Workbench for using a jigsaw on big plywood

[treesner]

Looking for ideas on a workbench for cutting out large curves with a battery powered jig saw.
Of course there’s saw horses but it’s with large pieces and fall through 
I’ve considered using a large piece of insulation board. Maybe having some different blade lengths for different thickness of plywood (how far past the board does the blade need to be)
Saw this example of bench cookies that looks interesting in this video at around 6:20 

 

 

[Tpt life]

Extra length does not help. One or two teeth below on the short stroke is enough. 

[wtnhighlander]

Using the appropriate length blade for the job helps. I have used a grid table made of cross-lapped 1x or 2x stock and laid over sawhorses. Does a pretty good job of supporting the work, yet allows plenty of dead space to cut in. Just shift the work over a couple inches when you approach one of the grid bars.

 

[legenddc]

1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said:

Using the appropriate length blade for the job helps. I have used a grid table made of cross-lapped 1x or 2x stock and laid over sawhorses. Does a pretty good job of supporting the work, yet allows plenty of dead space to cut in. Just shift the work over a couple inches when you approach one of the grid bars.

 

I bet a grid of hard foam would allow you to cut through it easily and be replaceable as needed.

[treesner]

26 minutes ago, legenddc said:

I bet a grid of hard foam would allow you to cut through it easily and be replaceable as needed.

wonder if theres some kind of soft plastic like softer than HDPE to make some ribs out of and just cut through it but doesnt loose its strength as much as a foam would

[curlyoak]

On 9/1/2020 at 3:25 PM, treesner said:

Looking for ideas on a workbench for cutting out large curves with a battery powered jig saw.

Let the work overhang the bench so the cut line is away from the bench. Clamp it to the bench. Cut the line then move the work and clamp until you are done.

[treesner]

3 hours ago, curlyoak said:

Let the work overhang the bench so the cut line is away from the bench. Clamp it to the bench. Cut the line then move the work and clamp until you are done.

yeah thats how I do it now looking for a faster solution as I do it a lot on big sheets of plywood 

[legenddc]

Bora Centipede workbench or something similar so you have more points of contact but not a full bench beneath?

[curlyoak]

1 hour ago, treesner said:

looking for a faster solution as I do it a lot on big sheets of plywood 

What are you building? How many pieces to cut? What size?

[treesner]

52 minutes ago, curlyoak said:

What are you building? How many pieces to cut? What size?

I do a lot of art so always cutting up big sheets in curved patterns ect 

 

[HarveyM]

Off the top of my head; Lee Valley sells plastic clips (Veritas Platform Saddles) to hold 1x3's or 2x4's on edge for a panel table. They can be screwed to a 2x4 or use 20mm, 3/4" dog holes. You can remove the battens where you're cutting leaving them on either side for support. I bought three sets to hold 6 battens for my cut-down table.