To make the saw guide to cut panels, I had originally planned to use
1xsomething for the guide for the edge of saw (with the pressed
hardboard/masonite) flat to the panels with the edge at the cutting line.

Is one-inch stock necessary, or can I use another piece of the 1/4"
hardboard? (1/4" hardboard on 1/4" hardboard for a 1/2" thick, in
theory, for the edge of the saw guide to travel along)

My apologies if that is worded badly, but am hoping you folks know what I
mean.

The question comes up because, while my old Craftsman circular saw body
would easily clear the one-inch, the new one doesn't have as much
clearance between the body and the guide. I'm definitely glad I checked
it *before* I built the guide; building it once works much better than
re-building.

Glenna

In article fc.003d094101df7ee4003d094101df7ee4.1df7ef2@pmug. org,
Glenna Rose wrote:

snip
The question comes up because, while my old Craftsman circular saw body
would easily clear the one-inch, the new one doesn't have as much
clearance between the body and the guide. I'm definitely glad I checked
it *before* I built the guide; building it once works much better than
re-building.

Glenna

I usually make them with 1/2" material on the top and 1/4" on the
bottom.

Are you cutting with the blade at full depth? If so you can raise the
blade, this is pretty well necessary if you are using supports under
the sheet you are cutting.

There are plans here that have notches in the end to allow room to
clear the clamps:
http://benchnotes.com/Skillsaw%20Gui..._guide_boa.htm

Check out the sheet rack as well to support the sheet when you are
cutting it.

--
http://sawdustmaking.com

Glenna Rose wrote:

Is one-inch stock necessary, or can I use another piece of the 1/4"
hardboard? (1/4" hardboard on 1/4" hardboard for a 1/2" thick, in
theory, for the edge of the saw guide to travel along)

My apologies if that is worded badly, but am hoping you folks know what I
mean.

That was worded badly.

I think you're trying to say that:

You're trying to come up with some kind of saw guide rig for cutting, eg.,
sheets of plywood with a circular saw. You were originally going to make
this guide out of 1x stock, but now you're trying to see if you can get by
with 1/4" stock. You have 1/2" in there somewhere I don't quite get.

The question comes up because, while my old Craftsman circular saw body
would easily clear the one-inch, the new one doesn't have as much
clearance between the body and the guide. I'm definitely glad I checked
it *before* I built the guide; building it once works much better than
re-building.

This is where I'm really drawing a blank. Saw body clear the 1"? Less
clearance between the body and the guide on the new saw? These remarks
don't make a lot of sense relative what I *think* you're doing, so I think
we're on different wavelenths.

Maybe somebody else will get it immediately.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

writes:

I usually make them with 1/2" material on the top and 1/4" on the
bottom.

Okay, that was what I was going to do but with a 1x6 on top of the 1/4",
then, after looking at the saw closely, it looked like that would be too
thick. I'll just use 1/2" instead; I think the body/motor of the saw will
clear that. I picked up some 1/2" Russian birch plywood yesterday, do you
think that will work for the top piece (if I use the factory edge next to
the saw)?

I still cannot believe I didn't think of making this type of guide many
years ago. I'm usually more alert than that to ways to save energy and
time while maintaining accuracy. But then, that is why I'm a novice. :-)


Are you cutting with the blade at full depth? If so you can raise the
blade, this is pretty well necessary if you are using supports under
the sheet you are cutting.

No, I usually have the blade go 1/8" to 1/4" below the wood, never more
than 1/2". That comes from those years of cutting on the living/dining
room floor, can't risk it going deeper with only 4x4 supports. That and
the fact that cleaner cuts result by not having the extra blade "hanging"
down there, or so was my perception.


There are plans here that have notches in the end to allow room to
clear the clamps:
http://benchnotes.com/Skillsaw%20Gui..._guide_boa.htm

That is a great page. Thank you. It really makes it very clear.

BTW, I spent some time at your pages. Those are great. I've printed them
to pdf files so I can read them off-line. There are a lot of answers to
things I was uncertain about and will be a lot more when there is time to
really read over them.

Thank you for sharing so much great information!!!

Glenna

"Silvan" wrote in message
...
Glenna Rose wrote:

Is one-inch stock necessary, or can I use another piece of the 1/4"
hardboard? (1/4" hardboard on 1/4" hardboard for a 1/2" thick, in
theory, for the edge of the saw guide to travel along)

My apologies if that is worded badly, but am hoping you folks know what
I
mean.

