Ruler for circular saw with own hands

How to choose

When it comes to buying a brand-name device, first of all, you need to assess how necessary a guide in the home arsenal. If it is to be used all the time, we recommend that you look closely at the guide with the richest equipment with all bolts, clamps, protractor and ruler. For occasional use, it is possible to buy a basic set with a minimum of functions.

When choosing, it is also necessary to assess the characteristics of the circular saw itself. the diameter of the saw blade, motor power, the size of the platform and its functionality. From a practical point of view, it is necessary to evaluate the possibility of working with different materials with the circular saw. wood boards, planks, furniture board. Here it is important to select the correct length and width of the guide rail, so that it is longer than the workpiece by 2 lengths of the soleplate.

How to make a saw carriage with your own hands

The carriage for the circular saw is an essential tool in the arsenal of the carpenter. Purchased versions are often overpriced and may not meet individual customer requirements. This article proposes to study the features of such an important device as a carriage, and try to make it at home.

Functions of the guide rails

There are several basic functions that these designs perform:

  • Increased precision when sawing large materials;
  • improved quality when making curved cuts;
  • making it easier to create parts according to a certain standard;
  • the possibility of manufacturing several parts from one template;
  • Increased safety when using circular saws.

Also with a guide rail, it will be possible to make cuts with high precision.

  • Handheld circular saw;
  • laminate;
  • aluminum channel saw;
  • screws, bolts, nuts and washers;
  • aluminum plate;
  • double-sided adhesive tape;
  • A roll of sandpaper.

On a stationary circular saw, we make longitudinal and cross cuts in the laminate to obtain the base blanks of the guide rail.

Join the two boards of laminate along the length by tapping the joint with a mallet, and fill the back side with quick-drying glue.

Sand the surface of the workpieces with an emery cloth on a wheeled base and wipe it with a cloth.

Apply glue to the back surface of the narrow laminate workpiece, press the aluminum channel to the base along its length as a stop and glue the narrow workpiece to the base along the aluminum channel.

Drill holes of the same type in the back of the aluminum channel at regular intervals, boring them on the inside for the screw heads and deburring them on the outside with emery cloth.

Lay the aluminum channel along the narrow strip glued to the base with a guaranteed gap, using two pieces of aluminum channel of the appropriate size.

Apply glue to the contact area between the aluminum channel and the laminate base and press the channel so that the bumpers slip freely along the guide rail.

Attach the guide rail with screws through the holes in the back of the channel to the base.

Grind down the screw ends on the back side of the base with a hand grinder.

Fasten the narrow strip with screws along its length by screwing them into the laminate base. Also on the reverse side, grind down the ends of the screws with a hand grinder.

Cut to size an aluminum channel, similar to the guide rail. Focusing on its dimensions, make two parts from the aluminum strip, bent closer to one end twice at right angles. Correct the bends with a hand file.

Mark the large sides of the curved plates and cut along the edges along the entire length of the strip. Deburr and round off the edges.

At the base of the plates we make two holes.

Round the corners of a piece of aluminum channel. Glue the aluminum curved strips to the aluminum channel, following the attachment points on the hand-held circular saw.

Drill holes in the aluminum channel to match the holes in the curved strips. Fasten them with bolts, nuts and washers, placing the bolt heads inside the channel.

Leading the long ends of curved strips into the nodes of fastening on the circular saw and tightening the wing-nuts. The channel must fit tightly on the side of the circular saw’s working base.

Insert the end of the channel on the circular saw into the groove of the guide rail, and cut off a strip from the base, so that its width is equal to the width of the working base of the saw. Finely adjust other sides of our machine.

Grind once more with an emery cloth, remove material particles with a brush, wipe the base of the device with a damp napkin.

Glue lengths of double-sided adhesive tape to the clean surface of the base. Measure along the width of the base a roll of coarse-grained emery paper, and tear off the excess width.

Remove the protective foil from the tape and glue a strip of sandpaper with the grit facing outward. Cut the ends to the length of the base.

We rub the contact surface of the guide bar and the laminate base with paraffin candle and our device is completely ready to work.

The ruler for the circular saw with their own hands

Ruler for a circular saw with their own hands a fixture, a related part or a steering wheel in a car. There are many suggestions in the form of different stops, different shapes and different sizes, different methods of attachment. In my opinion, when it comes to adjusting the ruler guide on the circular table, the most important question is how to reduce the amount of time in the adjustments, and it is quite difficult to do.

