cutting wood to a4 size without a laser?

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map1984

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Hi,
I get either mdf or plywood cut to a very specific size, pretty much a3 paper size, I used to use a table saw, which whilst extremely efficient and cutting, wasn't as accurate as I wanted, especially as the edges I was ripping through weren't always quite 90 degrees.
I've had someone laser cutting it, which is amazing, but kind of expensive, I just wondered if anyone had any other solutions. The mdf is as thin as 3mm, but it needs to be pretty quick as I want dozens, not just the odd one.
Any thoughts would be brilliant!
Thanks so much, Map.
 
The tablesaw is the best tool for the job.
You should not be using the machine, if you can't surface your timber prior to using it.
You can saw with anything though, and plane to the line.
not so with mdf though, hence a half decent tablesaw being the best option.
 
what sort of accuracy are you looking for?

do you mean some edges are cut with a bevel rather than a 90 degree cut?

have you tried cutwrights

cutwrights
 
"especially as the edges I was ripping through weren't always quite 90 degrees"

Do you mean that the corners of the finished piece of wood weren't 90 degrees?

If it is your own table saw - can you not do some tinkering to improve the cut accuracy? What make of saw is it?
 
Assuming you can't tweak your table saw (along with a different blade for better quality of cut) to give the required accuracy straight from it you could cut slightly oversize and then plane to final dimensions with a hand plane and a shooting board. Realise you want dozens and this seems like it would be masses of work, but if you maximise efficiency at every stage and do it production-line fashion – repeat operations, not finishing one at a time – it wouldn't be too slow.
 
A high quality table saw blade and a custom made jig would be my method if I were going to be doing it often.
 
You could probably get your supplier to do it, especially if you want a lot. There are companies who supply kitchen fitters who will cut much more accurately than anyone with ordinary kit and are set up to cut small pieces as cupboard components.
Round here, Avon Plywood are the sort of supplier I mean, but there must be someone similar in Yorkshire.
 
Lasers are a relatively new invention, what on earth do you imagine we used as little as 10 years ago.
If you cannot get the required accuracy with a table saw then I think wood is the wrong medium for your application. As it is not an inert material ,it moves with humidity.
 

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