That was worded badly.

I think you're trying to say that:

You're trying to come up with some kind of saw guide rig for cutting, eg.,
sheets of plywood with a circular saw. You were originally going to make
this guide out of 1x stock, but now you're trying to see if you can get by
with 1/4" stock. You have 1/2" in there somewhere I don't quite get.

The question comes up because, while my old Craftsman circular saw body
would easily clear the one-inch, the new one doesn't have as much
clearance between the body and the guide. I'm definitely glad I checked
it *before* I built the guide; building it once works much better than
re-building.

This is where I'm really drawing a blank. Saw body clear the 1"? Less
clearance between the body and the guide on the new saw? These remarks
don't make a lot of sense relative what I *think* you're doing, so I think
we're on different wavelenths.

Maybe somebody else will get it immediately.

I *think* she was saying that her new saw doesn't have much clearance under
the motor overhang Mike. Thus if she is trying to cut full depth, the motor
would drag on the guide piece.

I have 2 guides, both 8'. One for older Craftsman RH blade, made of 1/4"
masonite base & 1x4 guide piece. The other is for my PC LH blade, both base
and guide are 1/2" plywood.

--
Nahmie
Those on the cutting edge bleed a lot.

writes:

I *think* she was saying that her new saw doesn't have much clearance
under
the motor overhang Mike. Thus if she is trying to cut full depth, the
motor
would drag on the guide piece.

That's exactly what I meant. Thank you. Fortunately, mendoc (Frank?)
knew what I meant and guided me to a page that was very precise regarding
construction. (And congrats on using a Mac!)


I have 2 guides, both 8'. One for older Craftsman RH blade, made of 1/4"
masonite base & 1x4 guide piece. The other is for my PC LH blade, both
base
and guide are 1/2" plywood.

Just out of curiosity, why did you make one out of both plywood pieces?
Since I've not made mine yet, it might make a difference in what I do. I
understood the hardboard/masonite was for the extra durability of it, that
it would stay true better for the saw blade to follow. Could it be so
simple as to be a contrast to the wood for the visible reference of
ensuring the blade is not "wandering?"

otforme writes:

Been there, done that. You can use the 1/4", but I like 1/2". The primary
reason for the thicker material is to reduce flex in the guide when you
move it
around, and to reduce sideways flex when you push the saw against the
edge. The
latter is seldom a real problem, since the guide is...well, a guide, not a
bridge abutment.

So, if I'm understanding correctly, the 1/4" hardboard/masonite on the
bottom with the 1/2" Russian birch as the top piece should work well,
correct?

Some people prefer to use aluminum for the guide strip, by the
way. And if I can find a sane local source of 1/4" aluminum, I may do
that for
my next one. By sane, I mean reasonable in price and 9' long.

Where would one find a strip of aluminum for this purpose? That would be
my preference as it would take up less room and certainly it wouldn't get
sawn accidently (by others or by me) as well as not being subject to
moisture. (Of course, moisture isn't an issue 100 miles inland from the
ocean!)

Glenna

Glenna Rose wrote:

To make the saw guide to cut panels, I had originally planned
to use 1xsomething for the guide for the edge of saw (with the
pressed hardboard/masonite) flat to the panels with the edge
at the cutting line.

Is one-inch stock necessary, or can I use another piece of the
1/4" hardboard? (1/4" hardboard on 1/4" hardboard for a 1/2"
thick, in theory, for the edge of the saw guide to travel
along)

My apologies if that is worded badly, but am hoping you folks
know what I mean.

The question comes up because, while my old Craftsman circular
saw body would easily clear the one-inch, the new one doesn't
have as much clearance between the body and the guide. I'm
definitely glad I checked it *before* I built the guide;
building it once works much better than re-building.

Glenna...

I'd like to offer another perspective. The distance from the left
edge of the saw's sole plate will vary slightly from blade to
blade (even on the same saw), so I use a straightedge guide the
saw; and I use an offset "block" - cut with the same blade I'm
using on the saw - to offset the guide from the cut line.

You can see this method in use about mid-page at
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/outfeed.html. The advantage to this
approach has been that I can switch blades whenever it's
convenient without worrying about variation in blades. It's been
a lot less hassle.

After using this approach for a number of years I finally broke
down and bought an aluminum straightedge with clamps that can be
adjusted along a track on the underside - which means that
there's nothing to obstruct the saw motor on the topside. I've
been really pleased with this setup.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html