What i like about Charlie and his channel is that it is aimed at the normal DIYer with general tools. I have subscribed/unsubscribed quite a few TH-camrs who start of at our level but as their channel grows they leave the viewers behind either by purchasing or by being given tools which we could not afford or justify. Thanks for keeping it real Charlie
Thank you Charlie. I can only echo Ed Moore's comment. Concise and to the point. As a keen DIYer, I really appreciate you sharing your experience, the things that did not work initially, and things to watch out for. We all know as DIYers no wall is perfectly square! Great of you to mention the originator of the project but you have truly enhanced it big time, putting a much welcomed UK spin to it. Thank you again for putting in the effort and time.
You're very welcome Paul. Thanks so much for that! I would say if you're going to make one of these, particularly the full length one, the crucial thing (at risk of stating the obvious) is to get it totally straight. The long one I made is a mm or two out in the middle, which means I can't use it on the current wardrobe build th-cam.com/video/R1dKybdYyY8/w-d-xo.html When I make the next one I'll buy some strips of aluminium from somewhere to use as the guides. That way you have a totally straight edge from the outset. It does beg the question of course as to whether we're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole here, and whether we should actually celebrate the circular saw for what it is, a fantastic, versatile light saw that we can fling around the work bench, and for jobs where we need an accurate cut ripping down full sheets of MDF or ply, we should revert to a plunge saw with its purpose made tracks, that was designed for this purpose. I think I need to do a video on this!!
I have the same Ryobi saw and almost gave up with it until your earlier video about setting the cutting depth. What a difference! Great video - thanks.
Made this a few weeks ago from the One Minute Workshop video. It's superb, easily the best design of any DIY track. Used an 18mm base which is very sturdy, because I'll only ever cut ply or MDF so don't need a great depth. When choosing the width of the raised guide rails, check how far your saw motor sticks out and on that side ensure you have space to clamp the finished guide without obstructing the saw. Related, the whole thing doesn't need to be symmetrical, so you might have a wide rail on the motor side and narrower on the other. With 18mm ply, 50mm rail width is sturdy enough for me. Anyway, great video with some good observations, thanks Charlie!
With a circular saw it's fairly well known for an intermediate user that the 2 things you can really do with getting is a long high quality machined piece of thick aluminium (or a long high quality spirit level) and some quick release clamps. Coupled with that knowledge of setting the saw thickness to a little more than your material depth. Without the bar and clamps, the circular saw is tricky to use accurately and easily. But making this jig suddenly makes it even easier to use the circular saw quickly and efficiently. Great tool! And great video!
I made a guide for my cheap saw from the same tutorial a couple of months ago. It works beautifully. 😊 Instead of marking the cut line with a pencil, however, I lowered the blade just to graze the surface, and used that as a guide for the holes.
- E X C E L L E N T info that's clear, concise & addressing issues that one later finds when making many of these DIY projects. Thanx 4 sharing. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks, appreciate that. If you make a full length one try and incorporate a metal band to keep it straight as my full length one ended up a few mm out.
You're welcome Rick. It's a very accurate guide but a bit cumbersome and the full length version really needs to have an aluminium guide substrate in it to be 100% accurate. I actually bought a plunge saw for this job th-cam.com/video/jhG4fX_Vjmc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=eDVrU524Btbhn8If
Great video. I've stopped all my wood work projects because I couldn't figure out how to make a long straight cut. Now I'm heading down to my shop to build a guide for the circular saw.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment! Yes, this will get you back on track, if you pardon the pun. The CRUCIAL thing is to make sure the blade is set to the right height, otherwise, even with a saw guide, your saw will wander all over the place. 👍
Really well done! Thank you for making this video, it was very helpful. I was debating exactly what style of track to make for my circular saw or if I should invest in a track saw. This video has made my decision a little easier. Thank you for this!
Made an 1829mm one of these from cheap 18mm ply (last flat stock in my local store) last week. It's super sturdy and still gives me 52mm depth on my Bosch GKS 190, which is ample for my needs. I marked the kerf with a 2mm(ish) saw cut and drilled the sighting holes with a 30mm forstner bit. Many thanks for the inspiration, it was easier than I expected and it's perfect for cross cutting full sized boards.
