Comments on: Please Help, I Need To Make Straight Lines To Make Straight Cuts!!?

By: Festivus

Festivus — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:15 +0000

You are in need of a carpenter’s square for making straight lines square to one edge of the board.
To make cuts 1 m long, measure from the end of your board marking at several points along the 1m length. Then use a straight edge (a long board with a good straight side will do).
This still will not prevent you from straying as you make your cut. Take a board as long as what you are cutting and clamp it to the material to be cut so that you create a guide for your cutting tool. You will need to offset the board by the width of the base of your saw. Measure the distance from the base of your saw to the edge of your blade and offset from your cut line by that much to serve as your guide.
As you cut, keep the saw base pressed against the board and you should get a straight cut.

By: DustinDa

DustinDa — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:14 +0000

First things first….dull blades will not cut straight. If you suspect you have a dull blade you should replace it before doing anything else.
I assume you are making long rip cuts in solid wood or in plywood. I have found that making very precise straight cuts on a table saw can be difficult depending on the type of wood you are cutting, the size of the table and the condition of the blade, and whether or not you have a second set of hands helping you. One trick I like to use is to clamp a straight edge to the piece you are cutting and use that as a fence for the circular saw. If you need a long straight edge the factory milled edge of a sheet of plywood is usually quite straight and stable. I have been able to cut the edge off of my work piece to use as a straight edge to cut the rest on some occasions. For a really precise cut use two straight edges to form a channel for the saw to travel between. Also, you can buy straight edges that are made specifically for this purpose that come in 4 foot lengths and can be connected to make an 8 foot length. I have found these to be very easy to work with if you want to spend the $20 or so.

By: c_kayak_

c_kayak_ — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:13 +0000

my favorite tool for marking long straight lines on large stock (plywood, drywall) is a folding metal drywall t-square. This is made up of two long metal rulers with a wing nut that clamps them together in a big tee shape. It works just like a drafting t-square — one edge rides along the edge of your material and you draw the line at 90 degrees along the other part of the tee.
You should also have an adjustable guide bar that attaches to your circular saw to rip narrow cuts.
If I am ripping wider pieces with a circular saw I clamp on a straight piece of scrap wood or a strip of metal channel as a guide to run the saw cut guard plate against. Measure carefull to get the distance right from the width of the saw plate to the blade cutting line. A couple of pairs of vise-grip welding clamps are perfect for this clamping. These are big square mouthed adjustable spring-loaded vise grips — much quicker and tighter for clamping things together than c-clamps. They are also incredibly useful doing any kind of construction on your own — like an extra pair of hands to hold a lot of things in place while you nail or screw or glue them together.
Pick up those three tools (t-square, circular saw extension guide and 2 medium welding vice grips) and you will find it much easier to get your cuts straight.

By: David A

David A — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:12 +0000

idk

By: chris b

chris b — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:11 +0000

the easiest way. I do this all the time when cutting sheets. You can either get a straight piece of wood or you can buy a straight edge for $20. and clamp the 2 ends down to the piece you are cutting. Now you have a guide to run your saw against.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:16:09 +0000

Measure from the edge of your saw to the blade and attach an old piece of lumber on your you project this same distance from your cut line and use this as a guide. I love the red diablo blades for my circular saw. I used to have problems cutting straight, but with these blades I just freehand cuts 1 1/8 deep by 7 feet long
Mark