Cutting panels such as plywood was a fiddling and time consuming task for me until I built a panel saw recently.
The saw as shown on the left was built based on a plan published in Tools & Jigs: Plans, Tips, Techniques by ShopNotes http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/088/sources/sliding-carriage-panel-saw/.
The frame is fixed to a wall at a slight angle saving valuable space. When ripping, the saw slides on a top rail. T-tracks are used to guide the saw to travel up and down for cross-cuts.
Armed with this new tool, cutting panels is a breeze saving me time and money.
The saw cost me around $300 AUD for the material minus the saw and took me 5 weekends to build.
