Guide rail for circular saw with his hands
Anyone who has ever cut with a circular saw or jigsaw knows how difficult it is to make a straight cut without a guide rail. No matter how you try to guide the tool along the line, but it still deflects and you end up with an uneven cut.
(Googling picture)
You can saw evenly using the old tried-and-true method of attaching a guide rail, or panel, with wire clamps. But this is not always convenient, especially with a handheld circular saw. The saw motor will engage the clamps.
Picture taken from: http://al-pascom/70050.html
Power tool stores sell guide bars. They cost about 2000-10000. There are universal ones, and there are ones, suitable for certain tools or line of tools of certain manufacturer. (like the guide bar in the first picture)
Since my next home-built project required a straight saw (and probably will need it often in the future), and did not want to spend a lot of money, I came up with the idea to make a handy guide with my own hands.
After a walk through the Moskvorets market looking for something suitable among aluminum profiles there was nothing suitable: Either angles, or swiss profiles, or pipes, or bars, but none of these was suitable without substantial and costly rework.
Totally unexpectedly stumbled upon what I needed in a completely different place. At the tent, where they were selling everything for repairing apartments, we found this right.
Rule JYC-2000D-2 (a tool used for aligning walls). Only for 400r
The handles move along the right groove and can be fixed in any place. If you remove them, in their place can be attached clamps.
In Leroy Merlin bought these convenient clamps. Only for 98
In contrast to the classic clamps, these are very easy to clamp the workpiece, quickly extend to the required size. Another big advantage of this clamp for my sawing application is that its upper part can be removed. It is possible to attach it to the right saw through the adapter.
Only there are no ready-made adapters, of course. And I made it out of a piece of polypropylene.
Although this design is not very suitable as a milling machine, but while his milling machine I have not finished, had to mill on what was attached screws coordinate table on the previously made drill stand.
Step by step I ground the piece to the right size and shape. Unfortunately at that moment the milling cutter was shorter than needed. I had to mill in several steps.
(Here is the new bench vice which I bought accidentally at the flea market in Novopodrezkovo)
As a result of milling we got such adapters:
It fits perfectly
Drilled the necessary holes in the adapter, fastened it to the clamps.
Finished results:
This is how the guide will hold onto the workpiece. And there are no unnecessary parts on top that interfere with the saw’s operation.
Now it is possible to comfortably fix the guide on the panel and saw evenly.
Circular saw guide with my own hands
No woodworking can do without sawing. A manual circular saw is not very handy for my tasks, and I have long had the desire to make a table for a circular saw. Т.к. My workshop is small. Then I needed a small table, too. I finally made it last week. (“Lazy. Engine of progress” It was necessary to saw for the next wooden product, and without it I did not even want to start) To make a table with a tooling took 4 evenings.
The table was simple, but very functional.Table dimensions (W520 x D500 x H230 mm), crosscut sled (W580 x D170 x H80 mm)
Stop for lengthwise sawing.
For the table top I found at the market a sheet of laminated plywood 9mm. What was very nice. it was sawed perfectly: all sides are strictly 90 o. I attached a BlackDecker CD601 handheld circular saw to the table top. (1100W, 5000rpm, 170mm). The saw has variable depth and angle of cut.
I perfectly aligned the saw to one of the table’s edges and fastened it with M4 screws. To do that I had to drill the iron base of the circular saw in four places.
Any circular saw is generally suitable for mounting on a table, but if you choose the type of fastening with screws to the base. then it is better to choose a model with an iron base. The cast iron base might crack.
There is another popular way to attach the circular saw to the table without drilling holes in the base. attach it with clamps, which fix the base by pressing it against the surface. Only to me this way seemed not enough correct in the sense of accuracy and reliability of installation and I did not use it.
Another important parameter of a manual circular saw. it is possible to connect a vacuum cleaner. If to saw without vacuum cleaner. fine wood dust is released into the air.
The saw blade was made out of 22mm chipboard. I chose the size of the base in such a way, that it was possible to attach the tooling to the edge of the table top.
