Best Accessories For Cutting Plywood On The Shopsmith 520?

[dlbristol]

I have never tried to cut a full sheet on my SS. I think with care it could be done, just not by me. Here is why.
5. The "voice" says don't.
4. Helpers aren't readily available.
3. Setting up for these cuts is time consuming.
2. My shop made guide works well to break down big stock.
1 A full sheet runs into stuff in my shop.
For me, it seems that I do better if I stay within the design limits of the machine. Pilots who are very, very good can fly " outside the envelope" at times , but for most of the rest of us, it is not a good idea. The SS is a very precise machine, designed for a small shop. If I needed to cut lots of full sheets, I would probably have a bigger saw with a custom table for this. That would require a bigger shop. I am not interested in that.

[BigSky]

My main question is this: How do most people use their Shopsmith to cut large pieces of plywood?

For example, with 60" x 60" or 48" x 96" plywood, is it possible to cut these large pieces on your Shopsmith? If so, what additional accessories do I need to do so? For example, I'm thinking I have to get a zero clearance insert, a miter extension, probably a plywood blade, roller stands, etc. I'd really appreciate hearing about specific accessories that you use in cutting plywood with your Shopsmith.

At this time, I'm making rough cuts with my circular saw (to break up the plywood into manageable pieces for the Shopsmith), but this seems very inefficient. Shouldn't I be able to make one cut on my Shopsmith and be done with it?

Thank you in advance!

You should probably have zero clearance inserts (ZCI) in your shop but you do not need them to cut sheet goods. However, if you are cutting sheet goods that have a very thin surface veneer, the ZCI might help to reduce clipping or splintering.

My ZCIs remain zero clearance for a very short period of time because I am not careful enough when I change configurations. I made a jig that was intended to help position the quill so that the blade was within the ZCI and it works if I use it. It is just a piece of wood with a miter runner attached that was then cutoff with the quill retracted "all the way".

[jm51]

a 5' tall over 3' wide about 30" deep speaker cabinet with truncated(45°) rear corners out of 1" plywood

Just curious, what were the drivers?

[JPG]

Just curious, what were the drivers?

It became a home made Electro-Voice 'Patrician'. Did not get around to attaching the furniture grade embellishments(bachelor time).

30W 30" sub, SP12B 12" mid base, T250/8D mid range horn, T350 3.5" tweeter. Al least that is what was retrieved from the mental archives. I can try to locate them(out of cabinet in 'storage') if that seems incorrect. Single 30W with transformer coupled feed from both crossover networks.

These were very high efficiency drivers that could create decent volume from a transistor radio. At 60W they roared. I eventually went electronic xover and separate amps.

I now do serious listening with a bose table model radio of all things(or bose sound canceling ear phones).

P.S. Two cabinets, one sub.

[ryanbp01]

After reading all of these posts, I am convinced that it is best to have the sheets cut down to more manageable pieces where they're purchased. At least I can get that done at the local Lowe's. Haven't run into a problem yet.

BPR

[JPG]

After reading all of these posts, I am convinced that it is best to have the sheets cut down to more manageable pieces where they're purchased. At least I can get that done at the local Lowe's. Haven't run into a problem yet.

BPR

They fit into the car better also!;)

[fjimp]

I now do serious listening with a bose table model radio of all things(or bose sound canceling ear phones).

P.S. Two cabinets, one sub.

Very interesting. When we moved to rural Virginia many years ago we could not receive decent radio signals. Thus I purchased a Bose table top radio that delivered great NPR radio to awaken us in the morning. Then several years later while suffering from the aftermath of a horrid noise filled flight from Texas to Seattle I walked by a Bose booth in the Seattle airport. They introduced me to the noise cancelling headset. The flight to Ketchikan was truly a pleasure. I use those headsets frequently, even in my workshop. Fjimp

[Ed in Tampa]

Very interesting. When we moved to rural Virginia many years ago we could not receive decent radio signals. Thus I purchased a Bose table top radio that delivered great NPR radio to awaken us in the morning. Then several years later while suffering from the aftermath of a horrid noise filled flight from Texas to Seattle I walked by a Bose booth in the Seattle airport. They introduced me to the noise cancelling headset. The flight to Ketchikan was truly a pleasure. I use those headsets frequently, even in my workshop. Fjimp

I might caution you on that if you have good noise cancelling and from what I know Bose is good at it. You could be missing the warning noise of a problem in the process of becoming disaster.

Right before most of my most exciting shop disasters there was warning noises. The saw blade was whinning in a new pitch right before it heaved the wood across the shop. Or the high pitch shrill of the router bit was was fixing to be sharpel in the next instant or two. Or the router bearing that needed attention right before it left go.

No sometimes you want to hear what is going on around you.

[robinson46176]

One thing about sheet goods that I don't think has been mentioned here is ripping full 4'x8' sheets on a radial arm saw. While I don't use my RAS much any more (mostly because it is still sitting in the farm shop) I ripped a ton of sheet goods on my first one which was a Rockwell / Delta double arm saw that I had bought new in the 1960's from JC Penny.
I made a 2'x8' extension table and attached them to each side of the main table. Each had its own fence so I had almost a 20' long guide.
I know, I know... 7,000 people an hour are killed by those dangerous RAS's. I always worked carefully, kept an iron grip and I never had an ounce of trouble ripping on one. Now crosscutting something wide was a bit of a trick sometimes. I might also mention that I never even tried to rip anything short and narrow on one. Ripping little stuff was usually done with a hand rip saw. Those do work you know.


.

[fjimp]

I might caution you on that if you have good noise cancelling and from what I know Bose is good at it. You could be missing the warning noise of a problem in the process of becoming disaster.

Right before most of my most exciting shop disasters there was warning noises. The saw blade was whinning in a new pitch right before it heaved the wood across the shop. Or the high pitch shrill of the router bit was was fixing to be sharpel in the next instant or two. Or the router bearing that needed attention right before it left go.

No sometimes you want to hear what is going on around you.

Perhaps I need to explain that noise cancelling does not totally block sound out. It simply reduces unpleasant sound to manageable far more comfortable levels. I agree that total removal of sound would in fact be dangerous. Fjimp