Poor mans Guided saw

[Jeff Horton]

CIRCULAR SAW GUIDE
I am amazed at the interest in guided saw for ripping up sheet goods. People spend big money on these when you can make your own for a just a few bucks and most likely from scrap in you shop. While is doesn't have a fancy name brand on it, it works perfectly and I would rather have that money to spend on wood.

http://www.kudzupatch.com/woodshop/saw_guide/sawguide1.jpg


I recommend you make two saw guides. One 4 foot long and one 8 foot long. It makes ripping sheet goods down to size a simple matter. This is picture of my 4 footer. I think it is actually 4 1/2 feet which is good if you have the material. All you need is piece of hardboard or any other thin sturdy stock that will stay flat and a 3-4" wide straight board. You can use plywood but I don't like it because it can bow on you.

Make you a guide block and cut on edge as straight as you get it. If you have jointer joint one edge. You can hand plane it or what ever method you prefer. Just make it straight as possible. Also be sure and make it wide enough to clear the motor on the saw. This leaves room to use tall clamp if you need. Check your motor clearance on your saw, if you using 1" stock like I show you will probably want to plane it thinner so your motor doesn't hit and limit the depth of cut.


http://www.kudzupatch.com/woodshop/saw_guide/sawguide2.jpg


Cut the sole (bottom piece) too wide! This is important. Glue the two together and let it dry. Once it is dry you need to cut off the excess. Clamp your new guide down to something sturdy like a bench, place your circular saws sole against the guide block and trim the sole plate to width


Now when you need to cut down some sheet goods just mark the width and clamp down you new guide. Clamp it so that the line you marked is just under the edge of the sole. Since your blade cuts right on the edge you can easily line us the saw to the exact width you marked. Just make sure that the piece your wanting to keep is on the left side if you standing behind the saw. That way if you let the saw slip off the guild block you have cut it over size and not to small. It's simple to just back up the saw and go over the spot you missed. Once you use this a few times you will wonder how you got by without it!

[Don Baer]

Yup, Thats how I do it...:D

[ROB JENKINS]

don
i agree, simple is good, simple is money left over for materials. :)

[Nissim Avrahami]

Hi Jeff

I did the same but improved the marking method for better precision (I don’t like pencil marks).

Please have a look here, scroll down the posts, there are more pictures.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36808

Regards
niki

[Brian Hale]

Looks just like mine! Well, maybe not, i used plywood instead of hardwood :rolleyes: I even have one for my router. ;)

HEY, we could paint it, label it the SMC PMSG and sell it for half the price of one of those aluminum extrusion thingys... :cool:

Brian :)

[glenn bradley]

I'm with you. Mine has the fence down the middle so I can use my 7 1/4 down one side and my 5 3/8 down the other. My guide has a similar cousin for two different routers. Then again I have other tools to dress up the cuts if required, some folks may not and are looking for a TS or jointer alternative.

[tod evans]

jeff, same type of shopmade guide i`ve been using for years. i`m a tool junkie in a big way and don`t own one of the commercial guided systems, but all the hoopla they generate does have me curious. you can lay odds that if i buy one it`ll be some sort of a functional improvement over this type of jig that has served so well for so long....02 tod

[Allen Bookout]

That is the system that I use but I have not looked at the commerical systems and I feel that there must be a real advantage to them that I am not aware of.

[Lee DeRaud]

HEY, we could paint it, label it the SMC PMSG and sell it for half the price of one of those aluminum extrusion thingys... :cool: Don't we have to start a cult first? :eek:

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Jeff:
I'm with you on this. Have two or three in my shop and two on my truck. The only difference is that I use screws to fasten the stright edge to the base. Because what happens is that the edge becomes damged especially in my truck. When this happens I move the edge over and recycle the jig. My father use to refer to this jig as a "Shooting Board".

Greg

[Jim Becker]

These are great, Jeff, and will work for many folks in a lot of situations. It's necessary to point out that there is one difference that separates this from the "premium" commercial guided systems and that is in this case, the operator is responsible for keeping the saw against the fence as you make the cut. The guide does not lock to the saw. As long as you understand that and are able to do it, you'll get a great cut. And you really can't beat the price, either!

