I'm glad I kept watching, I figured it was a Festool centric video, great info on work flow. I learned something about panel cutting workflow I can use with my unistrut / track clamp bare bones panel cutting system ! Great video as always, thanks !
I got a Makita track saw since that comment and just recently drank the green kool-aid an got a CT-25 dust extractor, very nice!@@RichardBoisclair-hw6nb
Hi Jason, thanx for your videos, been watching a couple. I would like to ad something for people who 'struggle' to get a straigt edge. You are working with top notch cabinet grade ply, which will stay true when cut. But if someone uses cheaper stuff, say construction grade ply, following might be helpful: Material (ply, solid timber or even a chunk of steel for the engineer) is allways under tension. Tip: release that tension first! If, for say, you cut a sheet of ply in half then make this rip cut first. 610, then trim 5 each side to your final 600. Like this you will shave off any bending that occured when tension was released when cutting the sheet in half. If confronted with a 'reference' edge that is suddenly not straight anymore, people often try to find the fault in the gear (track, saw) but it can be the sneaky material that plays up. Hope I explained in a way easy to understand.
I use a piece of painters tape to mark each of my reference edges as they are made. This way I can easily label the parts for the joinery process. ie side bottom, bottom front, etc etc.
Yeah, I do the same thing with Post-its ... they are easy to peel off and to write on. They don't adhere as well as painters tape but will stay put mid stack and usually they are just placed on the top panel of each stack of .. "base sides".."base tops, bottoms, rail splits, shelves".. etc. I place them in the 90* reference corner for the good length and end cuts. I usually add a pencil slash mark in that same corner.
When I learned with basic handtools in woodshop, keeping track of reference and show sides was drilled into us. Somewhere along the line I stopped paying as much attention to it. Machining wood can give me a false sense of confidence sometimes, and it's so fast that I can move through without thinking carefully about how I'm doing things. Great video. Its a good reminder.
I watched your demo on installing Blum undermount drawer slides. Now I watched this demo on cutting sheet plywood with perfectly square corners. You are really, really good at explaining--in easy to follow directions--how to do stuff in a wood shop. You should've been my shop teacher long ago. So I'm bookmarking each and every demo you do here on TH-cam. All will help in my future furniture projects. P.S.: I like your occasional references to certain specs on things like drill bits and handy tools I hadn't already heard of.
Thank you for sharing! You are a born pedagogue. An extremely clear explanation of how to achieve accurate cuts on sheet material. With the current cost of material, it's more important than ever to minimize error and avoid unnecessary waste. Not fretting about getting the whole sheet square, and just concentrating on the initial reference edge is much easier than wresting an 8 by 4 through the 5 cut method in a small workshop.
Omg! I had this exact problem. I thought the factory edge was square af, but it wasn't. Thank you for this video. It solved my problem. I need more plywood now.
But he used the factory edge of the plywood to place the track 5mm back using the ruler. So in essence, he used the factory edge to establish reference.
I've built a fair amount of plywood cabinetry etc. and just never stopped to think of this ever so simple technique. I will use it from now on. Thank you for the great video
Thankyou - I now realise how using what I thought was a dead on factory edge, compounded to make the last few cuts of the sheet way out. I always thought I was ‘saving’ wood by using factory edges and making exact measurement cuts from the sheet. A few mm of ‘wasted’ wood will lead to square projects that I won’t be secretly disappointed in.
This is a really good video. The number of times I've cut plywood for cabinets or drawers and found it square on one corner but not another, I wasn't being methodical. This is really straightforward, and I love how methodical it is. I'll try this out today, thanks for creating the video!
This video really clarified things I've observed and thought were my fault with plywood. It's not. I now realize that I'll have to treat plywood in a very similar manner as hand tool work with solid wood. The rest is mechanics once the consistent system is in place.
I like the tip about making that first cut a little deeper so there is wood on the right side of the blade. I've noticed how much more dust I get if I'm "saving" wood by cutting just the edge clean.
This is spot on. I always make my cuts 1/4" over and then final on the table saw using the reference cut against the fence. I love checking cabs or drawers for square and they are spot on dead square. great video. thank you.
I don't like using foam as a backer under the plywood. Foam sawdust is microplastics that end up in the enviroment. I use wood scraps to keep the plywood up off the bench top. Wood and glue are the only things that go into my dust collector. When I empty the collector the contents get composted instead of going to a landfill.
Realize this video is aged and can appreciate the foam in environment, BUT if you are composting plywood dust you are actually placing more toxic chemicals into your compost…the process to make plywood is full of chemicals, glues, wood binders, etc etc, just like using treated pallets or lumber, never put into composting material…just an opinion…
Great video tips, just came across this video…lesson learned on not checking the factory cut…unfortunately in a hurry on a cabinet. Thx again good process tips
Great video. Nothing like a properly tuned table saw with proper tables for easy material handling. For breaking down sheet goods efficiently and accurately.
