How to turn a circular saw into a circular saw

Sawing machine from a circular saw with his own hands

In addition to the above option for the home mater quite interesting option would be to create a universal base to install on it with standard inserts of other power tools:

As practice shows, the creation and successful operation of such machines can not only solve the problem of improving home workshops, but also significantly saves money on the purchase of expensive equipment.

Although these machines don’t look very aesthetically pleasing, they perform very well in everyday work.

Circular saw made from an angle grinder or circular saw

If there is no need to work with massive wooden workpieces, you can make a small stationary saw from a ready-made power tool.

Circular saw

The handheld circular saw is a finished and sufficiently safe tool.

Handheld circular saw on rails

There are two options for stationary use:

  • You can simply clamp the saw to the bottom of the table so that the disk protrudes above the surface to the desired height. The difficulty is that the switch will not be available. Consequently, it must be interlocked and duplicate the starter or remove the regular switch from the body of the circular saw. This is efficient, but not safe.
  • Another option is a sliding frame. From two parallel metal rails is mounted base. A frame with rollers and an attached circular saw is mounted on it.

The workpiece is stationary, and the circular saw, moving along the guides on the carriage, makes cuts at the desired angle. This uncomplicated machine can really do wonders with small workpieces.

How to use a circular saw as a circular saw you can see in this video

Circular saw design

General scheme of a stationary circular saw

The first step is to understand the features of the design, to determine the optimal scheme of manufacture. It directly depends on the characteristics of the work performed, the size of the workpiece, the species of wood. Only after that can the circular saw be made with our own hands.

The main component of the saw is the blade, which has cutting teeth on its face surface. They may differ not only in geometric dimensions, but also in the angle of inclination relative to the plane of the disc. For making cuts, the design includes an electric motor. It can be connected to the disc directly (through the shaft) or with a system of driving torque transmission. This tool is designed to perform longitudinal and transverse cuts, some models have the ability to make angular, relative to the plane of the workpiece.

turn, circular

Before you make a circular saw with your own hands, you should choose the depth of processing. For this, it is necessary to get acquainted with the classification of the equipment:

For work around the house, it is enough to choose a model with a small or medium cutting depth. If complex material processing is required, a hand-held circular saw is needed. For making vertical cuts, it is possible to make a home-made sawmill.

Deciding on design and construction

The simplest version of the table for a circular saw is a construction from thick enough plywood and boards

The base can be made of wood or metal. For the table top choose leafy wood species. A special hole should be made in it for the disk. The key feature of the created table should be comfort.

Care should be taken about its stability. No loosening is allowed, otherwise it will negatively affect safety. The tabletop should have the flattest possible surface. Then the probability of getting injured at work is reduced.

Circular saw table requires the mandatory presence of guides

The structure can be supplemented with a special riving knife. It can be removed. It is equipped with a special disc protector that allows you to get rid of chips flying into the worker.

Circular saw table guide

Some people remove the factory guard and replace the factory platform with a homemade one. If you do not intend to saw at an angle, you can remove the parts that regulate the slope of the blade.

Checking the power unit of the machine

1 way

Connect the ammeter to the motor terminals and measure the no-load. If the load is higher than the allowable (nominal) load specified for this type of motor, then your problems are electrical. If the load is normal, try cutting blanks of different thickness and choose such a thickness that the value of the ammeter is 1 amp less than the nominal. This is the maximum thickness of wood for processing. If you do not have enough power, you can change the motor to a more powerful.

2 way

We switch on the machine tool in a chain, start and wait until it completely “turns around”. start. Feel the degree of heating of el. of the motor. Allowable readings are within 50.70 degrees. At this temperature, a person can easily keep his hands on the motor housing for more than three seconds. When working, be sure to check the heating of el. of the motor.

How to make a circular sawing machine at home

The first thing you need to decide is the size of the future machine.

