How To Build a Cutting Table for Your Workshop
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- See how Peter Polcyn of Rail and Stile Custom Woodworks built a dead flat and extremely rigid bench for cutting sheet goods with his track saw. The sturdy plywood bench has a built-in dust catching system to make shop clean up easier.
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Nice to see a real finish carpenter making something legit useful for the shop. No foo foo or bogus endorsements. I really like the design, going to make one for myself.
Thanks! I build the original to meet my needs, hopefully others find it as useful as I have.
You took the wind out of my sail. A week before this released I built the same project and loved it until I saw yours. That design is awesome, and I like the way you approached joining the dado slots. I struggled with that and couldn't figure out the best way to make them. Your approach was safe and accurate. Great job! I'd say the only things I like about mine over yours is that I made mine collapsable, clamped to trojan saw horses, and a bit smaller (3x8) so that I can reach a full 48" crosscut by getting as close to the workpiece as possible,. Had I the space for a permanent table I'd build your design.
I have thought about a jobsite version and i may build one in the near future.
Great Video clip! Apologies for butting in, I am interested in your initial thoughts. Have you heard the talk about - Schallingora Dexterous Programme Scheme (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a good one of a kind product for building any shed in no time with no experience without the headache. Ive heard some super things about it and my cousin after a lifetime of fighting got cool success with it
Great video guys 👍
This is the second time I've heard someone refer to a hammer as a persuader and it just cracks me up!
When I saw the preview image I was "oh another over engineered torsion box" but after listening how you intended to solve dust collection I was hooked and had to watch the whole thing. The drawer for storing blades, hardware, t-square, etc was a brilliant mod to an already brilliant design. As a hand tool lover I especially liked how the track holder doubles as a super long jointers bench.
Most impressive..... added to bucket list of future builds.
Wow, great modified torsion box project~! Looks as sturdy as a tank~!
That is a thing of pure beauty. 😍
If you have a big shop and you're doing work with a track saw that necessitates a specific table this size for it's function it may be wise to look into a horizontal panel saw. Little bit of upfront cost but they'll massively outperform a track saw in virtually every way.
they can also be home-built.
@@trezzh4 You're thinking of a vertical panel saw. Horizontal incorporates a long sled and crosscut fence and typically a scoring blade. VPS is fast but leaves a lot of tear out and is less accurate. I would choose a track saw over a run of the mill VPS.
In no way shape or form is it more convenient or versatile or as inexpensive as what is shown in the video. Not every shop wants a ton of overhead/investment in equipment. I sure dont.
@@truckguy6666 Not as expensive as you think. Ive got a 20 year old 10' Minimax I got for $3000. A track saw has it's place in a shop for cutting complex panel miters etc, but there is no a track saw can even remotely compare to a panel saw for sheet material breakdown 😂
@@rafemaxwell4143 I do have a big sliding tablesaw you can see it in the background in some shots. But i use this for a lot more than just cutting, and there are a lot of situations where the TS is more convenient. I like to have as many options as possible.
I made my cutting grid from a single sheet of 1/2” cabinet grade plywood. Made it 4’ x 6’ with 6” ribs at 12” centers and made to be used on saw horses - btw, it has no side skirts. It’s light, collapsible, portable, and I can stand on it in the center with only a tiny amount of deflection. The moral of the story is to add depth, not more cross members, if you want more strength; this saves weight, materials, and money.
To those suggesting spoil board skins, etc., you’ve missed the point of the open grid, but one can always lay a spoil board down on the grid....
I wanted the tighter grid for supporting material to prevent binding.
great saw for the price
"Rubber persuader..." I LOLed...
It's a gentler version of a 'splainer. lol
lavish absolutely satisfactory, congratulations, I only regret my small spaces
Absolutely brilliant design, keep up the awesome videos
Awesome table! We posted your video on our homemade tools forum yesterday, and people really liked it :)
Thank you! We're glad you all liked it!
Sweet! Where is that?
Excellent Video clip! Excuse me for chiming in, I would appreciate your opinion. Have you heard the talk about - Schallingora Dexterous Programme Scheme (do a google search)? It is an awesome exclusive product for building any shed in no time with no experience without the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my cooworker after a lifetime of fighting got great results with it.
