Horizontal cutting table

[woodworker2]

HI,

I am a part time business owner, and I use 1/2" and 1/4" birch and maple veneer plywood all the time. I rip all 4'x8' sheets longways and make some crosscuts on the ends. Exact 90 degree straight cuts are critical to me. Working by myself it is difficult to rip tthis on my tablesaw by myself.What I am looking to do is make a horizontal cutting table much like a cnc machine. What I mean by this is having an "x" axis that travels 8' down the table, and a "y" axis that travels across the table. The cutter could be either a router or a circular saw mounted on a platform.
I also drill quite a few holes, so I would like to consider adding a drillto this as well. I know it sounds like I need a computerized machine but I don't have the money for it . I am open to comments and suggestins that you may have.

[CNCadmin]

You should be able to use something like this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=hi&n=552946
and convert it to a cnc machine of sorts.

[ger21]

http://store.yahoo.com/woodsmithstore/panelsawkit.html
I built my own design that I use to crosscut 4x8 sheets for about $150. It only takes up about 18" of wall space. I do all my ripping on my tablesaw.

[woodworker2]

Thank you for your input, I have been researching on the internet and found something that I am wanting to build. Go to www.bradind.com/bradframes.html. This is what I am trying to accomplish without the cost of this unit. any sugestions?

[ger21]

Are you talking about the panel king? It's basically the same thing Paul and I mentioned. I'd go the vertical route like we mentioned above. Vertical saws are far easier to load, and less space taken up. We have some large vertical panel saws at work, http://www.holzher.com/seite50.htm , that cut both horizontally and vertically.
Although it would take more space than the ones shown above, you could add the ability to move the saw in the x direction.
Not sure what your budget is, but the cost to add CNC to a machine like this probably could be done for maybe 500$ or less, depending on how fast you want to go.

[woodworker2]

Gerry, The site I mentioned above is what I am looking for because it is easier to build a solid horizontal table than it is to build a vertical one. Where could I get some tracks to to move on?

[ger21]

How about this? http://8020.net/Industrial/linearmotion.asp

[woodworker2]

Thanks Gerry I will call them and check it out. Let me pry into your knowledge if you don't mind, look at www.rockler.com and search T-TRACK and MITER BAR and tell me if you think this will work. The t-track is aluminum and will hold a 3/4" wide x 3/8" miter bar. The miter bar will fit tightly into the t-track. It does'nt contain any bearings but I don't know if I would need it on a table axis built to be pulled manually. Maybe you can clear up the mud on this thought. Thank you for your help.

[ger21]

I didn't look it up, but I know what you're talking about. I think you'd have a lot of friction, and the aluminum would start to wear somewhat quickly. You'd probably need to lubricate it, which would cause dust to build. I guess I'm trying to say I wouldn't use it. Do you have some type of design in mind? I really have no idea how you plan to do this. Are you basically trying to duplicate the Panel King? And you want it to accomodate 4 x 8 sheets? I'd go with some type of linear bearings to minimize friction.

[woodworker2]

Gerry
My idea in my original post was to build a horizontal cutting table to accomedate a 4'x8' sheet good. I just found the site for the Panel King just a few days ago, and it basicly confirmed that my thoughts are possible. I have been looking at different bearings but I did'nt know which ones to use. Should I keep looking for an aluminum channel or use a steel pipe as the rail?

[ger21]

I really can't tell you what would work best. It's up to you how you do it. It depends on your budget, and how you want to design it. The Panel King looks basically like a big T-Square.

[Laff Riot]

Home Depot has all the pieces you need to put this together in a weekend. Even better, they have a working model onsite that you can use for piece to piece comparisons. Take a camera and snap some pics so you know how your jigsaw puzzle goes back together when you get home. We did the whole kit without the saw (ours is for a router) for a couple hundred, you can probably do it cheaper but we overbuilt for rigidty.

The pipe is 1-1/4" Electrical conduit pipe - grab 2 of the tallest ones they stock. The U-bolt is SS model 56-2046-629 - 1/4 x 2"x3" - that has about 1/4 clearance between the pipe and the U-Bolt on all sides. Over in the hardware section pull out trays you will find 3/4 nylon spacers with an internal opening of 3/8ths inch. Grab a couple of these, a short elbow of the 1-1/4 pipe and the u-bolts and assemble them all on-site to make sure your clearances are good. You can adjust pipe, bolt & spacers to suit how rigid you want this system, this is the rig that works for me.

Do not buy the the spacers at HD - too expensive, look online you can get a whole bag for like 15 bucks. You load about 15 of these spacers onto each U-bolt thus keeping it centered on the pipe. The rolling action of the spacer self clears itself of dust and you adjust the u-bolt tightness as desired.

The saw / router holder is a little difficult to explain - just checkout the one they use at Home Depot while your there. If you need diagrams let me know I'll snap some pics.