Larry, I have been making all sorts of saw and router guides like those that you described here. They are very accurate, easy to build, inexpensive, and best of all-- blind friendly!
Mickey ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2007 4:43 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] accu-rip saw guide or something similar? > 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 > cuts-whether on plywood, tabletops, or cabinet doors-extremely 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 saw's 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 saw's 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 Festool's 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- > print-the 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- > ty-something 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 now-your > 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 marks-that is, > on top of the piece you're going to be using-so 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- >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> >> 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 > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.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-users.com/handyman/ > > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.39/687 - Release Date: 2/14/2007 > 4:17 PM > > To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.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-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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