ABSOLUTELY in love w my new combo Tracksaw(wen w festool tracks) and dewalt palm router guideplate setup on other side of track. Saves time and space, Perfect cuts.
This seems simply analogous to how we cut milled wood… you start with a reference edge, cut the other rip, establish a clean 90 degree crosscut face and measure and cut for length. The real secret, with whatever tools you use, is to ensure your setup is creating perfect parallel or perpendicular cuts! Nice video.
@@bentswoodworking Came here to say this. I usually rip a factory edge and then take a framing square and then rip a second edge so you know you one corner of the sheet is perfectly 90. I find this easier and I think it reduces your total number of crosscuts as opposed to having to make a 90deg cut on every crosscut. If you know a reference corner is 90deg then you can reference the whole corner vs having to mark out a perfectly perpendicular line every time.
Cut List Optimizer is a must if you wood work. Ive been using it on my pc and mobile phone. Its not just for sheet goods. I build cabinets for a living and install for designers that order the exactly what you need. For example im using it to figure out if i have enough perfinished crown and furniture base. most of the time if you make one bad cut or out of order not cutting all your longs first generating smalls your short.
Did some cuts yesterday and figured a perfect cut can only easily be obtained on a table saw. There's always some slight deviation without table sawing
Since getting my festool track saw, with 1/2mm accuracy or 1/2 the pencil line accuracy, the best feature of all is never having to trim to size on the table saw. My cuts are even smoother than the table saw with a fine blade. The magic to always get an 8' reference edge to start ripping, then start each set of crosscuts with a 90° reference edge also. 😊
Exactly. Over cutting is great if you were using a chalk line and a skilsaw in the driveway before going to the table saw. Modern track saws are replacing table saws for many cabinet makers.
I got the $100 tracksaw from wen and the festool tracks w a router plate adapter on other side of track, cuts dead nuts 100 every time, and SO easy to square up and guide. Perfect instant easy squared routing on same panel you just cut. Absolutely DREAM space saving setup that pumps out QUALITY work in no time.
This is awesome. As a DIYer I've never looked at breaking down a sheet of ply like this. You've made it much more simple for me to understand. Thank you and I just subbed! Keep up the great work!
I love my festool tracksaw accuracy and smooth cut. After moving to tracksaw i quickly realized the accuracy was incredible. I use a 5mm pencil and i can often cut my line in half. Every piece for a project is so precise I can’t imagine cutting a bit larger and then using my table saw to fine tune the accuracy. I would be wasting a lot of time and my shop friends would wonder why I cut everything twice. I only use my table saw now for small and narrow cuts - or many quick repetitive cuts.
Agreed…kind of defeats the purpose of paying all that extra $$ for a track saw to get a perfect edge, then re-cut it on the tablesaw. If you are going to cut it twice, just use a straight edge with a circular saw for the first cut.
Excellent practical advice. I appreciate the wisdom of cutting the pieces larger on the track saw for later precise final cutting on the table saw. And, of course, keeping track of the reference edges as they are created. Lesson learned. Thanks very much!
@@bentswoodworking may I ask why not do the precise final cut with the track saw? Is it a necessity to do it at the table saw? Personally I feel like track saw gives me cleaner cuts. Are you worried about the lack of a fence for track saw systems not producing perfectly square cuts?
Just ordered a Festool cordless track saw and an additional 55" track. No more cutting larger sheet goods on the floor with a guide and circular saw on rigid foam. Using a Bora 4x8 Centipede for now, will build my own shop table with T-Tracks for the Festool and TSO parallel guide system. Thanks for your channel. You invest in Festool you invest in quality.
It should be noted that with Cutlist Organizer, unless you pay $15-$25 a month, you can't change the "Optimization Priority". I assume this affects the cutlist to permit doing all the rip cuts first as you suggest. Otherwise, when it's left on the "Least wasted area" setting, it's going to mix your rip and crosscuts (not allowing you to do all your rip cuts first).
Thank you, this was extremely helpful. I also use a piece of 4x8 insulation board to protect my work top and I've even used on my concrete floor when I have heavy MDF. This works great for those of us that are not that tall or strong. I've book marked the cut optimizer and looking forward to trying it out.
Dude...I wasn't paying attention for a minute and missed a cross cut step. I was like, "where's his track?" Then outta nowhere...SHAZAAM...it folded down across your work. I gotta get one of those tables, or diy it, just for that fine feature!
Re: closing comments. Even if I only adopt your "reference rule" I'll be far ahead of the game. I might have been stuck in High School woodshop mode when I was taught to pick the best factory edge and roll with it. I always end up with a perfect parallel copy of an imperfect edge! Time to shop, can't swing Festool. What's your runner up?
1000% agree! you just pointed out ALL what is necessary! great content… I wish to have such festool saw. it is amazing, and easy and gives repeatable cuts, is somebody here to sell used one?