Between this build and watching MFT videos I'm inspired to make one of my own. Going to make it as two pieces bolted together and it can work as an MFT as well with L shaped 'dowels'. Also, will use 1" thick foam for ripping.
Cool build!
You tube is fill with videos on cut / clamp / assembly tables, this is by far the best!! And the constant concern with dust collection is the crowning point, thank you, now where is your patreon link cause I've paid money for less helpfully video than this
Thanks! Ive made some modifications to the design that I may try to post on my channel. or you can find it on my Instagram @railandstilewoodworks
I sure do like that technique for making a torsion box grid.
very good man i will put in practice your idea . thank you .
Cool Video! The skins on the outside of the torque box give you shear strength... Just like sheathing on a house. They keep the grid from flexing by putting the sheathing in tension. You don't have sheathing, and that is why you are seeing sagging in the middle of the table. I would put a spoil board on the top...
That would defeat the purpose of have an open grid system that doesn't collect dust and allows the use clamps anywhere.
@@OU81TWO exactly!
Osb is stronger than plywood in shear. Shear values, through its thickness, are about 2 times greater than plywood. This is one of the reasons osb is used for webs of wooden I-joists. However, nail-holding ability controls performance in shear wall applications.
Beautiful and impressive!
This is phenomenal. Exactly what im needing. Thank u for posting. Ive subscribed.
skimmed past the article in the latest edition, thinking "not for me"... but because of the complimentary video, I am rethinking what could be. I was wrong. Thanks
that bench is bigger than my workshop
It would fill my complete workshop :D :D too
Hi there , very useful for a beginner or I say casual woodworker like me.. I m from bangladesh and do hv almost all tools except
Table saw and chain saw AND BELOW ONE
Can ya PLZ advise whether to buy a table saw or can DIY it
Can ya PLZ advise a plan for EASY BUILT DRILL PRESS JIG? THX
I would have thought to angle the dust collection both to the centre and have one collection box, this leaves the sides open for other shelving etc
That certainly would be a good alternative design.
@@finehomebuildingmagazine Forgot to say, your cutting table design is the best one I have seen for tracksaw use, Great job 🦘👍
I have some ideas for the center still
This was such a cool build! I never thought of anything like this! What a neat concept!
Do you imagine you'll ever have to replace the grid boards?
Yes i figure i can get at least 2 years of heavy use before I need to flip the grid over and use the other side.
Place wider board in the middle of table grid... to stop sagging
Pretty cool
So slick! Better be for $500 worth of plywood!
Not saying that it's a trend but there are a growing number of folks in my area that build stuff (woodworking and metalsmithing) that are opting for the welding table. I have actually thought about getting a large one myself and dual purpose it just like those guys are doing.
Are you doing anything to protect the grid-surface from little cuts every time you use the track saw over it?
I know some folk use foam, but that would interfere with dust collection falling through
Magnificent
amazing
Brilliant! Take my money!
Thanks ! What screws are you using? I sometimes have some trouble with splitting the birch plywood when screwing.
I think I'd make 8 or so blocks to fit over arbitrary squares that are about an inch or so higher than the table top plane to be used underneath material to avoid cutting into the table and having to do this again and again as the top wears out from being sawn into.
We'll ask Peter what his thoughts are on why he built it the way he did. A sacrificial layer of strips or blocks is certainly not a bad idea. That's pretty much what all CNC router tables would have. Thanks for the feedback!
The top could be built several times and I do not know if it would be better to build blocks on top.
Once the table is cut out just flip it upside down if you want to or make a new one. I would say could get a lot of use out if it even with just cutting the top.
There's another way to look at it: when making an edge cut you would overhang the sheet so no wear on the top. In any other cut, you would position the sheet so that you're not cutting along a spine as that would make the cut much harder, right? That means the connection points will never fully wear down, even if you chew through half an inch of the entire thing you're still left with a grid of uniform support points where the joints are. This setup can last years of use. On the flip side, I've used large sliding table saws that are built to cut full sheets safely and using one is way easier than using a track saw, and they take up about the same floor space. I'd probably start eyeing ads for a second hand one if I ever reached the point I need this table. Still an awesome build!
