How to Make a Circular Saw Guide | This Old House

[@easterlake]

There are so many videos on how to make different versions of this, but this is the simplest and the best.

[@johnduffy6546]

Mr. Silva is not only a genius but also an American treasure!

[@hudsonriverlee]

This is such a useful addition to any shop. Cutting plywood for cabinets on the table saw can present challenges when you work alone. This jig adds a lot of safety because the blade is spinning below the surface . As well this is quite portable to work outdoors. Well done guys.

[@chrisb.3819]

Love the show and thanks for this video. I just made an 8ft circular saw guide just as you explained here. I'm working on my first bookshelf from one single 8x4 plywood. Just finished all the cuts. No better feeling then a perfect 6ft long cut.

[@metalhead491]

Not that this is an overly difficult thing to do, but some people are just so good at making things look easy.

[@sdennis1973]

@@SCP--nx6kk I respectfully disagree. They make it look easy because this method is too easy. People who can't or don't want to afford a commercial guide will often use a piece of dimensional lumber as their straight edge, not realizing that most of such is warped. I much prefer the measure and screw as you go approach like in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKXPqYKHp72be9E

[@SomeDumUsrName]

@@sdennis1973 lol

[@SomeDumUsrName]

@@SCP--nx6kk Amen brother. Some people just gotta overcomplicate the hell out of literally EVERYTHING. But they NEED to do that for reasons that are so overpowering that they just can't see the delusion. Kind of like being blind I guess: No matter how many words are spoken, you still can't see.

[@justinberry3991]

*inhale through the nose, exhale out the mouth. mmmmmmmm YOU CAN DO IT

[@forry100]

Add rubber anti slip to the bottom and no need to clamp. Ask a truck driver to get you some, it is used all the time to keep loads from moving and most times thrown away. Also makes great tool box liner.

[@KLAWNINETY]

Tom Silva is an absolute legend at this point

[@martha9764]

I have watched sooo many videos today on how to make this jig and yours is the simplest best explained of all!! Thank you!!!! I'm off to make mine now!! :)

[@terrijefferson2962]

Made one of these today! It worked perfectly and was very easy to make! Thank you!

[@daewalker3892]

Finally a video that answered my straight edge question as well. Thanks for making it.

[@HeavyboxesDIYMaster]

3:15 OH MY! What would we do if Kevin wasn't there to help Tom point!!!

[@jslearner]

I wouldn't have known what he was talking about if not for the second pointer finger. LOL

[@bereantrb]

First saw one of these guides years ago and am so glad I made one. Speeds up so many cuts...and my go-to for quickly trimming doors.

[@SeetalMD]

The best ever! Thanks u. I'm in Australia and we don't have all the convenient brands the US has. And this is by far the easiest guide rail ever!!! I'm making one with the scraps I have like now!

[@jhi1947]

Tom Silva is the man!

[@jim4614]

Absolutely -- brilliant, humble, modest, easygoing. He helps so many of us. Much appreciated Tom Silva.

[@KamiCrit]

Impressive one shot video, really no excuses when it comes to this guide.

[@MichaelSmith-nk4yq]

Easiest track saw guide I’ve seen 😳 you can’t beet experience 👍🏾👍🏾

[@Phyoomz]

unless you're part of Schrute Farms.

[@johngavin1085]

My first jig ever. Came out great. Will need it for building a bookcase, followed by shelves for my vinyl collection (450 records), and then I will attempt kitchen cabinets and counters. By the time I get to the kitchen I plan to have a small table saw so the jig will do nicely until then! Thanks for thew great video.

[@cynthianolan3970]

Made one. Thank you for your instructions.

[@dvader3000]

Tommy is the best,the simple ideas are just the best ideas.

[@jamalbenthall151]

The best video I have ever seen .

[@2logj]

Very useful. Thanks.

[@simonmillard8931]

What a great idea/ I know what I'm going to be making this afternoon.

[@donluedetmoonsone9573]

That’s the best I have ever seen. Thank you guys

[@eunlawon5290]

Crystal clear n precised.thnx a lot👍✌️

[@FunGuyFruits]

It took 5 videos to find this one. This is the best.

[@НиколайСерянкин]

Thank you from Kazakhstan! :)

[@richardliu9213]

wonderful gadget. simple, easy and really smart.

[@Nathan1Johnson]

That is just great. So simple to make, I love it. Gonna make a few of these, in a few lengths. Maybe with a little thicker wood for longevity. Thank you for this idea.

[@stevenA44]

That straight edge thing you made at the end is a neat thing to have. I'm going to make one of those! Thanks

[@stevenbarker9841]

Excellent. You were so efficient too! Great work 👌👍

[@frontxxrunner]

he put that together in about 30 seconds. awesome.