Great work. It's fantastic how you can line up the cut in the forstner bit hole, isn't it. More accurate than using a metal track, actually. If you do a full length one I recommend you find a metal edge as I've got a 2mm deviation in the middle of the full length one I made. This wouldn't have happened if I had used a couple of metal strips - assuming you can find them long enough. 👍
@@CharlieDIYte Funny you should say that, I found 2440 aluminium angle (L) in my local Wickes while sourcing bits for another smaller cutting guide (a set square type set up) - with some carefully placed extra lengths at the ends it should do the trick, assuming they have been kept straight in the store of course. At least 2mm you know about is better than 2mm you don't. Anyhow, my first set of floating shelves next to the chimney breast in our lounge are coming together very nicely. As you say the sighting holes allow for impressive accuracy. Thanks again, all the best.
Yes that might work. Just check though that there's no flex in it as angle sections tend to be a lot more flexible than, say flat pieces. I've recently bought some 3m lengths of steel from my local metal workers. I think it's 3mm x 50mm or thereabouts. That would be ideal if a little heavy!
@@CharlieDIYte Ha! Steel would certainly do the job better - I'd already contemplated the idea of 'angle iron'. I'll bear it in mind if I ever have the need - which, I realise, might be sooner than I think.
I need to make fit filler panel surrounds for a wardrobe door kit and I’d thought about making a guide from plywood to cut them. Thanks for posting this video.
Grease and PTFE already suggested. I'd suggest candle wax (just rub a candle along the wood edge to apply) is a superior lubricant for the track. Won't stain your work, cheap, weather proofs the wood. Many old school cabinet makers will be familiar with this trick already.
Made some pullout kitchen cabinet drawers which required me cut a lot off 70mm width pieces of board, so screwed a strip of wood to bottom of jig to obtain 70mm width as a guide plate. It worked a dream, then thought why not screw a guide strip at 90 degrees to cut line, this too was perfect made it so easy to cut end square
That's actually pretty good Charlie. I have an existing doorboard made out of plywood that's still holding true for now, but when it starts flexing I'll consider this double sided design. Otherwise I agree with whatever else you said. Sure the plunge or track saw is technically superior but for a lot of us, it's about costs. I started with just a circular saw, and in the real world most of us DIYers in this position are going to want to get a table saw at some stage. IMHO a circular saw and a table saw is a better option than going for a track saw if you already own a circular saw. For what it's worth the standard doorboard is pretty good, and the Ryobi circular saw is also fantastic (in my experience). But if you want to do jointing then it's not really an option. I know I tried and failed miserably. Jointing requires precision a circular saw just doesn't have. Another thing I would highly recommend to other viewers is getting a router, and something a bit more formidable than a trim 6mm/ 3/4 inch router. While the Ryobi trim router is a fantastic tool, there are serious limitations in the 6mm shank format, and you'll find you can only flush trim really thin pieces of wood. So forget about doing anything over 20mm. That can be quite frustrating, avoid this and just get a 12mm format router from the start. But it's awesome the Ryobi is cordless.
Thanks mate, what you say makes sense. I have a half inch shank DeWalt which is phenomenal, but it's just such a lump to lug around. I'll be using the Ryobi to attempt to flush trim the shelf fronts so it'll be interesting to see how I get on with it.
I use the Worx exact saw and you can run it over a straight edge right up to the edge, its a great saw for the diy'er. Just a thought might be easier for some people to use. Thanks for video Charlie always nice to see your well presented informative video's
I used some really heavy shelving rail screwed to 18mm MDF a year ago to make a short single sided guide rail and that has worked fine for the small amount of stuff I have needed to build. Now looking at a making a mark two version with a rail on either side on ply after watching this.
Such as twin-slot uprights? Great idea. Just need to be accurate when fastening to the baseboard, as it would prob need bolting as screws would be really short.
Charley, I was just thinking that if you drilled appropriately positioned 20mm dog holes in the side rails it would allow you to lock this into your MFT top in line with the table top holes. Two more dogs would allow you to keep material being cut at 90 Deg to the blade so setting up for a cut could be a lot faster. I've made one of these and although it's a great enabler for cutting with a circular saw, there's still quite a lot of faff clamping everything up. You could maybe use one of the 3mm pins through the holes in the parf jig against the side of the cut slot to keep the lateral location of the driled holes constant? Or clamp the jig down straight and mark through the dog holes from the bottom of the table (the block for drilling the initial 3mm holes doesn't fit in a dog hole does it?). Food for thought.
Food for thought indeed, Nial. The problem is still when ripping down a large 1.2m x 2.4m sheet, in which case the dog holes are all covered up. Thanks for the comment though 👍
I was thinking more for cross cuts, longer cuts are easy enough to get plumb through the sight holes. I've been thiinking of making some speaker enclosures and would need to make a fair few cross cuts that I want to be as straight as possible.
