# Cutting Plywood on Table Saw - Infeed Table or Crosscut Sled?



## wrbrb (Aug 18, 2020)

I started experimenting with cabinet making recently, using my Dewalt DWE7485 8" table saw. It has a 24 1/2" rip capacity, and I would be ripping 24" deep cabinet sides (possibly wider cabinet backs), and crosscutting 34 1/2" sides and backs. I seem to be having trouble trimming the panels down to size, even after rough cutting with a circular saw and straight edge/guide. I'm wondering how I can supplement this saw most effectively for cabinet making. The problems I'm having are:


Feeding the panels into the saw for rip cuts, it seems difficult to hold the panel tight against the rip fence without twisting/bouncing the panel away from the fence. This could be due to the short infeed area, I'm not exactly sure.


Crosscutting the panels down to their final size would require a fairly deep crosscut sled (24" minimum, 24"+ for wide back panels) - is it ridiculous to have a 24"+ deep crosscut sled, especially on this small a table saw (short distance from front of table to blade), or would an infeed table help here?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Amazing Circular Saw Jig: Quick, Accurate & Easy - YouTube


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

The Dewalt DWE7485 is a portable job site saw. Although advertised as able to rip plywood sheets, its very limited surface area does not have an adequate amount of support to hold sheets going in or coming out. One would either need an infeed and outfeed table and a helper to assist with feeding the sheet or a couple of helpers to assist with feeding the sheet, and holding it going in and coming out.

I am guessing you have a cut list for your cabinets. 

I suggest you get a sheet of 8'x4'x2" thick foam board (about $20 at a home center), lay it on the ground, lay the plywood on that and cut all the pieces oversize with a circular saw. The foam insulation provides a stable surface to make cuts and it will not damage your saw blade. 

Once you have all your panels, cut them to final dimensions on the table saw.

Steve Ramsey (and probably others on YouTube) have some videos using this process.

Trying to use a cross-cut sled on such a small saw would be difficult if not impossible. A simple jig like this might work for you.










You could also try clamping a straight edge to the underside of the panel so it rides along the left side of the table saw using it as sort of fence as it were. You would of course need to measure carefully from the edge of the table to the blade to ensure the correct width of cut.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Drachenfire said:


> The Dewalt DWE7485 is a portable job site saw. Although advertised as able to rip plywood sheets, its very limited surface area does not have an adequate amount of support to hold sheets going in or coming out. One would either need an infeed and outfeed table and a helper to assist with feeding the sheet or a couple of helpers to assist with feeding the sheet, and holding it going in and coming out.


But then he still has the problem of a rather short fence.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

I took two solid smooth surface doors from a deconstruction and made a 36" deep x 48" wide runoff table for my Unisaw. I extended the table groove onto the table, allowing me to use my sled and pass it through and off the saw's table for larger pieces.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

My table saw is large enough to easily accommodate sheets, and I have adequate outfeed extensions, but age makes handling large sheets a bit more difficult so I had the same conundrum and ultimately decided that a track saw was the way to go. Although a bit more costly because they use dedicated saws, Dewalt, Festool, and Makita make actual track saws. And if you're planning to do a fair amount of this type of work one of these might make sense because you could leave the appropriate blade in this saw and a combination blade or whatever you use in your daily circular saw so you're always ready to go without switching blades. Another option, which I ultimately decided on, is the Kreg Accucut, which allows you to use your present saw with their track. And of course there is the jig that Neal linked, which you can build yourself. I have a couple of these, an 8' and 4', and they work great. The advantage of having a track is that all you have to do is hold the saw down, it can't go left or right, but they can all achieve the same results.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

SPS-1 said:


> But then he still has the problem of a rather short fence.


An auxiliary fence would address that.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Good question and good answers.
Yes, to all. Side extensions, infeed and outfeed tables are a blessing. Make them your first project and put them on wheels with storage shelves underneath (old kitchen cabinet for instance so the dust can be kept out).
Never pass a body part over the blade, always bring those parts well away from that plane of travel, use feather boards to help hold and guide your wood, googles and ear protection.
Make sure the blade is sharp, true and square to any guide/fence.
Let the blade do the cutting.
Count your fingers today and let's keep that many, please.


My Son-I-L was ripping a piece of 1 x ? and it road up on the blade so he pushed it down... He was lucky, he only sliced his thumb to the bone but now has extremely restricted movement due to ligament/tendon adherence and scarring. There are tools and accessories to help with all types of cuts and operations using a table saw - there are few shortcuts that can outweigh loss of a hand or that "quick" run to the emergency room.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

I am big proponent of shop safety. Here are some of the tools I use to ensure that.

Note how the area over the blade is constructed to prevent the hands from getting close to the blade.











I liked the concept of a gripper but could not bring myself to pay $60 for one. This one is built from scraps and leftovers. The only thing I bought were the knobs.









What no woodworker should be without..., push-sticks. These were also made from scraps.