I know! Score ply with marking knife, set and sharpen your panel saw for crosscut, have good support underneath, get cutting. Sharpen and set up plane, plane down to score line. Worked perfectly for me in 1980s
This has been a huge help to me. Thanks for explaining and going through the details. I don’t have the fancy table so I opted for a four foot drywall square and handle my cuts that way for now. In my recent project, everything lined up perfectly and it was a pretty amazing experience!
I was taught that the factory edge of a full sheet can be used as the starting reference. So without a track saw you can first cut wider than needed (on table saw), then flip around and get the clean edge from the original factory edge to get a clean cut. Not everyone has a track saw to start things off.
I watched another video of his where he said that the reason he cuts the factory edge is so the edge banding he puts on has a better place to adhere to. Apparently the factory edge doesn't do as good a job of holding the edge banding.
@@jonmhayden Yes, I understand. What I was saying was that the factory edged doesn't need to be the first trim. You can do the interior cut first, on the table saw, then use that interior cut against the fence to do the trim-off of the factory edge. His method of cutting the edge off first pretty much requires a track saw but doing an interior cut first allows a table saw to be used.
Thank you, I’ve always been fascinated with cabinet building. Ive built a few. But i keep running into accuracy. Now i have the info i need to improve what i aspire to do.
Very well explained. This has always been a problem for me using a regular circular saw. I've just invested in a track saw so hopefully true 90 degree cuts are in my future.
'Perfectly' is not a term that should be used. 'Within tolerance' is the accurate description. (perfect, exactly, etc are platonic ideals that are not met in real life.) The standard method of marking reference edges is a V, with the point to the edge. Finishing on the table saw- both the cut support and finer blade means that you get a getter finish from the tracksaw- both the cut and the tearout. A sacrificial wood strip on the end of the fence improves end tearout too. A table saw supports neither side against tearout (unless it has a very accurate zero clearance insert, and then only one side), the tracksaw both. Very few table saws are maintained to the accuracy that can be obtained with a tracksaw, plus you are using the edge of the workpiece as a bearing surface- not ideal. Add in the extra cut you are doing, the waste material produced, and the greater safety of the tracksaw, and your procedure is unlikely to be optimum for most users.
I tried to get by just using the festool system for cutting. And it is accurate......mostly. I can make it work with minor adjustments. But, I have realized I'm going to have to go with the hybrid approach you just laid out. I came to that realization a few weeks ago and your video just reinforced it. I'm currently researching whether to go with the laguna or with the harvey table saw. I think I'll be going with the laguna, as of today, and then when I finish building my new house and shop, I'll keep the laguna just for one purpose and then add the Harvey down the road for others. Might set it up like Frank Howarth did with his double table saw set up. As always, thanks for the videos!
How I wish I had seems this years ago. One of the first things I did was make a jig for the leg assemblies for the workbench in my non-woodworking shop. Cut 1 edge, cut second edge “perpendicular” to that first edge, cut a third edge “perpendicular” to that second edge… you can see where this is going. Needless to say the leg assemblies are *not* quite square. The bench works but I’ve never put the planned drawers in because the openings aren’t square. Clearly marking the reference edges helps a lot. “Known good” edges and corners make everything come out right. Marking on the back/non-visible side of the wood is a good habit too. A lot of plywood has a good side and a “meh” side so make your marks on the “meh” side.
When I use cutlist optimizer for my current (first) project it requires a crosscut pretty early in the workflow. I suppose then I should establish the reference edge with a rip than cut 90 degrees at the crosscut, leaving enough materail to allow for squaring of the factory edges at the ends.
Excellent video. I'm a recent subscriber and love your videos. A long time ago I used to cut full sheets of plywood on my little Makita contractor's table saw. I was very lucky that I never got injured. 30 years later and I'm still using that table saw, though with a Ridge Carbide blade, but I've since used a circular saw to break down the full sheets. Will definitely follow your instruction on squaring the pieces! To silence the doubters, maybe you should try using a contractor's table and a circular saw using a plain straight edge. Just a thought.
Very similar to what we do for “precise” cuts. No MFTs, so use the TS75 tracksaw w TSO GRS16 PE to make two known reference edges w 3/4” foam backer (prefer the white urethane to pink stuff, just beware the “shiny” side in bright sunlight if outdoors)), 1” is not readily available in our part of the country. We usually establish those two known straight edges on the largest piece we can safely manage/move through the table saw (PM2000B w 50” fence). That manageable piece which is cut 1/4” to 1/2” oversized initially (if doing multiple yield pieces add/allow for tablesaw blade width cuts) may yield one final cut piece or perhaps dozens of smaller pieces from the initial two reference cuts. As always, just sharing my .02c, nothing more, nothing less.
