Tool Gloat-EZ Guide System [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

Cliff Newton

01-29-2005, 11:35 PM

I've been cutting alot of 4x8 plywood lately and have been trying to find a way to do it quickly and accurately. It's too big to rip on my tablesaw because my wife limits herself to helping me in the shop only once every 6 months :( . I've used the straight edge and circular saw solution several times, but I'm ALWAYS off with my offset measurements and I always end up with an out of square piece of plywood.

I was looking at buying the Festool system because I've read it is excellent, but to be honest I just found it too hard to pull the trigger due to cost. I read some good reviews on the Eurekazone Guide System and decided it was probably good enough. Well, I received it yesterday and set it all up today. This is one of the best tools I have ever purchased. Goodbye to offset measurements. Where you place the guide is exactly where it cuts. And the cuts are smooth as glass and absolutely splinter-free. And this is with a $15.00 thin kerf blade from Home Depot.

Another concern was quality of the system. I thought attaching two 50" guides together would cause it to be floppy and unstable. I was way wrong. This is quailty, thick aluminum and two 50" rails attached together are as solid as one.

I recommend this to anyone that cuts alot of plywood.

Keith Christopher

01-29-2005, 11:38 PM

Grats on the gloat ! I have been looking to get one of these. how much did it cost you if you don't mine me asking

Cliff Newton

01-29-2005, 11:48 PM

I watched his auctions on Ebay and ended up getting mine for $164.00. He starts the bidding at $159.00 and I think his "Buy it now" price is $189.00.

Grats on the gloat ! I have been looking to get one of these. how much did it cost you if you don't mine me asking

John Miliunas

01-29-2005, 11:48 PM

Congrats on your new tool!:) Not exactly sure what it was before then, but the EZ is about the best thing since sliced bread!:D It sure does work excellent on sheet goods, but it's certainly not restricted or limited to that duty. For instance, I constantly use mine to square up rough-sawn stock. For that duty alone, I just can't believe how much time I've saved by not having to do a gazillion passes on the jointer to get a straight edge! Oh, and for sheet goods, it's equally as EZ to do diagonal cuts with great accuracy. I enjoy and use my system so much, I went and got another 50" rail, just so I can keep the BIG set in one piece and still be able to easily do smaller items and crosscuts with the shorter guy. And you're right about the quality, fit and finish. Like yourself, I wasn't expecting something as heavy duty and "knew for sure" that after I stuck the two rails together, there would be a pronounced difference of cut where they meet. No such thing! Not even a little "click" as you pass over the joint! :) Enjoy your new tool. I'm sure it will make your life easier and safer. Plus, you won't have to count on LOYL's help with them sheets any longer!:) :cool:

Keith Christopher

01-29-2005, 11:51 PM

Ok this will have to be my next purchase.

Cliff Newton

01-29-2005, 11:55 PM

You won't regret it. I have a whole laundry list of projects I've been putting off because I hate working with sheet goods so much. Now I can't wait to tackle the projects.:)

Ok this will have to be my next purchase.

Frank Pellow

01-30-2005, 7:58 AM

Congratulations! Guided circular saws sure are great! It sure is nice not having to dread cutting sheet goods. Yesterday I bouhght home 6 sheets of 3/4" furniture grade birch plywood and I am actually looking forward to the pleasure of cutting them up tomorrow.

I bought the Festool saw and rails before I heard of the EZ Guide System. I expect that, had I read reviews like yours before I sprung for the big bucks for Festool, I would have settled for EZ. But, I don't regret purchasing the Festool System -it wins my "Best Tool of 2004" award hands down and is in constant use.

Stefan Antwarg

01-30-2005, 8:27 AM

Frank Pellow

01-30-2005, 8:41 AM

It looks like a real usefull tool. Yesterday I went and got a sheet of cherry plywood and was trying to figure out how I was going to cut it. If I did this all the time, I would probably get the tool. As it is, I will have to use the wife method.

Can somebody tell me what she should do? Just support its weight? Pull it while I push? How is the wife method best used :).

Stefan
We used the "wife" method for several years and it neveer worked well. Keeping that in mind, the method worked best when Margaret limited herself to supporting the weight.

Do yourself a big favour and purchase a guided circular saw system!

