Cutting plywood the easy way

Here's just a quick way to cut plywood

Step 1 No saw horses

Instead of a bunch of saw horses I bought a 4x8 sheet of 2" foam at the same time I bought the plywood. So i just layed the plywood down on the foam right on the driveway.

Comments

[msmartcutter]

There is this iPhone/iPad app called "Smart Cutter" that runs an optimization algorithm to find the maximum number of small pieces cut from a larger sheet of paper with minimum scrap.

Here is a video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8_mrmqaBXk

The app can be found here: http://www.smartcutterapp.com

[0.775volts]

interesting concept, but that's a waste of good foam. plus, the foam will wear out. however, it's a good proof of concept, but one can use just about anything as a makeshift saw horse. and my boss is reading this over my shoulder. yes, boss, i mean you.

[benhoff]

Set the circular to not cut too deep. You can get foam pretty cheap if you are willing to accept the end pieces. I get them for free to give to homeless people for bedding.

[CementTruck]

Ditto regarding the makeshift sawhorses. Just make sure you don't use an aluminum boat's transom. Thank the makers of Alumalloy it still floats. Been there, done that. >:(

[p1pe]

I'll be doing it this way from now on. Thanks.

[A3rd.Zero]

Well actually using foam is better then horses in many ways. In the case where you are using a circular saw there are at least two benifits to using foam. 1. Most people can't cleanly reach across a 4' sheet of material, and certainly not across an 8' sheet. It is much easier if you can stand on the sheet that you are cutting which is not something you can do with horses. 2. if you set up two horses supporting a 4x8 and you need to cut down the middle of the sheet, then both sides of the cut will move once you have made the cut. In order to avoid this you need at least 4 horses, and you need to position them so that you dont cut into the horses. If you are using a jig saw to cut out curves and shapes then there is no superior way then using foam. Horses get in the way and you need too many of them to support the work around all its cuts.

[lyonsdigital]

It should also be noted that the foam acts like a zero clearance throat plate on a tablesaw. The result is a cleaner cut with little to no tear-out (depending on the quality of the blade). This is also much safer than trying to cut full sheets on a tablesaw. A full sheet of plywood can be lethal if the saw kicks it back. Getting the wood stuck between the fence and blade can bind up the saw, cause kickback or chew out valuable inches of wood. A friend with a more complete woodshop than my own, actually built a panel saw just for ripping ply before he sends it to his tablesaw. Safety was the number 1 concern for his shop.

[Bobby_M]

Well, the real easy way would be using a table saw. I struggled with a circular saw and straight edge for years but now wonder how I did without my trusty table saw.

[Tool Using Animal]

Perhaps a justification is in order, it was furniture grade ply and I really wanted to avoid marring the face veneers (since it's best to cut good side down with a circular saw), and the foam will be recycled as hydroponic gardens for a hort program i teach.

[0.775volts]

ahh, yes. that does make sense if you need a non-marring surface. If you work with the finer grades of wood, I'd suggest wrapping a few of the many free t-shirts you probably have around your saw horses, I do that for work with any ply that has an A side and plexi.

[thinman]

Thanks for the tip on the blade. However, I don't understand why you payed $20 for a piece of foam..I payed all of $5 for my nice saw horses at a garage sale.