Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've just received this saw, made my first few cuts with it.
First, the good stuff - it is a real panel saw, so its a far sight easier to use than sawhorses or some other support mechanism and a clamped on fence.Thesupplied blade did well on the face side of the melamine-coatedparticleboard shelving I was cutting.The spring-loaded counterweightcable works well, and the power cable management is good. Even whenjury-rigging a panel support (see below) the saw cut a dead-on 90degcrosscut.The carriage assembly is quite ridgid, and the clamp used tolocate the carriage for ripping is secure. Switching from crosscut to ripis as easy as pulling a pin, turning the saw, and letting the pin drop intoanother index hole.
This is, I believe, the least expensive panel sawyou'll find - about 1/2 the cost of other true panel saws, but severaltimes more expensive than the alternative (use some sort of panel guide,like the ones from Penn State Ind. or TrueGrip).
Now, for some of theproblems I've found with the saw.I've only been using it a short while,and perhaps I'll find some solutions to some of these issues.Still, theyaccurately reflect the "out of the box" experience.
The sawcomes partially assembled - the wings and lower fence must be attachedprior to use.This is not a trivial task, as the saw is quite heavy andhas to be set down with the back accessible and the bottom hanging over theedge, such as lying over a pair of sawhorses.I did it myself, but I'dstrongly recommend you find a helper.
The "specially adapted sawmotor" is simply a Bosch sidewinder with the baseplate removed andsome extra shrouding.Unfortunately, this shrouding makes it extremelydifficult to see the blade, and thus set up a cut.Furthermore, theshrouding blocks the dust port on the standard upper blade guard, so whenthe saw is running dust is blowing all over the place - mostly back intoyour face.At least part of that blade shroud will have to go.
Theon-off switch is a standard trigger switch setup, but since the saw isrunning top to bottom, its awkward to use.There is a button to lock thesaw on, but I'm a little concerned about how quickly I could turn it backoff in a pinch - to turn it off, you have to locate and depress the triggerswitch.If you are running the saw with one hand and holding stock withthe other, you'll be short a hand when you need one the most.
If Icontinue to use this saw in my basement shop, it'll be essential that I rigsome sort of dust collection. Too bad they didn't use something like thePorter-Cable sidewinder which has a dust port on it to which one couldattach a vacuum hose.
The frame and carriage assembly is ridgid andheavy.The "tubular steel stand" holds the saw back at such anangle that you need about 3 feet of space to set up the saw, plus whateverspace you need to work.You'll need a minimum of 8 feet to either side ofthe saw for ripping a full sheet, and 8' to one side or the other to put afull sheet into the saw for crosscutting. This should be no different fromany other panel saw.
The fence is not long enough to support an 8' sheetif you are cutting within a few feet of the end.The total length of thefence is 5', with half on each side of the blade.So, to crosscut an 8'sheet, one has to rig some sort of support for the end of the sheet, or itwill lift off the saw. I used a stack of 2x offcuts and some door shims,which was a significant irritation.
I ripped a 23 in. x 60 in. melaminecoated board in half, and over the length of that cut, managed to endup 1/8of an inch off.I'm not sure why, but I'll have to fiddle with it withsome scrap before I try to rip that A1 maple ply I've been hoarding.
Inorder to rip, you must slide your stock across the fence, and unlike otherpanel saws I've it has no rollers to help you keep the stock movingsmoothly.Instead, you are just sliding your sheet across the galvanizedmetal fence.There is also no way for sawdust which is dropping onto thefence to drop out of the way, which may be why my cut ended up off.
Theleft edge of the left wing or table of the saw is 1/2 an inch back from theplane of the right wing - I don't know whether this is by design or not. It does make the offcut from a a crosscut fall back out of the way of theblade, but it also makes a sheet sit not quite flat on the saw.
If youare looking at this saw, you might also consider building from the plans inShopNotes #4, which has virtually identical carriage tube mechanism, andwould give you the option of using a router or your existing sidewindercircular saw.
Still, I didn't spend any time building the saw, and I wasable to complete a project today in far less time than I could have donewith my old sawhorse/clamped fence setup.So, it does the job, and henceI'll give it three stars instead of two.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Panel Pro PRO1 Vertical Panel Saw
Product Description:
Designed for one-person sawing, the Panel Pro Vertical Panel Saw is easy, safe, and cuts big sheets with accuracy. The running saw blade is always behind the panel, the vertical frame supports the panel safely while you do the cutting. This saw allows you to quickly change from crosscut to rip cut. It provides a maximum crosscut capacity of 50 inches, a rip cut capacity of 96 inches, and a maximum board thickness of 1-1/2 inches. This saw can be assembled in less than 15 minutes and features a specially-adapted 12 Amp Bosch saw motor, a 16-gauge galvanized steel frame, a welded guide tube assembly, and a folding tubular steel stand. It comes with a 90-day warranty.
Want to read more honest consumer review about Panel Pro PRO1 Vertical Panel Saw now ?
0 comments:
Post a Comment