DIY Circular Saw Jig for Perfectly Straight Cuts. Skill saw straight edge
DIY Circular Saw Jig for Perfectly Straight Cuts
Cutting a piece of wood in a straight line seems simple enough. Just follow a line with the blade of your circular saw, right? But as you work your way down the board, the saw takes on a life of its own and you end up with a wonky edge.
By using a simple DIY circular saw jig, you can ensure that your cut will be straight and exactly where you wanted it. It basically turns your circular saw into a track saw, but without the hefty price tag!
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There are several rip cut guides for circular saws on the market, such as the Kreg Rip Cut or the new Accu-cut. But, if you’re just starting out with woodworking, the cost can be prohibitive.
Inexpensive guides such as this one have a tendency to bow out in the middle, resulting in a less than straight cut. I own both the Rip Cut and the cheaper version, and I still go back to this very simple circular saw jig I made in my beginner woodworking class.
How to Build a Circular Saw Jig
Materials Needed
Don’t forget your safety gear when woodworking! Here are my recommendations for safety glasses and ear protection. No excuses!
Line up the plywood strips with your saw
Cut the plywood sheet into roughly one foot wide strips. There’s no need to be exact. Just make sure that one piece is a few inches wider than your circular saw, including the motor.
With the saw unplugged, lift the blade guide up so that the blade is exposed. Place the saw on the larger piece of plywood, matching up the edge of the wood with the side of the blade.
Line up the other piece of plywood next to the edge of the circular saw base plate.
Glue the two plywood strips together
Remove the saw, then draw a line where the two plywood pieces overlap. Remove the top board, and drizzle wood glue all over that side of the board, leaving about an inch clear of the line.
Place the top plywood piece onto the glue, setting it about ½ inch away from the line you drew (towards the glued side). You’ll see why later on. Clamp the pieces together, or place something heavy on top, and let the glue dry.
Trim the jig to the width of your circular saw
You’ll notice that the bottom of the circular saw jig isn’t even. Once the glue is dry, flip it over and trim off the excess with your circular saw. Don’t worry if the edges don’t exactly line up. You can sand it down later.
Every circular saw has a very slightly different width between the edge of the base plate and the blade, even among identical brands. In my beginner woodworking class, the instructor numbered every circular saw and its corresponding jig. Mixing up the saw and the jig would result in a cut that was slightly off!
Clamp your jig to your work surface, making sure to elevate it with a few scrap pieces of wood so you don’t cut into the table. Line up the edge of your saw’s base plate with the fence you created, then cut away the edge of the board.
How to Use a Circular Saw Cutting Jig
Congratulations! You have two pieces of plywood glued together! So now what?
Here’s an example. Say you’re making this outdoor storage bench out of ¾” plywood. You’ve marked this particular piece with the line you need to cut, and an ‘X’ on the waste side of the board.
Elevate the board with a few scrap blocks of 2×4 so you don’t cut into the worktable. You can also use foam insulation sheets for full support across the entire piece.
Place the jig on the cut line, making sure that the saw blade will be on the waste side. Clamp the jig to the board at both ends, and then the board to the worktable so it doesn’t move around mid-cut.
Before tightening the clamps, double check that the corner will be square. Place a speed square at the cut line and adjust the circular saw jig if necessary.
Finally, place the circular saw against the fence. Double check to make sure the clamps aren’t in the way of the saw motor, then make the cut. Be sure to keep the saw flat on the circular saw jig and slide it slowly along the edge.
Of course, a table saw would make this cut in a fraction of the time it takes to set up this circular saw jig. But for a beginner on a budget, this is the perfect way to cut sheets of plywood or even dimensional lumber! See, you don’t need lots of fancy tools to start woodworking!
Check out these other beginner woodworking tutorials!
What is Saw Kerf and Why It Matters in Woodworking
How to Clean Saw Blades for Better Cuts
Types of Wood Screws and How to Use Them
Here is another way. I like it because you can cut from either side of saw blade.
Make a Simple Circular Saw Cutting Guide | Rockler Skill Builders
Take about 16″ wide piece of plywood ( or whatever you want the bottom to be. om my first one i used a very thin quarter inch board and I’m regretting it. although it is light and easy to work with. In the middle of that piece of plywood however long you want it to be. place a piece of 4 inch or 3 inch wide white MDF board. The guy whose idea I used said that the MDF board is cut such that it is always perfectly straight and rarely warps or has issues. I believe it is also about 3/4 inch thick so that gives your saw edge a nice high surface to run against. Here’s the tricky part. now make sure the MDF board is perfectly square and straight on both sides and both ends. Mark it, with a pencil, on both sides, and then put glue down clapping and insert screws from the top. Again checking to make sure it’s Square after you have set it down on the glue before you Clamp It. Once all that is done and dried then you take your saw and on one side you trim off using the right edge of your saw it on the other side you trim off using the left edge of your saw. for example on mine one side is about 5 inches wide and the other side is about 1 inch wide and in between those two is the MDF board so 5 4 1 is 10 wide total inches wide.