Cliff Newton

01-30-2005, 8:51 AM

I would have SWMBO assist me with me with getting the sheet up on the tablesaw. Once it was lined up with the blade I would go over all the rules of proper power tool use. After a 10 minute question and answer session my arms would be tired of holding the plywood, I would get irritated and insist we just cut the dang thing. She would stand to the left side of the table, push the "on" switch and then ensure the plywood would stay against the fence as I pushed it from the rear. Invariably, something else would grab her attention and I would end up with a boogered up piece of wood. It was well worth the money to buy the EZ Guide System. :D :D :D

It looks like a real usefull tool. Yesterday I went and got a sheet of cherry plywood and was trying to figure out how I was going to cut it. If I did this all the time, I would probably get the tool. As it is, I will have to use the wife method.

Can somebody tell me what she should do? Just support its weight? Pull it while I push? How is the wife method best used :).

Stefan

John Miliunas

01-30-2005, 11:17 AM

Nope, the "wife method" never worked for me, either. Fact is, I think it made cutting the material MORE dangerous and/or more prone to, as Cliff so eloquently puts it, "getting it boogered up"!:rolleyes: Before EZ, I would rough cut with straightedge and then finish cut on the TS, but there were often pieces that were still too large to easily get through that spinning blade. I then incorporated carefully placed roller stands to be used as my "assistants".:) I totally agree with Frank that, a guided circular saw system is great. I think it's quickly becoming a mainstay in shops of all sizes, as well as on-site work locations. I'm just afraid that it will catch on to the point that some other producers will come "online" with cheap imitations and garbage and be sold on the same pretext as the Festool or EZ are today. Prices of those units will lure unsuspecting folks into buying them, only to find out that they're not near as good as the two systems mentioned here. The quality of either system is definitely World Class. After that, it just depends on how much you want to $pend and which features are most important to you.:cool:

Steve Clardy

01-30-2005, 11:30 AM

Money well spent. I have the complete system from Dino. Fabulous system.

Steve Jenkins

01-30-2005, 11:59 AM

Greg Mann

01-30-2005, 12:20 PM

I think it is interesting that when the 'Wife System' fails it is because her attention wandered.;) Actually using the WS first for a while makes it an order of magnitude easier to justify the investment in a GCSS, as said wife experiences freedom from the stress of being the assistant.

Greg

John Miliunas

01-30-2005, 1:06 PM

Congrats on the purchase. I know you'll love it. One thing you might consider is upgrading the clamps to the "smartclamping system". It will allow you to put the clamp right next to the cut line so you can easily clamp narrow pieces and will support the stock when cutting small stuff. I posted a couple pics here.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=139941#post139941
Me thinks I'm going to have to spring for a couple of the upgrade clamps myself! Looks to be real handy when one is in a hurry and doesn't want to or maybe not have the cutting table around!:) :cool:

Frank Pellow

01-30-2005, 1:25 PM

...
Actually using the WS first for a while makes it an order of magnitude easier to justify the investment in a GCSS, as said wife experiences freedom from the stress of being the assistant.
Greg
Things certainly worked that way in my case. :D

In fact, I have been able to use this as an example of how well designed tools make a great difference to woodworking procedures in order to justify the purchase of other tools. :D :D

Kevin Murdock

01-30-2005, 1:27 PM

Hi Cliff,

Can you post the name of the ebay seller that you bought from so that I can look them up?

[EDIT: Found it on eBay.... usename is "eurekazone"]

If I buy, I'd like to purchase from the same outfit that you've had success with.

Thanks,
/Kevin

J E (Jim) Martin

01-30-2005, 2:17 PM

I looked at and finally bought one, not being a writer or reviewer, (there's enough out there already) I decided to do one on the EZ Smart after mine came. I also looked hard at the other's out there and this is the only guide that made sense to me. I LIKE IT, and have started a review here and will be updating it as time permit's. http://www.riverviewwoodworking.com/page11.html :D

Frank Pellow

01-30-2005, 2:28 PM

I looked at and finally bought one, not being a writer or reviewer, (there's enough out there already) I decided to do one on the EZ Smart after mine came. I also looked hard at the other's out there and this is the only guide that made sense to me. I LIKE IT, and have started a review here and will be updating it as time permit's.
You say the you are not a reviewer then go on to disprove that statement. Good review (so far) and I look forward to more.

