Chip and everyone else,

Thanks for the responses. I wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong
before, but I used a long straight edge and got a wonderful cut out of it!

Now to figure out how to get 1" off of a 5 1/2" piece of wood! (May be a
little harder doing it with a circular saw than a table saw, but I think
I'll manage

Adam

Chip Buchholtz wrote:
Adam wrote:
: I have considered buying a circular saw ($50 Skil) that has an
: Accu-Sight. Along with that I will setup a fence. Do you think that is a
: good plan / option? Any other tips that you guys have for me? This is my
: first wood working project and I am anxious to get started with it!

My first project was done with a Skil circular saw (no accu-sight), a
hand held router, and a shop-mate work table. If you don't need to
work on any long pieces (over 4'), and you are careful, you'll do
fine.

I'd recommend clamping pieces of wood or MDF to act as guides for
every cut. Think about how to guide the cut, clamp guides in place,
make a test cut on scrapwood, measure and adjust, and then make your
final cut. If necessary, buy extra wood for test cuts, guides, stop
blocks, backer-boards, etc.

I spent much longer planning the cut than I did making the final cut,
but I ended up with invisible tight joints using hand held tools.

Even when you get a table saw, you'll still find the circular saw
useful.

When I replaced my Skil saw, I got a big beefy DeWalt. I find it's a
little too heavy for me. I use it, but I wish I'd gotten something a
little lighter. I don't think the accu-sight will be accurate enough
in this case. You'll need a guide. The accu-sight may help when
cutting free-hand.

Have fun!

--- Chip