Sawed the saw blade on the top side of the table top. Height. 40mm (Bosh 160mm wood blade). The tabletop reduces the cutting depth by 9 mm. Depth of cut is set on the circular saw. It is convenient, that the disk can be completely hidden in the table.
UPD: IMPORTANT! On a number of budget circular saws it may turn out that the disk is in an imperceptible inclination. And all cuts will be beveled. It is obligatory to check up with a tool square, that the disk was under 90 grad, concerning to a surface of a table. (it is possible to check the angle in relation to the home plate before mounting the saw). If the disk is not at a right angle and you can not set the perfect angle of the table. it is possible to put some strips of tin plate underneath the table from one side and achieve the ideal angle (it is possible to put washers under the screws that fasten the saw to the table but this solution is worse)
To make starting the saw easier to control. I put the start button (it turns out that this. the most expensive part of my table 🙂 )
Inside of the table I placed the socket for saw, which will now be turned on by the start button.
For this purpose the button of the saw on the handle was fixed with a cable tie in depressed position.
Like this you can attach a vacuum cleaner to the saw. In general, the table is ready and you can saw. (made in one evening and one morning).
Of course it is possible to saw without tooling, using slats and clamps, but it is inconvenient.
Homemade Universal Slider
For all of the above guides you can make one universal slider that fits any device. The slider consists of a metal profile and a carriage on bearings.
This design, consisting of homemade guides on bearings, is very convenient: simple to make, easy to work with, fits any guide. The carriage has eight bearings: four thrust and as many side bearings to fix the carriage to the rail. A section rail is used as a guide rail. The rail guides are especially accurate, so they are used in furniture making.
Guide types
The entire arsenal of this type of devices can be classified into several categories, which ensure the performance of tasks in the processing of workpieces. Most often, the division into subtypes is carried out depending on the design that the guide rail has. Depending on the design, they are:
In addition to their design they can be divided according to the following features:
- 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 their size. short 0,8-1,1 meter, medium length up to 1,4-1,8 meter, long over 1,8 meters.
- Availability of additional devices and functions that expand the possibilities of work. a ruler for a manual circular saw, a device for curved cutting, a limiter.
- Material. aluminum, plastic, metal, wood.
- The presence of removable additional devices. protractor, limiters, interchangeable bars, guides, locks.
Guide bars, as a rule, manufacturers develop for their 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. For universal guides, the number of operations is usually kept to a minimum. cutting the material and processing the ends. In order to work with curved lines or to make a cut of a specific length you have to use special proprietary guides or try to make them yourself.
Fitting guide for circular saws, making
The simplest variant of a guide for cutting large sheets is shown in picture 3.
A sheet of plywood with straight factory edges, which is prepared for making your own cabinet, can be used to make a guide rail. To do this, you need to cut a strip from it equal to the maximum width of the circular saw in plan, plus 20 cm. The length, L, of this sheet should be somewhat longer than the maximum length of the material from which the furniture is planned to be made.
The guide rail for the circular saw. it can be made of improvised means by sawing a straight sheet of chipboard or beadboard.
Having stepped back from the factory edge (consider that it fits as perfectly flat) on the cut piece of plywood 5-7 cm, we cut a strip. It will be the ruler, along which the base of the manual circular saw must move. The rest of the cut plywood will be the base on which the ruler will be fixed. Along the ruler, leaning on it, move the saw during cutting.
It is very important that the height of the ruler is at least equal to the thickness of the base of the saw, but no more than the distance to the motor.
Now it’s necessary to fix the ruler to the base. It is fixed at a distance of 10 cm from the edge or less, but it is enough to use clamps.
A very important moment of fixing: the factory edge must be directed to the side where the cut will be made. The guide is glued to the base and additionally fastened with screws.
The final stage of manufacturing is the removal of the excess part of the base. This is done with the same saw that this entire structure was built for. The removal process is shown in picture 4. The resulting edge on the base will be as even along its entire length as the factory edge of the plywood on the ruler.
Manufacturing process of circular saw guide
As for the size of the proposed guide design, it is selected individually for the depth of cut of the available saw, as well as those workpieces that will be further processed.