I did buy a Makita plunge saw, stayed in its box for over a year after a single use. But since then it’s paid for itself time and time again. Great very useful vid. Thanks for posting 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Mike
Another advantage of the double edged guide is that it helps protect the wood from splinters on both sides of the cut - it’s a great idea, wish I knew it for my kitchen and bathroom install
Looking good. As an added bonus you can clamp the new guide to the work piece from both sides which is a big plus compared to the earlier model. Looks like I have to do one my self; I just made a pretty long guide from 10mm film faced plywood...
Hi Charlie. Thanks for the videos. I second what many have written that these are extremely useful and you're a naturally skilled presenter. I do have a question. Is there a reason to use ply over MDF? Ply certainly won't have the same quality issues with voids in the wood at least.
Hi Gavin, massive thanks for the kind words. The only reason I used ply is that it's typically a bit stronger and less likely to warp longitudinally. That said, there's not much between them and MDF would give you a smoother surface to slide your saw down. They're great tracks, these, and actually more accurate than a metal track saw guide like you'd use on a plunge saw in that you can line up your cut very precisely in that circular window knowing exactly where the blade is going to cut. The only thing I'd say is that I got the long guide out for my recent wardrobe project and was disappointed to find it was 2mm out in the middle. I don't know if it's flexed or whether I made it with the bend in it. So if you're making a long guide, see if you can get a couple of metal sections for it - in place of the wood retainers I used - so that there's no chance of building a bend into the track. I still love my circular saw, but have realised it's horses for courses. I had so much MDF to cut I ended up buying an Erbauer plunge saw - attached to my dust cyclone and used the 2800mm metal track with it that I got for my Evolution hybrid circular/ plunge saw (don't buy the Evolution - far too much dust generated!)
@@CharlieDIYte Thanks for the detailed reply! That's a shame about the guide, although if it had existed when you made it I imagine you'd have spotted it. I'm just buying my first house and starting out in the DIY world so figure I'll make this one of my first projects. I'm considering putting a hinge in the middle (seems annoyingly long otherwise!) and using metal somewhere in the construction so once it I'll be sure to let you know the results. I figure using metal will push the price up but still considerably cheaper than buying a ready made track and plunge saw!
I didn't add the hinges. To be honest, whilst this is great for short guides, the longer guide is a couple of mms out (would have been even worse if I had hinged it) so when I built the wardrobes recently I ended up buying a cheap Erbauer plunge saw and use that on some aluminium tracks I've got.
Yes I've had my eye on that for a while!! I'm still using the Erbauer kit that B&Q sent me for my first and only advertorial video th-cam.com/video/i6KYfrDBj3w/w-d-xo.html and I can't fault it, plus they've been selling the combi drill and 2 x 5Ah batteries for £115 recently, which is phenomenal value.
Charlie DIYte I noticed that the other day. I've been so impressed with their tools at a great value,especially for a DIYer! I recently added the biscuit joiner to my erbauer collection😄
Well done in your presentation. I bought riobi tools many years ago and all of them either didn't last long or burnt out. I'm very careful with my tools also. So perhaps technology has improved for riobi. In saying that I have since bought professional tools. I think you did a good job and building a rail system. The riobi has a rather narrow base plate which you mentioned is easy for the people tool to wonder away from the desired cut. Have you ever considered using aluminium extrusions for a rail guide? I bought some flat aluminium for the purposes of cutting dry wall sheeting. I borrowed a saw from an engineer as I needed to cut 60mm deep into a hardwood. My rail saw has a depth of 55 when on the track. I was able to cut the timber using a 185 mm makita circular saw. Since I was only cutting a small 10mm slice off the guide was on the offcut side of the blade ( other side of base plate) . The machine cut rather well which brings me to wonder whether the wider base plate may have less of a tendency to wonder if running off a fence provided pressure was applied during the the whole cut process. Edit footnote predictive text changes words where is seed fit sometimes confusing readers of comments. My sentence was meant to read power tool not people tool. One of my gripes that social media platforms have to mess with people's typing.
Thanks for this. I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with Ryobi. Mine have been faultless except perhaps my combi, the chuck on which is failing after years of quite heavy use. Yes I have a long aluminium extrusion that was salvaged from the underside of a Lutron electric blind box, which I have used on multiple occasions to run the saw down against. It's just that you have to apply constant pressure against it, which this new guide eliminates.
Charlie DIYte I guess that's a reason for the rail system with the groove. However like your build having a fence on either side eliminates having to put constant pressure during the whole process of cutting. I'm thinking it's the power of the unit will determine how efficiently it can cut sheet goods of certain thicknesses. Also your invention or what you have seen elsewhere as a reference. When you look at wet tile cutters or even dry scoring tile cutters they have parallel bars.