@@bighands69 I used the original for about a year and a half and wasn't yet to the point where i felt it needed to be flipped. So I feel I can get at least 2 years per side.
If you think about how long you can use a set of sawhorses before the high points are reduced enough to effect the use, and consider how much more surface contact there is in the grid. You can see that even with daily use I can get at least 2 years out of one side before i need to flip the grid over.
How many clamps do you need? Yes.
Beauty
AWESOME
thanks for sharing. I was wondering how he cuts without cutting the torsion box. Does he use a waste board under what he is cutting? Or does he cut right on top?
That TSO product is so awesome. I'm not kidding that it gives a more square result than my MFT does after careful calibration.
It's now sold under the Festool brand actually.
By the way, always reference from the round part of the router base. The flat part is much more difficult to keep in contact with a template.
Magnus Ericsson - it’s so funny that is used my TSO guide rail square for the first time late this afternoon. I highly recommend using a clamp with it. Festool rail clamps are great but I discovered a Veritas alternative that is much less expensive just a week too late.
How much sawdust is this guy making with dust collection on a festool?
Not that much with the Festool but I use a lot of routers and other tools that do put out a lot.
That is nice!
Isnt that just a honeycomb box? The key part keeping the torsion box flat is the difference in stretch/tension between the top and bottom surface - seeing this has no top or bottom I am unsure how it can be a torsion box?
Mads André Tansø I would agree. Maybe call it an “open” torsion box, or whatever, but it’s not a torsion box. I can easily see how his previous design sagged in the middle. This will do the same over time. Not a negative comment on the builder’s design, as it serves his needs, so that’s what matters. But for novices looking to build a dead flat, super strong torsion box, they should understand the limitations of this design. If it’s open on the top & bottom, it’s not a box.
Great technique for creating the waffle top! Easy to scale down surface area. One question: why slope dust pan to two outside collection points versus one central point?
Maybe he is not vacuuming it. And just wants it to fall down the pan. My only issue would be that the static of the dust and chips would probably make it stick to anything.
the panels can give more support with that way.
Mostly because I have the shelves on the ends and keeps the center open for some other ideas i have.
Also makes for a steeper angle compared to having the ramp cover the full 8 feet. The dust might not move along efficiently and pile up at a shallower angle
I don't understand what the actual advantages are supposed to be with this design, other than letting dust fall. And I'm a bit taken aback that both the craftsman and the narrator both keep calling this a torsion box when it is clearly not. Without the top and bottom skins to distribute tension over the structure, this is just a grid and far less resistant to sagging and twist.
my exact thoughts too. I am an avid Paulk Workbench fan, and love the torsion box design. There is no issue clamping anywhere you want with the dog holes.. Requires less plywood to build than this... Single man lift... Dust is no issue if you have decent dust extraction..
Yes, I agree completely. With the two best track saws made stationed at the otherwise excellent workstation, why do you need dust collection panels underneath? Skin it top and bottom. Cover the top with a sheet of sacrificial particle board or mdf, or use the good suggestion by Robert Barth below.
@@danielstanfill4321 then what is the point of making a topless if you put a sacrificial. The guy use saws without dust collector (or however you want to call it, the hook up to collect dust?) His shop is big, probably he makes a lot of cuts. Collect in the bin to minimize the cleaning the floor.
certain table for certain idea. Is this table great for a contractor at jobsite, or weekend diyer? probably not.
I use the table for a lot of clamping too where the large openings allow me to put clamps almost anywhere. my initial thought was a true torsion box but the more i thought about it the more I realized how much more convenient it would be without the skins and i am quite happy with the decision. There is literally no sag now with the 12" perimeter, and twist is not an issue since it is stationary.
I’ll just cut on a piece of rigid foam. With Baltic going for $190 a sheet now I wonder how much this table would cost.
It’s a great job a great video and very well designed and built. But why? A track saw is a saw for bringing the straight cut to the wood when you can’t bring the wood to the table saw or don’t have room for a table saw. Unless you were doing a crazy amount of angles cuts where the setup on this table would be faster than on a table saw.
