# Anyone build their own vertical panel saw?



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I'm looking for ideas and suggestions. I'm going to make one after see a Holz-Her $15,000 used for $550 on Craigs List. There seem to be many advantages, besides smaller foot print, less lifting of heavy particle board and plywood. You do need between 10 ft and 20 ft of wall space depending of the type, whether a sliding beam or a fixed vertical like a Saw Trax. I found these plans for a sliding beam: http://www.plansnow.com/dn3099.html
I'd like to use steel in place of the wood however. Who own's one here, and what is your experience(s) with it? Is it necessary to clamp or hold the workpiece in place when ripping to keep the kerf from closing down? :blink: bill.


----------



## jraksdhs (Oct 19, 2008)

*panel saw*

you saw a $15000 panel saw on CL for $550 and didnt buy it? Why is in the hell not?

jraks


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Because my Buddy saw it first!*



jraksdhs said:


> you saw a $15000 panel saw on CL for $550 and didnt buy it? Why is in the hell not?
> 
> jraks


Then he called me to "rub it in" and that's when I volunteered to help him pick it up, just so I could see with my own 2 eyes. Sure enough, 8 ft high, 14ft long and 3 phase, Holz-Her sliding beam, where the wood stays put and the saw slides to rip!!!!:thumbsup: I would have bought it. Then I saw one for $575 and missed that one a Milwaukee, conventional style. I want to build the sliding beam type for myself. I'll use some of the ideas from his, and some of my own.:yes: bill


----------



## David K (Oct 9, 2007)

I built the panel saw from plans in Shop Notes. They were very clear, so it wasn't hard to do. The price was right (about $200 in materials).

I'm fussy, so I use it to get a panel within 1/4" of size, then make final cuts on the table saw. Two reasons: 1) The panel saw uses a portable 'skil saw', clamped into a carrier. Better-quality blades are available for the portable saw, but they're not like the Forrest blade designed for plywood that's in my table saw. 2) Try as I may, my measurements on the panel saw aren't as good as the ones on my table saw. (Panel saw is often off by 1/8")


----------



## bobbg53 (Oct 18, 2017)

No when ripping you do not need to wedge the slot but you must use a saw with a riving knife.
you do not want the weight of your cut off pinching the blade during a cut.
I'd just keep my eye on CL one will pop up sooner or later.
I have seen them homemade, and I was thinking about using 80/20 aluminum T slot materials to make one then adding a router or saw plate you can change tools on you could also do a drill and electric hand planer or any other tool you took a notion to swap out with to do an operation.
I'd also venture to say this might be a good basis for a full panel size home made CNC router table.
If you really put some thought into it you could build it out of conduit or black pipe, even an old extension ladder.


----------



## Carl10 (Feb 3, 2017)

I went the same route as David and did not find it very accurate either. I thought the weakness was going to be in the way the plastic bushings and U bolt contacted the conduit, but it was actually in the saw and base. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/310326230558146323/ The real issue seemed that the saw base was not sturdy and could induce flex. The other issue was the design did not allow for micro adjusting the saw to square it up. Once it was aligned vertically you had to have perfect 90 cutout to rotate the saw for rips. The other thing I noticed more with this setup versus just using it by hand was my old circular saw base had a lot of flex in it. This is much more evident when the base is fixed and you are pulling on the handle. The first saw had a stamped steel base and when I move to heavier aluminum plate most of the flex went away but is still present. So for me the key feature of your design should be focused on the saw mounting and rotating mechanism. Getting the bars/tracks squared up was not that difficult. I have since moved to a EZ Smart Track saw and really like the versatility. I was looking at these panel saws before I went to the track.

https://www.wonderfulwoodworking.com/building-a-panel-saw/









Hope that helps. Let us know what you do.

Carl


----------

