut.
> 
> A lot of the shop work is just leveraging, while some of it is just pure strength. It's a bit different when you do this every day.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


I still do not see how to do this without a large infeed table.

When I get this sheet of plywood resting on the front of the saw table I am standing about 7 feet from the on/off switch.

George


----------



## cabinetman

GeorgeC said:


> I still do not see how to do this without a large infeed table.
> 
> When I get this sheet of plywood resting on the front of the saw table I am standing about 7 feet from the on/off switch.
> 
> George


Yep...that's about right. f you're cutting the sheet lengthwise, set the end on the saw table, with the other end on the floor (or on a roller support stand). Set the fence. Go turn on the saw. Go to the far side of the sheet (away from the blade), and just short from the corner and pick up the back edge of the sheet.

Guide it to the fence, and start your pass through. As it gets to about halfway through, move to the center of the sheet and compete the cut. You could relocate your switch to just under the front rail, or pick up a bail type switch and mount it more conveniently.












 







.


----------



## Ogee Fillet

*Tips for working with plywood*

Pod cast #38 --- At about the 14:00 mark Dave Stone talks about making a circular saw guide, for cutting plywood.
I use the very same guide, and have used it for many years. It works well for me.
I have two of the homemade guides, an eight footer and a five footer.

http://www.woodworkingonline.com/2008/11/04/podcast-38-tips-for-working-with-plywood/


----------



## firemedic

cabinetman said:


> Maybe you should eat Wheaties for breakfast.:laughing:
> .


Hahaha... That or come work out with a couple ff/vets...


----------



## RetiredLE

cabinetman said:


> A lot of the shop work is just leveraging, while some of it is just pure strength.


It also helps to have gorilla arms.


----------



## Pirate

I rip 4x8 sheets on my Unisaw. With a small shop, I don't use any infeed support. I use the Shop Fox hold downs shown in the pic. below
Outfeed support is important. I use portable styands, but would prefer tables.
Other than support, it's all about keeping it tight to the fence.


----------



## tcleve4911

Cabinetman has developed smart ways to work as a one man operation. Lifting things, leverage and good shop setups result in safe and easy management of awkward pieces of stock.

If you look at my pics you'll see I have sawhorses set up at the proper height for the infeed and plenty of outfeed support.

Those sheets of plywood you see are ready to be fed through the saw.
I can go to the saw and turn it on before I ever get near the plywood.










The outfeeds are movable so I can have plenty of support with whatever size material I am cutting










Another benefit of good outfeeds are they can double as a workbench.










No need to struggle if you think it through










This is how I see TOO many people having to do it this way........


----------



## woodnthings

*All good advice above*

The determining factors for me are:
Do I have a helper?
How big or stable is the table saw? Will it tip over if the weight of the panel is rested on the far edge?
Do I have a working space of 6' x 20' free of obstacles?
Do I have support stands or tables that absolutely will not tip over?

No helper and an unstable supports/roller stands or small job site saw, then work on the ground or on horses using a clamp, or straightedge cutting guide as shown above.. Post no. 7.

A large cabinet saw with appropriate in and outfeed tables is best. Cabinetman's one man approach requires resting an edge on the saw table while lowering it. You have to know the balance points and have the upper body strength to deal with a full 4 x 8 x 3/4" panel....particle board is the heaviest. :yes: 
I just bought the Festool and the long 118" guide, but I'm not certain that's the best answer for me in the shop. It will be best at the job site for sure, but you still need to mark your lines and locate the guides to the marks and those are two steps that allow for human error. 
Where as on the table saw, once the rip fence is set you can make all your cuts knowing the rips will all be the same dimension. Repetitive narrow rips are especially easy on the table saw. I would not want to have only a Festool for those operations in the field.

My wood shop is on the 2nd floor and requires carrying the panel up a stairway with a turn at the top. I can do it, but it ain't pretty and I get winded after about 2 sheets of 3/4. So the Festool starts to look good on some horses outside...if it's not raining, snowing, blowing...etc. There is no one easy answer here.

Even a panel saw requires a straight run of 20' feet for ripping. Next step up is a Holz-Her with the sliding arm....$10,000 new.
A vacuum lift on a gantry will solve the heavy lifting part, but again not for the home shop and a limited budget. 

So bottom line for a small shop or limited no of panels is a strong experienced helper, good supports and a heavy saw.
Even a helper to get the panels on the saw horses will make life a lot easier. JMO  bill


----------



## Nick Ferry

i made one of these jigs "door boards" years ago. I love it!
It's basically a homemade version of the festool track saw.

what's really nice is it almost eliminates tearout and if your cutting material you dont want to scratch with the bottom of your circular saw it protected.