[@samnaghoon5907]

You guys are the best!!

[@Edusm17]

Wow. I have been playing with some ideas, but wow, this is it!

[@jcreadiii]

keep in mind you still MUST take into account the saw kerf if the piece of material you are wanting dimensioned is the offcut

[@ramblinman7153]

Is the offcut the piece outside of the guide? The piece falling away?

[@jcreadiii]

Yes the piece falling away is the offcut. Wow this original post was five years ago.

[@harveymanfrantinsingin7373]

@@jcreadiii true, regarding the kerf width. However.. If you just fully expose your marked line on the piece or cutting, it will get taken with the cut.

[@yrulooknatme]

hot glue genius !!!

[@justRijk]

You don't measure the distance on the blade, but on the tooth. Some blades have left and right teeth and others straight. So be sure to measure at least two teeth. The cut will always be wider than the blade.

[@scotttovey]

The extra half inch that is removed when you run the cut allows for tooth width variations.

[@hayabusaass8391]

Scott Tovey Exactly, the guy even asked “So why a little further?”.

[@nebur1119]

God. I love these guys.

[@missing3tips]

This is my fav. Way I like that it protects the work from the saw base. TOH ROCKS!

[@مسلم-ط8ق1س]

So easy thanks

[@aWhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

Brilliant! thanks

[@rolandmetayer7210]

Great video ! ! Thank you very much. At one point, I was a little worried about Tom Silva's fingers. Cheers from Canada,Polar Bear country.

[@rickywright3894]

Nice and easy! Thank you

[@inbredagogo]

That's a hell of an idea.

[@Muhsinah.Nadeem]

Thank you

[@Laffy1345]

Thanks for the tips.

[@ralphconnell8163]

Seen a few of these..(I'm a slow learner ;-) ) This is the best one yet. Thanks.

[@jjbailey01]

One offset that wasn't mentioned is that if you have to place this jig on the waste side of the wood to make a cut, you need to offset the guide the thickness of the blade away from the line.

[@jessstuart7495]

I'm going to have to make one of these "dual offset" guides.

[@janetstone236]

I wish you lived down the street, and could cut 2 - 3/4" pieces for me tomorrow for my porch! :(, but this helps! I botched the edge I did today!

[@abajhalghamdi9219]

you really have very beautiful mind . thank for sharing your knowledge.

[@nafnlaus]

Every video you find about making a straight edge starts out with "get a straight board." Where am I supposed to get this magical straight board to start with when I'm trying to make a jig to create a straight board.

[@KitLake]

Cut from a sheet of plywood and use the factory cut edge as your straight edge, given they're generally very straight.

[@jjbailey01]

When you buy your first sheet of plywood, buy a second sheet at the same time to provide your initial straight edge.

[@The_Woof_Pack]

Clamp a level down as a guide to make your first straight edge. Or something similar

[@GunsHarleysUSA]

Thanks for this useful tip, it will really help.....

[@catfishmudflap]

Great. Thank you.

[@thedyslexic9936]

Love it guys. At first I was going to comment that you weren't allowing for the teeth width, just the blade body width...but you then showed a great great idea that I will use that takes that out of the equation. Thank you.

[@oc_villain3833]

Smart thinking,

[@Thatsmessedupman]

How do you guarantee the rail is straight on the non factory edge. they would seem if you're going to use both sides you need to ensure that you have a scrap that is in square., Yes? Then you would need an accurate table saw I guess. Or maybe it doesn't matter? If I start with the sacrificialpeace then I would guess that it would be even all the way across even if it's not square with the other side. Right?

[@Malicos]

I recommend straight edge

[@antonioortiz4544]

Nice. I like it.

[@abdulelkhatib2674]

Every sar is different. I love the accent

[@mediumstudio]

ooo - good idea!

[@clairegarcia7286]

Can you use something like this to rip narrow boards?

[@siddharthassinha]

😀great and simple

[@jashimuddin7716]

Nice

[@cliffcarlo180]

Clamp your straight edge/saw guide to a scrap piece of wood. Now make a small cut with your saw into the scrap piece of wood using the guide. Take the saw out of the way, now measure from your straight edge/saw guide to the edge of your cut you just made. Now you have the most accurate measurement for placing your straight edge/saw guide for future cuts. Write this measurement on the guide so you don't forget it.

[@scotttovey]

You can make a second cut that creates a spacer for your saw guide and use that to place your saw guide. You would need to mark it for your saw. If you drill a hole in it and through your saw guide, you can chain the two together, that way, even if you forget that it's a spacer, you won't throw it away, loose it or use it on a project because it just happens to be the exact right size you need. Hmm. Now that I thought of this, I need to make one for my saw guides and saw.

[@zerodraw13]

This video just helped me keep a finger. Good advice heeah, good advice heeah, and over heeah.