Hi Charlie, great videos. Marine Ply is good quality, with strong glue between the laminations, makes it very stable in different temperatures and humidity levels. Also is reliably flat, which would make it ideal for the saw guide. You can buy it, or order it from Jewsons Builders Mearchants, (phone your branch first before travelling to them as it is a specialised product and all branches don't keep it off the shelf) other Builders Mearchants might be able to order it in. Hope this helps. Keep up the good work. All the best, stay safe, Pete
For decent quality quality ply, I've found you have to buy in from a specialist supplier. None of the DIY shops sell good ply. Although I find wicks is much better than b&q. In the south west, I use Avon ply. They'll deliver and stock high quality all birch ply of all kinds.
Thanks Matthew. That's what I'm finding too. I'm posting a video this weekend showing how I made a new bed, using tulip wood sourced from a specialist supplier in Somerset.
Great video, thanks, I just made a guide to use to trim our new gates. I have an 18cs7. The saw blade is on the right hand side of the handle and I noticed yours is on the left. Is there any reason for them being different?
Hi charlie, amazing video as always! Took your advice and got myself a Ryobi circular saw and It’s great! Going to make a saw guide like you have suggested. I have 2 questions if you wouldn’t mind answering them, 1. Are there finer blades anywhere with more teeth that will fit the Ryobi circular saw or is it just Ryobi blades that you have to have? (Like the one supplied) 2. Did you ever hinge your guides and was it succesful?
Thanks Michael. There are Ryobi blades like this bit.ly/3qMRAA6 - a lot more than the 24 teeth of the blade the saw ships with and I have a few of these. However you've just inspired me to delve into something I've never done before! I'm on a Whatsapp forum with some of the big DIYers like Peter Millard, Gosforth Handyman etc and they all rave about Freud blades, and look what I just found on Screwfix bit.ly/3nmkwwz It's exactly the same specs as the Ryobi but I suspect far superior. No I didn't hinge it in the end. I was going to use the long track on my wardrobe build but unfortunately it has a 3mm deviation in the middle (either it's warped since I built it or I never set it straight in the first place) so I ended up buying an Ebrauer plunge saw to use on my Evolution tracks, just because I had so much ripping down to do on the job. My circular saw did feature a lot on the build (as did the shorter track I made in that video), just not for that. If you are going to make a full length track, see if you can get hold of an aluminium section to use for at least one half of the guide. That way you should be able to ensure it stays completely true down the length.
I dont have a biscuit cutter.. Any ideas on how to connect the two plywood pieces? Was thinking construction glue lik tec 7 and some staples from my pneumatic gun. Think that would hold? That way i can have the hardwarestore do the cuts for me so i have all the main woodpieces be similar. Then just join at home.. Thoughts? Appreciate any help
Yes that would do it. Try and clamp them together. There's a trick on how to do that here th-cam.com/video/iGVz38gQsWA/w-d-xo.html staple the top and when the glue has set flip it over carefully and staple the bottom. Just make sure the staples are recessed enough to allow the saw to slide over the top freely. Or actually you may not need staples on the face up side, as you'll be strengthening that with the side rails.
@@CharlieDIYte clamp looks brilliant, but for this it would have to clamp on the short side of the plywood that would be almost 3m spart meaning an enourmous piece of wood for the clamp. I thought maybe screw some wood on the end of both pieces of plywood and just clamp them for support might be easier in this one instance And thank you for answering earlier, Great channel
Yes definitely, and in fact I've been using an old aluminium section from an electric blind box for years now as an improvised straight edge. The crucial thing though is to have one on each side of the saw so that there's no chance that the saw can wander off the straight edge.
I was skepticle of a 20 volt circular saw. But I have several B&D 20 volt batteries and the drill Works great th-cam.com/users/postUgkxjpBI8OOeUXib_iT7UomCrQ-uauwZJ62c . I saw the 4 stars and some glowing reviews so decided to purchase this saw. Well, leave your money in your pocket and run a cord because this little saw won't cut
Hi Charlie, I'm really finding the videos useful but I'm looking to purchase a circular saw and wondered what you would recommend buying a 150mm or 165mm?, I'll be using it for trimming doors and perhaps kitchen work surface.