Some really good tips. I have parallel guides for my track saw and have always been trying to rip the pieces with those bit always had some discrepancy between panels and trying to calibrate the parallel guides. I'm going to ditch my old way and do it the easy way like this
As a hobbyist woodworker I just own a Makita track saw. I like your setup and I was able build a simple table similar to MFT. Appreciate your tips to rip cut square. Just Don have a table saw so , need to improvise to get good square cross cuts. Greetings from Brazil!!
I thought both edges were "reference" edges, because you first cut off the 1/8 strip to make the first reference edge, and then you used that edge to measure from to make the long panel using the track saw. I would think than since you made cuts on both sides of the panel with the track saw that both edges would now be reference edges and parallel to one another. Am I missing something in this analysis?
(1) You make an example that you find a factory edge on a plywood sheet that hasn't been broken down... wouldn't all 4 edges be factory edges assuming no cuts yet? (2) Also, I don't understand why you need to trim off the factory edge... won't your new cut (reference edge) now be the same as the factory edge was?
Great video Jason. I use a similar technique and if feel it's much safer than putting a large sheet on my table saw. Also, having a workflow around the assembly table always made more sense to me!
Great video. Love how well you explain things. Two questions… which model festool track saw are you using and when you’re making crosscuts with it, how are you not cutting into your table top?
I know you probably didn't want to complicate the explanation of the process by incorporating additional tools but I was sad to see you not use the JessEm stock guides on the table saw. Panels like that (and larger) are bar-none the best use-case for them in my opinion. I love those things and owe you a thanks for putting them on my radar in a much earlier video where you highlighted them.
I'm glad I kept watching, I figured it was a Festool centric video, great info on work flow. I learned something about panel cutting workflow I can use with my unistrut / track clamp bare bones panel cutting system ! Great video as always, thanks !
Glad you found it helpful
Yeah - glad I watch. Thought it was just going to about track saw.
Me too, thought it was going to be Festool 'R' us, then why cut off the factory edge and replace it??
Good video. Too bad you don’t like using Festool brand…
I got a Makita track saw since that comment and just recently drank the green kool-aid an got a CT-25 dust extractor, very nice!@@RichardBoisclair-hw6nb
Hi Jason, thanx for your videos, been watching a couple.
I would like to ad something for people who 'struggle' to get a straigt edge. You are working with top notch cabinet grade ply, which will stay true when cut. But if someone uses cheaper stuff, say construction grade ply, following might be helpful: Material (ply, solid timber or even a chunk of steel for the engineer) is allways under tension. Tip: release that tension first! If, for say, you cut a sheet of ply in half then make this rip cut first. 610, then trim 5 each side to your final 600. Like this you will shave off any bending that occured when tension was released when cutting the sheet in half.
If confronted with a 'reference' edge that is suddenly not straight anymore, people often try to find the fault in the gear (track, saw) but it can be the sneaky material that plays up.
Hope I explained in a way easy to understand.
I know it’s a small thing, but I really appreciated the tip to leave material on both sides of the blade to improve dust collection.
Glad you found it helpful 👍
What I love about these videos is the neat little tools I discover, like that little pocket ruler. I had to pause the video and order one right away!
Glad it was helpful!
I use a piece of painters tape to mark each of my reference edges as they are made. This way I can easily label the parts for the joinery process. ie side bottom, bottom front, etc etc.
I like that as well when dealing with a lot of parts for sure 👍
Yeah, I do the same thing with Post-its ... they are easy to peel off and to write on. They don't adhere as well as painters tape but will stay put mid stack and usually they are just placed on the top panel of each stack of .. "base sides".."base tops, bottoms, rail splits, shelves".. etc. I place them in the 90* reference corner for the good length and end cuts. I usually add a pencil slash mark in that same corner.
Good idea! I will be doing that in the future thanks.
I have been using chalk for years to mark reference edges, etc. it's quicker than tape and removes quicker than pencil.
I am a home builder of 40 years and I thought I could cut plywood. This is a very nice video. Well done.
When I learned with basic handtools in woodshop, keeping track of reference and show sides was drilled into us. Somewhere along the line I stopped paying as much attention to it. Machining wood can give me a false sense of confidence sometimes, and it's so fast that I can move through without thinking carefully about how I'm doing things. Great video. Its a good reminder.
I watched your demo on installing Blum undermount drawer slides. Now I watched this demo on cutting sheet plywood with perfectly square corners. You are really, really good at explaining--in easy to follow directions--how to do stuff in a wood shop. You should've been my shop teacher long ago. So I'm bookmarking each and every demo you do here on TH-cam. All will help in my future furniture projects. P.S.: I like your occasional references to certain specs on things like drill bits and handy tools I hadn't already heard of.
Glad it was helpful
Thank you for sharing! You are a born pedagogue. An extremely clear explanation of how to achieve accurate cuts on sheet material. With the current cost of material, it's more important than ever to minimize error and avoid unnecessary waste.
Not fretting about getting the whole sheet square, and just concentrating on the initial reference edge is much easier than wresting an 8 by 4 through the 5 cut method in a small workshop.