[@JW-lx2qe]

Kevin always grabs the piece being worked on, then the instructor has to tell him put it back haha.

[@pershop4950]

Nice straight lines, but are they 90-degrees? That is my question about this method of making this kind of quick guide out in the field. Let's say the straight edge has a 1 or 3 degree angle off the 90-degree mark. We'll cut straight but in the end, the small degree difference across a longer distance, could lead to cut pieces that don't meet up with their intended corners.

[@VideoNOLA]

Better than the Rockler video which only shows the "wider" side version, whereas TOH's version handles the wide and narrow in one.

[@DanOfAllTrades]

I am laughing because I learned something cool. Awesome homemade tool.

[@carterscustomrods]

I have been having a nightmare of a time cutting 90 degree edges with my circ-saw... after 70 minutes of calibrating the blade, I discovered my issue is a slightly bent boot (the base)... I could try bending it back the 4 to 5 degrees, but worried I'll make it worse. Would a shooting board fix this issue? Or does anyone recommend another easy, fast fix? It is the Flexvolt Dewalt DCS578. (And I DEFINITELY voided the warranty by modding it.. in ways lol... since I only have 1 functioning arm.)

[@tysonb1486]

I bought a metal track saw guide to use. For some reason the saw starts pulling away from the track and I get a crooked cut and it's usually at the last foot of what ever I'm cutting. I use the same pressure the whole way. Any ideas? Thanks

[@jasonmuller7074]

Where is Tom's usual $600 Festool track saw? I'm confused.

[@yoanperez172]

Amazing, thank you! :-)

[@The1Music2MyEars]

How do you get a 90 degree plane'd cut on the 1 1/8" offset if the right side of the saw guide has nothing to rest on?

[@ramblinman7153]

So I've made a guide just like this. I make my mark on the piece I'm cutting and lay the guide on the line. However, after cutting the piece is 1/8 off. Do I need to take into consideration the blade thickness when making my measurements?

[@easterlake]

Cut from the good side, not the waste side.

[@Thatsmessedupman]

What is the advantage of making the second cut? The saw is not fully supported and would require both holding it to the side as well as down so it does not tip. So when would somebody want to use the smaller edge?

[@AbrahamNeuwelt]

Cutting the other direction.

[@MissElisabeth]

Does anybody know what brand his clamping straight edge is? The clamp handle on it doesn't stick down like all of the other models I have seen, so it's way more versatile!

[@703am]

always good tips/ideas from the guys at this old house

[@misnchince6680]

When you guys say "sar" you actually mean "saw", is this correct?

[@jej3451]

Only when the following word begins with a vowel.

[@rnreajr9184]

It's actually "sawr."

[@Atr42Greasemonkey]

Don't forget they are from Boston ...lol

[@rickywright3894]

Bahstun

[@metals2546]

What is it with all these wood prix plugs I am seeing on a lot of these DIY videos?

[@Sandbridgeman1]

What about for a right hand saw that most people have ?

[@RyanLovettInSpace]

How did Tommy not cut off the corner of the work surface at 3:28?

[@WowRixter]

What brand was that metal straight edge?

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Tommy has a $700 Festool track saw...he ain't foolin' anyone

[@ehingerc17]

What kind of plywood was used?

[@tonybaggett1984]

Wish my sidewinder had the blade on the left like that one.

[@cameronackerman4396]

how thick was the wood you used in this video

[@0007rmoore]

1/4" luan plywood

[@yomamma6756]

Thanks internet dads

[@illuminaughty933]

Every sawr is different.

[@manesh7562]

There are a few ideas for diy table saw construction Find a suitable set of plans online Find a colleague who wants to build one too so you have another person to encourage you (I learned these and the reasons they work from Wilfs Wood Blueprint site )

[@imstricken06]

*CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT A "SAWER" IS?*

[@leapfrog4561]

That's the person operating the saw.

[@siamlawma]

Now where are all my scrap board? I burnt them all this winter for BBQ

[@atarileaf]

Every Sar is different

[@rawbacon]

If their sponsor Festool sees this video they'll make em take it down.

[@bnalive5077]

Why would you ever need a track saw when you can just make this?

[@zkool5]

Track saw is for people who can't figure out how to make a their own saw guide.

[@wadeshimojo]

Anybody ever use a Formica laminate on a plywood to help with the ease ?

[@rogerpopcorn4444]

What's a SAWR?

[@chickenrun.6452]

//...is good idear...

[@barneymatherly3685]

SAR!!!!

[@Phyoomz]

1:10 - Holy heck. That MA accent is so thick not only does he take the R off of the ends of words, but he ADDS it to words that don't have it! 😂😂 "you have to remember that every SAWR is different."