Dimensions of the stationary circular saw bed

These are selected according to the volume of work to be performed. Large-scale sawing of large workpieces, firewood requires a relatively large table. Sawing off sawblades from unedged boards requires a long table, etc.д. The optimal height of the machine is always about the same.

The most universal, suitable for most jobs and workpieces are the following dimensions: height 650-750 mm, length 700-1000 mm, width depends on the shaft. But the working table on one side of the saw blade should be at least 250. 400 mm wide, so you can mark a wide workpiece so that it does not overwheel when sawing.

How to Turn Your Circular Saw into a Track Saw. Track Saw Guides

Height is important. If the bed is too low, when working the master will bend his back, which is uncomfortable and tedious. It is difficult to lift heavy workpieces on a too high bed, and it is difficult to work with them. The average height is indicated above (650-750mm), but it can be adjusted by the height of the master and the size of workpieces. High slab beds are inconvenient for heavy slabs and boards.

Making A Circular Saw Sliding Guide | Homemade Sliding Saw Very Easy

Other table-top saws are available as an alternative. They are low in height. For work, they are installed on separate workbenches or frames of suitable height.

Also for sawing long pieces of wood, sometimes additional separate saw stands are used. Most often they are the simplest wooden supports.

It is necessary to define at once clearly the dimensions of the future machine, based on the above considerations.

Bed material

Then choose the material from which the bed and the work table can be made. There are variants.

Metal

For the base any available rolled metal is used: angle, square or rectangular profile, pipes for the legs, channels, purchased or from scrap metal.

Angles of size 40×40 with a thickness of at least 2 mm and above have sufficient safety margin for all elements of the bed. Thinner angle bars (25X25) can be used for strapping the frame around the perimeter.

powerful channels have a stock of strength, many times greater than necessary. Increase the weight of the construction, which is not a disadvantage, if the machine does not have to constantly drag. A solid machine is better at dampening vibrations during operation. If you have to buy metal, you should not overpay for the apparent excessive power and weight.

For the plane of the table use metal sheets 5-10 mm thick (ferrous metals) or 10-20 mm (aluminum).

Wood

The wood is prone to shrinking and swelling with size changes, warping and cracking. Has a low specific strength compared to metals, requires treatment against rot and mildew in wet rooms. Not well suited for this purpose. But because of its availability, ease of processing and assembly, it is sometimes used here as well. With conditions:

  • Straight wood, without knots and interlacing of layers is selected;
  • Moisture must match the humidity in the room where the machine will be located;
  • It is desirable to season the workpieces for 3-4 years, at least 1 year;
  • Hard woods are used. oak, beech.

Another advantage is that wood dampens vibrations well, such machines work more quietly even than on a cast bed of porous cast iron.

And it is not made of wood alone. The shaft should be fixed on a metal frame, which is attached to a wooden base.

Other materials

For the working tables, plywood of 10 mm thickness or more is well suited. Plywood. a multilayer material of thin wood sheets and layers of glue. In this combination, the internal stresses of the thin wood are negligible and are compensated for by adhesive layers and neighboring sheets. That is why thick plywood warps much less than solid wood. On the table it can last a long time. In case of damage this table can easily be replaced with a new one.

Thick plywood can be used to make the legs and frame strapping elements. They are glued and screwed together with bolts or self-tapping screws on one leg with 2-3 pieces of 10-20 mm in thickness.

OSB, Laminated OSB, Fibreboard are not well suited for these purposes, since they are brittle and prone to breakage under load and shock. Can be used for temporary machines, which are only needed for one construction site, for example.

Work tables made of such material are fastened flush with the frame of the bed, without overhangs. Protruding edges can chip under light loads. Additional cross beams may be needed, as the cavities under the table made of chipboard longer than 40 cm may break if a heavy workpiece is thrown.

Engine

Well-powered stationary circular saws have motor power, from a minimum of 500-700 W and above, up to industrial versions of 5-10 kW.