Hi Charlie, still loving your videos! This will be something I consider doing at some point once my other projects are in order! I tried to make something like this before although far more hodge-podge than this. My issue was cutting the pieces to make the guide straight in the first place! Always found the guide pieces to have been cut ever-so-slightly out of square or wavy, as the fence on my circular saw is not reliable at all. I ended up getting some bits of 18mm MDF cut down from a large sheet at my local B&Q, as at least this gave a better chance of them being straight. Might do the same with the plywood once the stores are back to normal 🙂 cheers again, Joe
Thanks! It's not universal. It's an Evolution that I got with a circular saw. Annoying that Ryobi don't make one, but the dust extraction on this saw is surprisingly good considering it's only a circular saw.
Charlie - this is brilliant! I have tried my best to make straight cuts with 2 different types of circular saws and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I even bought the Bora NGX guide system and a sled for my saw. Even if I am very careful staying against an edge, I sometimes find the saw's plate moving slightly out of level which then creates a horizontally straight cut, but one that is not vertically straight. Even with the saw guide I found that rigging up my saw with the Bora sled (about $30 USD) didn't work that well because the Sled doesn't seem to fit my standard Ryobi saw that well. I spent nearly an hour making numerous adjustments to make sure my saw was square and fit tightly in the sled, but it still wandered during a cut for some reason - maybe because the BORA saw guide got pulled a bit. So - I'm off to build one of your Guides. One suggestion - could you screw on a few pieces of lumber underneath your thin bottom piece - or even a piece of plywood so that you can leave the end piece off so you would be avoiding the awkward plunge cut - or better yet, attach the side guide pieces and top one, line them up with your saw and then make the cut at the bottom and afterward put on the bottom edge piece?
I think the bottom edge piece is a great idea. It sounds like you've got the saw blade set too low which might explain why it's wandering. It's really important you set it so the lowest tooth is only just poking out below the cut, by about half a tooth or a few mm. Good luck with making the guide. Let me know how you get on 👍
@@CharlieDIYte Good point and thank you. I actually spent most of my afternoon yesterday building a guide almost exactly like your design. I'd attach a photo, but there doesn't seem to be a place for it. My first cut was a bit off, but I think this might be due to the fact that the guide shifted. I'm working with a long piece of thin plywood - close to 60 inches - and I have a piece of styrofoam insulation underneath underneath so it's difficult to find more than 1 spot to clamp it, but I might just let the ends hang over the corners. Do you use a tape measure or another tool to measure your cutting depth?
Here's the video on how I made it folding but there are a few videos on the initial construction and drilling the mft holes th-cam.com/video/PTN3EmLiYdg/w-d-xo.html
@CharlieDIYte Can you use a smaller blade in your Circular saw then the recommended size? Ie Can a Bosch GKS 190mm Circular Saw use a 185mm or 160mm blade? thanks for the great vid
Hi Charlie, thanks a lot for this - recently bought my first circular saw, and now looking forward to making myself one of these, which I would never have had the confidence to if not for your video. I was just wondering if you'd specifically recommend MDF for the base for its relative smoothness (assuming thick enough to minimise flex), as I imagined that might allow the saw to slide a little more easily? Or does it not actually make much difference in practice?
Hi Peter, you're welcome. It doesn't make a huge amount of difference to be honest. It slides over both with ease. You just want the base as thin as possible and ideally metal for the side edges particularly if you're making a long one for full length sheet cuts as that longer one I made was actually slightly out by a couple of mms. It's a great guide rail though- particularly the shorter one. It makes super accurate cuts.
This is pretty quality! 👌 A quick spray (or undercoat first) with some PTFE spray might help that saw slide like butter. Thanks again Charlie for the tips, mistakes always aid the next build, saves us watchers a lot of time 😊
How timely, Charlie. I'm building cabinets for either side of the false chimney breast constructed during lockdown and am struggling with making consistently accurate cuts with my circular saw.
I went with a Triton Plunge saw when I needed to cut some MDF accurately. I feel that the extra expense was worth it vs the work (and cost of materials) involved in making a circular saw into what I actually wanted which is a plunge saw.
Another very helpful video, Charlie; thanks. The tips in this video and the one at One Minute Workbench have given me the confidence to give this a go. I was only using the saw laser guide for several weeks, and think I had the blade too deep. The outcome reminded me of what my old English teacher used to write on my essays: "Rowe, what did you draw this margin with, a bloody banana?" He had a way with words.
That was mega. Inspired me to try my own design. Gonna lay down a length of square steel screwed down to a base plate to eliminate any flex issues :) Might not be as good as this one, but no harm messing around right?