You can drill a hole in it to hang it up and you can also leave the MDF board on one side hanging off about a half inch so that you have a nice edge to go against when starting off. you pick up the edge early before you get to cutting the board. Now you have the capability of cutting with either side of your song which comes in handy because sometimes it’s helpful to have that option
I made one 48″ to cut plywood and then I made one 24 inches but I rarely used it so then I made one 12 inches and I use that a lot to cut two by sixes etc. the only tricky part is clamping it when The guide is longer than the piece you’re cutting as a clipping from the side
Wow, thanks for describing your set up, Chris! I have some scrap MDF boards left over from shelves I removed that I’ll have to try this on!
Well i always had problems in cutting perfect straight lines using circular saw, Really glad this guide helped me, guys you gotta master the art ! Thanks Vineta 🙂
The simplicity of your saw project is very Smart! I am such an a rookie when it comes to power tools and since your project outlines so many specifics that make the process easy for me. I probably wouldn’t be the best critic of the work, but it proved an easy way to achieve the same cuts for my planter boxes. Thanks for the money saving information and creativity.
I’m so glad my guide could help! Enjoy your planter boxes!
Thanks for sharing your experience. This DIY Circular Saw Guide is quite helpful. I want to buy some tools for my workshop. I’m still wavering between buying a circular saw and table saw. But my workshop is too small for a table saw so a circular saw is the best choice (with your DIY Circular Saw Guide).
I had the same dilemma in my workshop, and the circular saw was the best choice for now. So glad I could help!
Super Smart idea. and you’re so right, this is a fantastic jig if there isn’t room in the budget or space for a table saw! Pinning 🙂
DIY Track Saw Straight Edge: Featuring Ridgid’s Octane Circular Saw
Thank you so much for joining us at One Project Closer for this tutorial on How to Make a DIY Track Saw Straight Edge. This post is sponsored by the Home Depot Prospective Campaign. Post may also contain affiliate links. Opinions (and typos) are 100% our own, and we appreciate you supporting our site in order to continue to provide free content to our readers.
One of the tools on my top 10 wishlist that still eludes me is a nice track saw. If you are the type of DIYer who loves using sheet goods to build things, it should be on your list too. Why don’t I have one yet? The simple answer is cost. The price point for nice track saws ranges anywhere from 500-1000. However, in less than an hour and with minimal materials, you can make a DIY Track Saw Straight Edge that utilizes the circular saw you likely already have in your collection. Ridgid recently sent us their new Octane Brushless Circular Saw, so this is the perfect chance to test it out.
Step 1: Sizing Materials
You’ll need to cut two pieces of plywood to create the parts which make up the “track saw.” Begin by measuring the distance from the blade of your circular saw to the edge of the baseplate. Add together this measurement, the width you want your straightedge to be, and another 1/2″ or so. This is the width of your base. For example, I already have 3″ wide aluminum straight edges that I’ve been using with my old corded circular saw and the distance from the blade of the Ridgid Octane saw to the edge of the baseplate is roughly 5″. This means I need a base a little more than 8″ wide. I chose to make my base 49″ long so that it can be used to cut sheet goods up to 48″ wide.
Note: If you use plywood for your straight edge, make sure to use a factory edge as it will be nice and straight if you don’t have a table saw. I used a table saw to rip the plywood because I have one, but it is not necessary and can be ripped with your circular saw.
Step 2: Assembly
Line up your straight edge piece flush with the back of the base and fasten it securely in place using screws or even some wood glue and clamps. If you are using plywood, remember to have the factory straight edge facing where the saw will glide against it.
Step 3: Dial It In
Now you’re almost ready to use your new “track saw” guide. The third and final step is to run the saw along the straightedge with the blade lowered such that the teeth just clear the bottom. I like to use an old piece of foam board so I can cut comfortably on the ground. The foam board offers ample support and the teeth of the saw are not hindered by it. Eventually, it will get too many saw marks in it and need replacing, but I’ve had this one for two years now and it has lots of life left in it.
Why Did I Make This Again?
Now, here’s the cool part. Whenever you want to break down some plywood you can simply make two marks on either side of where your cut line would be. Then place your “track saw” such that the edge lines up on both of those marks. Set your saw to the proper depth, and make your cut.
Tell Us About the Saw
I’m glad you asked. I am pleasantly surprised at how powerful this saw is. If you’re a cordless skeptic like I was, these Octane tools will make you a believer. The bevel and blade height adjustments are a breeze utilizing quick-locking levers. The blade height adjustment even has detents so the saw doesn’t slip down before you have a chance to tighten the lever. This saw is Smart too. I tried to start making a cut once with the teeth sunk into the foam board just a little bit and that tiny bit of resistance was enough that it wouldn’t start. The older and hopefully wiser I get, the more I appreciate well-designed safety features that protect against dangerous kick-back.