The plywood sheet is used to make the tabletop. Its length can be whatever you want. The width can be made 35 cm, which will be convenient for the vast majority of circular saws. Step back 10 cm from the long edge of the plywood need to draw a marking for the installation of the profile with a T-slot. It is desirable that the profile is shorter than the actual length of the table top to make it easier to store the machine in the future. The profile must be set into the groove. It is most convenient to pick it out with a hand router by setting a parallel stop. When working with plywood, it is better to go deeper gradually, making a selection in several passes.
To remove defects on the surface of the tabletop, you need to sand the plywood.
Press the profile with the T-slot into the obtained flush-mounted slot. It is fixed with self-tapping screws along its entire length.
For the direct guide for the power tool itself you can find an angle, but it often has the same sides, which is not very convenient. It is much better to buy a channel and saw it lengthwise, obtaining 2 excellent angles with a low edge.
Now you need to make the stops for the rail. For this, you should take 2 boards with a section of 30 mm, the length corresponding to the width of the plywood table top. In this case their length is 35 cm. As for the width of the boards, it must be equal to the actual depth of cut of the circular saw plus 8 mm. Having aligned the boards with each other and put them on edge, it is necessary to mark 7 cm from the edge. From this line the length corresponding to the width of the saw’s sole is measured off. The second mark is placed a little wider, taking into account the thickness of the walls of the angle and a gap of 1 mm.
After clamping the boards in a vice, saw everything along the marked lines with a hacksaw to a depth of 1 cm, then make a groove.
Now you need to attach the boards to the table top. To do this, they are first glued, and then pulled up with screws. Note that the second board is fastened at the end of the T-slot profile, not the plywood. Before gluing it, you have to put a T-bolt in the profile
On the posts made of boards you need to fix the channels right into the groove, thereby adding rigidity. To make the construction collapsible, it is better not to screw the screws into the wood, but to install a furniture dowel and subsequently use a screw.
It is also possible to move the slides of the guide so it is possible to use it for the router. Make a few more holes and put the furniture dowels.
For the convenience of further storage of the machine in a suspended state, you can cut a through hole on the plywood that protrudes beyond the working part of the table top.
Now you need to put the circular saw on the skids. It should be turned on and drive from one edge of the countertop to the second. Slightly protruding disk will make itself a groove of about 2 mm, due to the fact that the grooves of the posts were deepened not by 8 mm, but 1 cm.
To move the saw does not bias and does not slow down, you can attach a furniture corner on its sole, slightly turning it. This may not be necessary, much depends on the type of sole.
Using an already almost finished machine it is possible to make the guides for fastening the workpieces at an angle. First of all 45 and 30 degree stops will be needed. For this purpose having taken 2 laths it is necessary to drill in them a hole under the sliding T-bolt.
Having fixed one piece at an angle of 45 degrees and having pressed a nut of manual adjustment it is necessary to cut the protruding end with a saw. The resulting piece should be glued to the bottom of the back of the slat, creating an additional stop. It will rest on the side edge of the table top, so you can later fix the guide without the protractor. In the same way you can prepare special rails for other angles.
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Before you start making a guide bar for your handheld circular saw, you need to determine the nuances of its application:
- mode of use. The more often you will use the saw, the sturdier and higher quality the materials from which the guide is made. Otherwise, the friction that inevitably occurs during operation will lead to its wear and reduce the accuracy of the cut;
- the characteristics of the material being sawed. If wood is very thick, make sure the saw blade cuts through completely. For example the plywood or aluminum profile guide bar described in this article reduces the depth of cut by the thickness of the material from which the guide bar is made;
- the technical capabilities of the tool. These include: maximum blade diameter; slitting and crosscutting capabilities; a swiveling platform that allows you to saw at an angle.
Remember that the accuracy of the cut is not only dependent on the quality of the guide bar. It also depends on the condition of the tool. Make sure that the saw’s support platform is always firmly fixed and stationary with respect to the body. Also remember to change or resharpen the saw blade in time. Dull saw blade teeth leave a large number of chips on the cutting edge when working.
Using a guide bar with a hand saw greatly expands its range of applications. And the ability to use such a device not only with a saw, but also with a jigsaw or a hand router, even more increases its value.