Highly worth it


----------



## woodnthings

*Ripping 10 ft long particle board*

I needed to accurately cut a 30" wide x 10 ft long piece of particle board into 2 identical pieces. It was too long to weave through the shop and up the stairs. So I followed my own advice....
I set up my favorite saw horses, Stanley Fat Max, which won't tip if you run some 2xs in the slots. I spaced up the center to prevent cave in and it went like this.

My favorite new tool for setting saw guides is an adjustable "T" square with 1/16" marks. By setting a "close to center" mark from both sides and then dividing the distance, I get a perfect center.

I then needed the accurate distance from my blade to the base, so I made a cut in a scrap then scribed the base line on the scrap, it measured 1 1/8". Now I offset my guide by 1 1/16" to allow for kerf.

Make a very small test cut to see if I'm on dead center. Yup.

Make the pass, then flip the boards one on top of the other, see if they're flush. ???
See Part 2


----------



## woodnthings

*Part 2*

It don't get any better than this:


----------



## Pirate

mveach said:


> i use in feed and out feed rollers. they have to be aligned square to the saw or they can make things worse. still the best is to have a helper.


I think for ripping full sheets, a helper, can be the WORST thing to have, if they don't know what they are doing! Easy for a helper to steer the sheet, away from the fence.


----------



## cabinetman

Pirate said:


> I think for ripping full sheets, a helper, can be the WORST thing to have, if they don't know what they are doing! Easy for a helper to steer the sheet, away from the fence.


+1. I agree. They have a totally different physical/visual perspective than the operator of the saw. Not that they may be or are incompetent.












 







.


----------



## BWSmith

Warning,threadjack.........Wood,you know that you can do a quick mill and attendant threaded hole on that adj square.To be used as a big cutoff sq.Just figure what it takes to clear the wide side of circ. saw's table.BW


----------



## Lola Ranch

Handling sheet goods is something I take for granted because I've been doing it for so long. Manhandling plywood and cutting it with the table saw is quite awkward if not done with the proper setup and technique.

If anybody tries to "help" me cut plywood on the TS, there are going to get a explicative spiced tongue lashing from me. I know what I'm doing but I have no idea what the "helper" is going to do. I'm careful to inform my apprentices that they should not help me unless I ask to be helped.

If you don't have the room for a big side and outfeed table to surround your saw then you may have to resort to some of the other circular saw techniques shown in some previous posts.

The first photo shows my TS wrap around axillary table. Prior to cutting up some sheet goods I will clean everything off the table and wax everything real good with "J" wax.

The second photo shows the vertical sheet storage rack in the far corner of my shop which has a floor and keeps the sheets a few inches above the shop floor. This makes it easy to slide a sheet out then drop the front edge and kind of roll the sheet out with the long edge horizontal but with the sheet still on edge. I then simply pivot 90 degrees and set the edge on left side of the saw table and while still keeping the sheet on edge, I reposition myself so that I can lower the sheet flat onto the table. This takes some effort, especially with 3/4" particleboard, but it's not that hard and I'm not that big at about 155 lbs. 

I also have the 52" rip capacity fence rails, which i think is a must for cutting up panels. If you ever built kitchen cabinets for a living you will be good at handling sheet goods.

Good luck, Bret


----------



## cabinetman

Lola Ranch said:


> Handling sheet goods is something I take for granted because I've been doing it for so long. Manhandling plywood and cutting it with the table saw is quite awkward if not done with the proper setup and technique.
> 
> Prior to cutting up some sheet goods I will clean everything off the table and wax everything real good with "J" wax.
> 
> If you ever built kitchen cabinets for a living you will be good at handling sheet goods.


+1. I agree with the statements except for the JPW. There are better products to use, IMO, that are less likely to contaminate wood. As for the handling of material, you are right. You don't have to be super human to manipulate sheet goods, as long as you are comfortable with using leverage.

I had a "quickie" job years ago that was offered to do if I could get it done "fast". It was a stock brokerage office, with cubicles. They were basically just desks made up of a panel on both sides, and a drawer box hung against one of the panels. The top was just shy of 24"x48". Those dimensions really maximized a full sheet. The panels and top were to be of 1⅛" particle board. 

IIRC there were 20 of these desks, all to be laminated with mica. Since there was repetition, I wanted the same saw setup for all the sizes. I cut all the parts on a Saturday, and the amount of weight moved around for the whole project was quite a bit. To resize each sheet with a handheld skil saw would have been a major PITA.

