Do you ever grab the router for this, even if you have a table saw? Are both methods just as well.
What is your primary source of weaponry for cutting panels?
Is it a crazy idea to use a router primarily for cutting all the needed cabinet panels. With 1/4" jig and a straight edge for guidance. If you use a fresh carbide it should only need a light sanding before assembly. And one or two passes if the router is powerful enough.
What is your primary source of weaponry for cutting panels?
Is it a crazy idea to use a router primarily for cutting all the needed cabinet panels. With 1/4" jig and a straight edge for guidance. If you use a fresh carbide it should only need a light sanding before assembly. And one or two passes if the router is powerful enough.
I use a circular saw, a straight edge and two clamps. If you have a lot of time to kill, I guess a router would work fine
^^^ or a purpose-made track saw. Festool being the top of the pile, but also $$ (buy used/refurb)—or table saw if your friend has a multi-thousand dollar Austrian made beast that makes cutting heavy sheets 1 handed possible. I wouldn't use a router personally, very slow and 1/4" would generate A LOT of heat on the bit were I cutting 3/4 multiply—totally the wrong tool for cutting that in this way IMO. When I do use a router on multi-ply—which is all the time—I rough cut the wood within 1/16" (score the top veneer first with a knife) and then use a template to finish with the router, usually 1/2" bits... If it's a plunge cut, multiple passes at increasing depths and a very well affixed template.
Or look at the Kreg track guide that you can use with any decent circular saw. I agree a router, regardless of size, is not the way to cut panels.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/kr...rRs6XjviJvjIXy0LbtBoCLGsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/kr...rRs6XjviJvjIXy0LbtBoCLGsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
You can also make your own guide. Use a thin (1/8" - 1/4" x 24") piece of hardboard or mdf and glue/screw a straight ege guide of a thicker material (1/2" x 10-12") to it. These both need to be longer than the width you'll be cutting, so > 48" for cross cutting plywood or mdf sheets. Then using the same blade (or at least the same width and tooth configuration) in a circular saw, and with the saw pressed against the guide, cut through the thin piece. This leaves you with an exact guide for the saw.
The thicker piece needs to be wide enough that you can clamp it to your panel and not have the clamps interfere with your saw. Now, you just need to mark what you're cutting accurately, and you're done. You could also fit, with screws, a piece of plywood at one end that's below the guide, and exactly perpendicular to the guide ... then you can slide it along an edge and only have to worry about being accurate at one end.
Also, make certain that your circular saw 'tracks' straight and doesn't skew because the blade is not parallel to the edge of the base.
The thicker piece needs to be wide enough that you can clamp it to your panel and not have the clamps interfere with your saw. Now, you just need to mark what you're cutting accurately, and you're done. You could also fit, with screws, a piece of plywood at one end that's below the guide, and exactly perpendicular to the guide ... then you can slide it along an edge and only have to worry about being accurate at one end.
Also, make certain that your circular saw 'tracks' straight and doesn't skew because the blade is not parallel to the edge of the base.
Good job, a circular with finish carpentry. I own one but its gathering some dust. I only use it for rough and fencing etc.
I don't mind the extra router time compared to table saw. I kind of find buzzing along nice and slow with a router satisfying and relaxing. I know that might sound a bit strange, but true. Also there's something about the near perfect edge a brand new bit leaves. However I still miss owning a table saw. The thing has a non typical surface that makes it impossible to fit bar clamps to hold a scrap fence in place. Same goes for the square the design is non typical non friendly with modifications. Even for this McGuiver of sorts.
"You can also make your own guide. Use a thin (1/8" - 1/4" x 24") piece of hardboard or mdf and glue/screw a straight ege guide of a thicker material (1/2" x 10-12") to it. These both need to be longer than the width you'll be cutting, so > 48" for cross cutting plywood or mdf sheets. Then using the same blade (or at least the same width and tooth configuration) in a circular saw, and with the saw pressed against the guide, cut through the thin piece. This leaves you with an exact guide for the saw.
The thicker piece needs to be wide enough that you can clamp it to your panel and not have the clamps interfere with your saw. Now, you just need to mark what you're cutting accurately, and you're done. You could also fit, with screws, a piece of plywood at one end that's below the guide, and exactly perpendicular to the guide ... then you can slide it along an edge and only have to worry about being accurate at one end.