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Advantages of a homemade guide rail
The guide allows you to make even cuts Many people think that self-made tires have no advantages. But in fact they have a number of advantages:
There are some disadvantages of homemade structures. The main disadvantage is that it is not easy to make them. Therefore, in order to avoid problems, it is necessary to understand in advance how to make guides for the circular saw with your own hands.
Materials and tools required
Before you start making a design, you should familiarize yourself with the list of necessary tools and materials:
- Wooden workpieces: panels, plywood, laminate;
- Bars of wood with a thickness of 10 cm or more;
- Self-tapping screws, screws, bolts or nuts;
- Drill with drills;
- Screwdrivers or electric screwdriver.
Additional information! The above tools should be prepared in advance, so that they are at hand during the creation of the guide.
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 a matter of constant use, then it is recommended to look closely at the guide with the richest equipment with all bolts, clamps, protractor and ruler. For occasional use, you can buy a basic set with a minimal set of functions.
When choosing, you must also 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 choose correctly the length and width of the rail, so that it is longer than the workpiece by 2 lengths of the sole.
Cutter version one
Take the strip from the previously mentioned 450 mm long angle bar. For proper marking this workpiece is placed on the circular saw table so that the wide bar is parallel to the saw’s cutting disk. The narrow bar should be on the work table on the opposite side from the disk, as shown in the figure. In the narrow bar (width 41 mm) angle at a distance of 20 mm from the end marked the centers of the three through holes with a diameter of 8 mm, the distance between them must be the same. From the location line of the marked centers, at a distance of 268 mm, a fishing line for a trimmer is marked for the location of the centers of three more through holes with a diameter of 8 mm (with the same distance between them). This finishes the marking.
After that you can proceed directly to the assembly.
- Drill 6 marked holes with a diameter of 8 mm, file or emery paper to treat burrs that are inevitably created by drilling.
- Two 8×18 mm pins are pressed into the outermost holes of each triplet.
- The received construction is put on the work table so that the pins are inserted into the grooves of the circular saw table design, on both sides of the circular saw blade perpendicularly to its plane, the narrow slat of the angle is put on the plane of the work table. the whole fixture moves freely along the table surface parallel to the plane of the sawing disk, the pins act as guides, preventing the stop from tilting and disturbing the parallelism of the circular saw disk planes and the vertical surface of the stop.
- From the bottom of the working table in the grooves and the middle holes between the pins of the stop are inserted M8 bolts so that their threaded part entered into the table slot and holes of the rack, and the heads of the bolts rested against the bottom surface of the table and was between the pins.
- On each side on top of the rail, which is a parallel stop, a wing nut or a standard M8 nut is screwed on the M8 bolt. Thus the whole construction is rigidly fixed to the table.
The guide rail runs parallel to the saw blade because the pins act as guides and prevent the parallel stop from tilting relative to the saw blade.
Features of a circular saw guide
Manual tools often have limited capabilities. To make a cut in a wooden workpiece, it is necessary to press the sole of the hand circular saw firmly against it and move it smoothly forward along the marking. But the plunge of the working disk into the wood is accompanied by vibration. It is therefore quite difficult to hold the tool in your hands on a defined trajectory.
This is what a parallel stop for a circular saw is for. It is attached to the workpiece near the marking line. And by placing the side of the bandsaw foot against it, a perfectly even cut is possible. Such a device becomes extremely necessary for planing boards. Doing this kind of work is very difficult without him.
- To ensure the accuracy of the cut and the quality of work.
- To create safety in the working area.
- Make it possible to make cuts in different shapes.
Not only can the tool make longitudinal cuts, but also cross cuts. It can be used to adjust the parameters of the workpiece. And also to carry out the machining of several elements at the same time. For example, to perform batch facing.
A normal wooden bar or a bar of sufficient length and thickness can serve as a guide for the circular saw. The only requirement is that the workpiece must be perfectly finished. And all sides of it perfectly aligned. The bar can be clamped to the workbench using clamps, together with the workpiece. This simple device already makes long cuts much easier.
