ADVICE ON VERTICAL PANEL SAW PURCHASE NEEDED

[sbdbbp]

Hi all,

New to forum and looking to purchase a Vertical Panel Saw (Wall Saw).

What we require it for is to cut 2440x1220x18mm MDF boards into 25mm and 38mm strips lengthways (so a 25mmx2440mm strip of wood is the result).

OUR ISSUE:

We currently use Hardware Store B&Q to cut the boards on their Steibig Vertical Panel Saw, they charge £15 per board including VAT and all cuts included which is a good price. We get around 38 strips of 1” per board and 25 strips of 1.5” per board. The cuts are good and clean but we cannot rely on them to cut the qty we need as depending on staff, we get left in the lurch and run out of strips. We have been using a local timber merchant as cover but get charged more at £21.60 per board including VAT, they are not as well cut and sometimes not as straight as they use a manually fed bench saw, and we have to collect (B&Q are literally next door so delivery is no issue)

WORKING ON SOLUTION:

We are going to get our own saw so we are not relying on anybody else to cut for us and thus let us down. We are probably looking at cutting around 30 boards a week at our current level (so around 1000 cuts per week) but could rise upto 100 boards (over 3000 cuts) per week in the following years.

Price is obviously an issue and we don’t want to be spending ridiculous amounts on a saw that is way beyond whats needed for this job, so we are probably looking at around £2000-£3000ish price range. Labour is also a factor, but we know that B&Q can cut 2 boards in around 20 mins so @ £7.50ph labour this would be around £1.25 a board if able to be done at same rate.

We realise we would also need to take dust extraction into account and would appreciate any advice on this issue too.

Have found a few promising looking used saws on Scott+Sergeant's website.

Any advice on best for our needs or any other suggestions of suitable saws would be of great use. Or even a complete different method?
Also any general advice on Vertical Panel Saws in general welcomed (We have the space for it and are aware of the Health and Safety procedures etc..)

Kind Regards
Steven

 

[siggy_7]

If all you want to do is rip sheet goods length ways in a small number of repeatable widths, I would use a track saw. Get a long rail (2.7m) and use a jig to set a consistent spacing for each cut. Should see change out of £1000 with a decent extractor even if you go Festool.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[MikeJhn]

Cutting up to a 1000 bits a week is not IMO a small number of repeatable widths, a track saw would not suite this type of operation.

If you need really clean cuts then something with a scoring blade will better suite your requirements,, to cover the need for the scoring blade and dust extraction I would look for a table saw with a large sliding table preferably next to the blade.

Mike

 

[sunnybob]

My little village back street woodyard has a huge machine that you lay the panel on flat, and set your desired cut on the programmer and this machine slides a circular saw across, and then moves the sheet further in all by itself. best way to describe it is its like a 12 foot wide guillotine.
So all the operator does once its set up is just pull the strips off and stack. Incredibly quick machine.

I dont know its technical name, I'll hunt for some pictures.

 

[sunnybob]

that didnt take long.
Its a horizontal automatic panel saw.
Does just what it says on the label.
Looks like this, but much older;
http://www.jih-i.com/fully-automatic-ho ... cs-nc.html

 

[MikeJhn]

I would imagine that's a bit out of budget.

Mike

 

[RobinBHM]

A vertical panel saw seems a slow way to do it, have you considered a second hand table saw or panel saw?

If stripping up mdf is its only function, get a table saw with a really solid fence and mount a power feed on the saw.

I would cut the mdf sheets first into say 300mm strips then set the power feed and rip it all up. With a power feed and a extension table on tbe back, it could be run by 1 person

 

[siggy_7]

By small number I mean a small number of sizes, not necessarily a small number of operations. And if it's plain MDF (the OP doesn't state whether it's veneered or not but I assume not here) then there is no need for a scoring blade, a sharp cross-cut blade will do the job fine. With a spacing jig to quickly reposition a full length rail (i.e. two thin strips of board glued together on their flat surfaces that form a consistent width rebate equal to the strip width) I don't see why a hand track saw would be any slower than a vertical panel saw. I think without spending a lot on a sliding saw with enough rigidity and travel to rip the full sheet you will get the most accurate and easy results by using my suggested method. For the suggested volume of work, the OP might consider the purchase of the automated Mafell saw (PSS3100SE) justified.

 

[Chrispy]

30 boards a week is the best part of a pallet, for those amounts i would investigate having your supplier cut it up on a beam saw, it should be able to cut 5 or 6 sheets at a time very accurately and cleanly restack them back onto the pallet and deliver to you ready to use, spend your money on a fork lift truck if you haven't already done so. When I say supplier i mean a proper panel supplier not a builder's merchant.

 

[adidat]

I would get someone like timbmet to quote for this, then use the money set aside to buy the saw, to get a bulk order and the price down low as possible.

Adidat

 

[SVB]

Can't help on the right saw but would love to know what you're making with all those thin strips

S

 

[MikeJhn]

I think the OP had the right machine from the start, with a roller bottom guide rail and a stop set at the required width of cut, once the panel is in position its a one man operation to cut and stack the strips.

Mike

 

[user22161]

I would get someone like timbmet to quote for this, then use the money set aside to buy the saw, to get a bulk order and the price down low as possible.

Adidat

If this is a fairly constant production requirement I would agree, buy in ready cut in bulk to get the price down. Talk to someone like Meyer -

http://www.meyertimber.com/Products/Cut ... vices.aspx

 

[bilburt]

Due to my work I often have to do high quantities like this, I don't think a vertical saw is the best option.

They are great for repeatable crosscuts or wide rips but not lots of small rips.

As you lock in the blade you would have to adjust it for every cut, cutting off the bottom is sketchy as hell.

Track saw is a poor idea.

A large table saw would work best with outfeed tables. I prefer a non slider, but sliding saws are less effort to use for sure - just can be a bit awkward to rip on.