Also, make certain that your circular saw 'tracks' straight and doesn't skew because the blade is not parallel to the edge of the base."
I made a dead straight guide using a 1/4" lock bar from a retired toolbox. By about this time tomorrow I should have all 6 main panels ready LOL. A couple few hours is more like it.
The thicker piece needs to be wide enough that you can clamp it to your panel and not have the clamps interfere with your saw. Now, you just need to mark what you're cutting accurately, and you're done. You could also fit, with screws, a piece of plywood at one end that's below the guide, and exactly perpendicular to the guide ... then you can slide it along an edge and only have to worry about being accurate at one end.
Also, make certain that your circular saw 'tracks' straight and doesn't skew because the blade is not parallel to the edge of the base."
I made a dead straight guide using a 1/4" lock bar from a retired toolbox. By about this time tomorrow I should have all 6 main panels ready LOL. A couple few hours is more like it.
interesting since I recently thought about using a router for straight cuts.
But I just calculate all the cuts on a sheet in SketchUp
Then use a circular saw to do few main cuts to make the sheet smaller.
more manageable on the table saw
Then everything for accuracy is done on a table saw
My main thing is using very high tooth count blade.
Same amount of teeth usually, there is just more depending on the diameter.
Far as I remember was 60 teeth for my circular handheld
and 80 teeth for the table saw.
I bought some super fancy blade for the table saw. think it was 100 or 120 teeth
manufacture claimed, " sanded like finish"
Low and behold those darn cuts were beautiful.
aka freaking expensive blade. too expensive.
I asked the salesman at the store, hey I need carbide tip.
He just laughed, maybe a question in the 70's
Everything is carbide tip now lol...even the cheapos
but thin / high tooth blades are rather amazing these days.
But I just calculate all the cuts on a sheet in SketchUp
Then use a circular saw to do few main cuts to make the sheet smaller.
more manageable on the table saw
Then everything for accuracy is done on a table saw
My main thing is using very high tooth count blade.
Same amount of teeth usually, there is just more depending on the diameter.
Far as I remember was 60 teeth for my circular handheld
and 80 teeth for the table saw.
I bought some super fancy blade for the table saw. think it was 100 or 120 teeth
manufacture claimed, " sanded like finish"
Low and behold those darn cuts were beautiful.
aka freaking expensive blade. too expensive.
I asked the salesman at the store, hey I need carbide tip.
He just laughed, maybe a question in the 70's
Everything is carbide tip now lol...even the cheapos
but thin / high tooth blades are rather amazing these days.
As I recall about $25,000! A useful comparison if you use a saw a lot is the cost of the saw to the cost/ value of your thumb!
Also nice clean accurate cuts that don’t require clean up. The thinner blades do waste less wood, but may not cut as cleanly, thus wasting more wood when you clean up the cut.
My criteria is that the cost of the tool should end up being less than the material you process with it. (All while keeping all of your body parts!)
Now for the issue of cutting panels with a router versus a hand circular saw, I would go for the router. The hand circular saw is probably the most dangerous tool most folks will ever see.
I tried going 3/4 through with router, then a jig saw. The jigsaw makes a mess out of fine veneer. Unless perhaps a fine tooth metal cutting blade would work better.
Theres nothing like an accurate table saw with one of those fine blades. Over here it would get used for turning old pallets in to fire wood. Not by me.
After I Invest in a decent better saw, its getting a lock bolted on it. Family can rent one later, I'm done loaning tools lol.
I'll show you the one I mentioned. I think I might be able to channel two sides with a zippy wheel so clamps can get a bite and hold a scrap fence. I need a fresh look at it tomorrow.
I was drooling over some of the saws while surfing k!j!j!, for less than half of that!
I like vintage and modern tooling and machines. I admire some of the vintage Canadian made Beaver Saws, from back when we still manufactured stuff here. Anyway I also have heard how nice they cut. And they are built quite nice.
Anyone have experience with one of those vintage Beavers? Giggity. Sorry I couldnt resist.
