Ripping With A Circular Saw
A circular saw straight rip guide is useful for cutting long sheets of plywood when there is no table saw available or when cross cutting.
The best way to do this is with a track saw [Read Track Saw Comparisons] but if your starting out you may not be able to afford the cost.
Clamp a thin metal straightedge, straight strip / piece of wood or a strip of plywood with a factory edge to the piece material you want to cut. the strip is used as a guide for the circular saw to follow.
The bottom plate of the circular saw butts up against the straight edge and uses it as a fence.
You need to calculate the blade offset so the cut is the right length. My offset is 1 1/2″. See photo below. Remember to take into account the thickness of the blade when measuring.
Circular Saw Straight Rip Guide
This method provides quick, easy and straight cuts. If you make a lot of these types of cuts I recommend making a circular saw cutting guide jig
Once you start building your shop tools you’ll want a track-saw.
