Many consumers today are faced with the question of which equipment is better to use for the manufacture of cabinet furniture. Based on the opinion of experts, we can conclude that a format saw, which is also called a format circular saw or a circular saw with a carriage, can be an excellent acquisition. If you also decided that you need such a unit, then you can assemble it yourself.

Panel saws include the following elements:

  • bed;
  • movable additional table;
  • fixed working table;
  • carriage;
  • support frame;
  • separator;
  • cart;
  • ruler;
  • saw unit.

The latter consists of guides and two saw blades.

Appointment

The panel saw is used for longitudinal and transverse cutting at a certain angle. This equipment can be used for working with panel blanks, for removing overhangs after facing, in order to cut full-size slabs on individual elements... Today the panel saw is widely used in the production of cabinet furniture. With its help, you can make high quality products.

The function of these devices is the ability to impart basic parameters to parts for subsequent processing. Such machines can be used for batch or piece cutting. Homemade or factory models are capable of working with different materials:

  • plywood;
  • wood;
  • composite sheet materials;
  • laminated paper webs;
  • film materials;
  • melamine;
  • veneer.

The equipment is used for materials with precise geometric dimensions.

Machine manufacturing technology: tool preparation

You can easily perform the panel saw yourself. The principle of its operation is quite simple, but factory models have an impressive cost. To carry out the work, you should prepare:

  • metal channels;
  • pipes;
  • metal corners;
  • electric motors;
  • shafts from agricultural machinery;
  • trimming and saw blade;
  • fasteners;
  • welding machine;
  • tools for working on metal.

Work on blanks

If you decide to make a panel saw, then at the first stage you should make a steel bed, for which you need to use metal channels. The dimensions of the blanks for the base will be as follows: width - 2500 mm, length - in the range from 6500 to 6700 mm, height - from 800 to 1100 mm. The next step is to design the floor and main rails. They should be mounted on the bed.

For the guides, a pipe is used, the dimensions of which will be 60x5x6500 mm. When making a do-it-yourself panel saw, you should make a movable desktop that will move along the guides. This will allow the sheet to be fed during nesting. The master should provide for the length of the cutting line, which will be the limit from 3000 to 3200 mm. If necessary, this parameter can be reduced or increased by changing the length of the guides.

Assembling

When a vertical panel saw is running, two saws should be hung on it, one of them will be the main one, while the other is the scoring one. These elements should be located on the saw unit and rotate towards each other. The movement will be provided by asynchronous motors. It is important to consider the possibility of tilting the unit at an angle of 45 °. For this, the saw unit is equipped with a swivel mechanism.

Not a bad place where you can buy quite inexpensively a panel saw - Avito (classifieds site). However, if you want to save money on performing this equipment yourself, then you should choose the right engine. The efficiency of the saw movement will depend on this element. That is why the motor must have a power of 2.9 kW.

The motor will rotate the main saw at a speed of 5000 rpm, but as for the scoring saw, it will rotate at a speed of 8000 rpm. Saw blades must also be present in the structure, their diameter will be 250 mm, which will provide the ability to cut sheets and cut laminated chipboards.

Safety of use

In order for the use of the machine to be safe for health, it is necessary to provide exhaust ventilationso that dust particles from wood are not ignited by the small spark that occurs when the engine is running.

As soon as the manufacture of the machine is completed, you can start processing the material. For the reason that sheets usually have large size, before installing the blade into the mechanism, it is necessary to mark in those places where the cuts will be made. The size of the workpiece should be approximately 8 mm larger on each side. Once the small stack is ready, you can start cutting.

The Filato panel saw will cost the consumer 230,000 rubles. If you do not have such an amount, then you can complete the equipment yourself. For this, the main support frame should be made on which the canvas is laid. Metal corners will go to it, which are sometimes replaced by a profile. A blade with a saw cut for discs is laid on the frame. The surface of the blade must be smooth to allow the workpieces to slide. At the next stage, you can start making a carriage from chipboard or any other similar material. With its help, it will be possible to fix the saws and move them along the guides. The sheets are connected to each other at four corners by a taper shaft, the distance should be such that the shaft can move along the guides.

Quite often, before making the described devices, craftsmen look at the panel saws, 3200 is a value that indicates the length of the roller carriage. These parameters are possessed by WoodTec equipment, which costs $ 4500. The device weighs 900 kg and also has a large protective cap on the bracket. The main stop is complemented by a construction mechanism that ensures precision cutting and speed when setting. If this price does not suit you, then you can start making such a unit yourself.