But sometimes the craftsman is also faced with difficult tasks. For example, to work on a part at a certain angle, or to make a cut in a complex configuration. And in this case you can’t do without a special device.
The side stop for circular saws is available in different types:
- one-sided;
- double-sided;
- symmetrical;
- asymmetric;
- complex configuration;
- for specialized tasks;
- for cutting crossbars;
- universal.
The working side of the tool is most often marked in millimeters. The ruler for circular saws makes the work process much easier. It also happens to be necessary, if it is necessary to cut grooves in the workpiece.
Universal rail can be used as on a stationary circular saw, as well as when working with hand tools. It is useful when using an electric jigsaw or a mechanical wood saw. and, of course, when working with a circular saw.
Methods of production
Factory made stop for circular saws is mainly made of metal. But there are also examples of wood. The main condition is that the material must not be deformable. Folk craftsmen use different raw materials for the guide.
Materials for making a tire at home:
- plywood;
- wooden bars;
- A metal corner;
- n-shaped profile;
- rail;
- end trumpet;
- laminate.
The easiest way to make a guide for a circular saw is from a pressed typical profile. Both aluminum and magnesium alloy blanks are suitable for the work. It is necessary to choose a part with unequal shelf angle section. For example, one side will be 70 mm wide and 6 mm thick. The other side of the angle has dimensions of 41×10 mm.
Adapting to the table with slots
This method is suitable if you have a workbench in your workshop, which already has grooves in the worktop. Approximately the same as on a standard stationary sawing machine. On either side of the circular saw. The width of the groove is arbitrary. In our case it is 8 mm.
The parallel stop for the circular saw on the working table will be positioned as follows. The narrow side of the profile will be against the surface. Its end must face away from the circular saw. The wider part rises above the table. The wood to be cut will slide along it.
The whole manufacturing process boils down to the following:
- The profile is cut to the right size. It must be slightly shorter than the table length.
- On the narrow part, on the inside, the middle of the length of the entire piece is marked.
- On the workbench measure the distance between the slots. And it is divided in half. Add 4 more millimeters to the result.
- The cut is marked on both sides of the centre of the narrowest part of the profile.
- On these marks a line perpendicular to the wide part of the angle for the trimmer is drawn.
- Center marks for the 3 through holes on each side of the narrow part. Their diameter is 8 mm and they must be equidistant from each other. As on the drawing.
- All six holes are drilled and worked out with a file.
- Do not touch the central holes, and in each fringe hole is pressed a pin from the outer side of the angle. Its protruding length is equal to the depth of the groove on the work table.
At the final step we put the ready piece with pins into the grooves on the table. The circular saw guide must move freely on the surface within the slots. The pins will not let the stop to be out of parallel with the circular saw. To fix it firmly to the workbench you need to pick up 2 bolts of the right size.
For table without slots
Take the same billet as in the previous case. But since the table already has no guide grooves, you need to make two additional parts. They can be made from metal equal-sided angle of section 20×20 mm.
They will slide along the ends of the work table and serve as guides. But since the thickness of the workbench top may be thicker, you may have to pick up a corner with matching sides. Because one of the ribs of the profile must go under the table top.
Making the side stop for the circular saw. step by step:
- The workpiece is cut evenly to the length of the table.
- On its edges, in the ends of the narrow part, two holes are drilled to a depth of 30 mm for the subsequent application of the internal thread M5.
- Using a tap, threads are tapped in each of them.
- Two parts equal to the width of the narrow part of the profile (41 mm) are cut from the steel angle.
- In each of them need to make three holes for thread M5. Two on the edges at the top. But that they coincided with made holes in the end of the angle. And one at the bottom in the middle to fix it to the table.
- All the holes are threaded.
- Each of the parts is fastened to the ends of the circular stop with screws or bolts M5×25.
For the central hole pick up a bolt or a bolt with a wing nut or use a standard hexagonal head. To make it easier to fix the rail in the right place.
Such simple attachments will greatly simplify all wood sawing operations. And, thanks to the stopper, the cut is perfectly smooth. And it is easy and convenient to use the simple mechanism in both cases.