In smaller shops, most panel sizes are made with smaller fixed or sliding table saws. However, for shops with a higher volume of parts required in their operations, panel or beam saws are more suitable.
table saws
Table saws are classified into fixed table saws and sliding table saws. Stationary table saws come in a variety of sizes, from small 8-inch hobby machines to 14-inch heavy-duty industrial machines. They also range in power from 3HP to 10HP. The smaller ones run on single-phase electricity for home woodworking, while the larger machines run on three-phase electricity for industrial settings. Stationary table saws are typically used to cut solid wood or smaller composite panels. Some use a scoring saw to make clean cuts when cutting panels. They are typically equipped with a tilting spindle to make angle cuts between 45 and 90 degrees.
Table circular saws are used in small industrial production workshops. They are also used for special custom cuts in a large industrial shop that also has a panel saw to do most of the panel cutting. They tend to be very versatile having both a tilt arbor and a miter gauge for angle and miter cuts respectively. These saws are usually equipped with a scoring saw. The slide table allows 5′ or 10′ (most common) sheets to travel while resting on the slide table. The sliding table allows the operator to more smoothly advance the blade through the chop saw. Sliding table saws range in power from approximately 5HP to 12HP. Although some have electronic setup assistance, most do not.
Popular table saw brands include: Altendorf, Antec by Joway, Bauerle, Boss, Casadei, Casolin, Concord, Delta, EMA, Griggio, Holz-Her, Italcava, Lazzari, Magic, Martin, Ortza, Paoloni, Poitras, RGA Italtalcava, Robland, SCMI, Sicar, Stema and Wadkin.
Panel / Beam Saws
A panel saw or panel saw is an industrial machine that makes linear cuts in sheet metal or prefabricated boards. These saws cover a wide variety of horizontal saws, from manually operated to automatically controlled. These machines are used to cut wood-based materials such as plywood, particle board, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), and high-density fiberboard (HDF).
Cabinet shops, furniture manufacturers, accessory manufacturers, and many other companies use panel saws as one of the first steps in their production process to cut full-size sheets of material into the smaller rectangular sizes needed to produce their products. Some panel saws are specially configured to also cut plastic, phenolic, and non-ferrous metal sheets. Beam saws can be loaded manually from the output side of the machine or automatically from a lift table at the rear of the machine. They may have a single cut line (single saw) or they may have multiple cut lines known as angular sizing systems or plans. Panel saws can cut individual sheets up to 3mm thick or stacks of sheets up to 8 inches high, depending on the machine configuration.
Popular brands of panel saws include: Casadei, EMA, Gabbiani, Giben, Holz-Her, Holzma, Homag, Schelling, SCM, and Selco.
