Circular saw advice

[ajbell]

Hi All

Just spent money on a circular saw as I thought
it may be of use to cut panels down to a manageable size
or even to dimension wood to final size.

Rushed into workshop (OK garage) with bright new yellow
toy and looked at large plywood panel balanced on
small B&D workmate.

Scratched head for while and reached for trusty yellow stanley hand
saw !

Can anyone recommend a source of good info (book, web etc.)
on the use of circular saws?

I am sure there must be lots of smart jigs I could make which
would allow me to justify my puchase to the wife!

Please help!

the only other saws I have are a small bandsaw and a jigsaw which
only cuts curves!

Andy

 

[Manny]

Try searching on google, I came up with this

http://www.ehow.com/how_12072_circular-saw.html

There were many more. If you've not used one before take care!

Best to run the saw off a straight edge, but if it is a large sheet you will need some support, I find one of these useful -

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1104

John

 

[Scrit]

HI AJ

Just spent money on a circular saw as I thought it may be of use to cut panels down to a manageable size or even to dimension wood to final size.

It will be, eventually

Rushed into workshop (OK garage) with bright new yellow
toy and looked at large plywood panel balanced on small B&D workmate.

OK, so you need to get the timber in a place where it is flat, horizontal and supported, but where you aren't going to saw through the sheet and the floor, 'coz concrete isn't too goood for the blade! The simplest solution I can see is to have 9 lengths of 3 x 2in rough sawn studding about 4 ft long (which you'll get out of three 12 ft lengths. BTW I cheat and get mine from someone who repairs pallets at 10p/foot - nails and all). Lay these on the floor about 10 inches apart, set the saw to cut 3 to 5mm more than the thickness of the sheet and then away you go..... I'd regard the studding as sacrificial were I you. :lol: I still do just this with 10 x 5ft sheets of MF-MDF when I'm on my own and can't manhandle it onto the table saw in one piece. Not often, but it does happen

In the medium term you can increase the size of your Workmate by cadging a kitchen worktop offcut, or even a length of scrap top from a local kitchen fitter and screwing a 3 x 2 stud beneath it like a fin. This can be flipped over and radically increases the amount of "workbench" real estate you have. Add a portable vice and you're away

In the longer term I'd probably make-up 4 or so sawing stools with an extra thick cross pieces fixed to the top with two or three notches cut in them. Two sawing stools plus 3 off lengths 3 x 2in studs (in the notches) plus a piece of chipboard = one bench, or a "sacrificial sawing table" (remove the chipboard and providing you don't mind scoring the tops of the studs). Double-up (4 trestles) and you should be able to handle an 8 x 4 sheet. Allright, 4 x2s would be better, but it's just that I can get these 3 x 2s really cheaply..... (which is pretty much what Manny's link shows, although those sawing stools are MUCH wider)

As to good books, in general I'd suggest something like Alf Martensen's "The Woodworkers Bible" as covering a lot of territory, including starting with a basic hand circular saw.....

Scrit

 

[Chris Knight]

I use a cutting grid as per the second of Manny's links, to support the work.

You can also lay a piece of polystyrene insulation board on a flat floor to support a piece of sheet material for cutting.

 

[ajbell]

Hi

Thanks for the quick replies

I have printed all your links off and found a few more
if anyone else new to circular saws wants them.

http://www.sawdustmaking.com/Circular%2 ... r_saws.htm
http://www.members.aol.com/woodmiser1/sawbd.htm
http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article. ... e_id=60197

To be honest I did not even know you adjust the depth of cut
for different thickness of materials - I would just have used
it at max depth for everything!

I feel more confident (and safer!) now.

THANKS

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

Andy, This might help

 

[ajbell]

Thanks Tony et al.

I think a decent blade along with a cutting grid, a saw guide and set of saw horses and I will be in panel cutting heaven (hopefully not literally!)

I also intend to make a 'saw box' for cross cutting straight and
maybe even mitres (I don't have a SCMS).

Andy

 

[wizer]

I have seen Chris's (waterhead37) saw horse grid in action and it works very well. It's another on the endless lists of tuits.