Circular Saw Straight Rip Guide

By Robert Robillard on Workshop tips

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.

Circular Saw Straight Rip Guide

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

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.

Circular Saw Straight Rip Guide

If you enjoyed this post, please consider commenting or subscribing to receive my future posts via email

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

About the author

Robert Robillard

Carpenter / Remodeler / Editor

Rob Robillard is “The Concord Carpenter” Rob is a builder, general contractor, carpenter, woodworker, and editor of Concord Carpenter and ToolBoxBuzz As a General Contractor and carpenter, Rob owns and operates Concord Carpenter LLC. A full-service remodeling and construction company. Rob is a recognized leader in home building best practices and a source for how-to information for building professionals. On this website, Rob covers all aspects of home construction, building science, home improvement, woodworking, remodeling, and some of the best product and tool reviews. Rob is in charge of our Tool and Product Review series - Concord Carpenter Videos where we post all of our tool reviews and video tutorials. Rob approaches remodeling and building construction with a pragmatic and problem-solving approach. He enjoys using his knowledge and experience to help and educate building professionals as well as DIYers on best practices in the construction and remodeling industry. He's a strong advocate for "raising the bar" in the construction trades and promoting the trades to youth. #BeAMentor #Green2Great Craftsmanship, quality, and pride guide his journey on this channel The Concord Carpenter's motto: "Well done is better than well said!" : Read more about Rob

All posts by Robert »

Not what you're looking for?

Search for more articles here. Enter keywords like roof leak, bookcase, deck, etc to find your topic.

© Copyright 2019 A Concord Carpenter · All Rights Reserved