Choosing A Panel Saw

When deciding on a panel saw, you should take several things into consideration before making a purchase.  Ease of the task, efficiency of the job, and amount of space the tool will take are just a few things of those things.

One of the first things to think of is how it will make the job easier.  Since you’ll be working with 8 X 4 sheets, you want to make things as easy as possible.  Your machine shouldn’t make the job more difficult.  A vertical saw will make any large cuts much easier.  Using a vertical saw makes it easy for you to accomplish any task alone.  Just mount the sheet, lock it in and make your cut.  Any saw capable of cutting large sheets must have a roller mechanism to make life even easier.  The sheet should slide along the rollers with no effort, saving your back, shoulders, and quite possibly, your fingers!

A vertical panel saw will also be more efficient than a “normal” panel saw.  Whether you’re using the cross-cut or rip-cut method, a vertical panel saw will make all cuts as smooth as butter.  When rolling your sheet through the saw, the rollers guide the piece through while maintaining a smooth, straight cut.  When using the hand saw attached to the panel, it should be possible to rotate the saw in order to make vertical or horizontal cuts.

One of the greatest advantages to a vertical saw is the space it saves.  Think about it; if you can stand large sheets up and slide them through a saw rather than laying it flat and using the saw to cut the wood, you really don’t need a lot of space.  This allows you to cut very large sheets while taking up almost no space.  Which means you have more room to store wood!

Fortunately, one vertical panel saw out there meets all these criteria.  The Milwaukee 6480-20 panel saw is really the Cadillac of panel saws without the Cadillac price.  It has a horizontal handle for convenient on/off saw operation as well as a 20 amp, commercial grade paddle switch.  The frame is made from tough, electrically welded steel, and its powerful 15 amp motor is mounted on a carriage that moves horizontally on graphite-impregnated nylon roller bearings, which will never need to be lubricated.

The saw can also be turned 90 degrees and fixed to make vertical cuts.  Your sheets can be loaded from either the left or right side and will gently roll through the saw on a smooth acting roller mechanism.  This amazing saw has a cutting accuracy to within 1/32 of an inch!  Do you need to cut through thick wood?  Not a problem!  The thickness capacity of the Milwaukee 6480-20 is an astounding 1 3/4 inch. 

In summary, when deciding on a vertical saw, one should strongly consider the Milwaukee 6480-20.  It takes up almost no floor space and it allows one person to do a job that normally takes two.  This saw is easier to operate, makes jobs faster, and is safer than virtually all other saws on the market today.  This isn’t just a panel saw…it’s a sheet cutting machine!