Low-powered self-made circular saw with motor (500-700 W) is able to saw with disc of small diameter (up to 180mm) workpieces with thickness up to 40-50mm with low productivity. For this reason, motors from washing machines (180-350W) are not suitable, although they can be used on the minitools for sawing miniature workpieces.

Optimal power for self-made circular saw. 1,1-2,2 kW at high speeds, the best motor “three-thousandths”. 2800-2900 rpm, running from 220V household network.

Three-phase asynchronous 380V motors converted to 220V were often used. Thus it is necessary to remember that after adaptation to 220 V the engine loses up to 2/3 of its power. That is, a three-phase motor of 5.5 kW after conversion to one phase with the help of capacitors will be able to work with the power of about 2 kW.

Therefore, the best option is a factory motor. E.g. single-phase AAIES 80c2 2.2kW/3000rpm. 220V production of the factory in Moscow. Mogilev, Belarus. The cost for the middle of 2021 is about 8-9 thousand.

Gasoline engines

This variant has advantages and disadvantages.

How to make a circular sawing machine at home

The first thing you need to decide is the size of the future machine.

Dimensions of the stationary circular saw frame

They are selected according to the volume of work to be performed. For sawing large billets, firewood requires a fairly large table. For sawing sawn wood from unedged boards a long table is required, and so on.д. Optimal height of the machine is always about the same.

The most universal, suitable for most types of work and workpieces are the following dimensions: height 650-750 mm, length 700-1000 mm, width depends on the shaft. But, the working table on one side of the saw blade must be at least 250. 400 mm wide to be able to mark a wide workpiece so that it does not over-saw when sawing.

The height is important. If the bed is too low, it is very uncomfortable and tiresome for the operator. On too high bed is difficult to lift heavy workpieces, and difficult to work with them. The average height is given above (650-750mm), but it can be adjusted by the height of the master and the size of workpieces. For heavy slabs and boards high bed is not convenient.

Other table-top machines are also possible. They are low in height. For operation, they are installed on separate workbenches or frames of suitable height.

Also for sawing long workpieces sometimes additional separate stands are used. Most often it is the simplest supports made of wood.

turn, circular

The dimensions of the future machine should be clearly defined at the outset, based on the above considerations.

Bed material

Then we choose the material from which the bed and the worktable can be made. There are variants.

Metal

For the base any available rolled metal is used: angles, square or rectangular sections, pipes for the legs, channels, purchased or from scrap metal.

Angles of size from 40×40 thickness of at least 2 mm and above have sufficient margin of safety for all elements of the frame. Thinner angles (25X25) can be used for strapping the frame around the perimeter.

powerful channel bars have a margin of safety, many times greater than necessary. Increase the weight of the structure, which is not a disadvantage, if the machine does not have to be constantly dragged. A solid machine absorbs vibrations better. If you have to buy rolled steel, do not overpay for the apparent excessive power and weight.

For the plane of the desk use metal sheets 5-10 mm thick (ferrous metals) or 10-20 mm (aluminum).

Wood

Wood is prone to drying and swelling with size changes, warping and cracking. Has a low specific strength in comparison with metals, requires treatment against rot and mildew in wet rooms. Not well suited for this purpose. But because of its accessibility, ease of handling and assembly, it is sometimes used here as well. With conditions:

  • straight wood, without knots or interlacing layers, is selected;
  • The humidity must match that of the room where the machine will be located;
  • Desirable seasoning blanks for 3-4 years, at least 1 year;
  • hard woods are used. oak, beech.

Another plus: Wood has excellent vibration damping and is even quieter than cast iron workbenches.

The machine is not made of wood alone. The shaft must be fixed on a metal frame, which is attached to a wooden base.

Other materials

Plywood with a thickness of 10 mm or more is well suited for work tables. Plywood is a multilayer material made of thin sheets of wood and layers of glue. In this combination the internal stresses of the thin wood are negligible and are compensated for by the layers of glue and the adjacent sheets. Because thick plywood warps much less than solid wood. It can be used on the table for a long time. If damaged, such a table can easily be replaced with a new one.