Glad you found it helpful
Omg! I had this exact problem. I thought the factory edge was square af, but it wasn't. Thank you for this video. It solved my problem. I need more plywood now.
Oops, I have a confession too! Well, prove me wrong as I thought the factory edge was straight. This feels like the confessional page of woodworkers.
But he used the factory edge of the plywood to place the track 5mm back using the ruler. So in essence, he used the factory edge to establish reference.
I've built a fair amount of plywood cabinetry etc. and just never stopped to think of this ever so simple technique. I will use it from now on. Thank you for the great video
Glad to help
That was probably the best explanation on breaking down a sheet of plywood I have ever seen. Thank You so Much
Glad it was helpful!
One thing I always love to see is when the craftsman and makers I enjoy watching are supporting other makers in the community.
👍👍👊🏼
Thankyou - I now realise how using what I thought was a dead on factory edge, compounded to make the last few cuts of the sheet way out. I always thought I was ‘saving’ wood by using factory edges and making exact measurement cuts from the sheet. A few mm of ‘wasted’ wood will lead to square projects that I won’t be secretly disappointed in.
Glad you found it helpful
I do this on a leftover piece of 3/4" flooring plywood, cheap plastic saw horses and a Makita track saw all day in my driveway. With great results.
This is a really good video. The number of times I've cut plywood for cabinets or drawers and found it square on one corner but not another, I wasn't being methodical. This is really straightforward, and I love how methodical it is. I'll try this out today, thanks for creating the video!
Glad it was helpful
This video really clarified things I've observed and thought were my fault with plywood. It's not. I now realize that I'll have to treat plywood in a very similar manner as hand tool work with solid wood. The rest is mechanics once the consistent system is in place.
I like the tip about making that first cut a little deeper so there is wood on the right side of the blade. I've noticed how much more dust I get if I'm "saving" wood by cutting just the edge clean.
Oh yeah, nothing to trap it when just skimming the edge.
This is spot on. I always make my cuts 1/4" over and then final on the table saw using the reference cut against the fence.
I love checking cabs or drawers for square and they are spot on dead square. great video. thank you.
Glad you found it helpful
I showed this to my wife and said, "See? _This_ is how I should be cutting plywood!" And she took away my credit card. 🤷♂️
I don't like using foam as a backer under the plywood. Foam sawdust is microplastics that end up in the enviroment. I use wood scraps to keep the plywood up off the bench top. Wood and glue are the only things that go into my dust collector. When I empty the collector the contents get composted instead of going to a landfill.
#Facts
Realize this video is aged and can appreciate the foam in environment, BUT if you are composting plywood dust you are actually placing more toxic chemicals into your compost…the process to make plywood is full of chemicals, glues, wood binders, etc etc, just like using treated pallets or lumber, never put into composting material…just an opinion…
Great video tips, just came across this video…lesson learned on not checking the factory cut…unfortunately in a hurry on a cabinet. Thx again good process tips
@@michaeldevoe9235this is 100% accurate. Never compost plywood dust.
🧠🧼
Great video. Nothing like a properly tuned table saw with proper tables for easy material handling. For breaking down sheet goods efficiently and accurately.
Great point!
ABSOLUTELY in love w my new combo Tracksaw(wen w festool tracks) and dewalt palm router guideplate setup on other side of track. Saves time and space, Perfect cuts.
This seems simply analogous to how we cut milled wood… you start with a reference edge, cut the other rip, establish a clean 90 degree crosscut face and measure and cut for length. The real secret, with whatever tools you use, is to ensure your setup is creating perfect parallel or perpendicular cuts! Nice video.
Glad you enjoyed it
@@bentswoodworking Came here to say this. I usually rip a factory edge and then take a framing square and then rip a second edge so you know you one corner of the sheet is perfectly 90. I find this easier and I think it reduces your total number of crosscuts as opposed to having to make a 90deg cut on every crosscut. If you know a reference corner is 90deg then you can reference the whole corner vs having to mark out a perfectly perpendicular line every time.
I learned something today, which is that factory sides are not always square as I always thought they were, so thank you for the info.
Glad you found it helpful
Just check the edge. Factory edges are actually really good just by how plywood is made in the factory
Great information. Thanks. I just really appreciated that you used millimetres in your video as a measure of accuracy.
"Perfectly 90°" Brilliant, fantastic explanation! Very easy to understand. Tvx from Sweden
Glad you found it helpful
Great lesson on breaking a sheet down and squaring it up in a way that those of us without expensive tools can repicate. Thanks!
Thank you for this video..I've been having problems trying to get square panels. Now I know why. Thanks again.
You’re very welcome!
The cut list optimizer hint is one of the coolest ideas I've seen in a long time. Thank you for that!
Thank you for your video. I am a complete beginner and appreciate you explaining it in a way that I can understand.
Glad it was helpful!