James that will be much better than mine as the longer one unfortunately has a 3mm bow in the middle now for some reason. With metal you'll eliminate any chance of that. 👍
New subscriber from Sunny Cape Town South Africa...great video. I use an aluminum edge but my saw does wonder. I will put this together tomorrow..Baie dankie
Hi Charlie. First time I watch your channel, and I musrt say I like the style, which is very refreshing, and different to our american cousins, who I appreciate as well. Just a quick question, if you have time: When you sued the router for the biscuit holes, how did you ensure that the holes were facing each other? Thanks in advance! Edit: another question I forgot, is what you would recommend if you also want to cut at 45 degrees? Use the same track, or build a separate one. I, theory, I imagine it should be fine to have a single track for both, as you will still be guided by the sides. Just have the obervation holes not too close to each other
To get the holes facing each other you place the edges your joining on top of each other and draw the guide lines the width you're routing down both pieces of wood, using a combination square to keep it nice and square. Hope that makes sense. Yes I'd just use the same guide for 45 degree cuts, and if you have an MFT work top, you can put parf dogs into the table holes to press the guide up against to make your 45 degree cuts. But that's going a bit far for most of us DIYers! Here's a link to the video I did on this th-cam.com/video/bAbdpozi53g/w-d-xo.html
The Makita is very effective with regard to dust extraction into a simple dust bag. I have dust extraction in the workshop, but don't bother with extraction for the Makita.
To be able to fold in half a jig that's about 9 ft. long would be a great asset for storage. Two sections of piano hinge on each side of the kerf line should do the trick. Epoxy and screw the hinges to the end grain of the plywood base.
I thought about piano hinge. You're absolutely right, it needs a piano style hinge to support across the entire width otherwise the flex will be back. Problem is, I don't think the piano hinge would be strong enough even with the epoxy. The aluminium tracks have the sliders underneath secured with grub screws, but again on our wood design with the slit, this wouldn't work 🤔
The key to the ply is to choose “hardwood throughout” - many DIY type merchants will do hardwood ply, but the core is softwood. Proper builders merchants will sell structural hardwood ply, which some still refer to as WBP (this refers to what punishment the glue will stand up to, but is no longer the name for the standard). This is more likely to come from Canada or Brazil than China. Hope this helps.
I just got a really thin section of aluminium 6ft long and a hard wood door stop screwed on edge then cut through base to make zero clearance guide, making a thin and strong guide with almost full depth of blade.
Very useful Charlie. Thanks - Im going to make one using this design. Did see the One minute workbench version but was still figuring out which design to make and why this one seems very practical.
Somewhat late to the party, that's a great video. Just a thought though - was there a reason not to make a 'slide' for the saw to fit a shop bought track?
Charlie is it possible to see if I can get plans or similar for the Saw Track please? I'm happy to pay for it. I live in Australia. Thank you. John Tuttle
Not yet, no, and in fact I ran into a problem with the 2880mm track in that it's about 2mm out in the middle. I think it would be better to construct with aluminium guides each side. That way you know it's perfectly straight.
@@CharlieDIYte I was going to make one with a straight bit of wood running horizontally so i could place it against one side and have some sort of built in clamp so i know it’s always straight to the factory cut edge.
What i like about Charlie and his channel is that it is aimed at the normal DIYer with general tools. I have subscribed/unsubscribed quite a few TH-camrs who start of at our level but as their channel grows they leave the viewers behind either by purchasing or by being given tools which we could not afford or justify. Thanks for keeping it real Charlie
Noticed this too.
Thank you Charlie. I can only echo Ed Moore's comment. Concise and to the point. As a keen DIYer, I really appreciate you sharing your experience, the things that did not work initially, and things to watch out for. We all know as DIYers no wall is perfectly square! Great of you to mention the originator of the project but you have truly enhanced it big time, putting a much welcomed UK spin to it. Thank you again for putting in the effort and time.
You're very welcome Paul. Thanks so much for that! I would say if you're going to make one of these, particularly the full length one, the crucial thing (at risk of stating the obvious) is to get it totally straight. The long one I made is a mm or two out in the middle, which means I can't use it on the current wardrobe build th-cam.com/video/R1dKybdYyY8/w-d-xo.html When I make the next one I'll buy some strips of aluminium from somewhere to use as the guides. That way you have a totally straight edge from the outset. It does beg the question of course as to whether we're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole here, and whether we should actually celebrate the circular saw for what it is, a fantastic, versatile light saw that we can fling around the work bench, and for jobs where we need an accurate cut ripping down full sheets of MDF or ply, we should revert to a plunge saw with its purpose made tracks, that was designed for this purpose. I think I need to do a video on this!!
