I find that I need something to break down plywood stock. Is there any type of track that is 8 ft long which I could use with my circular saw.
I have been using an 8 ft long piece of Hardie board because it is the only thing I have that has a good straight edge. Is there any thing better? I’ve seen some KREG stuff but it was shorter than 8 ft and it seemed expensive For what it was.
I used your generic straight edge that bolts together from home depot before I got a tracksaw. I don't think there is much difference. Amazon has a ton of them for<$30.
"There is no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people"
You could use the factory edge of the plywood to make a track you can use.with your saw. Cut.the about 2 inches off one side and then glue that on top of another piece of ply that is wide enough for the shoe of your saw plus the width of the first piece plus some waste. Make sure the factory edge is on the inside of the second piece. Then after the glue dries, butt your saw shoe up against the factory edge and run it down the second piece trimmings waste. Now you have a saw track.
I use an extruded aluminum straight edge, probably like the type that CARYinWA suggested. I bought it at Lowe's years ago and it's a two-piece unit with a maximum length of 96". It was made specifically for clamping into place and the way it connects will always be straight. If I recall correctly, it's an Empire brand unit, and I think I paid about $16 or so for it. I used it for years to edge joint boards with my router since I didn't have a jointer.
I tried an internet search and was not able to find anything exactly like it. My Amazon try didn't turn one up. I may not be searching on exactly the right terms.
You're already using a decent "field-expedient" solution with the piece of Hardie Board. If you want something more permanent or durable, the easiest and cheapest solution would be the previously suggested pice of ply with a fence, though I might use hardboard instead of ply for the base.
I know I am going to get a lot of disagreement with this reply. I do have a long piece extruded aluminum channels ( 2 pieces) keyed together that I have used for years. And I was happy with it. I had 2problems with it. Although the Aluminum piece is 3 inches wide, it bowed during the cut when I was reaching out 24 inches. And clamping the aluminum to the plywood in the correct spot where the cut was supposed to be was a problem I worked around it with a spacer that I had to keep track of.
The problem with a hand held circular saw is the blade is not always aliened with the edge of the saw plate Some have wrote that the saw pulls away from home made clamp on tracks. It gives a rough cut and a lot of splintering on cross cuts. Actually this same problem shows up on a table saw it not properly aligned. ON ta table saw you get a bad cut on a cross cut( splintering) and board will pull away from fence if fence tapered away from the blade and a lot of burning if tapered in toward the back of the blade.
I was at Menards on day and I just said I am going to try their track saw for $200. That included 110 inches of track. I though I could always take it back if I didn't like it. It lacks all the bells and whistles of the high dollar saws but it did exactly what I wanted it for. Easy to leigh up and just worked. I have since but on a better blade.
Now I am a table saw guy and I am not going to buy into buying all of the other stuff on the market so I can cut a board parallel. or hopefully square up a piece of plywood. All I use it for is braking down plywood and doing the first straight lines rip on a piece of hardwood I get from the saw mill.
If you factor in all the time you spend finding what you want for a straight edge and making what you need, and so, on your cost is going to be up there. I mean travel time and gas cost included , I would recommend looking at a Wren Track saw from Home depot for $89 and 100 inches of track for $64. And be done with it. You can get it shipped to your home for free. . Tracks comes apart and stores easily hanging on the wall and the track saw takes up no more room that a circular. Hook a shop vac and you have dust collection.
(04-18-2025, 06:57 PM)Randy C Wrote: I find that I need something to break down plywood stock. Is there any type of track that is 8 ft long which I could use with my circular saw.
I have been using an 8 ft long piece of Hardie board because it is the only thing I have that has a good straight edge. Is there any thing better? I’ve seen some KREG stuff but it was shorter than 8 ft and it seemed expensive For what it was.
Thanks
Here are examples of some of the things folks have been talking about:
The left two pieces shown I have had for 50 years, even before I had a table saw - 110" total length. The one on the right is one-half of a more recent one (+/- 30 years?) that has sliding clamps on the bottom. And to the right is a sled as mentioned above cut to fit my circular saw. It actually is dual duty - for 90 or 45 degree cuts.
Just make one out of shop scrap. I have two guides I made years ago. An 8 footer and a 4 footer made from leftover plywood. No photos handy but if you search "DIY circular saw guide' you will see lots of different versions.
What I like about the jig is you make it wide and then trim the edge with the saw. Then I can mark my plywood and just line it up on the mark, clamp and cut. They are free if you use scrap and work perfectly.
I have found how much a boat is used is inversely related to how much it weighs.
(04-21-2025, 01:13 PM)Kudzu Wrote: Just make one out of shop scrap. I have two guides I made years ago. An 8 footer and a 4 footer made from leftover plywood. No photos handy but if you search "DIY circular saw guide' you will see lots of different versions.
What I like about the jig is you make it wide and then trim the edge with the saw. Then I can mark my plywood and just line it up on the mark, clamp and cut. They are free if you use scrap and work perfectly.
Here's a quick one I made. I use pine and luan, glue and two 4d, flip and cinch the nails. Spring clamps hold it while cutting.
Sign at N.E. Vocational School Cabinetmaking Shop 1976, "Free knowledge given daily... Bring your own container"
A few tips: The spring clamps do hold well enough; with a little care. If you use foam board underneath (vs. hanging over the edge of a bench), just clamp the "sandwich" lightly. Score crosscuts with a sharp knife to eliminate (significantly reduce?) tear out.
I cut these treads from the bottom so with a little over-cut, they'd be closer on the finish side. If these were closed treads, I'd have at least two sets of two of these jigs with a stretcher held together with wing nuts. The other trick is add two layers of masking tape to the fence side of the saw shoe (after initial cutting with your chosen saw and blade.) This puts the score line a hair shy of the cut line, and the finish length will be two "hairs" longer than the actual space between the skirt boards. Because I let the tape wrap underneath the shoe, the treads have an ever so slight undercut.
Sign at N.E. Vocational School Cabinetmaking Shop 1976, "Free knowledge given daily... Bring your own container"
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