Cut List Optimizer is a must if you wood work. Ive been using it on my pc and mobile phone. Its not just for sheet goods. I build cabinets for a living and install for designers that order the exactly what you need. For example im using it to figure out if i have enough perfinished crown and furniture base. most of the time if you make one bad cut or out of order not cutting all your longs first generating smalls your short.
It’s a great app!
Thanks for the advice, never trust factory edges , I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I’m in agreement of making your own, cheers from Scotland.
Did some cuts yesterday and figured a perfect cut can only easily be obtained on a table saw. There's always some slight deviation without table sawing
really depends on the saw and how it's set up.
@@bentswoodworking the human errors do add up
This has been the best video I have found for breaking down plywood correctly!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!!
Since getting my festool track saw, with 1/2mm accuracy or 1/2 the pencil line accuracy, the best feature of all is never having to trim to size on the table saw.
My cuts are even smoother than the table saw with a fine blade.
The magic to always get an 8' reference edge to start ripping, then start each set of crosscuts with a 90° reference edge also. 😊
Exactly. Over cutting is great if you were using a chalk line and a skilsaw in the driveway before going to the table saw. Modern track saws are replacing table saws for many cabinet makers.
Agree my track saw makes the right cut first time!
I got the $100 tracksaw from wen and the festool tracks w a router plate adapter on other side of track, cuts dead nuts 100 every time, and SO easy to square up and guide. Perfect instant easy squared routing on same panel you just cut. Absolutely DREAM space saving setup that pumps out QUALITY work in no time.
This is awesome. As a DIYer I've never looked at breaking down a sheet of ply like this. You've made it much more simple for me to understand. Thank you and I just subbed! Keep up the great work!
So glad you found it helpful
As a new track saw owner I found this video very helpful. Thank you 👍😎🇦🇺
You’re welcome
Great tutorial. You have answered many of my RFIs in an easy to follow format. Thank you. Semper fidelis.
I knew you were military as soon as I saw RFI 🤣
I love my festool tracksaw accuracy and smooth cut. After moving to tracksaw i quickly realized the accuracy was incredible. I use a 5mm pencil and i can often cut my line in half. Every piece for a project is so precise I can’t imagine cutting a bit larger and then using my table saw to fine tune the accuracy. I would be wasting a lot of time and my shop friends would wonder why I cut everything twice. I only use my table saw now for small and narrow cuts - or many quick repetitive cuts.
Right on
Agreed…kind of defeats the purpose of paying all that extra $$ for a track saw to get a perfect edge, then re-cut it on the tablesaw. If you are going to cut it twice, just use a straight edge with a circular saw for the first cut.
At first I thought it was going to be all about the tools but those techniques I learned when I was in woodshop back in the 80s.
Thank you, GREAT video! Wish I watched it last week before building 3 cabinets and having to sand every edge to square.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent practical advice. I appreciate the wisdom of cutting the pieces larger on the track saw for later precise final cutting on the table saw. And, of course, keeping track of the reference edges as they are created. Lesson learned. Thanks very much!
You’re welcome
@@bentswoodworking may I ask why not do the precise final cut with the track saw? Is it a necessity to do it at the table saw? Personally I feel like track saw gives me cleaner cuts. Are you worried about the lack of a fence for track saw systems not producing perfectly square cuts?
Having just started my own business thanks for this video, excellent for helping me get best practice processes in place. thank you so much!
Just ordered a Festool cordless track saw and an additional 55" track. No more cutting larger sheet goods on the floor with a guide and circular saw on rigid foam. Using a Bora 4x8 Centipede for now, will build my own shop table with T-Tracks for the Festool and TSO parallel guide system. Thanks for your channel. You invest in Festool you invest in quality.
This is the project table of my dreams
It should be noted that with Cutlist Organizer, unless you pay $15-$25 a month, you can't change the "Optimization Priority". I assume this affects the cutlist to permit doing all the rip cuts first as you suggest. Otherwise, when it's left on the "Least wasted area" setting, it's going to mix your rip and crosscuts (not allowing you to do all your rip cuts first).
Thanks for all the great tips. I had a question: Why do you do the final rips on the table saw? Do you not trust the TSO parallel guides' accuracy?
Thank you, this was extremely helpful. I also use a piece of 4x8 insulation board to protect my work top and I've even used on my concrete floor when I have heavy MDF. This works great for those of us that are not that tall or strong. I've book marked the cut optimizer and looking forward to trying it out.
It is a really useful tool especially for being free
My gosh you did a fantastic job of explaining all of this, very good work! I'll will be using your techniques during my first cabinet builds, thanks!
You’re welcome
Nice job/explanation! I wasn't sure why you wouldn't just use the track saw but you explained perfectly why it would be important! Thank you!
Glad you found it helpful
That tip about cutlist optimizater is a so genius. Sometimes it's just the little things that make so much difference to the end product.
Hi, I'm at beginning stage and your lesson was greatly helpful. Many thanks.