William Lai

01-30-2005, 2:31 PM

Tom LaRussa

01-30-2005, 3:12 PM

Hi Cliff,
Can you post the name of the ebay seller that you bought from so that I can look them up?

Kevin,

Just go to http://www.eurekazone.com

Steve Jenkins

01-30-2005, 3:25 PM

I have a F/E comparison question, but let me first say that this is a very targetted question, so please keep this thread useful and don't turn it into "mine is better' "no it's not" argument, if you know what I mean ;)

I have the Festool system, and one thing I haven't quite mastered is the cutting of thin stock, as the thin stock either can't ride under the rail by itself (need another piece to support the wide guiderail), or that it is too thin to catch the friction tape. How does the EZ Guide perform in comparison?

Using the optional smartclamping system you can clamp a piece that is much less than 1/8" wide. The clamp goes all the way to the cut line.If you look at my post earlier in this thread I referenced some pics I made. I turned a piece of 3/4 ply on edge and ripped off the veneer.

Dino Makropoulos

01-30-2005, 4:58 PM

I have a F/E comparison question, but let me first say that this is a very targetted question, so please keep this thread useful and don't turn it into "mine is better' "no it's not" argument, if you know what I mean ;)

I have the Festool system, and one thing I haven't quite mastered is the cutting of thin stock, as the thin stock either can't ride under the rail by itself (need another piece to support the wide guiderail), or that it is too thin to catch the friction tape. How does the EZ Guide perform in comparison?

You can clamp narrow pieces if you look close at the Smart Clamping System and duplicate the function with 2 pieces of wood.
you need one of the same thickness that you're cutting and one cross member(wood) to act like a bridge. Bob knows the technique. Maybe he can explain it better.
YCF Dino

Joseph N. Myers

01-30-2005, 10:28 PM

A couple of other things about the EZ Smart System:

1. Mentioned briefly in this thread but worth mentioning again. Ripping long boards are great with the system, straight, no splintering or chipping. I have some extra guides and straight line rip rough lumber some 10' to 13' long with no problem. A couple of passes on the joiner and ready for edge gluing. Have a shorter guide I use for cross cutting the ends of the board.

2. The system is really great for plunge cuts. As the saw is sitting on the guide rail, the saw can’t move side to side and the weight of the saw helps keeps the saw from moving forward or backwards, it all but eliminates the safety issues and accuracies problems associated with plunge cutting.

3. The SmartTable is worth buying even without the SmartGuide. What you end up with is a platform which can be use for cutting, gluing, assembling, clamping, pocket screws, etc., keeping everything flat and straight. The unit can be taken apart for storage. When in use for cutting, it cuts into the support wooden strips instead of the support table and the table supports both pieces being cut, i.e., no requirement to support the cut off piece.

4. If you check this forum and Dino’s website, www.eurekazone.com (http://www.eurekazone.com) you’ll see other items that Dino is working on. One in particular is a prototype that I saw as a show last November was what he call "The Sliding Square" which acts like a T Square. You attach it to the SmartGuide, place it against a straight edge, i.e., piece of plywood or wood and cut; you get a perfect 90 degree angle. I’ll be interested in seeing what the final product will be like.

Regards, Joe

Mike Holbrook

01-31-2005, 12:29 AM

Bought mine at the Atlanta Show Friday, hope they are in the mail, cost $169, including shipping.

I wonder why they did not have any there? The demo guy was mostly selling some lesser product that he had stacks of. I had to catch him when he wasn't doing his demo, (which required considerable persistence) to ask for one, only to find that he had none on hand. Apparently all he had was the one attached to his display. I don't think most people knew the difference. I hated to see all those pore guys walking out of the show room door carrying those bouncy 8' boxes.

In retrospect I am pretty sure I could have gotten my wife to buy me one if I had threatened her with the "wife support system". Hmm since she didn't go with me I probably could have even gotten list price from her. Just a thought for you guys who have not pulled the trigger yet :)

William Lai

01-31-2005, 2:22 AM

Thanks Steve and Dino. I'll definitely have to look into the narrow stock cutting a bit more. Will EZ Guide be coming to Seattle's WW show in April? Would love to see it first hand.

