What is "panel saw"

Panel \Pan"el\, n. [Orig., a little piece; OF. panel, pannel, F. panneau, dim. of pan skirt, lappet, part or piece of a wall, side. See 2d Pane.]

1. (Arch.) A sunken compartment with raised margins, molded or otherwise, as in ceilings, wainscotings, etc.

2. (Law)

   1. A piece of parchment or a schedule, containing the names of persons summoned as jurors by the sheriff; hence, more generally, the whole group of persons summoned on a particular day, from whom a jury is to be selected; also, the jury selected from that group.
      --Blackstone.

   2. (Scots Law) A prisoner arraigned for trial at the bar of a criminal court.
      --Burrill.

3. Hence: Any group of persons selected to judge a contest, conduct a discussion, serve as advisers, or participate in any group activity in which they will provide information or make judgments.

4. Formerly, a piece of cloth serving as a saddle; hence, a soft pad beneath a saddletree to prevent chafing.

5. (Joinery) A board having its edges inserted in the groove of a surrounding frame; as, the panel of a door.

6. (Masonry) One of the faces of a hewn stone.
   --Gwilt.

7. (Painting) A slab or plank of wood upon which, instead of canvas, a picture is painted.

8. (Mining)

   1. A heap of dressed ore.

   2. One of the districts divided by pillars of extra size, into which a mine is laid off in one system of extracting coal.

9. (Dressmaking) A plain strip or band, as of velvet or plush, placed at intervals lengthwise on the skirt of a dress, for ornament.

10. A portion of a framed structure between adjacent posts or struts, as in a bridge truss.

11. (A["e]ronautics) A segment of an a["e]roplane wing. In a biplane the outer panel extends from the wing tip to the next row of posts, and is trussed by oblique stay wires.

    Panel game, a method of stealing money in a panel house.

    Panel house, a house of prostitution in which the rooms have secret entrances to facilitate theft from customers by accomplices of the inmates.

    Panel saw, handsaw with fine teeth, -- used for cutting out panels, etc.

    Panel thief, one who robs in a panel house.

A panel saw is any type of sawing machine with a sliding table that cuts sheets into sized parts.

A sliding panel saw was invented by Wilhelm Altendorf in 1906 in Germany. Its invention set a new standard in woodworking, with dramatic differences from traditional machines. Up to that time, a conventional table saw had no mechanism for edging. Meaning that for the first and second longitudinal cut on untreated massive wood, the lumber always had to be fed manually through the saw blade. The new system accomplished the task more elegantly by allowing the work piece to be fed through the saw blade while lying on a sliding table. Thus cutting becomes faster, accurate and effortless.

Panel saws are used by cabinet shops to easily cut panels, profiles, solid-wood, plywood, MDF, laminates, plastic sheets and melamine sheets into sizes or cabinet components. They are also used by sign shops to cut sheets of aluminum, plastic and wood for their sign blanks. Some higher end panel saws feature computer controls that move the blade and fence systems to preset values. Other lower end machines offer simplicity and ease of use, including full scale hobbyist level panel saws at a mere fraction of the cost. While the entry level machines are designed for light duty usage, they offer home DIYers a cheap alternative for infrequent cutting when accuracy and clean cuts are not required.

Panel saws can have one main saw blade, or a scoring along with a main saw blade. Scoring is used to create a groove, especially in double side laminate before the main saw rips the piece apart, to avoid chipping. The scoring saw rotates in an opposite direction, as the main saw to avoid chipping.