Multi-tool attachments

Beginning craftsmen doubt that it is possible to make a straight line sawing with a hand-held mechanical tool. This is true if you cut according to the markings, but you can make the work easier by using a purchased or homemade guide fixture,

Manual woodworking tools, especially modern design, sometimes amazed by the number of auxiliary devices that help in the performance of sawing material. The simplest auxiliary device is an ordinary stop on the base of the saw with an indication of the mowing line along which the saw will pass.

The most popular addition is a short rail with an adjustable length of extension. complicated designs have another roller on such a guide, so that when it contacts the edge of the material, the movement of the saw is not hindered.

Sometimes put indicators that show the laser cutting line and other devices, which have the same disadvantages. All these mechanisms serve to inform you that the saw blade is out of the cutting line. All simple mechanisms indicate inaccurate sawing.

Why then have all these systems that do not allow the amateur to make a simple cut?? Where the mistake is in this approach? All known woodworking machines for professional woodworking have a parallel clamping device for constant pressure on the material to be processed and a rigid locking. Often this stop moves. For professional tools, there is an Interskol hand circular saw guide bar on sale that can be applied to another overhead mechanism.

Then a tremor in the forearm muscles won’t affect the direction of the cut, because it’s controlled by the rigid stop. Some would say that surgeons don’t use stops and know how to do complex and precise surgery. They probably do, but their material is more susceptible to machining, and perfectly straight miter saws don’t matter.

To cut down on the cost of purchasing a circular saw guide bar, you can make one yourself. With this homemade tool, the only thing you’ll have to worry about while cutting is holding the saw securely to the stop and slowly moving it forward. You can find the materials and equipment you need in any workshop.

For example, a panel of thick plywood should be five centimeters wider than the width of the saw’s base. The length depends on the workpieces you will have to cut. Optimal dimensions:

The support strip must be the same length as the length of the guide device. The width should ensure reliable adhesion to the surface of the panel. not less than 3 cm or even much wider. The height of the ledge must be at least 12 mm. The optimal size of the stop: 100 cm x 3 cm x 1.5 cm.

One note when choosing a lath in the supermarket. it must have one thin side flat. How to check it? Lay the rail on a flat table and check for any bulges or gaps. It is this flat surface of the slat that will provide a straight cutting line.

When all materials are assembled, you can begin to make a parallel stop for circular saw with your own hands. First you need to measure the distance between the saw and the edge of the panel towards its long side. To the obtained result add some 3 cm. This size will serve for the axial mowing line, removed from the edge by 2 cm.

ruler, circular, hands

Then measure the width of the saw’s base and draw a second fishing line. This dimension is to mark out the saw’s cutting area. Mark the space between the lines with a pencil so that there is no doubt that this area is off from work and is for saw movement only. When all dimensions are outlined, start mounting the rail:

  • Apply glue to the rail and place it along the second mowing line intended for the stop.
  • Use a clamp to ensure a good adhesion.
  • Allow the adhesive to cure for 12 hours.

When everything is securely fastened, you need to calibrate the device by making the first cut. To do this, set the saw as far as it will go, trying to make the edge of the saw base pressed evenly against the bar and make the cut with an even motion along the bar. It is this first cut on the thrust guide that will calibrate the device for further work.

When the stop is ready, you can safely use it to get a quick cut. On the material to be cut, mark the cutting line. Lay a new guide along the mowing line, so the working edge lies on the mowing line. the saw will cut the material exactly in that place.

After carefully laying down and making sure that there is no tabletop on the other side of the material to be cut, the saw is pressed closely against the stop and, moving along the guide, cut off the desired size of the material. While sawing, the saw should be pressed lightly against the device and against the surface of the stop. this will ensure a straight cut. Move it smoothly and evenly. The result will be an even line of cut. There are two interesting facts to note when using a handheld circular saw attachment:

  • First, the soft material will not crumble while cutting.
  • Secondly, the guide provides additional protection against jagged edges of cut material due to hand tremors and irregular saw movement.

In the woodworker’s home workshop, there is always a place for a homemade coping saw from a manual circular saw. For making it you need to have a self-made guide ruler and a circular saw carriage.

To make the ruler you will need several pieces of 12 mm plywood and a metal profile of 10×20 mm. The length of the ruler is 1.5 meters. Using a router with a diameter of 20 millimeters is milled a groove to install the profile to the full length of the device. The profile is fastened with screws. Parallel to the profile ruler at a distance of 12 centimeters a stiffening rib is fixed.

Next, the carriage for the circular saw is made with their own hands from the same plywood. The size of the carriage is arbitrary and is taken under the base of the saw. In the carriage a groove is made for the profile installed on the ruler. The basic dimensions are chosen so that the carriage should lie on the profile and the end rests on the stiffening rib. In addition to the groove, the carriage has a slot for the saw blade exit.