[Ian Barley]

Does exactly what it says on the tin and I agree that thrift is a good thing. FWIW I have a bought guide rail because
1 - I needed a new saw, wanted a good one, liked the plunge facility and having sprung for that amount the rail was not a huge amount more money
2 - I like the feel that the saw is not ever gonna be capable of wandering off on the unstopped (is unstopped a word? - guess it is now) side of the guide because there is a rail running in a grove on the base of the saw and that groove was built exactly to fit that saw (with appropriate adjustment)
3 - The anti-splinter fitting on the rail really does work which means that I can get two completely clean chip free faces on every cut. I guess you can manage that with a home made rail too but I never did.
4 - I wanted to be able to rip a clean edge on long boards. My rails let me rip up to 4.2 metre lengths (about 15') and I know that the cut will be completely straight. If I needed to go longer I could by just adding extra rails, but can still break the rail down into manageable lengths to transport it or store it.
5 - I like the colour green:D

This is not intended to be a smart alec post. I agree with the sentiments of the thread but wanted to show that it is not simply profligacy that leads some of us to go the commercial route.

[JayStPeter]

I used to have a bunch of those for both my CS and router. I have the Festool system now. Both work well, but it's sort of like stepping up from a contractor table saw to a cabinet table saw. My main reason for the change was Dust Collection. I'm happy with that. As a bonus, it's easier to use and I get cleaner cuts ... as it $hould be con$idering :D

Jay

[Jim Becker]

profligacy
Ian...I had to look that up, despite understanding what you meant!! LOL!

--
prof·li·gate (prhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/obreve.giffhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.giflhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gif-ghttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gift, -ghttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/amacr.gifthttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/lprime.gif)adj.1. Given over to dissipation; dissolute.
2. Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant.

n. A profligate person; a wastrel.

<hr class="hmshort" align="left">profhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.gifli·ga·cy

[Bruce Benjamin]

CIRCULAR SAW GUIDE


I am amazed at the interest in guided saw for ripping up sheet goods. People spend big money on these when you can make your own for a just a few bucks and most likely from scrap in you shop. While is doesn't have a fancy name brand on it, it works perfectly and I would rather have that money to spend on wood.

Jeff, I used some I made like yours for years and it served me well for the most part. But it did leave a little to be desired in a couple of areas. Clamping was sometimes a problem on certain cuts and on long reaches it was easy to slightly let the saw drift away from the edge guide and then the cut is flawed. I had pretty much worn out both homemade guides I'd made and need to make some new ones. I found out about the EZ Smart and really studied the system. I now have the basic system and it was in no way money wasted. The EZ Smart is superior to the homemade guide in many ways. Combine the basic system with the many available accessories and there is no comparison. The clamps alone are worth the extra money for me but the anti-chip protection on both sides of the blade is also a big benefit and there are many more. Don't knock it 'til you've used it or at least know more about it.

Bruce

[Ian Barley]

"Profligacy"

Ian...I had to look that up, despite understanding what you meant!! LOL!



:D Yep - my word of the day!!:D

[Tyler Howell]

Yep!
Still got one. Don't see much use though!

[Jeff Horton]

.....Don't knock it 'til you've used it or at least know more about it.

Bruce
First, I am not knocking the product or those that buy it. I just can't see the cost/benefit of them. I can ruin a lot of plywood before I could ever pay for one of guided systems and that is how I look at, at least my larger tool purchases. And I always try to make my cut so that if the saw gets off the guide that I have cut it to large and can simple run the saw back across it to bring it to size.

As for the clamping I agree with you there. Clamping these down can be a bit of a pain. I have been toying with a cam clamp idea in the back of mind for some time but I have not gotten annoyed enough to spend the time to develop the idea.

Bottom line is, you don't tell me how to spend my money and I won't tell you. ;) So nothing personal was meant by that. I just don't see enough benefit for me to spend that kind of money. I try to keep my opinions to myself but sometimes they just slip out!

I guess it is because of my job and my upbringing. My father was very conservative with money and now I work in Real Estate and I see people all the time desperate to refinance because of stupid spending. There Credit Cards are maxed out, they have no self control and owe thousands on the cards and couldn't tell what 25% of that money was spent on. They can't make their payments and if they don't refinance and get some cash out they are going to be in big trouble. Next year I am back at their house because they are trying to refinance for the same reason. Eventually I do the foreclosure work on their house. Even thought it none of my business I hate seeing people let money control them instead of them controlling their money.

