How to Use A Circular Saw Guide? (5 Steps Only)

A great tabletop setup is useful for cutting the sheet material perfectly straight, but it is not 100% required. A circular saw with a guide track is enough to give you a perfectly straight cut on board.

Are you wrinkling your eye thinking, why should I use a circular saw guide to get straight cuts on plywood, whether I have a table saw? I am giving you the idea because a circular saw is much lighter than a table saw.

As a result, you can move the circular saw easily and quickly over plywood rather than a table saw.

Well, to let you perform the task, in this article, I will discuss the process regarding “how to use a circular saw guide.”

Without being late, let’s go to the discussion directly.

Step-by-Step Process to Use a Circular Saw Guide

To perform this task proficiently, you will need the below materials:

• A circular saw.
• Few clamps.
• Sawhorses. If sawhorses are unavailable, collect a few cut-off boards.
• Brad nails 5/8” or ¾” screws.
• Glue.
• ½ inch wide plywood.

Step 1: Fence piece cutting

The main point of this step is to track down the plywood’s factory edge.

Step 2: Base cutting

This is an essential part of this track build since the factory part is straight. But that is only half of the circular saw guide, and we still need a base to run the trick. To cut off another strip, you can use the factory edge as the guide clamped on the rest of the plywood.

After getting the first clamped strip ready to be used as a reference fence for the round, you may find quite a bit of flex in the center of the panel as it is pressed. Undoubtedly, it would be best if you stopped this flex.

And to do this, all you need to do is, clamp down a cut-off piece of the wood into the middle of the plywood against the first strip. Thus, you can stop getting flexed in the first strip. Then you can cut a 9” wide base strip, with the saw tracking against the factory edge of the first strip.

Step 3: Making the assembly

This is the step where the measurement will vary from saw to saw. As per the requirement, the dimension also needs to be adjusted. Now take a measurement tape to measure out the uttermost corner of the circular saw base plate to the blade. To a larger base strip, the first strip along the factory corner needs to be glued and nailed.

But the factory edge needs to be slightly farther from one end of the base strip than the far end of the rounded blade. Whatever measurement you will get on both sides, don’t miss to mark the base strip.

Once the smaller strip is glued, then you need to nail the smaller piece to the base strip only to make sure that it is on the reference lines from the earlier step. If you need to use a screw in this step, you can use it. The screw will confirm that it will hold the pieces when the glue is dried.

Step 4: Keep it zero exemption

From this step, you will get the accuracy of the jig. After the small strip gets secured, a cut to the adhesive is made to cure when the time is made against the factory edge of the small piece with referencing. This will ensure a zero exemption line where the circular saw will cut off whenever you use the trail.

Step 5: Do a perfectly straight cut

Now we understand that the circular saw will cut the outer edge following the track. To utilize it, limit the edge of the track with the reference mark of your material, stick it underneath, and perform a perfect cut of experience each time.

Keep in mind that the circular saw will remove itself slightly, so it is best to keep track of the material you are cutting at length and not to off-cut your content. Don’t you think this task is a comfortable one to perform? However, as the plyboard length is 8”, you will not feel any problem working with it.

But the cutting experience will become a problematic one if you are going to perform it with a 3” X 3” plyboard. That is why I cut down the 8” track to 5” and 3” sections.

Safety features

Don’t forget to give the topmost priority to safety because working with a circular saw is a bit dangerous sometimes. Follow the below-listed safety precautions strictly.

• Put on safety goggles, earplugs, and face masks, and don’t wear loose-fitting clothes. If you have long hair, tie it back.
• When you are cutting using a circular saw, stay beside it. Don’t work with a circular saw staying behind. If any outside person is there, tell them to stand far away from the saw.
• If the board begins to pinch the blade or bind it, close the cut shovel with the bean.
• Before starting the operation, inspect the whole tool. Check whether the blade guard can operate freely or not. When the circular saw a guard in the raised position, never hold it.

Conclusion

A circular saw can show you versatile performance. If you know how to operate it correctly, you will be able to perform the same task using a circular saw that a table saw can do.