these things just tell me how INANE some people who make signage are.
i have a 8-10" piece of 3/4" MDO that is 8 ft long.....for when i want to cut a board lenthwise, i take 2 C-clamps, position the board the so the width of the skil saw rides against the factory striaght edge on the 3/4" mdo.....and CUT IT PERFECTLY STRAIGHT....every time. and i didnt spend $500-2000 just to cut a board!!!!
for the 4 ft width they sell a nice heavy alum STRAIGHT EDGE at most hardware stores for $30.....clamp it and cut....oh and a sharp fine toothed blade helps...for $500 i can use a new blade on every board i cut......)))))))))
I did the same thing before I got my panel saw, but time became an issue (Time is Money)
Its the speed of having the panel saw, by the time you measure and clamp a straight edge and cut, I can have 5 or 6 pieces cut already. Also, when cutting thin materials like PVC & Coro, you can't just lay this stuff on saw horses & cut, you need to drag out other sheets to lay under it, with a panel saw, it is cake.
Plus the room it takes to lay a 4x8 flat to cut, don't always have that room when other projects are going on. Having a panel saw that sits vertical against the wall make a nice place to do all my cutting without wasting valuable floor space.
I rank my panel saw almost as valuable as my vinyl cutter. It helped streamline my whole production. I also can send any of my guys back and trust they cut everything straight and to the right size, and not have to worry about them cutting a limb off.