[Rolf Safferthal]

Jeff,

the "system" you describe works perfect if one has no table saw with an outfeed table and is in need to cut long lumber. I did that cutting beech lumber for my workbench project. Lengt 7feet 4 inches. But I´m sure, a good table saw works better.

The only difference - I used a very long aluminum straightedge - one like masons use sometimes -clamped onto the wood.

[skip coyne]

kinda like showing a picture of a VW golf with a roofrack and calling it a poor mans pickup (I mention this becouse I used to use one :D )

true you can haul things and it will work to a extent but it aint a pickup (what I drive now )

nothing revoultinalry in your guide and if it works for you so be it . most of us have done some variation of it

some of us have also seen the benifit of the better product

[Allen Bookout]

kinda like showing a picture of a VW golf with a roofrack and calling it a poor mans pickup
I guess that it also depends on how often and how much you need to deal with. If you only need to haul a small amount once or twice a month the VW would be fine. If you need to haul stuff every few days, and quite a bit of it at that, then you would need the pickup.

Same with the tools that we are talking about I suppose.

[Ian Barley]

As for the clamping I agree with you there. Clamping these down can be a bit of a pain. I have been toying with a cam clamp idea in the back of mind for some time but I have not gotten annoyed enough to spend the time to develop the idea.



Actually that was reason 4a but it was late last night when I posted. I have never yet needed to clamp my guide. Between the none slip inserts and the force direction of the plunge cut saw I have never had the thing move even over a 15' length.

But I also completely agree with the proposition that it is horses for courses. For some of us it is valuable enough and for others it is not. There is nothing more annoying than one group of people trying to force their own working methods on another.

[Bruce Benjamin]

First, I am not knocking the product or those that buy it. I just can't see the cost/benefit of them. I can ruin a lot of plywood before I could ever pay for one of guided systems and that is how I look at, at least my larger tool purchases. And I always try to make my cut so that if the saw gets off the guide that I have cut it to large and can simple run the saw back across it to bring it to size.

As for the clamping I agree with you there. Clamping these down can be a bit of a pain. I have been toying with a cam clamp idea in the back of mind for some time but I have not gotten annoyed enough to spend the time to develop the idea.

Bottom line is, you don't tell me how to spend my money and I won't tell you. ;) So nothing personal was meant by that. I just don't see enough benefit for me to spend that kind of money. I try to keep my opinions to myself but sometimes they just slip out!


I wasn't taking offense to your post and me saying, "Don't knock it 'til you tried it" statement wasn't done in any sort of anger. It was true though. You've never used a good guide system, apparently so you don't know what you're missing. As I said, I've used one like yours for years and until I found out about the EZ system and then bought one I didn't realize how much better it could be and how much more there was to it than just laying a rail on a line and cutting. I'm pretty sure I won't change your mind on this and I doubt you'll try to learn more about the EZ Smart and that's cool. It's not like your life is going to change if you do and money will fall from trees for you. But I can tell when someone has already made up their minds and I'm that way about certain things too. We all are. But when it comes to tools I don't know it all so I look at new or different tools with open eyes and see what they're all about. The guys who insist that the table saw is all anyone needs and that no guided saw system can possibly be better are the guys who've already made up their minds and no matter what, there's no changing what they think is correct.
I look at it this way: comparing the homemade guide to the EZ Smart is like comparing a phone book and a telephone to the internet and a search engine. They both will let you do some of the same things to an extent but the internet will allow you do so much more and so much better/easier. We all got along just fine before the internet and if it wasn't invented we would still be plugging along like before. My dad is getting up there in years and still has never put a finger on a computer and I know a couple of guys without a computer. They get along just fine and they didn't have to spend $1000 for an electronic box. The phone book is free, right? But when my dad or those other guys without a computer are looking for a certain custom part for their truck or info on that politician they hate they sure don't get much info from their phone.

Bruce

[Alan DuBoff]

Don't knock it 'til you've used it or at least know more about it.I do like Jeff, and use a straight edge out of wood or metal, a simple aluminum straight edge that costs less than $10 will do well, albeit not as easy to clamp.

If I was doing cuts with my circular saw on a regular basis, and wanted the best, you're probably correct. But I don't need to do that very often, possibly similar to Jeff, and what this does is basically replace the need for a panel saw.

If you really want something that works well, get a panel saw.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

For years and years and - - - - years. That's pretty much what I did when ever I couldnt get it on the TS in a manageable way. Never had the room to build tables around the saw.