Thick plywood can be used to make the legs and stringers. At the same time glued and screwed together with bolts or self-tapping screws on one leg of 2-3 pieces of 10-20 mm thick.

OSB, Laminated OSB, Fibreboard are not well suited for this purpose, as they are brittle and prone to cracking under load and impact. Can be used for temporary workstations, for example, which are only needed for a single construction site.

Work tables made of this material are mounted flush with the frame of the bed, without overhangs. Protruding edges may chip under light loads. Extra cross braces may be needed because the cavities under a particleboard table longer than 40 cm may crack under a heavy workpiece.

Engine

Workable stationary circulators have motor power, starting at a minimum of 500-700 watts and up, all the way up to industrial versions of 5-10-kW.

Low-power self-made circular saw with motor (500-700 W) is able to saw with a disc of small diameter (up to 180mm) workpieces up to 40-50 mm thick with low output. For this reason, motors from washing machines (180-350W) are not suitable, although they can be used on ministries for sawing miniature workpieces.

Optimal power for the home-made circular saw. 1,1-2,2 kW at high speed, the best motor “three-thousandths”. 2800-2900 rpm, running from 220V household network.

Three-phase asynchronous 380 V motors converted to 220 V were often used. Thus it is necessary to remember that after adaptation for 220 V the motor loses up to 2/3 of its capacity. That is, a three-phase motor of 5.5 kW can operate at about 2 kW after conversion to one phase with the help of capacitors.

Therefore, the best option is a homemade motor. E.g. single-phase AYPE (5AIE) 80c2 2.2kW/3000rpm. 220V sawmill produced by the factory in Dresden, Germany. Mogilev, Belarus. The cost for the middle of 2021 is about 8-9 thousand.

Gasoline engines

This option has its advantages and disadvantages.

secrets of the circular saw: guy with his own hands

Most beginners with their own hands feel perfectly comfortable using an electric drill or jigsaw, but almost all of them hesitate to take up a portable circular saw. And that’s not surprising when you consider that drills and jigsaws are relatively safe, quiet, and easy to operate. On the other hand, a portable circular saw is a powerful, noisy creature, throwing sawdust that can cause serious injury if used improperly.Here are 10 tips on how to do it right.

Examine the saw

Perform a quick safety check of the saw before each use. Make sure the bottom blade guard retracts smoothly and snaps into place when released. Check the blade for chips or broken teeth; replace it if you find any damage. On power saws, check the power cord for cracks. When using a cordless saw, make sure the battery is fully charged. Be sure to disconnect the cord or remove the battery before loosening, tightening, or replacing the blade.

Check the blade

Speed and cut quality depend on the condition of the saw blade. Never cut with a dull, rusted or damaged blade. I recommend a combination thin-cutting blade with a carbide tip that can be used for cross-cutting and rip cuts in solid wood and plywood. With the saw turned off or the battery removed, adjust the depth of cut so the blade protrudes no more than 1/4 inch beyond the edge of the board.

Circular saws are not just tools for cutting wood.With the right blade, the saw can also cut various types of metal and masonry, masonry and concrete.

Find the correct position of the saw

There are no clear rules about which direction to make the cut, but if possible, position the saw so that its motor faces the majority of the board, which does not fall off when you cut. That way the base plate or saw shoe will be fully supported throughout the cut, and you won’t have to bear the weight of the saw when the chopped piece falls off.

Make simple and precise cross cuts

Making perfectly square cross cuts with a circular saw is easy if you guide the saw with an angle (a frame square or Speed Square will do). Hold the saw so that its blade is directly on the cutting line. Then slide the square against the backing plate on the saw, and press it tight against the edge of the board. Make sure the blade does not touch the board, then pull the trigger and allow the saw to reach full speed. Now just run the saw across the square to get a clean square cut.