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

That DWE7485 is not a bad table saw for its focus which is portability. As others have mentioned, you need a lot of infeed/outfeed support to rip or crosscut sheet goods safely. I assume you are doing 1/2" and/or 3/4"?

Have you given any thought to getting at least a 10" contractor's saw? I see good ones on CL constantly for pretty cheap. It would be much easier & safer to build in/out feeds around a contractor or cabinet saw than a portable saw. I think it would also be a much less expensive approach overall.

Otherwise, a panel saw/track saw setup would be safer with less space. You can create jigs to use a circular saw like this. If you are going to do a lot of breaking down sheet goods, check CL as there are always deals here.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

wrbrb said:


> I started experimenting with cabinet making recently, using my Dewalt DWE7485 8" table saw. It has a 24 1/2" rip capacity, and I would be ripping 24" deep cabinet sides (possibly wider cabinet backs), and crosscutting 34 1/2" sides and backs. I seem to be having trouble trimming the panels down to size, even after rough cutting with a circular saw and straight edge/guide. I'm wondering how I can supplement this saw most effectively for cabinet making. The problems I'm having are:
> 
> 
> Feeding the panels into the saw for rip cuts, it seems difficult to hold the panel tight against the rip fence without twisting/bouncing the panel away from the fence. This could be due to the short infeed area, I'm not exactly sure.
> ...


Do you have a space you need to rip a sheet of plywood and cross cut plywood. I would think you need 10ft by 18ft?


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

I have been contemplating solving this a different way.








Several Mfg make plunge saws and sell tracks to match. The track can either be clamped to the work or just set in place. The rubber bottoms make it slide proof. Big Table saws are heavy and hard to move. This method does away with the table.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

turbo4 said:


> I have been contemplating solving this a different way.
> View attachment 664362
> 
> Several Mfg make plunge saws and sell tracks to match. The track can either be clamped to the work or just set in place. The rubber bottoms make it slide proof. Big Table saws are heavy and hard to move. This method does away with the table.


I can't believe the number of want to be crafts people that head out to buy some expensive jig for what people have been building for years.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

Nealtw said:


> I can't believe the number of want to be crafts people that head out to buy some expensive jig for what people have been building for years.


My problem is moving table saws from place to place. Multiple jobs going at once. The plunge saw system is cheaper than buying another table saw. But you are correct that the home made jig is much cheaper still.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

turbo4 said:


> My problem is moving table saws from place to place. Multiple jobs going at once. The plunge saw system is cheaper than buying another table saw. But you are correct that the home made jig is much cheaper still.


How much is the saw worth? I remember making a table saw out of a skill saw and a sheet of plywood. I would not be concerned about a table saw with a small table. I would just make a bigger table to set on it. A DIYer building his own cupboards likely doesn't have the space or the budget for a fully functioning wood room for cutting up a hand full of sheets of plywood.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

I have a dewalt portable table saw. Its not the best saw for ripping long or thick material which i do a lot of. Plywood is not a problem.
I may make one of those jigs. All in the wen track saw system is About $260 saw and tracks. But the jig may be just as or more useful in my case.


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

turbo4 said:


> I have a dewalt portable table saw. Its not the best saw for ripping long or thick material which i do a lot of. Plywood is not a problem.
> I may make one of those jigs. All in the wen track saw system is About $260 saw and tracks. But the jig may be just as or more useful in my case.


The problem isn't the saw, it's the guide rails. Everyone I know that has tried them says there's too much play when you put together multiple pieces. If you never go over the ~4' for a single rail, it's fine.

The only exception is the Festool track saw & guide rail. But again, you are paying a premium for the engineering. I use 3/16 masonite/tempered hardboard for jigs whenever possible; light, cheap, easy to store...


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## XSleeper (Sep 23, 2007)

Set up a 4x8 outfeed table (infeed table not necessary unless you prefer one) to help with your rips. But for crosscuts you would want a panel saw... for small projects you could get by with a tracksaw.


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

Seems like each gadget sort of says it is the be-all/end-all, but no one gadget is.

And it is hard to imagine how a particular fixture will or won't work in your shop.

My 9' two piece saw guide comes in very handy, indoors or out.

And setup always takes longer than the actual cutting.


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## wrbrb (Aug 18, 2020)

This is all helpful, thank you. But to clarify, like I said in my original post, I’m already rough cutting large panels with a straight edge and circular saw. But then I attempt to run the, say 26” x 36” pieces of 3/4” plywood through the Dewalt table saw to trim them down to 24” x 34 1/2” and I figured with such large pieces I might as well use the rip fence to take an inch or so off in one direction, and then rotate the panel 90 degrees to take an inch or so off in the other direction, but, my main problem:

I find it difficult to hold the panels against the rip fence through the length of the cut so I end up with an edge that isn’t perfectly straight.