Say, can one use a Festool plunge saw with the EZ Guide? Now that may be the best of both world! Good saw with great DC and safety, with the EZ guide's ability to cut thin stock, just imagine!

John P. Smith

01-31-2005, 3:14 AM

Mike, Dino and anyone who has the EZ Smart... what about cutting 2" stock? I understand that a 7 1/4" saw will not quite cut all the way through when mounted on the Smart Base and placed on the guide. (correct me if this is wrong) Has anyone tried a bigger (7 1/2") blade? I read on a forum somewhere (can't remember which one) about someone tempted to remove his 7 1/4" saw's blade guard in order to use a 8 1/4" blade, but he never posted the results that I know of. It was never even certiain if the blade would clear the top portion of the housing.
I am not sure just how much 2" stock I would cut with it if I do get the EZ system, but I do not have a table saw, although I do have a 10" radial arm. As I hear more and more praise for the EZ system I am wondering if I could just buy it and not add a table saw. Then I could put the money saved into other tools...
I will probably get the EZ system anyway, but just mostly wondered if anyone had solved the 2" thick cut problem.

John P. Smith

01-31-2005, 3:20 AM

Bought mine at the Atlanta Show Friday, hope they are in the mail, cost $169, including shipping.
Mike, did you get it from TWC? I had saw on the Eurekazone website that they would be selling them at the show, but did'nt see one there so asked one of the reps in their booth and got a blank look like he had never heard of it.

Mike Holbrook

01-31-2005, 5:55 AM

Yes, TWC. There was a guy selling a bunch of ProGrip equipment and the Ez Smart was mixed in with all of his stuff on a big display. There was almost always a large crowd around that demo area so it was easy to miss. I happened by once when the crowd at his display was not to bad and found it. If you knew what you were looking for & got close it was right there with Ez Smart in big black letters on the saw bed.

I never heard the guy mention the Ez Smart. I guess he was selling what he had on hand. I was wishing I had a booth & a stock of Ez Smarts. I'm betting I could have stolen most of the people in that crowd.

Mike Holbrook

01-31-2005, 6:32 AM

I do not have my Ez Smart yet, in the mail I hope. A circular saw certainly has some physical limitations that a TS does not, especially when it comes to cutting big hard wood exactly. Although the Ez Smart is an excellent way to get that first true edge on a dimensioned plank that has no edge, I don't think many people are going to use it as a TS replacement for sawing hardwood. There has been some pretty hot debate regarding whether or not an Ez Smart could replace a Pannel Saw though.

I will admit that I was at the show looking to buy a TS. I ended up buying a General contractor saw instead of a cabinet saw. I plan to cut my sheet goods on the Ez Smart and had to work it into my budget with the TS.

I think you will want a good table to support your cuts with the Ez Smart. If you are on a budget and can't pull the trigger on the excellent Ez Smart knockdown table (around $200) you might check out the link bellow for plans to a very good saw horse system that also works well for cutting sheet goods.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1104

Dino Makropoulos

01-31-2005, 8:05 AM

[QUOTE=Mike Holbrook]Bought mine at the Atlanta Show Friday,
QUOTE]
Welcome to the SMC and the EZone Mike. Thanks for the show feedback.
YCF Dino

Dino Makropoulos

01-31-2005, 8:32 AM

Say, can one use a Festool plunge saw with the EZ Guide? Now that may be the best of both world! Good saw with great DC and safety, with the EZ guide's ability to cut thin stock, just imagine!

Yes you can. And you right about that. "just imagine'. That was my very first post in this forum. How we can have the best system.

The EZ Smart works with all Right bladed circular saws . And when time is right with all left bladed too.

And if you cam imagine that (E&F) you can include few other ideas too.
Like repeatability - edge & face jointing end even molding making.
And why stop there?

Dino Makropoulos

01-31-2005, 9:52 AM

Mike, Dino and anyone who has the EZ Smart... what about cutting 2" stock? I understand that a 7 1/4" saw will not quite cut all the way through when mounted on the Smart Base and placed on the guide. (correct me if this is wrong) .

Hi John. You can cut thru 2 x framing type materials with 7 1/2 blade.
For 8/4 hardwood you need 8-1/4" circular saw and blade.