Circular saw guide is a very simple but robust device. To cut sheets of material you need to secure the saw in the carriage with two screws, put the guide to the material, aligning the saw blade with the cutting line, turn on the saw and by moving the carriage on the ruler, cut off the desired workpiece.

Made device can be made universal and use it both with ordinary hand and plunge saw. For this purpose it is enough to remove a profile tube from the ruler and install a movable rail, to which the saw is attached. For the guide rail to move smoothly the groove must be well waxed.

Cutting lumber at an angle

To cut the material at different angles you need a special sawing device. If there is no possibility to buy such a device, you need to think about how to make a homemade mitre saw from a simple circular saw, using available materials. In order for this device to have an angle stop, you need to have two structural assemblies.

The first unit. the swivel device. It can be assembled from waste material. For this you will need a board 100x50x2 cm for the base. To the base is attached on the axis a rotary table in the form of a semicircle with angular markings. the so-called protractor for a circular saw with his hands.

The second unit. the saw table. Its size. 100x25x2 cm. In the saw table is made a rectangular hole for the exit of the saw blade and a slot for the sliding rail, to which the saw is attached. The working principle is as follows:

  • Set the saw table on the base where swivel device with an angle stop for circular saw by your hands rotates freely.
  • On the saw table attach a mechanical saw to the sliding rail.
  • Move the workpiece to be cut on the rotating device and press against the thrust bar.
  • Swivel table fixed at the desired cutting angle. Turn on the saw and, moving it smoothly, make the planned cut.

Use the jigsaw as a sawmill

An electric jigsaw may well replace an electric saw when sawing small amounts of lumber and small-sized workpieces. To do this, you need to make a guide for the jigsaw with your own hands. The device is not complicated, even a novice craftsman can make it.

From a board length of 800 and a thickness of 20 millimeters to make a guide for the base of the jigsaw. To do this, attach two 10×10 millimeter strips to the edges of the board with screws. The distance between the slats equals the width of the jigsaw base. At the ends of the board to strengthen the slats with a length equal to the width of the working part and a height of 10 millimeters. In these laths to drill one hole with a diameter of 8 millimeters for the fixing studs.

Make a table of 800x400x80 millimeters. To do this, to the board Woodchip board around the perimeter, attach laths 60×20 millimeters. Install two m8 studs on it at the edges of the table length. They will be put on and fixed by the guide rail. In the central axis of the guide to cut a slot for the exit of the jigsaw blade. Make an additional 120×40 mm window for exit of saw blade at angular sawing of material.

On the table, make a graduation with a protractor, noting the angle of 90 and 45 degrees. Set the rotary stop ruler according to the markings. The fixture is ready and can be used in operation. To do this, it must be installed on a workbench.

Types of guideways

The entire arsenal of this type of fixture can be classified according to several characteristics that ensure the performance of tasks in the processing of workpieces. Most often the subdivision into subtypes is carried out depending on the construction that the guide bar has. Depending on the design, they are:

In addition to their design, they can be divided according to such characteristics:

  • Depending on the design of the circular saw, its cutting organ, additional functions of the tool. rail type, flat bars, with angle stops, with roller carriage.
  • According to size. short 0,8-1,1 meter, medium length up to 1,4-1,8 meter, long over 1,8 meters.
  • Presence of additional devices and functions that expand the possibilities of work. a ruler for a manual circular saw, a device for curved cuts, a limiter.
  • Material. aluminum, plastic, metal, wood.
  • Existence of removable additional devices. protractor, stops, removable guide rails, guides, clamps.

Guide bars are usually designed by manufacturers for their own line of circular saws, so it is quite possible that to get a device for a particular model of circular saw in a regular store and will not work. As for universal guide bars, the number of operations is usually reduced to a minimum when using them. cutting material and finishing ends. To work with curvilinear lines or to make a cut of a specific length you will have to use special proprietary guides or try to make them yourself.

Homemade parallel stops for circular saws

Circular saw is a handy electric tool that greatly simplifies the construction work and wood cutting process. The equipment is supplied with a variety of devices that allow you to make the circular saw more convenient and safer to use. But some of these accessories are quite possible to make your own hands in order not to spend extra money on them. The following will describe how to make a parallel stop for the circular saw at home.

Making a guide for a circular saw

When working with a manual electric circular saw a perfectly smooth cut can be obtained only by using special devices. And on a stationary machine you can not do without them. One of them is a guide for circular saws. Let’s see what kinds of stops there are and how to make them yourself.

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