As with all Ridgid tools, it’s available exclusively at the Home Depot and comes as a bare tool for 149 or can be purchased via a number of combo deals that include Octane batteries and chargers. Be sure to check out our amazing Home Depot Coupons before you buy to save yourself some money!
Watch Ethan and Fred review this new Ridgid Circular Saw:
How to use a circular saw to cut straight
One of the most essential skills that you should have when you use a circular saw is creating straight cuts, because that skill will let you apply many maintenances, create beautiful shapes and pieces or create straight cuts for your plywood sheets and longboards.
In this guide, you will learn to easily cut in straight lines using your simple circular saw like a pro. You can do this using a table saw, but not many of us have table saws in their workshop. Creating straight lines and cutting straight pieces of long boards can be done easily and more effectively using a table saw, but with some training, and a little bit of fineness, you will be able to beat the table saw and create smooth yet beautiful straight cuts.
Creating straight edges and cuts using a circular saw can be done easily for small wood boards but when you have large spans of boards, it will be difficult to maintain the straightness.
Before we dive in, you should have some tools that will help us complete that task and you should follow the basic safety rules.
Tools that you will need
It is better to use a piece of plywood because it is perfectly flat and it has quite fixed dimensions. Solid wood is deformed a little (use dry wood instead).
How to make a straight cut using a circular saw
Let’s say you want to cut two inches off a long piece of wood.
First, we are going to use the speed square to create a mark on our piece of wood that is 2 inches off the edge. Actually, you will have to create two marks, one at the beginning of the piece of wood, and the other one is at the end.
The speed square has a lip at one of its sides. You should lay the lip right against the edge of your wood.
After that, we will have to make some adjustments on our circular saw. The backside of the saw is called the shoe, it is actually the base of the saw. Learn more about circular saw components
Pull back the guard of the blade, take your tape measure, and place it right outside of the blade and measure the distance between the vertical surface of the blade and the end of the shoe. Let’s say it is 1 and ¼ inches.
Create another mark after the mark that we created on the wood, the distance between the two marks is equal to the distance that we have just measured on the circular saw, which is 1 and ¼ inches.
Take the piece of scrap wood and place it right on the new marks that we made on the piece that we want to cut. The new marks should be 3 and ¼ inches away from the edge of the piece we want to cut.
Then we will have to take two clamps and tighten the two pieces of wood together on the stable surface that we have. You need to secure the clamps at both ends.
Take your circular saw, place it on your piece of wood and make sure the shoe of the saw is guided by the scrap piece because the saw is going to slide the guide that we just made. Then start your saw and guide it along the wood path as you cut.
How to create a circular saw guide
Cutting plywood with your circular saw is simple and it can actually be safer than using a table saw, but to get accurate cuts, you will need to buy a cutting guide for your saw.
There are several guides and track saw systems in the market available for purchase, but it is very simple to create your own guide that will work with just any circular saw. This is going to save you a lot of money and time. The only things that you will need is a glue and a sheet stock.
You will need two strips of thin sheet stock to make the following:
You can use tempered hardboard or plywood.
You will need to make the width of fence strip the same as the greater distance between the blade and the edge of the saw shoe (the base of the saw).
DIY Circular Saw Guide. Straight Edge from Scrap Wood. Woodworking, Carpentry
Mark the outside factory edge because that edge is straight and this is important when it is time to assemble the guide.
Now, clamp the sheet stock to the workbench so you can cut the fence strip. Then use the circular saw to cut the fence strip, which its width is equal to the distance that we talked about.
You can put your finger on the outside edge of the saw shoe and let the saw ride along the edge of the sheet stock.
All you need to do now is to glue the fence stripe to the rest of the sheet and make sure you place the factory side that we’ve marked on the inside of the guide. That way, you will have a nice straight edge. Clamp the two strips and let the glue to dry.
Take the guide out of the clamps and clamp it again to the sawhorses or the workbench that you use because all that’s left to do before the guide is ready is to remove the excess from the guide.
To do that, make a rip cut through the guide but be careful that you should keep the saw base pressed tightly against the new fence as you make the cut.
Now the guide is ready to use.
When you need to cut any sheet or any piece of wood, it is better to place it on a stable surface like a piece of plywood and a piece of foam insulation. This will give you a full support and stability and will let you cut throught the piece of wood and the foam smoothly.
You don’t have to do that, you can use your ordinary workbench or your sawhorse.
To make a cut with your new guide, you’ll first need to mark where you want to cut and place the inside edge of the guide right on the cut marks and you’ll get a perfect cut.