I do do a lot of angled cuts and straightlineing material where the table is invaluable
Rookie question - why this instead of a panel saw?
I think the idea is the dust mess. The panel saw only works if you have one straight side, clamping against gravity doesn't work well.
I find this is a lot more versatile than a panel saw. i do have a big slider too
Space technology table build 101
Hmmm, my 2x4s all cut up on the driveway don’t look so smart next to this....but they work in a pinch.
Wow!
All of that layout work and your lines were still visible after routing ?
its a shop fixture not fine furniture
@@justinscott9151 The point of layout lines are to work up to them, not close to them, and I'm fully aware it's shop furniture, but when you spend time editing the video to show your layout work and then fail to actually use the layout work...nvm.
I wish I had my own narrator...
7:35 Rubber persuader... I always called those a rubber mallet....I now stand corrected.
Why do he need this dedicated sawing table if he can easily rip and cross-cut with his table saw and miter saw?
Sometimes it's safer to bring the saw to the wood rather than the wood to the saw. a track saw is used for big sheets of plywood and squaring up large tabletops that are too big for the table saw.
a track saw is WAY more accurate than man handling a 4x8 sheet on a table saw. also safer
trezzh4 table saw for ripping whole sheets is dangerous and unwieldy. Chop saw for cross cutting is inaccurate.
Found the guy who's never used a tracksaw!!!
@@truckguy6666 Yep, my thought exactly. I avoided the tracksaw like the plague for about 10 years simply because I couldn’t stomach the $600 price tag for what I considered to be a fancy circular saw, especially considering I already had a fancy cabinet saw.
Then I almost hurt myself while seriously botching some expensive wood on the TS, and then found the Makita on sale on Amazon. Once I broke down my first sheet to the exact finished cut line on the very first try, the tracksaw advantage was obvious. It was also obvious what a dumbass I was for those 10 or 15 years, LOL.
I wish i could build this, but i dont have a torsion box, to build my torsion box on )
Ever seen Steve Ramsey? He uses foam insulation on the floor. Not as elegant, but a hell of alot faster and takes up much less space and after a few years, he just buys another one for a whole $3
7:35 LOL, Rubber persuader/dead blow.
I'm gonna need bigger machines
8 quarter ... isn't it easier to say 2" as well as visualize?
it's a technical industry term used to specify "true" 2" material rather than "2 by" which is more commonly used for nominal measures of material ie if something is nominal 2 by its true dimension is 1.5"
Sure. We'll rework the entire lumber system so you don't have to be bothered with simple fractions.
Its been called 8/4 since your grandpas granpa was poppin pimples
Suddenly I am rethinking my CNC base.
2:22. Eight quarters? Is that an American thing? In the UK we just call it "two inch".
This is not a torsion box, despite what is said in the video. If he had glued the skins on both sides that would be a torsion box and it would have been much much stiffer. Think of an airplane wing.
Would it still be stiffer if you glued 1/4inch sheets on the top and bottom, then routed those sheets to maintain the ability for sawdust to fall through?
why not just buy a sliding tablesaw?
Woodprix has very good and accurate plans.
looks like an awful lot of work and not give it a sacrificial top.
@@tjwoodsman1782 I think its a multipurpose table. The clamping ability for running other tools (router, planer, sander, whatever) truly makes it multipurpose. I think for most tracksaw use, I would have a sacrificial sheet laid on top of there. I think a piece of 1/2" baltic birch would be ideal. I dont like to use MDF because its so hard on carbide. Then EVERY cut you're making is like cutting through MDF.
My husband uses these plans from Stodoys plans and is very happy with them. However. I love yours!
Makita on a Festool rail....... shame on you :-)
If you have a Festool track, the sacrificial rubber strip on the Makita is actually superior, and can be purchased separately (way cheaper too) as an upgrade to the Festool track itself. I also found that the DeWalt track-clamps are superior to the Festool ones as well. I think it's great that most of these company's accessories facilitate in making Festool a better Track Saw.
(Knowing what I know now, and had it been available to me at the time, I'd choose the Makita version to start with)
Well I also have the Festool saw on a Makita track😀
Going with Makita guide rails for that track saw saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.00.
calls a mallet a persuader. fails