Looks like Dale has answered the issue for the left-sided blade.
1. The new tool I referred to earlier is an expensive, high quality $430 tool
from Festool.
Here is a SUMMARY REVIEW by Mark Edmundson
The Festool TS 55 EQ is a circular saw like no other. With its splinter guard,
razor-sharp blade, and well-engineered guide system, the saw makes long,
straight
cutswhether on plywood, tabletops, or cabinet doorsextremely accurately,
cleanly, and easily, virtually eliminating the need for a larger, more
expensive panel saw or sliding tablesaw.
The Festool adds a unique plunge action, opening up a range of other tasks. I
work with a lot of cabinet-grade plywood, and while I have a panel-saw
attachment for my tablesaw, wrestling the 4x8 sheets onto the carriage without
scratching the veneers or throwing out my back is a chore. With the TS 55EQ, I
can whittle down large sheets to a manageable size quickly and cleanly.
The key to the saws accuracy is the 55-in. guide rail made from extruded
aluminum. The base of the saw mates with and slides effortlessly along tracks
in the guide rail. You can correct for any slop in the fit by tightening two
small cam screws on the saws base. Two foam strips under the rail provide a
firm footing to hold it in place without clamps, and they protect the wood
surface from scratches. Simply align the edge of the rail with the cut line,
set the saw on the rail, and make the cut.
The guide rail mates with Festools OF 1010 EQ router (with guide rail
attachment, No. 488752), making the system even more valuable and versatile.
Key features of the saw include a plunge depth stop (metric), a 1-in. and
1-7/16 in. dust port, and a splitter to prevent binding. A splinter guard acts
like the zero-clearance insert in a tablesaw to help make splinter-free cuts,
even close to the edge of plywood, in stacks of veneer sheets, and on cabinet
doors. The controls are easy to reach and the saw is comfortable to use,
portable, and stores easily.
2. An alternative to this expensive system is to make your your guide rail
system. Here's an excerpt from an article:
Make dedicated cutting guides
The difficulty in using a straightedge with a circular saw is that you
have to offset the straightedge from the cut line to account for the
width of the saw's base. My first approach to simplifying this
process was to rip a strip of Masonite the exact width of this offset.
I would lay this spacer down next to the cut line and then snug my
straightedge up to the spacer. It didn't take long to figure out that
it would be more convenient to attach a Masonite spacer to the
bottom of the straightedge.
Now I simply lay the Masonite base of a cutting guide right on
the cut line, clamp the guide to the workpiece and cut. One bonus is
that the saw glides smoothly across the Masonite instead of on my
workpiece. And another is that the Masonite backs up the cut, min-
imizing splintering of the veneer in cross-grain cuts.
I keep several of these guides in the shop, in different sizes and
configurations. Together with the circular saw and the cutting
table, they make dissecting large panels a breeze. I recommend at
least three different guides: an 8-foot. guide for cutting sheet goods in
the long dimension, an easier-to-wield 4-foot. version for shorter cuts
and a 90° guide for perfectly square cuts
To make a guide, begin by cutting an 8-inch-wide strip of 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch
thick plywood for the fence portion. Next, measure the saw's foot-
printthe distance from the blade to the edge of the base on the
side under the motor. Then make the Masonite base. Its width is
8 inches plus the saw's footprint plus an inch or so extra, which will be
trimmed off. The plywood for the fence should be of good quali-
tysomething with good inner plies, such as hardwood or marine
plywood. The edge that the circular saw will be running against
should be free of voids, if possible. For the Masonite base, tem-
pered is best, 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch thick.
To assemble a straight guide, lay the plywood fence, best-side
down, on the table, and lay down the Masonite strip with the best
side down on top of the plywood. Drill and countersink clearance
holes in the Masonite, about every 6 inches along the length of the as-
sembly. Clamp the two boards and screw them together, being
careful to get the screws fully countersunk.
Your next move will be to trim the Masonite base. If you haven't
bought a good sawblade yet, drop everything and do it nowyour
guide will be trimmed to match your exact saw and blade combi-
nation; you don't want to make a guide with one blade and use it
with another. When you get back from the store and put your
good carbide blade in the saw, check the blade for square and par-
allel. Then clamp the guide to your cutting table and trim off the excess
Masonite by running the saw down the length of the assembly. Now the guide is
ready to go.