The leaf blower is great for a quick cleanup of the workplace, well done,
Thanks 👍
I have the same Ryobi saw and almost gave up with it until your earlier video about setting the cutting depth. What a difference! Great video - thanks.
Made this a few weeks ago from the One Minute Workshop video. It's superb, easily the best design of any DIY track. Used an 18mm base which is very sturdy, because I'll only ever cut ply or MDF so don't need a great depth. When choosing the width of the raised guide rails, check how far your saw motor sticks out and on that side ensure you have space to clamp the finished guide without obstructing the saw. Related, the whole thing doesn't need to be symmetrical, so you might have a wide rail on the motor side and narrower on the other. With 18mm ply, 50mm rail width is sturdy enough for me. Anyway, great video with some good observations, thanks Charlie!
With a circular saw it's fairly well known for an intermediate user that the 2 things you can really do with getting is a long high quality machined piece of thick aluminium (or a long high quality spirit level) and some quick release clamps. Coupled with that knowledge of setting the saw thickness to a little more than your material depth. Without the bar and clamps, the circular saw is tricky to use accurately and easily. But making this jig suddenly makes it even easier to use the circular saw quickly and efficiently. Great tool! And great video!
I made a guide for my cheap saw from the same tutorial a couple of months ago. It works beautifully. 😊 Instead of marking the cut line with a pencil, however, I lowered the blade just to graze the surface, and used that as a guide for the holes.
Great idea!
- E X C E L L E N T info that's clear, concise & addressing issues that one later finds when making many of these DIY projects. Thanx 4 sharing. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks, that's incredibly kind. I'll be posting a new video this weekend. Thanks for the comment 👍
Run candle stick on inside of guide makes smoother operation of saw , another great video thanks 👍
Good thinking Danny. Or better still, silicone spray. 👍🏻
Thanks for the clear, concise and comprehensive explanation. All the best to you.
Thanks, appreciate that. If you make a full length one try and incorporate a metal band to keep it straight as my full length one ended up a few mm out.
Best video on the subject I have seen. Very realistic and honest re the issues and trade offs. Thanks.
You're welcome Rick. It's a very accurate guide but a bit cumbersome and the full length version really needs to have an aluminium guide substrate in it to be 100% accurate. I actually bought a plunge saw for this job th-cam.com/video/jhG4fX_Vjmc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=eDVrU524Btbhn8If
Just watched a video of one chap who, made his base out of laminate flooring. looked like a neat set up.
Yes that would work well. I'm guessing it wasn't a double rail design though, as the laminate wouldn't be wide enough.
Great video. I've stopped all my wood work projects because I couldn't figure out how to make a long straight cut. Now I'm heading down to my shop to build a guide for the circular saw.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment! Yes, this will get you back on track, if you pardon the pun. The CRUCIAL thing is to make sure the blade is set to the right height, otherwise, even with a saw guide, your saw will wander all over the place. 👍
@@CharlieDIYte Thanks. In another video a guy checks the disc angle with a square ruler.
Charlie mate you always seem to come up with great videos for stuff I actually need. Like a DIY dad for us with less than practical parents.
Really well done! Thank you for making this video, it was very helpful. I was debating exactly what style of track to make for my circular saw or if I should invest in a track saw. This video has made my decision a little easier. Thank you for this!
You're welcome. Got to say though I used my Evolution the other day on some decking and it went through it like a knife through butter.
Great video as ever. I have had a circular saw for about a year and never had any success with it; this guide is what I need!
Thanks Stephen. Double check your cutting height next time you use it, as this may be partly responsible for you not having any success with it.
Made an 1829mm one of these from cheap 18mm ply (last flat stock in my local store) last week. It's super sturdy and still gives me 52mm depth on my Bosch GKS 190, which is ample for my needs. I marked the kerf with a 2mm(ish) saw cut and drilled the sighting holes with a 30mm forstner bit. Many thanks for the inspiration, it was easier than I expected and it's perfect for cross cutting full sized boards.
Great work. It's fantastic how you can line up the cut in the forstner bit hole, isn't it. More accurate than using a metal track, actually. If you do a full length one I recommend you find a metal edge as I've got a 2mm deviation in the middle of the full length one I made. This wouldn't have happened if I had used a couple of metal strips - assuming you can find them long enough. 👍
@@CharlieDIYte Funny you should say that, I found 2440 aluminium angle (L) in my local Wickes while sourcing bits for another smaller cutting guide (a set square type set up) - with some carefully placed extra lengths at the ends it should do the trick, assuming they have been kept straight in the store of course. At least 2mm you know about is better than 2mm you don't. Anyhow, my first set of floating shelves next to the chimney breast in our lounge are coming together very nicely. As you say the sighting holes allow for impressive accuracy. Thanks again, all the best.
