Is a Panel Saw Right for You?

Why pick a panel saw?

Panel saws are used to cut various sized sheets of material into defined pieces such as doors, cabinetry parts, and much more. Panel saws come in a wide range of sizes and formats, depending on your needs you may require a special saw to accommodate your space and production requirements. Whether you are in a specialized woodcraft shop or a larger production facility, panel saws make a great alternative to a table saw due to their safety advantages as well as space-saving and accurate cutting ability.

A major benefit of choosing a panel saw is that panel saws can be operated by one person no matter the size. Projects start to look a lot easier when you aren’t having to manage large pieces of material during operations or wrangle two separate pieces back down to the ground. Using a panel saw can save you time, manpower, space, and back pain.

Table Saw vs Vertical Panel Saw

Table Saws are more versatile but less convenient or accurate than panel saws. If you aren’t having to break down plywood sheets every day and need more complicated operations such as bevel cuts you may want to go with a table saw over a panel saw.

Panel Saws can easily and safely handle wood panels but typically are designed for less complex operations than table saws. If you are processing a lot of sheet goods with repetitive operations it can save you a considerable amount of time, personnel, and money to go with a panel saw.

Vertical Panel Saw vs Horizontal Beam Saws

Vertical panel saws take up less floor space, are simpler to operate/maintain, and are much more affordable.

Horizontal panel saws are generally better for larger shops with material handling equipment such as conveyors or vacuum lifts. They are also a lot more automated and far more expensive.

Benefits of a Vertical Panel Saw

Vertical panel saws offer an intelligent alternative to horizontal beam saws. Table saws and horizontal beam saws require a tremendous amount of floor space. The Putsch® SVP Series is “the best way to cut” through a design that offers customer safety, ergonomic operation, precision cutting, grooving, and a tremendously space-efficient footprint.

Safe: Once the material is loaded onto the cutting table, the panel remains stationary as the saw assembly itself is moved. This means no hands feeding panels toward an active blade, no need for push sticks, and no parts that could kick back into the operator.

Ergonomic: Panels are completely supported during cutting which considerably reduces operator back, neck, and other muscle strain, thus greatly reducing the risk of a work injury.

Precise: The heart of the machine is a fully welded monolithic steel frame that doesn’t twist or torque. The saw assembly moves on calibrated guides or linear guide rails for a cut tolerance of .004th of an inch for better quality parts and less rework.

Space-saving: Vertical panel saws require less than half the operating area of a sliding table saw. Sliding panel saws require almost 200 sq. ft. to process a 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheet (when considering the machine footprint and work area). For comparison, the Putsch® SVP 320 only requires approximately 75 sq. ft. for safe operation!

Should you buy a Panel Saw?

If you are just doing woodwork as a hobby or for around-the-house work, you probably don’t need a panel saw. However, if you find yourself cutting a lot of large sheet material a vertical panel saw is the way to go. A vertical panel saw may be a high initial investment but it will pay for itself with how much time and effort it saves you.

Putsch Vertical Panel Saws

The Putsch® Group has been building cutting machinery that meets the highest precision and production quality standards for over 150 years. Headquartered in Hagen, Germany, with multiple factories and sales offices around the world, Putsch® Group serves the agriculture, glass, filtration, bio-fuel, and panel processing industries.

Our most well-known product line, the SVP Series Vertical Panel Saw, is produced at our Putsch-Meniconi® factory in Poggibonsi, Italy. Ever since our first vertical panel saw rolled off the production line in 1956, Putsch® has cultivated a reputation as a global leader in premium panel processing solutions. Putsch® vertical panel saws were originally introduced to North America in the 1980s through qualified machinery importers. Then in 2011, to better serve North American customers, Putsch® expanded their existing US-based location outside of Asheville, North Carolina. From the Asheville Technical Center, Putsch® inventories a comprehensive supply of machines, spare parts, and technical support for their entire panel processing line including vertical and horizontal panel saws, compact edgebanders, and vertical CNC routers.

Drawing from our global collaborative expertise, Putsch® Group remains committed to offering the woodworking, plastics, glass, and composite panel industries machinery that delivers high production value to our customers. For information, pricing, or to locate a local authorized Putsch® dealer, call us at 828-684-0671 or email us at panelpro@putschusa.com or check out our products here.