At the next stage, an automatic sawmill start-up is installed in the upper part of the carriage. The first and second saws must be locked under the carriage. In this case, the disks will be located frontally. They are covered with a screen, for which you can use any transparent material.

The guides will require two large diameter pipes. They are connected with a metal strip, while the surface should be smooth and free from defects. There will be a stop at the edge of the rack. In height, it must support a sheet or part. Nearby is a metal ruler, the zero level of which should be at the cutting point of the blade. This will determine the size on the sheet.

The clamping mechanism must be placed perpendicular to the stop. It is made of a metal profile and fixed with bolts. A corrugation is attached to the top of the carriage screen, the other end can be brought to the ventilation hatch. As soon as an automatic starter is installed under the hood, the machine can be started and cut. Before turning on the equipment, it is necessary to connect the hood to keep the room clean.

Conclusion

You will need saws for panel saws if you plan to carry out the equipment yourself. For example, a circular saw with parameters 300x3.2 / 2.2x30 will cost the consumer 4800 rubles. But for a cutting saw 120x2.8 / 3.6x20, you will need to pay 2800 rubles. A circular saw from the manufacturer FREUD with parameters 300x3 / 2x30 will cost 3400 rubles.

Today we will consider the method of finishing cutting of chipboard without using a panel saw. This method is great for small workshops and is successfully used by Sergey Novikov, who provided us with this photo report.

It will be about using for sawn chipboard plunge-cut saw Festool TS 55 EBQ with a bar (ruler). The saw has an intelligent filling that allows you to change the speed of rotation of the blade, depending on the load. simplest tool: carpenter's square, tape measure, and for drawing lines - a thin marker and a stationery knife (for light and dark decors).

The tool has a fairly high accuracy (that is, the cut is strictly parallel to the edge of the tire).

The cutting technique is, in principle, similar to the one I considered for my own. That is, two-pass sawing. First, not deeply (2-3 mm), we cut the top layer of the laminate, and then with the second pass we cut it to the entire depth of the sheet.

In my saw, these cuts are not always perfectly clean. A special feature of Festool is the use of a replaceable anti-splinter liner, which complements the anti-splinter tape on the tire.

These anti-splinters are, like discs, consumables... Only the frequency of their use is much less. They are essentially disposable. Of course, the manufacturer recommends changing them after each use, but even here our Kulibins found how to save money.
From the used splinter tape (which is removed from the tire), pieces are cut and molded onto double sided tape in place of the insert.

The cut is very clean. for example, a dark-colored chipboard is specially taken, on which chips are clearly visible. Cutting one sheet, when you fill your hand, takes 30-45 minutes, which, of course, is longer than a formatting tool. But, in principle, not so long.

When considering what equipment is required for high-quality self-production of furniture, you should pay attention to the panel saw. Many experts say that you can do it yourself if necessary. Consider all the features self-creation machine for woodworking.

The purpose of the panel saw

The panel saw is used for cutting in the transverse or longitudinal direction with the ability to maintain a given angle, as well as trimming and cutting panel blanks.

The features of using the panel saw include:

  1. When using it, you can get finished products of high quality. This is due to the fact that cutting and other technological processes are carried out with high accuracy.
  2. The purpose of the machine lies in the task of the main parameters of the equipment, after which the part will be more prepared for further processing.
  3. Some models can be cut by piece, others are designed to handle a whole batch.

When considering the functionality, it is quite important to pay attention to what materials the panel saw can work with. Home-made and industrial version of the equipment in question is designed to work with:

  1. Chipboard, fiberboard, MDF;
  2. facing plastic and composite sheet materials;
  3. the type of solid wood does not determine the possibility of using the equipment;
  4. workpieces made of veneer and melamine can also be processed on a panel saw;
  5. laminated and paper blanks.

A significant limitation in the field of application can be called the fact that the workpiece must have exact geometric dimensions, that is, a solid wood or other material must undergo primary processing.

