# How do you cut your plywood sheets?



## sappergeorge (Jan 29, 2010)

Hi folks, first post here and have been lurking around. I am a newbie woodworker and was wondering what method you all used to curt 4x8 sheets of plywood until they become manageable on the table saw?

I have seen the Rockler clamps but do you use a jig of your own? What type of stand do you use or saw horses, etc?

I have this problem and I usually get HD or Lowes to cut my sheet to size but inconvenient at times. Thanks.


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## jacobsk (Jan 19, 2010)

I wouldnt go as far as saying full sheats are un manageable on the table saw, but my shop being located in the basement with only one stairway access it is nearly impossible to get a full sheet down there to it...

I have a second tablesaw up in the garage which is usually covered in junk, so I most always end up cutting them up with the circular saw to get the pieces downstairs...

I've been contemplating building a panel saw here for some time, maybe when the weather gets better I'll finally give in...

as for what I use to prop the sheets up on as I downsize em? usually I lay em over the garbage cans, which has resulted in a few stra cuts making their mark on the lids


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*check this thread*

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/4-x-8-panel-cross-cuts-10476/
:thumbsup: bill


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Jigs and straightedges can be shop made. Rips to full sheets are as important to "sizing" as crosscuts. As a suggestion, do a plan for the sizes you need to maximize the use of the sheet before you cut. Ripping a sheet in half or crosscutting a sheet in half just to "get it in the door" may not leave you with sizes you might need.


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## Ogee Fillet (Aug 20, 2009)

In my small shop I don’t have the luxury of owning a full sized cabinet saw with an out feed table.
Everything must be brought down to a more manageable working size.
All sheet goods are cut with a circler saw and the home made saw guide in the following pod-cast.
The saw guide works great. 
The guide is made at about the 1/3 mark in the video, if you don’t want to watch the entire pod-cast.

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


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

My table saw is located in my garage. When I need to rip a full sheet I just open the door and position the saw such that there is infeed and outfeed space as needed. I do get someone to help me, at least on the first cut.

If the cut does not have to be completely accurate then I just use my circular saw with a clamp on guide.

George


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## garryswf (Aug 17, 2009)

*Take the jig one more step*

Bill,
Great idea on the crosscut jig for plywood, so can i add this little tidbit? I have seen where guys make a jig, i think out of plywood where they add a 1/2"x say 2" piece that runs across the width of the sheet of plywood to run the saw base against. By doing this you can set the squaring jig right to the line instead of having to measure from blade to outside of saw base. I hope i am explaining this so everyone can understand what i am getting at. I am right there with alot of the other guys in that a 4x8 sheet of plywood is pretty darn hard for me to handle by my self. If you want i will make a crude version of what i am getting at and post a picture.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Right Garry*



garryswf said:


> Bill,
> Great idea on the crosscut jig for plywood, so can i add this little tidbit? I have seen where guys make a jig, i think out of plywood where they add a 1/2"x say 2" piece that runs across the width of the sheet of plywood to run the saw base against. By doing this you can set the squaring jig right to the line instead of having to measure from blade to outside of saw base. I hope i am explaining this so everyone can understand what i am getting at. I am right there with alot of the other guys in that a 4x8 sheet of plywood is pretty darn hard for me to handle by my self. If you want i will make a crude version of what i am getting at and post a picture.


 All I have to do is add a piece of 1/4" masonite *under* the long leg, wider than the base of the saw to the blade, make a cut and that will give me a "no measure" alignment. It will only work with that particular saw however, unless the base to blade dimension is the same. This was suggested somewhere in the thread as well. I'll get to it eventually.....remodeling, plumbing, electrical, drywall, sanding, painting......
:no: bill


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## garryswf (Aug 17, 2009)

Bill,
Here is a very crude version of what i was talking about. Nothing is to scale so i guess you will have to use a little imagination :laughing:.


View attachment 13180


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

A very easy jig is to make a simple "T" square type, to any length. The first cut places the cut line with the distance of the saw base. The far end just gets clamped.
.


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## garryswf (Aug 17, 2009)

Cabinetman,
That is about as simple as it gets. :thumbsup: What you drew is what i was getting at, i think.


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

I have been using a tracksaw for about 5 years now to break down sheet goods. I have a cutting station that consists of a couple of short sawhorses, a 4'x8' skeletal frame, and a sheet of 3/4" foam board. It breaks down easily and doesn't take up much space when not in use.

Depending on the thickness of the material, I can cut two, three, and sometimes four at a time. I would to hate to go back to wrestling them through a tablesaw, and the cut quality is just as good or better.


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

That T square won't allow you to use it as a guide for a circular saw because the saw will cut the jig.


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## mike65072 (Apr 13, 2008)

I use the bed of my pickup. When I get the plywood home I slide it out of the bed to the approx length, measure it, mark it and cut it with my circular saw into manageable pieces.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

TS3660 said:


> That T square won't allow you to use it as a guide for a circular saw because the saw will cut the jig.



Yep, it sure does. It cuts the leg of the "T" the first time used. After that, that edge is used to put on a mark for the cut line. No measuring for where the saw blade will cut.

That cut edge represents the distance of the left side of the saw base to the edge of the saw blade...exactly.


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## sappergeorge (Jan 29, 2010)

Thanks folks. I got some good ideas. Great forum by the way.


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## Burt Waddell (Jan 6, 2010)

I carry the idea of the cabinetman one step further and use the Eurekazone square - cabinet maker if I am doing multiple cuts of the same size.

Burt


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## Brian_Hinther (Sep 13, 2009)

On the level of how much could you possibly pay for a guide, Rockler has these: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16448
They work pretty well.


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## Fbranco (Jan 30, 2009)

Simple shop made cutting guide:


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## gregL (Feb 1, 2009)

Fbranco said:


> Simple shop made cutting guide:


 I have a jig similar to this except it has the guide in the center and space for guiding my router on the other side. I also use aluminum straight edge cutting guides that have built-in adjustable clamps. One is 54" and the other is 102". I usually set these up on some sawhorses and they have worked great.


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## Old Skhool (Oct 31, 2009)

cabinetman said:


> A very easy jig is to make a simple "T" square type, to any length. The first cut places the cut line with the distance of the saw base. The far end just gets clamped.
> .


 Looks familiar! I've got the same thing for my saw, and one for the router with replaceable insert blocks in case I change bit sizes.:smile:


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## Bearcreek (Jul 22, 2009)

I attached some cleats to the legs of my sawhorses that allows me to cut the full sheets of plywood alot easier than having to reach across the sheets. They made life so much easier.


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## AndersonsWoodworks (Jan 7, 2010)

I use a jig very similar to Fbranco's only mine breaks down into two pieces. One end is a little over 4 ft. and the other is about 4 ft. The longer piece can be used for the cross cuts. I cut all my sheet goods in the driveway outside my shop about 1/2" oversize to later fine tune on the table saw. I lay the sheet of plywood down on a couple 2' x 4' pieces of 2" thick foam insulation. Provides good support and protects the blade when when it cuts through.


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