sawhorses - Wood Tools

WORKSHOPeqsy-to-build pqnel sowoNE DAU UNDER $SOIt's never been eosier to crosscut o full sheet of plywood by yourselfthon with this shop-built ponel sow. Just slip the sheet in from the side.Then slide the corrioge thot holds your circulor sow down betweentwo guide roils. A removoble pin releoses the corrioge f/nsef PhotoJ.nrosscuttinga full sheet ofI plywood isn't easy. You\-/ either have to wrestle it ontothe table saw, or do the best you canwith sawhorses and a circular saw.And the results arent dways pretty.That explains why home centershave those fanry panel saws you'veprobably seen. They feature a verticalbed that supports the sheetwhile a circular saw slides down apair of rails to make the cut.Unfortunately, commercial panelsaws cost big bucks. So rather thanbuy one, Christopher Dromey ofProvo, Ul figured out how tobuild one that works great for lessthan $50.This panel saw has a large plywoodbed that mounts to the wall(Bed Assembly). A number of 1x4sadd rigidicy to the bed.And a thickledge near the bottom supports thesheet as you cut (Photo,Ief).Two verticalrails guide a sliding carriage thatholds the circular saut (Inset Photo).Begin with the Bed - Thefirst step is to cut the bed (A) tosize from %" plywood.To make surethe bed stays flat, you'll need to adda grid of reinforcing pieces. Thefirst piece is a backer (B), which iscentered on the width of the bedand screwed in place. In use, thecircular saw will cutinto this backer, soyou'll want to locatethe screws near theedges ofthis piece.Once the backer isattached, it's time to addthe top and bottomledges (C). Each ledgeconsists of two pieces,one on each side ofthebacker. Rip these piecesto width from 2x stock,and screw them to thebed.To provide a stablerest for large sheets, besure the fivo pieces ofthe bottom ledge arelevel with each other.24 voRKBENcH El DEcEMBER 2005