It is advisable to use a panel saw for small-scale production. Many small, medium and fairly large furniture factories install similar equipment with an automated processing system. For domestic use in to a greater extent homemade version, since it will have a lower cost, and the process of adjustment and maintenance can be carried out independently. In a home workshop, many decide to install a homemade panel saw because it cuts blanks with high precision and quality. When using a conventional sawmill, there is a possibility of a violation of the correctness of the geometry, and also the end surface may have other kinds of defects.

Design features

In order to make a cutting machine with your own hands, you should deal with its design features. It should be noted that the standard design is represented by the following units:

  1. The bed is the element that serves as the basis for the entire structure. The bed is also designed to damp some of the vibration.
  2. Working movable and fixed table.
  3. Saw unit, which consists of 2 saw blades, adjustable clamps.

The movable table has a rather complex structure, which consists of a cart, a support frame, a ruler, a separator, and a carriage. Almost all units are made of metal.

Saw unit

An important structural element is the saw unit. A home-made version is often represented by a welded structure, since this method of connecting elements can effectively deal with vibration that occurs during sawing. The main problem considered technological process is the formation of chips on the facing, which reduce the quality of the resulting material. That is why the saw unit has two saw blades, which eliminates the possibility of a problem.

The features of the saw unit include:

  1. The unit is one-piece, often it is cast from cast iron.
  2. Some models may have one electric motor, but often two are installed for each saw.
  3. The belt drive is used to drive the scoring disc. Note that the presence of a belt drive - required condition ensuring long-term operation of the electric motor, since such a method of transferring force allows you to smooth the load on the output shaft of the electric motor.
  4. The saw blades can be up to 120 mm in diameter. They are made of tool steel, as it is more resistant to abrasion.
  5. The electric motor through a belt drive with various pulleys must provide up to 8000 rpm. Note that the higher the indicator, the better the surface quality can be obtained. However, increasing the frequency leads to a decrease in the amount of feed and the appearance of design problems due to the application of a large load on the unit.

It is important to note that a do-it-yourself vertical sizing machine can have a rotary saw unit. It is quite difficult to make it, it is necessary for cutting at an angle.

Main saw

When developing a format saw at home with your own hands, drawings should be borne in mind that the rotation of the main saw should be at a frequency of 4-6 thousand revolutions per minute. With a decrease in the indicator, there is a possibility of edge damage. If, when creating a structure, a modern electric motor is used, then it is possible to adjust the purity of rotation according to the characteristics of the material being processed. The power of the electric motor should vary from 3 to 5 kW. As the power rating increases, productivity increases significantly, but also costs due to the consumption of more electricity. Adjustment can also be made by selecting belt pulleys, however, such a readjustment of the panel saw requires some time and calculations.

On most models, the cutting height and saw position are adjusted by moving the entire saw unit. At the same time, such an adjustment can be ensured by two main methods:

  1. along vertical guides;
  2. by rolling around a horizontal axis.

Another important parameter is the height to which the saw rises relative to the table, since this indicator determines the maximum thickness of the cut.

In many cases, a roller carriage is used to move the workpiece. The carriage moves along steel guides, for which a cage with balls or rollers is included in the design. Compensators and adjusters can look different, it all depends on the achieved accuracy and quality during processing.

Features of rolling steel

Great difficulties arise when creating a movable table. This surface acts as a reference surface and must therefore withstand the impact. The load is applied to the carriage itself and the connecting element.

Dimensional drawing of sizing machine and card

because of design features at the point of contact between balls and rollers, a rather large load occurs. That is why, when creating your own panel saw, you should use special guides that do not create backlash during operation. The accuracy of processing directly depends on this.

The following can be used as guides:

  1. rollers;
  2. balloons;
  3. combination of rollers and balls.

The most popular design is a combination of an aluminum carriage and steel rails on which linear bearings are mounted.

When self-production the following points should be considered:

  1. the guides themselves can be made in the form of steel strips;
  2. the installation of the guides is carried out in such a way that the balls can be placed in two channels.

The considered scheme makes it possible to reveal the capabilities of the equipment under consideration, since the load can be effectively damped in any direction. In order for them to work for several years, you should choose a material for their manufacture, which has been subjected to heat treatment.

Recently, the guides began to be made of plastic. The required movement accuracy can only be achieved if an aluminum profile with a large number of internal ribs is used.

In conclusion, when considering the question of how to make a format sawing machine, we note that homemade options performance in terms of accuracy and functionality is significantly inferior to models of industrial production. This is due to the fact that due to the presence of a large number of moving elements, the rigidity of the structure is significantly reduced. It is quite difficult to create guides on your own that will ensure the exact basing of the workpiece.

