I finally found the time to cut down the two plywood cabinet boxes I mentio= ned a few weeks ago. I cut one of the "sides" first, planning to cut the ot= her side next and then finally the back.=20
But as soon as I completed the first cut, the structural rigidity of the ca= binet was significantly reduced. Someone here mentioned hot-gluing scraps a= cross the area to be cut, but I think that was mostly to keep the kerf from= closing up. In any case, I woke up with time and energy... but without a g= lue gun.=20
For the next cut I made a kluge of two bar clamps. One was inside the box, = configured as a spreader - pushing the sides of the box apart. The other wa= s outside the box, pushing in. I figured the second one would be needed to = keep the spreader from getting loose as the cut weakened the side wall of t= he box.=20
The setup worked OK, but it really offended my sense of How Things Ought To= Be. It had gotten late by that time and I waited until this morning to cut= down the other box. '
One of the things that I like about being a novice woodworker is the "puzzl= e" aspect of it. There's always a problem to solve. And my brain seems to c= ontinue working on the puzzle even when I'm not actively thinking about it.= =20
This morning I had a flash of inspiration. Here it is:
I fashioned a temporary pine "crossbar" to span between the two sides of th= e cabinet while I made the cuts and held it in place with "corner clamps". = It worked well, and if I'd had a bunch of cabinets to cut, I could have tra= nsferred it from one to another easily.=20
"Sleep on it". Works every time.=20
Of course, here is where someone will likely chime in with a solution that'= s better, cheaper, quicker, prettier, better-smelling and generally better = for mankind. That's OK. I'll still be proud of my "discovery".