The only thing wrong with used older saws is often the bearings. The give away is when you rip a test piece with the blade barely sticking up from the table and do another with the blade high, the fence should be in the same place for both cuts. If the pieces end up different widths that means it is time to change the bearings!
On my old Delta saw I ran through three sets of bearings. The saw is still in use by others to this day.
The reason I spent the money on a better moving table saw was the better riving knife. The delta caught a small loudspeaker side piece and threw it through the plastic window 14 feet off the ground at the front of my shop and another 120 feet before it landed. Might just have been a bad thing if it hit someone.
By the way, good shop practice is to stand on the side of the saw in use and not behind the work piece!
Push sticks are a must for some types of cuts. My saw came with a plastic one of the long thin variety. My preference is for the old shoe style with a rounded back.
On my old Delta saw I ran through three sets of bearings. The saw is still in use by others to this day.
The reason I spent the money on a better moving table saw was the better riving knife. The delta caught a small loudspeaker side piece and threw it through the plastic window 14 feet off the ground at the front of my shop and another 120 feet before it landed. Might just have been a bad thing if it hit someone.
By the way, good shop practice is to stand on the side of the saw in use and not behind the work piece!
Push sticks are a must for some types of cuts. My saw came with a plastic one of the long thin variety. My preference is for the old shoe style with a rounded back.
Plunge track saw. Pretty accurate and lines are really straight.
Served me well up to building Victorian bookcases for my wife (she is happy with them). Router for the shaker doors (or driver holes in the speaker enclosures).
These Victorian bookcases helped me to improve my power tools park with the spouse approval ;-)
Served me well up to building Victorian bookcases for my wife (she is happy with them). Router for the shaker doors (or driver holes in the speaker enclosures).
These Victorian bookcases helped me to improve my power tools park with the spouse approval ;-)
The bearing tip is a good one to know about ^.
By the way the kickback is wicked if it gets you. I already had tendon reattachment surgery performed once for my right hand thumb. I almost had to go twice, and the second time will be much worse off, lower success rate. And depending exactly how it tears, the kickback could be pretty traumatic.
I was planning a hardwood board down, its especially a bad idea with the blade set too high, and it was. And as mentioned without a T or a fence. It got me good but nothing a few nights sleep + Advil didn't heal. It got my thumb and one of my ribs and good.
I won't replay that one today. And go at it in 1/16 increments.
A planer. That would be another good machine to have.
I've recently jointed some kitchen work surfaces with a router. A powerful 1/2" makita unit. Jointing involves cutting all the way through with a jig that supports the router each side of the cut, Repeated 1/2 deep cuts until all the way through. Then a full depth cut with the guide bush the router is fitted with carefully held against against the correct side of the jig 😉 it has been with all of the cuts so this gives the edge a bit of a polish. Many routers can be fitted with these guide bushes. The project below the surface of the router. Their diameter is known as is the diameter of the cutter so accurate results can be obtained with careful measurement. The bush is round so variations in the angle of the router to the work don't matter. Some routers can be fitted with a round base or have a flat end that can be run against a guide.
A depth of cut equal to the router size using that size of cutter isn't a bad rule of thumb. With 1/2 inch some might limit it to 3/8". The router must keep up to speed and cut evenly.
I used a Makita plunge track saw for straight cuts. The track is positioned carefully and the saw cuts accurately along it. It also has a shallow score setting to avoid splintering the face of the top of the work. The track clamps do not get in the way. To avoid cut pieces falling off at the end of the cut I clamp laths under the work. I have done the same sort of thing using an ordinary circular saw by measuring carefully from the edge of the saws platform to the blade. Any old straight edge I can find. The Makita set up is a lot more convenient. The blades leave a decent finish as well. Freud are also good at producing blades that do that. This appears to need lots of teeth.
I also have a small table saw. It's possible to lash up fences for various widths and carefully set them parallel to the blade and at the correct distance. To cut up large sheets they ideally need fastening to the ground. Best idea is probably to cut oversize somehow and then trim even if the saw is fastened down.
The ultimate - a panel saw. Big and expensive. On those the work is on a sliding table.
A depth of cut equal to the router size using that size of cutter isn't a bad rule of thumb. With 1/2 inch some might limit it to 3/8". The router must keep up to speed and cut evenly.