You may also be interested in articles:

How to make planer on wood with your own hands How to make a do-it-yourself zig machine? How to make do-it-yourself wood trimmers

Panel saws are one of the main types necessary equipment for the manufacture of furniture. Cut chipboard boards, Fiberboard and MDF and others sheet materials produced with the help of panel saws.
One of the main properties of formatters is cutting accuracy, since this parameter has a great influence on the quality of the furniture produced.
Without a panel saw in furniture production there is nothing to do, but not everyone has the opportunity to start a business with a purchase good equipment... And here the invaluable experience of fellow furniture makers comes to the rescue, who are happy to share their developments at the furniture makers forum.

Consider the invention of the user DokaLe, this is NOT his first formatter, therefore, this version takes into account the experience of previous work on the machine. The machine provides a fairly high cutting accuracy, 0.1 mm with straight-line processing along a length of 2750 mm, which is an excellent indicator for homemade equipment. The machine itself takes up less space than the "factory" samples, the length of the machine is 4.5 meters and fits in a garage with dimensions from wall to wall 6m, while to accommodate a "factory" machine requires about 7 m. Which is the reason for the search for premises with higher rent.


Sawing unit with a box for collecting sawdust. Please note that the discs spin "on top of each other".


Remote Control.


Ruler with limiting pressure.


Clamps.


Stanina.
Watch a video about the operation of this machine:

Before continuing the story about this machine, I want to show how the previous version looked like. It was very easy to manufacture and cost-effective. Worked for 10 years. The machine is equipped with cheap Chinese ATAKA discs, but they cut almost without chips. The carriage is moved by means of 12 bearing wheels from a Bulgarian magnetic drive. A separate motor was installed for each saw blade.


Stanina.




Moving the carriage.




Belt driven shaft.
So, back to the new model. The machine allows processing parts with a cutting length of 2770mm, with a standard sheet length of 2750mm. If it is necessary to cut a sheet with a length of 3500 mm. then you will need to pre-cut it into two parts.
A riving knife is provided on the machine, and this is not accidental.


When the new machine was run in, a piece (100x100mm) flew off along the main saw. After the experiments, it became clear that the cut is thrown by the rear edge of the main saw and thrown forward onto the feeding material. (there is a moment in the video without the riving knife and the body), after which they put the knife. This is its only function for a given machine design.
The fact is that laminated chipboard sheets have internal stress. This is especially noticeable on stale parts or damp material. After sawing with the main disk, such material begins to compress the sawn gap. If the sheet is large, then the reverse of the disc can punch the front side of the material. If the part is small, then it can be thrown up. Therefore, a riving knife is required. The thickness of the knife should not be less than the width of the disc, that is, approximately 4 mm.
Let's consider in more detail what the machine consists of and the main characteristics:
- main shaft motor - AIRE 80, 220V, 2800 rpm, 2.2 kW;
- scoring unit motor - AIRE 71, 220V, 2800 rpm, 1.1 kW;
- stepped carriage speed is provided by a 36V constant voltage motor;
- the worm gearbox is the smallest of the series, 28th, made in Italy, turned out to be cheaper than its Russian counterpart for some reason.
The gearbox has two pulleys on both sides, the carriage moves with two three-millimeter braided cables. On the main shaft, we get a rotation speed of 3500 rpm, a V-belt is installed. For pruning, a more high-speed output is obtained - 5800 rpm, a poly V-belt with 8 streams is installed.
The main saw has a lift of 0-52mm, a scoring saw of 0-4mm. There is no tilt of the saw at an angle. A calibrated rod of 25 mm, 4.2 meters long, acts as guides.


The carriage is made of 30mm PCB, size 750x500mm. All 8 rollers of the carriage are hardened, with two bearings in each. They stand in pairs at different angles of inclination, because the rollers touch the guide at different points, this reduces the wear of the guides, and prevents the groove from rolling. Limit switches are installed on both sides of the track. On the way back, a redundant backup terminal is installed in case of failure of the main one, and a light alarm is installed to indicate a malfunction of the main terminal.
For the control circuit of the machine, a 500W Resant stabilizer was installed in the power cabinet.
The tables are made of MDF with a thickness of 21mm and 32 (16 + 16) mm.
As clamps, ordinary furniture gas lifts for 5 kilograms are used.
The joystick is used homemade, the ratchet was taken from a car set of heads.
Low-noise German bearings closed on both sides were used everywhere.
dimensions machine tool - 4500x2800mm.
The machine was set up with a device (called tseshka in everyday life) for closing with the help of two stretched strings. The trimming for the main saw was made using shim rings.
The setup process is as follows.












