Lowes wood cutting?

[Chaznsc]

i want to build a set of ******** Boards for the kids. My table saw wont rip 24" width. Do the cutters at Lowes make good cuts?

 

[ratdoggy]

Probably close enough for what you need

 

[SJR033]

By good cut, do you mean precise or do you mean clean?

 

[Chaznsc]

By good cut, do you mean precise or do you mean clean?

i need the pieces 2'x4' so I'd like that dimension.

 

[SJR033]

I think it will be a person by person kind of thing. Some people will take more time to be accurate others will not. I know my Home Depot has a sign that says "No Precision Cuts"
I was building a shoe cabinet for the wife and "tried" to have a sheet of 3/4" cut into 16" strips. They all were off by 1/8". Your best bet may be to look at the "handi panels" that are pre-cut to 2'x4'

 

[Chaznsc]

I think it will be a person by person kind of thing. Some people will take more time to be accurate others will not. I know my Home Depot has a sign that says "No Precision Cuts"
I was building a shoe cabinet for the wife and "tried" to have a sheet of 3/4" cut into 16" strips. They all were off by 1/8". Your best bet may be to look at the "handi panels" that are pre-cut to 2'x4'

I didnt realize that dimension was available. Thanks!

 

[dogdog]

it dependents from person to person....I think Lowes and HD have the s similar panel saw.... if you can't trust them then ask them to cut a little over size and finish cutting at home to the final size ? I think some HD / Lowes I went to also have that disclaimer.... usually for my area the Lowes operator is a little less competent than the HD guy.

keep in mind that there is a saw kerf so if you ask him to rip it along the 4' section you might not end up with exactly 2 of the 24" x 96".

 

[mike93lx]

Good excuse to build a guide board for your circular saw. Much easier and safer than cutting full sheets on a table saw.

 

[SJR033]

it dependents from person to person....I think Lowes and HD have the s similar panel saw.... if you can't trust them then ask them to cut a little over size and finish cutting at home to the final size ? I think some HD / Lowes I went to also have that disclaimer.... usually for my area the Lowes operator is a little less competent than the HD guy.

keep in mind that there is a saw kerf so if you ask him to rip it along the 4' section you might not end up with exactly 2 of the 24" x 96".

I needed multiple 15" cuts made. I did not need to be perfect 15" but they all needed to be the same. So I told the guy, you can waste the line or cut to the right or left but just do it the same way each time. The guy looked at me with "the deer in headlights look"

 

[DanarchyCustoms]

Depending on the material you need, I know the HD and Lowes near me sells different types of plywood in 2x4 pieces. Already cut down and prob right on the mark.

 

[dogdog]

lol show him the rough drawing and allow room for errors...if that guy knows the panel saw he uses... they can cut very precise and fast.. I have had them cut down to the exact dimension that I wanted..... also I have seen some little chicks drop by with a drawing of the 4x8 that she wanted cut.... she gets it down the .001" of it, I have seen her measuring and re-measuring... while the line, including me waiting in it is long .... you get extra service if you go in with a skimpy skirt. LOLOLOLOL seriously it happened.

 

[engineer2]

Buy a cutting guide for your circular saw. HD and Lowes should sell them.
Lowes website is down right now but I think they sell this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TXSAHU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[ScottsGT]

They do have low quality blades and when I had them do a rip cut for me, it splintered the edges pretty bad on my cabinet grade birch ply I picked out. The guy was pushing the damned saw as fast as he could.

 

[pcmeiners]

I would go along with Engineer2, either buy a cutting guide or use a clamped down straight edge such as a 4' level as a guide. Generally they cut accurately at the box stores (if reminded accuracy is important), but as mentioned they use cheap blades on the saws.

 

[joeysh03]

Have them cut it a little bigger than what you need and then finish it off on your table saw at home or just buy the pre cut 2x4 boards they sell, though it cost more because of the convenience

 

[fabjunkie]

I needed multiple 15" cuts made. I did not need to be perfect 15" but they all needed to be the same. So I told the guy, you can waste the line or cut to the right or left but just do it the same way each time. The guy looked at me with "the deer in headlights look"

I usually teach the kid that was flipping burgers about kerf each time I have them rip something. If you watch what they are doing and correct them before they start the cut, you're usually pretty good.

I've had them tell me "this saw doesn't cut square" for rips. What? The saw doesn't move, the material does. Pretty sure he just didn't want to do it.

 

[Casey69]

one employee told me if it's >2 cuts, they charge for it (IIRC, it's $0.25/cut or something like that). that said, they have made more than 2 cuts w/out charging me before.

most of the time, they're pretty good & the cuts are very straight. last time i went, they were off by 1" & they had to cut a new sheet. bring a tape measure so you know right away.

 

[Ehcrain]

I work for HD, when i use the panel saw its good side away from me and move slowly through the wood and i usually get good results. The radial arm saw is another story, always getting bad cuts with that but I know that the blade is in rough shape.

 

[cre73]

Had a kid almost lose a finger right in front of me. Reached in before the radial arm stopped. Jerked his jersey glove off, I think he pooped himself. I almost pooped also.

 

[Stuey]

They work in a pinch.

I had a 2x4 cut at HD today - lots of splintering, and they even burnt it a little, a first in my experience there.