I’m thinking a solution might be a panel sled that utilizes one of the tracks in the top of the table saw and has a fence perpendicular to the blade that the front edge of the panel can square against, and then I would be almost pulling the panel through on the sled in either direction, if that makes sense. Like a large version of this:


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## XSleeper (Sep 23, 2007)

If you can't hold the pieces against the fence...  

Try featherboards in your miter slot.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

wrbrb said:


> This is all helpful, thank you. But to clarify, like I said in my original post, I’m already rough cutting large panels with a straight edge and circular saw. But then I attempt to run the, say 26” x 36” pieces of 3/4” plywood through the Dewalt table saw to trim them down to 24” x 34 1/2” and I figured with such large pieces I might as well use the rip fence to take an inch or so off in one direction, and then rotate the panel 90 degrees to take an inch or so off in the other direction, but, my main problem:
> 
> I find it difficult to hold the panels against the rip fence through the length of the cut so I end up with an edge that isn’t perfectly straight.
> 
> ...


Maybe if the back board was on the back of the sled?


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

A fingerboard that can resist the considerable forces pushing the workpiece away from the fence but allows the piece to move through.

I'm thinking some type of rollers with strong springs that hold the piece in place. Never seen one.
Sometimes I end up fixing the cut with a belt sander.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

XSleeper said:


> If you can't hold the pieces against the fence...
> 
> Try featherboards in your miter slot.


A featherboard with a sled?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Stopping a panel from sliding sideways is just that easy.


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## wrbrb (Aug 18, 2020)

XSleeper said:


> If you can't hold the pieces against the fence...


It can be difficult with a 24x36” panel, a small table surface, and little space between the front of the table and the blade.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Any kind of sled will have issues with the length of the T-slot when trying to cut 24" or 36". You would have to do something where your T bar is significantly longer than the sled (which is certainly possible)

So far the best ideas presented are infeed and outfeed tables or rollers and lengthen the fence like shown in post 7. You can get some pretty cheap adjustable height roller stands, and you (like the rest of us) probably have already had situations where you did all sorts of funky stuff to hold a long board, and wished you had a couple of roller stands.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

I've got a Bosch 4100 on the portable wheels. With some DeWalt saw horses set at 35" and 2x4s in the slots, I've got a perfect height outfeed table and then I clamp some feather boards to the fence, (they're typically on my router, but they work fine here), and that helps.

Buuuut... based on this discussion and thinking about it, I've realized I might be doing this all wrong. Or... well... 1/2 wrong. I absolutely need the outfeed for longer rips. But really, even though it will be a bit of a hassle, it's probably the infeed I need more. The awkwardness of positioning, stabilizing and then sliding a full or almost full panel and keeping it moving and tight on the fence is just sloppy. Somehow I've gotten away with it; but I'm thinking now that maybe I was more lucky than smart. Since I do this in my driveway, setting up is a bit of a pain, but I'm now thinking it's worth it. So I can't tell you I've tested this because this isn't going to happen until spring, but I think that might be a solid solution. My Kreg 'sort of like a track' guide is pretty good, but it's not like the DeWalt of Festool track products. The best cut - I've found anyway - is on the table saw, but only if the piece can be stable.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Turns out a couple of weeks ago I did pretty much exactly what the OP was describing in "option 2" -- cutting with a crosscut sled.

I had a board to cut that was 24.5" deep x 80" long (solid maple glue-up). My crosscut sled has an extra long (36") miter rail, so that I get maximum length of engagement in the table slot miter slot. But my sled normally handles about 20" max boards. So I temporarily removed the rear crossbar from the sled. When I put the sled on the table saw, the sled was so far towards the front that it wanted to fall off. So I had to support the sled with a roller stand. Rather awkward, but it worked.


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## wigginsr181 (Nov 18, 2021)

The shop made guide wins this contest _HANDS DOWN_ ... I make a work table with 4 saw horses and make the cuts between the 2 sets of horses. When the cut is completed the original piece stays on its 2 horses and the cut off remains on its 2 horses. Too old to work down in the dirt anymore. Pic Pop Mechanics


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Just that using a guide rail requires setting it up exactly square to one edge (which was a necessity in my case).

My crosscut sled is dialed in (using the 5-cut method) to be dead nuts square to the front crossbar.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

Looking for a portable table saw. Looks like everthing less than a Dewalt has horrible reviews. Even Rigid.


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

When I was considering doing alot of cutting 4'x8' sheets, I planned out, but never built, a workbench with an inset for a table saw, so I effectively had the entire workbench top as a table for the saw.

I have a full-size Craftsman table saw I bought 25 years ago, and the only cuts that give me trouble are when I need something bigger than 24" in both directions; otherwise, I just cut with the 'waste' piece against the fence.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

turbo4 said:


> Looking for a portable table saw. Looks like everthing less than a Dewalt has horrible reviews. Even Rigid.


Bosch 4100 on the wheeled stand. Have had it for maybe 6 years now. Lots of projects from whole dining room tables to bookcases and so on. It's been great out of the box. The only changes I've made have been to add a zero clearance insert.


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