If you only cut few times a year you can either reverse the materials or use the Ez as an edge guide by sliding off the antichip edge and use the antichip insert at the smart base.
Hope this helps before I lose the connection again.
Thanks.

Mike Holbrook

01-31-2005, 11:57 AM

My pleasure Dino. I was hoping you would read this thread. I saw a bunch of those floppy 8' saw guides walking out the door, IMHO most of them should have been Ez Smarts. There was a big crowd interested in the saw guides during the entire show, they just did not get to see the best one:)

William Lai

01-31-2005, 12:11 PM

Yes you can. And you right about that. "just imagine'. That was my very first post in this forum. How we can have the best system.

The EZ Smart works with all Right bladed circular saws . And when time is right with all left bladed too.

And if you cam imagine that (E&F) you can include few other ideas too.
Like repeatability - edge & face jointing end even molding making.
And why stop there?
Can you explain what needs to happen to make it work with the ATF saw? I imagine I make a zero-clearance base plate by running the saw, and plunging into the base plate, but what about the riving knife?

And if someone can explain how EZ Smart deal with repeatability, that'll be super useful as well

Dino Makropoulos

01-31-2005, 6:40 PM

Can you explain what needs to happen to make it work with the ATF saw? I imagine I make a zero-clearance base plate by running the saw, and plunging into the base plate, but what about the riving knife?

And if someone can explain how EZ Smart deal with repeatability, that'll be super useful as well

The ATF works excellent with the Smart base BUT the smart base works only on the EZ guide rails. We're working on a smart base that it will allow you to use your existing rails. Same thing with the clamping system. And other future developments like the sliding Fence/square and position system.
But all this accessories will be on the high $ side because they have to be machined few at a time.
The best solution is to use your ATF with the EZ. And use your existing guide rails for additional depth. Because with the EZ and the smart base you will lose some depth of cut.
And I see no problem with the riving knife.

Bob Noles

01-31-2005, 9:07 PM

Frank Pellow

01-31-2005, 9:13 PM

This is the 2nd time I've come over here and followed a thread for several days and then had to order the tool being discussed. You folks are the experts and when I see endorsements like this how can I say no to the tool?

Now I've blown the budget again:mad: :D
Bob, you imply that you don't visit Saw Mill Creek that often. I suggest that you visit more often and you might develop an imunity. :) Then again, maybe you will develop an addiction. :(

John Miliunas

01-31-2005, 9:17 PM

Bob, you imply that you don't visit Saw Mill Creek that often. I suggest that you visit more often and you might develop an imunity. :) Then again, maybe you will develop an addiction. :(
Hey Frank, probably more of the latter!:D

Now Bob, if you think this is bad, let me tell you a bit of my trip to the Neander side! I tuned up my LN 4-1/2 this evening and you just can't believe the finish it left on that Cherry! Now if you're interested in ............:D Ah yes, it truly IS addictive! Enjoy your EZ system, but let me assure you that even if you have indeed blown the rest of your budget, you did it very wisely indeed! You just won't believe what you've done without it for this long!:) :cool:

Kevin Murdock

01-31-2005, 10:31 PM

Ditto here....

I went ahead and bought one on ASWCBL (Auction Site Who Can't Be Linked :D )

How can you go wrong when so many recommend it?

Look forward to using all of my new tool purchases soon.

/Kevin

This is the 2nd time I've come over here and followed a thread for several days and then had to order the tool being discussed. You folks are the experts and when I see endorsements like this how can I say no to the tool?

Now I've blown the budget again:mad: :D
:D

J E (Jim) Martin

02-01-2005, 12:04 AM

Bob, you imply that you don't visit Saw Mill Creek that often. I suggest that you visit more often and you might develop an imunity. :) Then again, maybe you will develop an addiction. :(
FRANK,
After being a genuine registered lurker here here for 1 year and unregistered lurker for 6 or 8 month's before that I've found that this is like a nice little neighborhood bar, lot's of good information and very little beligerance. I imagine there's a lot of folk's that stop by, have a beverage and head out with some good info. What I've found here send's me to a lot of place's to shop so to speak. This is where I started paying serious attention to the EZ Smart. :D :D Now if I can figure out how to use Sketchup!!
:(