The key to making the right-angle cutting guide is getting an ac-
curate 90°. I use a scrap piece of plywood as a form when I join
the two legs of the guide. I use a factory corner (checking with a
square to see that it is 90°) or cut one corner square.
Using a guide is a snap. The only thing to remember is that the
guide is always placed on the good side of the cut marksthat is,
on top of the piece you're going to be usingso that the saw kerf
is in the waste.
--
Larry Martin
Woodworking for the Blind
--joining the world of blind wood workers
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: William Stephan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Thanks Larry, I'll stay tuned.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:56 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] accu-rip saw guide or something similar?
>
> I don't know but I will do a little research on that. I imagine the
> answer is that there are relatively few left-cut saws therefore a much
> more limited market for it. Dale's description of making a plywood guide
> is quite good. That method gives you a straight edge to follow along
> with a thin platform for your ciruclar saw to ride on avoiding scratches
> to the workpiece and the edge of the platform is a perfect guide for
> lining up with your cut line.
>
> I did read a review of a really smooth device for guiding a s circular
> saw and I will look for that as well.
>
> I should have the research finished by the end of the afternoon.
>
> --
> Larry Martin
> Woodworking for the Blind
> --joining the world of blind wood workers
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: William Stephan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> <mailto:wstephan%40everestkc.net> net>
> > Larry, anybody ever use these with a left-bladed saw, and if not, why
> > not, if you know.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>
> yahoogroups.com
> > [mailto:blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>
> yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
> > woodworkingforthebl <mailto:woodworkingfortheblind%40comcast.net>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2007 8:51 AM
> > To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>
> yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] accu-rip saw guide or something similar?
> >
> > The Accu-Rip Guide Tool Review from This Old House reads as follows:
> > "Making straight, accurate cuts on 4x8 sheets of plywood or long rips
> in
> > boards is less of a challenge with the Accu-Rip saw guide from
> Craftsman
> > ($40). Just secure its 27-inch-long aluminum arm to the base of a
> > right-bladed circular saw, "zeroing" the arm with the saw blade. Then
> > slide the "cut guide" along the graduated arm to the desired cut width
> > and tighten it in place. This guide runs against the edge of the
> board,
> > ensuring straight cuts as wide as 24 inches and as narrow as 1/16
> inch;
> > no other ripping guide cuts as close. As with any saw guide, the last
> > inch or so has to be cut freehand; and when making wide cuts, a hand
> is
> > needed on the cut guide to move it and the saw together."
> >
> > An easy home-made guide would simply be the straight edge of a piece
> of
> > plywood that you clamp into position at both ends. You would need to
> > line up the blade of the circular saw with your intended cut line,
> then
> > lay the straight edge in position against the edge of the base of the
> > circular saw then clamp the straight edge in position.
> >
> > --
> > Larry Martin
> > Woodworking for the Blind
> > --joining the world of blind wood workers
> >
> > -------------- Original message ----------------------
> > From: John Schwery <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:jschwery%40runbox.com>
> com>
> > > Does anyone have any opinions about what might be the best guide for
>
> > > a circular saw? What keeps the Accu-Rip guide from moving while
> > making a cut?
> > >
> > >
> > > John
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > No virus found in this outgoing message.
> > > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> > > Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.0/689 - Release Date:
> > 2/15/2007 5:40
> > > PM
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > To listen to the show archives go to link
> > http://acbradio. <http://acbradio.org/handyman.html> org/handyman.html
> > or
> > ftp://ftp.acbradio.
> <ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/>
> org/acbradio-archives/handyman/
> >
> > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is.
> > http://www.acbradio
> <http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday>
> .org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday
> >
> > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is.
> > http://www.gcast. <http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml>
> com/u/cookingindark/main.xml
> >
> > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From
> > Various List Members At The Following address:
> > http://www.jaws- <http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/>
> users.com/handyman/
> >
> > Visit the new archives page at the following address
> > http://www.mail-
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> archive.com/[email protected]/
> > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy
> Man
> > list just send a blank message to:
> > blindhandyman- <mailto:blindhandyman-help%40yahoogroups.com>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
To listen to the show archives go to link
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or
ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/
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The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is.
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Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List
Members At The Following address:
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