We pull two cables 1mm from the side and top. Installed on the rail special device with two plates that stand in a vertical and horizontal plane. Its surface touches with a cable (the photo shows the intended contact points). The first output of the “tseshka” is connected to the cables, and the “OM” mode is set to the second guide. Guide and cables are insulated (no galvanic coupling). We insert a sheet of paper between the upper cable and the upper plate, a clamp is screwed to the profile below (see photo), it has two bolts. Set up to touch the cable (look at the device). After that, remove the paper and insert it between the side cable and the side plate (the author has a pin). Using the bolts, the closing height is adjusted (visible on the device). The procedure is repeated separately with each node, in the author's version, 25 on each guide.
Below are drawings of the carriage and shafts, as well as drawings of the rollers and hinges.

Also of interest is the original design of plywood cable channels, the work of which can be observed in the video. As you can see, the wires and hoses laid in them do not bend or press down anywhere, which increases the wear resistance and prolongs the life of the machine.






The guides made of high-strength steel 40X are calibrated in special workshops by the method of drawing (ramp. Pulling) through a hole of a certain diameter, there are such enterprises in any middle town.
Adjustment of the table plane relative to the guide is carried out as follows:


A stop is glued to the table at an angle of 90 °.
Align the table parallel to the carriage travel (by eye). We fasten the table with one self-tapping screw to the base of the machine. We take a rectangular piece of laminated chipboard 600x600 mm. Alternately cut 3 mm from each edge (while the part rotates strictly clockwise 4 times). After that, for the fifth time we turn the part clockwise and make a 15mm cut, take this segment, put it on the edge and break it in the middle. We add the resulting two parts together.

If the pieces do not match, we begin to move the tabletop in the desired direction and repeat the procedure with sawing the laminate until the ideal result is obtained - the exact match of the height of the two parts. When the desired result is achieved, we screw the tabletop tightly.
When working with the machine, the following points should be taken into account:
If you do not take the carriage back and put the part on the table, the carriage will return in automatic mode, regardless of whether the operating joystick is holding or not. In this case, it will crash into the part with a splitter if the worker does not have time to press the red emergency stop button. Nothing terrible will happen, the maximum will deteriorate the part, but in principle, with a little refinement, this problem can be solved.
If you need to saw off a corner from a part, it is a little inconvenient to aim, but this is easily solved by installing a laser strip where the saw moves.
Maximum length parts that can be driven 2800mm, this should be taken into account.
And so it turns out very reliable, convenient and compact sizing machine for small production. Now one of the users, dabasov, is successfully repeating the author's experience and assembling the same apparatus for his shop under construction.
You can watch the topic on the forum.
Do not forget to thank the author of the concept for the information provided. Special thanks to the DokaLe user from the Blog of Interesting Ideas.


I have a small workshop, but I like to make big things like wardrobes. To make the most of tight spaces. it is worth making an inexpensive one for rough cutting of sheet materials.

To make a do-it-yourself format saw:

First of all, bolt the 600 mm long folding stops at the lower ends of the 40x90 mm struts. At the bottom of the struts, make 12 mm holes in 200 mm increments for the dowels that fix the adjustable stop blocks. At the top ends of the uprights and in the three wall brackets, drill 38mm holes for 1 ”steel pipe. Make holes for cotter pins at the ends of the pipe. The pipe is threaded through the holes in the brackets and posts, and then secured with cotter pins.

To work, arrange the uprights to support the outer edges of the workpiece. If you need to cut a whole sheet across, place it with its end on the floor and press it with clamps to the uprights above the cutting line so that the clamps do not interfere with the saw. To cut a smaller piece, and also when you need to saw a whole sheet lengthwise, place it on the block-stops to position it at a convenient height, and fix it with clamps to the stands.

To accurately position the guide bar for circular saw, fasten a clamp at one edge below the marking line and put one end of the guide on it, fixing the second end, go to the first and finally align it.


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