Great video and a lot of useful tips! Love the fact you’re using metric. You’re a smart man 😃👌🏼
Glad you found it helpful
Dude...I wasn't paying attention for a minute and missed a cross cut step. I was like, "where's his track?" Then outta nowhere...SHAZAAM...it folded down across your work. I gotta get one of those tables, or diy it, just for that fine feature!
Re: closing comments. Even if I only adopt your "reference rule" I'll be far ahead of the game. I might have been stuck in High School woodshop mode when I was taught to pick the best factory edge and roll with it. I always end up with a perfect parallel copy of an imperfect edge! Time to shop, can't swing Festool. What's your runner up?
Makita maybe but I have little experience with most of the other tools brands these days.
1000% agree! you just pointed out ALL what is necessary! great content… I wish to have such festool saw. it is amazing, and easy and gives repeatable cuts, is somebody here to sell used one?
Great tips, very useful to me, learned new professional way of doing work. Thank you very much
You’re welcome
I know! Score ply with marking knife, set and sharpen your panel saw for crosscut, have good support underneath, get cutting. Sharpen and set up plane, plane down to score line. Worked perfectly for me in 1980s
Thanks for the idea of foam under the wood. Worked great.
Glad to hear
This has been a huge help to me. Thanks for explaining and going through the details.
I don’t have the fancy table so I opted for a four foot drywall square and handle my cuts that way for now. In my recent project, everything lined up perfectly and it was a pretty amazing experience!
You don’t need all the fancy stuff. Glad you found it helpful
I was taught that the factory edge of a full sheet can be used as the starting reference. So without a track saw you can first cut wider than needed (on table saw), then flip around and get the clean edge from the original factory edge to get a clean cut. Not everyone has a track saw to start things off.
I watched another video of his where he said that the reason he cuts the factory edge is so the edge banding he puts on has a better place to adhere to. Apparently the factory edge doesn't do as good a job of holding the edge banding.
@@jonmhayden Yes, I understand. What I was saying was that the factory edged doesn't need to be the first trim. You can do the interior cut first, on the table saw, then use that interior cut against the fence to do the trim-off of the factory edge. His method of cutting the edge off first pretty much requires a track saw but doing an interior cut first allows a table saw to be used.
Excellent workmanship. Thanks for the attention to details.
Thank you
Excellent video. The cut list optimizer is great. Tx!
Glad you found it helpful
All around great video. I just purchased a Makita track saw and what a game changer it is. Thanks for the tips.
You’re welcome
Thank you, I’ve always been fascinated with cabinet building. Ive built a few. But i keep running into accuracy. Now i have the info i need to improve what i aspire to do.
Very well explained. This has always been a problem for me using a regular circular saw. I've just invested in a track saw so hopefully true 90 degree cuts are in my future.
Glad you found it helpful
Very useful for me since I'm a beginner. Great technique!
Glad you found it helpful
'Perfectly' is not a term that should be used. 'Within tolerance' is the accurate description. (perfect, exactly, etc are platonic ideals that are not met in real life.)
The standard method of marking reference edges is a V, with the point to the edge.
Finishing on the table saw- both the cut support and finer blade means that you get a getter finish from the tracksaw- both the cut and the tearout. A sacrificial wood strip on the end of the fence improves end tearout too. A table saw supports neither side against tearout (unless it has a very accurate zero clearance insert, and then only one side), the tracksaw both. Very few table saws are maintained to the accuracy that can be obtained with a tracksaw, plus you are using the edge of the workpiece as a bearing surface- not ideal. Add in the extra cut you are doing, the waste material produced, and the greater safety of the tracksaw, and your procedure is unlikely to be optimum for most users.
Great explanation of squaring plywood.. many people in construction or woodworking skip that step .. they rely on plywood square from factory..
Glad you found it helpful
I tried to get by just using the festool system for cutting. And it is accurate......mostly. I can make it work with minor adjustments. But, I have realized I'm going to have to go with the hybrid approach you just laid out. I came to that realization a few weeks ago and your video just reinforced it. I'm currently researching whether to go with the laguna or with the harvey table saw. I think I'll be going with the laguna, as of today, and then when I finish building my new house and shop, I'll keep the laguna just for one purpose and then add the Harvey down the road for others. Might set it up like Frank Howarth did with his double table saw set up. As always, thanks for the videos!
You’re welcome!!
How I wish I had seems this years ago. One of the first things I did was make a jig for the leg assemblies for the workbench in my non-woodworking shop. Cut 1 edge, cut second edge “perpendicular” to that first edge, cut a third edge “perpendicular” to that second edge… you can see where this is going. Needless to say the leg assemblies are *not* quite square. The bench works but I’ve never put the planned drawers in because the openings aren’t square.
Clearly marking the reference edges helps a lot. “Known good” edges and corners make everything come out right. Marking on the back/non-visible side of the wood is a good habit too. A lot of plywood has a good side and a “meh” side so make your marks on the “meh” side.