When you do a lot of handling of materials, you become familiar with moving them with minimum effort, where you're not fighting the weight. There are those times though when you just have to sling some sheets up on the saw. Those are the times you don't want to lose your bearing because pulling tendons, tearing ligaments, and hernias can happen in an instant.












 







.


----------



## beerdog

Longknife said:


> If you don't feel comfortable to do it on the TS and you can't afford a Festool this is a good way to do it. A simple jig and styrofoam to support the sheet
> 
> View attachment 19613


I use this method. It works perfect. The saw rides on the hard board which also prevents splintering on the blade exit side. I think this pic came from Woodsmith magazine. The other side of the guid is intendes for a router to clean-up the side you cut with the saw. This is probably the best and easist method for those on a tight budget and without a good table saw set-up. You can make 3-4 guides of different lengths for like $20.


----------



## Lola Ranch

cabinetman said:


> "+1. I agree with the statements except for the JPW."
> 
> Ok, I'll bite. I've had a can of "J" wax around the shop since I was a teeniebopper. What is it that you prefer?
> 
> 
> Bret


----------



## cabinetman

Lola Ranch said:


> Ok, I'll bite. I've had a can of "J" wax around the shop since I was a teeniebopper. What is it that you prefer?
> Bret


I like Top Cote. 
*
Detailed Description*_

ALL AEROSOLS WILL BE SHIPPED SEPARATELY BY SURFACE MAIL AND ACTUAL SHIPPING CHARGES WILL APPLY!

BOSTIK® TOPCOTE® features a unique fluoropolymer technology that dramatically reduces sliding friction on table saws while it repels dust, dirt, moisture and prevents corrosion. Its dry formula contains no silicone or petroleum and it will never stain wood or interfere with glues or finishes.

TopCote forms a durable, water-repelling dry film on saw tables and tool surfaces to reduce sliding friction and eliminate surface "hang ups." Compared to paste wax, TopCote is 30% slicker, prevents rust longer and is easier to use.

Benefits: 
Contains no silicone 
Prevents rust 5 times longer than wax or silicone 
Lasts 3 times longer than wax _













 







.


----------



## BigJim

My unisaw fence track is hollow and a stick of cherry or oak will slide inside it. I made a slide out with a long support for the unisaw using the fence tube. When the plywood needed to be cut across the end I would use temporary legs for the slide out support. It worked great for me. 

I stored my plywood flat on a rack, when I pulled the plywood out it would rest it on a roll around that was lower than my tablesaw. I would roll the plywood up to the saw, rest one end on the saw, pick the end of the plywood up and kick the roll around in toward the saw and it would be mostly out of the way as I cut the plywood.

I no longer have that shop and my space is very limited and picking a sheet of plywood up is out of the question for me. I now store my plywood on edge and have a roll around where the plywood is rolled around on edge. I roll the plywood up to my horses which have hinged arms that hangs down close to the floor. The hinged arms have a hook on the bottom edge and I put one end of the plywood in one of the hooks on one of the arms and pick the other end of the plywood up off the roll around and put in the hook of the other arm. I take hole of the plywood at the top edge and it will swing flat onto the horses with very little effort. I then use a saw guide I made to get the plywood down to where I can handle it. It works for me when my body does.


----------



## dustboy

FWW ran this article a few years back, if you have the online subscription you can view the PDF plan:

TILT TOP SHOP CART

My method for ripping full sheets, I did some quick SketchUp illustrations. This assumes you have a high enough ceiling and proper outfeed and side table support:

-start the saw

-one hand on each edge, hold the sheet and carry vertically across the shop. Position it so it is about 5' from the fence rail like so:










-Lean it over until the edge of the sheet rests on the fence rail. If it is the mill edge then you won't worry about a little ding or the corner on the floor since you should be trimming off that edge anyway.










-left hand at the top edge, right hand on the trailing edge, pick the corner up off the floor, now lay it down so it's roughly in position to cut. 

-the leading edge is now a few inches from the blade, and you are holding the kitty-corner from the fence. The avatar shows your position ready to cut. 

Yes, she's facing the wrong way, she has two front sides, a 2D woman in a 3D world. Much like the girls I dated in college.










-Your left hand will steer the sheet, holding it against the fence, and your right hand pushes it through. When the saw is supporting the whole sheet, you can put both hands on the trailing edge (either side of the blade now!) and finish the cut.

-A riving knife will help keep the edge of the sheet from wandering off the fence.


----------