 

[Chaznsc]

The 2' X 4' pieces will work for me. I didn't realize they even had them, but I have used the 2' X 2' for dolly bases.

If I could just find two with 6" holes in them!

Thanks guys!

 

[visiting guest]

.
i use home depot and lowes to cut full sheets down into manageable pieces
easier to load in car
then i run the smaller pieces through my table saw.

plus

i also use this device sometimes
to make straight cuts at home.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/clamps/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html

 

[theoldwizard1]

My sister in law wanted some plywood cut for shelving. The guy doing the cutting made sure the pieces were identical and compensated for the saw kerf.

Don't expect to get that all of the time.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

My circular saw rips any width I need...

Of course, I know doing it on a table saw is by far the preferred method. I don't have a table saw.

Tommy

 

[cdestuck]

If you do go the panel saw at Lowes, just make sure the good side of the plywood is away from the saw so any tear out will be on the bad side of the wood.

 

[Cobra5150]

I needed two cuts for identical pieces and the guy marked two lines each at about the 3.5' mark. Before he started cutting I asked how he's going to get them equal "Oh, just cut on the same side of the line each time." Took a little bit to explain how his second mark would be off 1/8". And this wasn't a young guy either probably close to my age. He did seem a little thankful about the education.

 

[cheechi]

If they'd let me use the saw myself I could get square cuts. it's not the saw it's the operator. Some even have the balls to charge you for the cuts or ask for a tip.

Investing in a track saw or guide for a circ is really the best answer. to be fair none of mine have been so far off it's unfixable but I would rather make the mistake on my own if there is one to make.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

For the OP, the cuts don't have to be that precise, so having them cut is OK, or as he said, buying the ready cut 2' by 4'. Have to admit, I had to look up "Corn Hole Boards". I had no idea.

When I need to cut plywood the full length, or close to it, I just use a very straight 1x6 clamped to the plywood as a cutting guide for the table saw. You can be very precise, but it is a bit time consuming. We even scratch build some cabinets with less than 1/64 tolerances. Like I said in that thread, I forgot how time consuming cabinet making is without proper cabinet makers tools.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used to use a piece of aluminum flat stock clamped to a board for wide cuts. Then I bought a Bora edge clamp. Since I bought mine, HF sells a version as do a few others like mentioned above.

http://www.sears.com/bora-540950-cl...-SPM7825073002?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[wood02]

If using the 2 ft X 4 ft panels...check the diagonals for "squareness". I bought two panels for a corn hole game and they were cut in a parallelogram.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Like a few others, I have had no luck getting them to cut for me either. The cuts were clean but not accurate at all. I was building a computer table out of Maple plywood. I had asked them to cut in half the long way, then but one of those in half. I ended up with all three pieces wrong and different than each other. I ended up leaving the piece on the cart and getting a whole piece and cutting with a circular saw and a straight edge. Now it's the only way I do it.

 

[turbowoodworker]

If you lack capacity on your tablesaw, a "close enough" cut by HD/Lowe's or your own circular saw can be accurized and cleaned up with a router and an edge guide or a router/pattern bit with bearing on any straight edge.

 

[turbowoodworker]

BTW, the router could then be used to ease the edges and the corners too. Routers are indespensible and multitasked around here.

 

[manwithtools]

For the OP, the cuts don't have to be that precise, so having them cut is OK, or as he said, buying the ready cut 2' by 4'. Have to admit, I had to look up "Corn Hole Boards". I had no idea.

When I need to cut plywood the full length, or close to it, I just use a very straight 1x6 clamped to the plywood as a cutting guide for the table saw. You can be very precise, but it is a bit time consuming. We even scratch build some cabinets with less than 1/64 tolerances. Like I said in that thread, I forgot how time consuming cabinet making is without proper cabinet makers tools.

If you are going to use a board as a rip guide, do your self a favor and make the "board" from a piece cut from 3/4" plywood. The factory edge of ply wood is very straight and 6" wide piece of plywood won't bow sideways like a 1 x material can while you are sawing.

 

[bczygan]

Jeez o Pete....

Make your own saw guide and a couple of clamps = good to go!

http://www.woodsmith.com/files/issues/185/circular-saw-cutting-guides.pdf

Bill

 

[turbowoodworker]

^^^^This^^^

 

[Raymond Fast]

I've had mixed results whenever I've had HD or Lowe's cut materials for me. I only do it when I don't need a lot of accuracy. (For instance, I'll have them rough cut it, then I'll make the precise cuts myself.)

I bought these on sale at Harbor Freight a couple months ago for a project I'm working on.
http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66126.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html
I haven't used them yet, but the quality seems pretty good and I got them for a pretty good price. (I think I had an ITC coupon for the 50".)

 

[Chaznsc]

A big follow up and thank you for all the help. Bought the two precut pieces and they worked out perfect.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Best bet with the big box stores is to buy pre-cut pieces if they're available. If I need sheet goods ripped a little just so they'll fit in our SUV, I'll have them do it. If I need really precise cuts I'll do it myself even if I need to set up sawhorses in the parking lot and cut it there.

 

[Raymond Fast]

... If I need really precise cuts I'll do it myself even if I need to set up sawhorses in the parking lot and cut it there.

I wouldn't do that if I was you. You're liable to end up with a line of people wanting you to cut their lumber.

Then again, you can always charge them 50 cents a cut and make enough money to buy you some lunch.