I used a Makita plunge track saw for straight cuts. The track is positioned carefully and the saw cuts accurately along it. It also has a shallow score setting to avoid splintering the face of the top of the work. The track clamps do not get in the way. To avoid cut pieces falling off at the end of the cut I clamp laths under the work. I have done the same sort of thing using an ordinary circular saw by measuring carefully from the edge of the saws platform to the blade. Any old straight edge I can find. The Makita set up is a lot more convenient. The blades leave a decent finish as well. Freud are also good at producing blades that do that. This appears to need lots of teeth.
I also have a small table saw. It's possible to lash up fences for various widths and carefully set them parallel to the blade and at the correct distance. To cut up large sheets they ideally need fastening to the ground. Best idea is probably to cut oversize somehow and then trim even if the saw is fastened down.
The ultimate - a panel saw. Big and expensive. On those the work is on a sliding table.
The saw at one store I go to cuts vertically, with the 4b8 sheets sideways.
My new router is only 1hp / 5.6 amp, so I take three passes not to wear it out prematurely. I might go with the bigger Bosch, I'm happy with the colt so far. It has an acrylic square base, the circular bases I intend to make when I get my sheet. There are some trick router base design plans I found online.
It also has a roller bearing straight cut guide that bolts to the permanent base portion. Those are limited to easy materials like laminate counter top or veneer, I think?.
I preferred this one over the Makita, and didn't want to wait a day for the Dewalt.
My new router is only 1hp / 5.6 amp, so I take three passes not to wear it out prematurely. I might go with the bigger Bosch, I'm happy with the colt so far. It has an acrylic square base, the circular bases I intend to make when I get my sheet. There are some trick router base design plans I found online.
It also has a roller bearing straight cut guide that bolts to the permanent base portion. Those are limited to easy materials like laminate counter top or veneer, I think?.
I preferred this one over the Makita, and didn't want to wait a day for the Dewalt.
If sawing veneered plywood you will get some chipping. Doing
the final trim with a router and straight edge will leave a really
clean cut.
G²
That's an option. Some timber yards may offer that service as well. They can also say convert an 8x4 to 2 4x4 and then cut strips from those. When making a cabinet the top, sides and bottoms need to be the same width and parallel. If say the front panel was a bit over sized it can be fitted and then trimmed down with a router cutter with a ball bearing on the end. There is another type where the bearing is at the top intending to follow templates which can be some sort of straight edge. That might be a strip cut off an 8x4 or other size using the manufactured edge as that generally is straight and square. The store cuts can be as well.
I assume you mean it's fence where a width from the cutter can be set. They are intended to make the cutter run parallel to the opposite edge. It can be tricky to get the fence truly in line with the opposite edge at the start of the cut as they often aren't long enough to be sure.
The cutting depths I mentioned are from kitchen fitters who are routing every day. They are thinking about their tool life etc and will also want to avoid burning. Also on some rather expensive pro tools the power is electronically limited or with some sized cut the speed drops too much. It's not easy to explain. They feed the cut at a rate that suites the cutter and the speed it's running at. If the speed drop the feed rate wont be correct and each chip cut will be "thicker" than it ideally should be. This can cause burning. Slowing the speed down wont help unless the feed rate is reduced as well. Blunt and poorly designed cutters can cause this as well. Also glue build up on cutters when working on manufactured boards.
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I do the design work on a project first. One element of design for a project using sheet goods is laying out the sheet goods parts to get good yield and grain matching of adjacent parts. Also during this step I layout cuts to be made by the supplier of sheet goods when I purchase them...a good supplier will do a couple cuts per sheet at no additional charge. This helps with transport and subsequent cutting of parts...it's much easier handling a half or third of a sheet than whole. I will generally do the cutting from there on the table saw, I have a Makita track saw but it's more finicky to get a precise cut with than my old Delta TS with Incra TS-III fence system.
A radial arm saw is probably the most flexible of all saws. A couple of simple adjustments and they will accurately cross cut and rip. The size of work is limited by the length of the arm and in some respects table size. A usable one will have peg locations to set the blade at 90 degrees to the fence and also one to set it parallel with the fence for ripping. Usually other angles as well. The dewalt ones are pretty rigid and sell for fairly low prices on places such as ebay.