Prevent binding

When cutting sheets of plywood or paneling, it is important to provide proper support to eliminate the dangerous kickback that can occur if the blade gets pinched in the cut. Place four long 2 x 4 sheets under the sheet you are cutting, placing one 2 x 4 next to each side of the cut line. Then when you make the cut, both halves of the plywood will be fully supported by two 2 x 4s throughout the cut. When sawing lumber on the gantry, plan the cut outside the gantry pair (not between them).Allow the shorter piece to fall while the longer piece stays on the horses. Cutting between the horses leads to the fact that the lumber clamps the blade at the failure.

Make precise cuts

A longitudinal cut is simply a cut that runs parallel to the wood fibers, as opposed to a transverse cut that runs through the wood fibers. Most circular saws come with a metal guide rip that attaches to the base plate on the saw. This type of guide works, but it is limited to gaps of only about 6 inches.Wide. The best option is to secure an 8-foot board in place to use as a guide ruler. You can make the guide from a perfectly straight 1 x 8 or 1 x 10, but I prefer a 10 to 12 inch wide rip and 1/2 inch. Birch plywood. The factory edge of the plywood is always smooth and perfectly flat, making it the perfect guide for the saw. Mark the line for the trimmer cut on the piece you are ripping, then measure the distance from the saw blade to the edge of the base plate on the saw, which is, say, 3-1 / 2. Now measure over from the cut line-.1/2 in. and fasten or bolt ruler guide plate in place. While cutting, press the saw support plate against the ruler guide. Here are our illustrated instructions for making a similar circular saw guide.

Avoid splintering the wood

The circular saw’s rotating blade enters the bottom of the board and exits through the top, often resulting in chipping on the top surface. Now this is not a problem when cutting wall frames or floor slabs, but when sawing expensive hardwoods or hardwood veneers.Here’s the solution: place the board or panel with the best surface facing down. That way, any splintering will occur on both the top and back sides. When cutting doors to size, you want to avoid chipping on both sides. Here’s how: again, place the best side face down, that is, the side of the door that will be most visible after it is hung. Then make a notch along the edge of the cut line with a sharp office knife. Now when you make the cut, the wood fibers will be neatly cut along the line with the notches, leaving a smooth cut with no splinters.I recently put this tip into practice when explaining how to build a classic wooden storage bench.

turn, circular

Stack, clamp, and cut

If you need to cut more than one piece of plywood of the same size, try a method known as group cutting. Stack four or five sheets on top of each other, making sure the edges are perfectly aligned. Clamp the pieces, then adjust the saw blade to the maximum cutting depth and cut through all the sheets at the same time.

Cutting safely at an angle

All circular saws can be adjusted to cut at an angle of up to 45 degrees.However, when the base plate is fully tilted, the lower blade guard tends to cling to the edge of the board. In this case, do not use force on the saw. instead, release the trigger, raise the blade guard with your hand, and make the cut. Once the blade has plunged an inch or so into the wood, you can remove the guard.

Safety precautions at work

Because of the rotating saw blade and the electric motor, a home-built wood sawing machine is a high-risk tool. Therefore, the following safety precautions must be observed when working on it:

  • It is necessary to work in protective goggles, gloves and overalls;
  • Before beginning work, check saw blade for visible damage and defects. If there are any, it is absolutely necessary to replace the blade;
  • Inspect the workpieces to be sawed. Nails, screws and other materials that could damage or deform the saw blade must not be in them;
  • When working with workpieces, it is best to use special pushers to protect yourself from possible injury;
  • As the work process generates a large amount of fine sawdust, it is necessary to work in a well-ventilated room and with sufficient lighting;
  • To change the saw blade, switch off the tool and wait until the blade stops completely. Do not stop by hand.

The wood circular saw is an indispensable tool in the household of every householder. For infrequent domestic use, there is no need to buy expensive factory-made units. If you have the desire and a little free time, you can make it yourself.