When I use cutlist optimizer for my current (first) project it requires a crosscut pretty early in the workflow. I suppose then I should establish the reference edge with a rip than cut 90 degrees at the crosscut, leaving enough materail to allow for squaring of the factory edges at the ends.
You can manipulate the settings to prioritize rip cuts
Using the fence to measure and having the track flip up like that is something I look forward to building in to my workbench
Sounds process, but the explanation and demonstration was even better! Thanks for sharing.
This video was excellent. Super simple and smart!
Glad you found it helpful
Excellent video. I'm a recent subscriber and love your videos. A long time ago I used to cut full sheets of plywood on my little Makita contractor's table saw. I was very lucky that I never got injured. 30 years later and I'm still using that table saw, though with a Ridge Carbide blade, but I've since used a circular saw to break down the full sheets. Will definitely follow your instruction on squaring the pieces!
To silence the doubters, maybe you should try using a contractor's table and a circular saw using a plain straight edge. Just a thought.
Even then, I’m sure I would get naysayers 🤣🤣
Great video brother... I'm eating my dinner and watching my boy make some cuts!
Thanks buddy!!
Very similar to what we do for “precise” cuts. No MFTs, so use the TS75 tracksaw w TSO GRS16 PE to make two known reference edges w 3/4” foam backer (prefer the white urethane to pink stuff, just beware the “shiny” side in bright sunlight if outdoors)), 1” is not readily available in our part of the country. We usually establish those two known straight edges on the largest piece we can safely manage/move through the table saw (PM2000B w 50” fence). That manageable piece which is cut 1/4” to 1/2” oversized initially (if doing multiple yield pieces add/allow for tablesaw blade width cuts) may yield one final cut piece or perhaps dozens of smaller pieces from the initial two reference cuts. As always, just sharing my .02c, nothing more, nothing less.
Thank you for sharing!!
I'm a newbie. Learned a lot. Liked the work flow info. And yes, I am n awe of your setup.
Glad to hear that
Love that mft setup. Well done drill sergeant.
Thanks brother
Some really good tips. I have parallel guides for my track saw and have always been trying to rip the pieces with those bit always had some discrepancy between panels and trying to calibrate the parallel guides. I'm going to ditch my old way and do it the easy way like this
Glad to help
This was really helpful. I wrestled with this. Seems so obvious after seeing it. Thanks a ton!
Glad you found it helpful
Excellent video! Great technique! Makes total sense
Glad you enjoyed it
I'm surprised your channel doesn't have more followers. I've been binging your videos and you do an excellent job explaining everything. Well done!
Good Stuff! As a rookie...I'm always making mistakes by not keeping track of my square edge. I'll be sure to start marking my edge(s) now 👍
Glad you found it helpful
As a hobbyist woodworker I just own a Makita track saw. I like your setup and I was able build a simple table similar to MFT. Appreciate your tips to rip cut square. Just Don have a table saw so , need to improvise to get good square cross cuts. Greetings from Brazil!!
Nothing wrong with that 👍
I thought both edges were "reference" edges, because you first cut off the 1/8 strip to make the first reference edge, and then you used that edge to measure from to make the long panel using the track saw. I would think than since you made cuts on both sides of the panel with the track saw that both edges would now be reference edges and parallel to one another. Am I missing something in this analysis?
I’m new to woodworking love your channel. Thanks.
Awesome! Thank you!
I cut my sheet goods down too but some of your tips were very helpful thanks
You’re welcome
This was beyond helpful, sir
Glad it was helpful!
Great technique and you really spelled out in an easy to follow process. Thank you !
Glad you found it helpful
Nice video as always.
(1) You make an example that you find a factory edge on a plywood sheet that hasn't been broken down... wouldn't all 4 edges be factory edges assuming no cuts yet? (2) Also, I don't understand why you need to trim off the factory edge... won't your new cut (reference edge) now be the same as the factory edge was?
Another great vid that really helps newbies such as me ! Good Stuff Brent. Cheers
Glad you found it helpful
Good instructional video, Jason. Thanks!
You’re welcome
Great video Jason. I use a similar technique and if feel it's much safer than putting a large sheet on my table saw. Also, having a workflow around the assembly table always made more sense to me!
Thank you!
Great video. Love how well you explain things. Two questions… which model festool track saw are you using and when you’re making crosscuts with it, how are you not cutting into your table top?
I didn’t know about opposing corners. Thank you
Very thorough. Thank you Brother.
Glad it was helpful!
I know you probably didn't want to complicate the explanation of the process by incorporating additional tools but I was sad to see you not use the JessEm stock guides on the table saw. Panels like that (and larger) are bar-none the best use-case for them in my opinion. I love those things and owe you a thanks for putting them on my radar in a much earlier video where you highlighted them.
I agree they are awesome but for the single cut in this video I just decided to make the cut. 👍👍