Mark V Table Capacity

[dusty]

I hear and read a lot about the Mark V having too small a table surface to be safe and effective as a table saw; especially if working with sheet materials.

When I read this blog on Lumberjocks I just could not resist bringing it here. It seems that the guys with cabinet saws and shop saws have that same problem.

Bottom line - be safe, whatever it takes.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/9352

[Ed in Tampa]

Dusty
After many years and many visits to commercial cabinet shops I have concluded that anyone that tries to break down full sheets of ply on any table saw without additional and home made aux tables is asking for problems.

Most cabinet shops have a Unisaw sitting in the middle of a huge island, that is, if they don't have a sliding table saw, panel saw or one of the new track saws.

I refuse to attempt to cut a full panel on my SS, but that prohibition applies to any table saw big or small.

That picture of the claw marks (blade marks) on back of the ply is familar to me and many many others. Nothing more exciting than having a 4x8 sheet of ply spinning around in you shop trying to destory you or everything else in the shop.

Get a 4x8 sheet of foam, make or buy a track for you circular saw. Then lay you ply on the foam, mark you cut lay you track on the marks and cut the 4x8 sheet down to size you can safely manage by yourself. It makes life oh so much easier and perhaps less exciting (dangerous)

[major_bob]

Within the other thread there is mention of the Festool TS 55 plunge saw and track system. Reviews seem to be very positive on using it in lieu of a table saw.
Any of you guys had experience or opinion on it ? $500 obviously isn't cheap (I could buy a 2nd SS for that), but compared to a larger table saw it seems reasonable and much cheaper than a wall mounted panel saw would be.

bob

[mickyd]

I hear and read a lot about the Mark V having too small a table surface to be safe and effective as a table saw; especially if working with sheet materials.

When I read this blog on Lumberjocks I just could not resist bringing it here. It seems that the guys with cabinet saws and shop saws have that same problem.

Bottom line - be safe, whatever it takes.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/9352
This was a very interesting 28 minute sawdust session on 'safely' cutting down sheet material. It uses jigs, sawhorses, and circular saw.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Archives/SS112/SS112_Busting_Up_Plywood.htm

And speaking of sawdust sessions, remember or bookmark this thread that has an EXCELLENT searchable index of all the sawdust sessions. The index is the brain child of cowboyplus. I use it frequently. You can search by word, sesssion, or title. Try putting in "plywood" and you'll see the session above come up.

http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=3575

[claimdude]

Major Bob,

First, thank you very much for your service to our country!

I've been a Mark V owner for 25 years. I've had the Festool TS55, rails, CT22 vac for 4 years and will never go back to the old way of breaking down plywood. Nuf said;-)

Jack
520, bandsaw, powerstation and many other tools.

[a1gutterman]

While reading through the lumberjock thread that Dusty provided I could not help but notice that only one guy said that he had trouble with a FULL SIZE table saw when it came to full sheets. Only one guy said that he had absolutely zero trouble with a FULL SIZE table saw when it came to full sheets. All other posts regarding table saws were small portable ones. If all I had was my Mark V, I wood consider other methods, but with my FULL SIZE 12" saw, and extra large outfeed table, I have had zero trouble cutting full sheet goods. To each their own! :)

[navycop]

Was I the only one that noticed? On the sawdust session (when Nick was cutting the piece). He had his hand close to the trigger and the saw was still plugged in.... :(

[Ed in Tampa]

While reading through the lumberjock thread that Dusty provided I could not help but notice that only one guy said that he had trouble with a FULL SIZE table saw when it came to full sheets. Only one guy said that he had absolutely zero trouble with a FULL SIZE table saw when it came to full sheets. All other posts regarding table saws were small portable ones. If all I had was my Mark V, I wood consider other methods, but with my FULL SIZE 12" saw, and extra large outfeed table, I have had zero trouble cutting full sheet goods. To each their own! :)

a1gutterman
I think you can safely cut a 4x8 sheet on a full size saw. But why? Why wrestle with such an ungainly thing as a 4x8 sheet of anything. Why not lay it flat, set the guide where you want to cut and cut right through it?

No lifting, no balancing act, no struggle to pick the sheet up, no trying to see if the sheet is tight against the fence standing at least 4 feet away and more probably 8 feet away.
You right to each their own.