sawing large plysheets
 

i was thinking of placing them on SUV tyres which should provide
enough clearance for the circular saw. would the weight be sufficient
of will i have to clamp it somehow.

i guess ill get some saw horses for the smaller section. but it seems
to me tyres will be more stable and its not as far off the ground, so
the cutoffs are supported as they come off.


thanks

sawing large plysheets
 

On 25 Jul 2004 05:55:53 -0700, (yihang bmc-unsw)
wrote:
i was thinking of placing them on SUV tyres which should provide
enough clearance for the circular saw. would the weight be sufficient
of will i have to clamp it somehow.

i guess ill get some saw horses for the smaller section. but it seems
to me tyres will be more stable and its not as far off the ground, so
the cutoffs are supported as they come off.
========================================

If you have a level concrete floor to work on, here's what works for
me. I use 6 or 7 furring strips about 4 feet long and lay them down
on the floor, plywood goes on top. The plywood is supported every foot
or so which is more than adequate. The cutoffs are fully supported
and everything is rock solid as you make the cut. I use an 8 foot
piece of MDF for a fence, clamped on each end. Set the depth of cut
for just slightly more than the plywood thickness.

sawing large plysheets
 

I put them on a floor or on the driveway on top of 2x4's placed so I'm
not cutting through the 2x4's. The blade depth is set so the saw teeth
just show through the plywood. That way curves can be cut.

yihang bmc-unsw ) writes:
i was thinking of placing them on SUV tyres which should provide
enough clearance for the circular saw. would the weight be sufficient
of will i have to clamp it somehow.

i guess ill get some saw horses for the smaller section. but it seems
to me tyres will be more stable and its not as far off the ground, so
the cutoffs are supported as they come off.


thanks


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sawing large plysheets
 

I don't know how many sheets you have to cut, but it may be worth your
while to build a simple stand to cut the sheets standing on edge. It's
a lot better than climbing on top of the wood you're cutting.

You could mount this on a short stand and lean it against a wall, or
build several 2x4 triangles for support. That way you are working
standing up. Easier to make good cuts.

It's worth using a straight edge to run your saw against. If you're
doing a bunch of cuts, you can make a simple square with the corner of a
sheet of ply. A 30-60-90 triangle, 4 foot on the 90, can be a handy
thing to have.
Jim


yihang bmc-unsw wrote:

i was thinking of placing them on SUV tyres which should provide
enough clearance for the circular saw. would the weight be sufficient
of will i have to clamp it somehow.

i guess ill get some saw horses for the smaller section. but it seems
to me tyres will be more stable and its not as far off the ground, so
the cutoffs are supported as they come off.


thanks

sawing large plysheets
 

I don't know how many sheets you have to cut, but it may be worth your
while to build a simple stand to cut the sheets standing on edge. It's
a lot better than climbing on top of the wood you're cutting. Cutting
on edge supports your cut pieces, eliminating the tearing off of the
last bit of the cut.

You could mount this on a short stand and lean the stand against a wall,
or build several 2x4 triangles for support. That way you are working
standing up. Easier to make good cuts.

It's worth using a straight edge to run your saw against. If you're
doing a bunch of cuts, you can make a simple square with the corner of a
sheet of ply. A 30-60-90 triangle, 4 foot on the 90, can be a handy
thing to have.

And setting your blade to just a bit more than your material thickness
makes the best cuts.

I would never try to cut a curve with a circular saw.
Jim

yihang bmc-unsw wrote:

i was thinking of placing them on SUV tyres which should provide
enough clearance for the circular saw. would the weight be sufficient
of will i have to clamp it somehow.

i guess ill get some saw horses for the smaller section. but it seems
to me tyres will be more stable and its not as far off the ground, so
the cutoffs are supported as they come off.


thanks

sawing large plysheets
 

Jim ) writes:
I don't know how many sheets you have to cut, but it may be worth your
while to build a simple stand to cut the sheets standing on edge. It's
a lot better than climbing on top of the wood you're cutting. Cutting
on edge supports your cut pieces, eliminating the tearing off of the
last bit of the cut.

do you clamp on some sort of support for the saw? My power
saw is too heavy for me to use in any but a hoizontal position.

And setting your blade to just a bit more than your material thickness
makes the best cuts.

I would never try to cut a curve with a circular saw.

try it. you'll like it. :)

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sawing large plysheets
 

My saw has an aluminum case (30 years old) and isn't heavy at all. I'll
bet the newer ones are lighter. "Try it, you may like it."

As for cutting a curve, I have tried it, the diameter of the blade is a
problem for almost any size curve.

There is a theory of using the proper tools for the proper use. Get a
saber saw, they are cheap and cut nice curves. Lousy for straight cuts.

Sure, you can cut slight curve with a circular saw, but the proper tool
works best. Just like properly supporting your work gets the best results.
jim

William R. Watt wrote:
Jim ) writes:

I don't know how many sheets you have to cut, but it may be worth your
while to build a simple stand to cut the sheets standing on edge. It's
a lot better than climbing on top of the wood you're cutting. Cutting
on edge supports your cut pieces, eliminating the tearing off of the
last bit of the cut.


do you clamp on some sort of support for the saw? My power
saw is too heavy for me to use in any but a hoizontal position.


And setting your blade to just a bit more than your material thickness
makes the best cuts.

I would never try to cut a curve with a circular saw.


try it. you'll like it. :)

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homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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sawing large plysheets
 

i have to cut the ply length wise, i guess that means ill need strips
more than 4 feet long. ill see what i can find.

i just have the tyres available, thats why i asked. ill put the ply on
top of the tyres and see how stable the whole thing is. if its not
satisfactory, ill use one of the the above ideas.

thanks

sawing large plysheets
 

On 26 Jul 2004 06:20:24 -0700, (yihang bmc-unsw)
wrote:
i have to cut the ply length wise, i guess that means ill need strips
more than 4 feet long. ill see what i can find.
======================================

No, I recommend putting the strips along the 4 ft dimension. The saw
blade will nick the top of the strips but will not cut through as long
as cutting depth is set properly.

I believe the tires will be too unstable to make a safe cut. Also,
the blade will not like cutting rubber.

sawing large plysheets
 

Wayne B says:

Also,
the blade will not like cutting rubber.

Rubber's OK, it's the steel reinforcing that's the real kicker! ;-)

Steve