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
glenna asks:
>
>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
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. 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.
Charlie Self
"A politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to
the ground." H. L. Mencken
In article <[email protected]>,
Glenna Rose <[email protected]> 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%20Guide/skillsaw_cutting_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 <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
"Silvan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
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