Yes that might work. Just check though that there's no flex in it as angle sections tend to be a lot more flexible than, say flat pieces. I've recently bought some 3m lengths of steel from my local metal workers. I think it's 3mm x 50mm or thereabouts. That would be ideal if a little heavy!
@@CharlieDIYte Ha! Steel would certainly do the job better - I'd already contemplated the idea of 'angle iron'. I'll bear it in mind if I ever have the need - which, I realise, might be sooner than I think.
Excellent video, seriously useful. thanks very much. Those small details throughout are refreshingly honest and extremely useful. Thanks!
Thanks for the comment - glad you found it useful. 👍
Thank you! No one ever talks about using the sacrificial piece of timber 8:13 , great tip for us novices.
You're welcome. It's crucial because then you can cut everything on the table rather than hanging off it. 👍🏻
I need to make fit filler panel surrounds for a wardrobe door kit and I’d thought about making a guide from plywood to cut them.
Thanks for posting this video.
You're welcome 👍🏻
Grease and PTFE already suggested. I'd suggest candle wax (just rub a candle along the wood edge to apply) is a superior lubricant for the track. Won't stain your work, cheap, weather proofs the wood. Many old school cabinet makers will be familiar with this trick already.
Excellent instructional video, thank you very much. Ist time viewing. Thank you very much. Good day from the USA.. Wade Out..
Made some pullout kitchen cabinet drawers which required me cut a lot off 70mm width pieces of board, so screwed a strip of wood to bottom of jig to obtain 70mm width as a guide plate. It worked a dream, then thought why not screw a guide strip at 90 degrees to cut line, this too was perfect made it so easy to cut end square
Good work. A circular saw is perfect for that sort of length cut. For full length sheets though I'd invest in a plunge saw and metal track. 👊
That tip on the blade cutting depth was super helpful. My blade kept trying to wander and it was driving me crazy.
It's so simple but not obvious 😉👍🏻
What an inspired way of gaining accuracy.
Thanks Robert 👍🏻
That's actually pretty good Charlie. I have an existing doorboard made out of plywood that's still holding true for now, but when it starts flexing I'll consider this double sided design.
Otherwise I agree with whatever else you said. Sure the plunge or track saw is technically superior but for a lot of us, it's about costs. I started with just a circular saw, and in the real world most of us DIYers in this position are going to want to get a table saw at some stage. IMHO a circular saw and a table saw is a better option than going for a track saw if you already own a circular saw.
For what it's worth the standard doorboard is pretty good, and the Ryobi circular saw is also fantastic (in my experience). But if you want to do jointing then it's not really an option. I know I tried and failed miserably. Jointing requires precision a circular saw just doesn't have.
Another thing I would highly recommend to other viewers is getting a router, and something a bit more formidable than a trim 6mm/ 3/4 inch router. While the Ryobi trim router is a fantastic tool, there are serious limitations in the 6mm shank format, and you'll find you can only flush trim really thin pieces of wood. So forget about doing anything over 20mm. That can be quite frustrating, avoid this and just get a 12mm format router from the start. But it's awesome the Ryobi is cordless.
Thanks mate, what you say makes sense. I have a half inch shank DeWalt which is phenomenal, but it's just such a lump to lug around. I'll be using the Ryobi to attempt to flush trim the shelf fronts so it'll be interesting to see how I get on with it.
I use the Worx exact saw and you can run it over a straight edge right up to the edge, its a great saw for the diy'er. Just a thought might be easier for some people to use. Thanks for video Charlie always nice to see your well presented informative video's
Best video for simple track saw.
I knocked a rough one of these up this afternoon after scratching my head for days thinking, how to make a straight cut, its magnificent 👌
They're good, aren't they 👍
Did you think of using big long metal shelving rails as the guide lengths either side, they would make it more ridgid perhaps.
I was thinking the same, maybe L shaped metal edging/box cut screwed on on both sides. Reduce the overall width of the runner too.
@@C4rL72 Absolutely great idea mate - got some right angled galvanized steel coming from themetalstore this week for exactly that 👌
I used some really heavy shelving rail screwed to 18mm MDF a year ago to make a short single sided guide rail and that has worked fine for the small amount of stuff I have needed to build. Now looking at a making a mark two version with a rail on either side on ply after watching this.
Such as twin-slot uprights? Great idea. Just need to be accurate when fastening to the baseboard, as it would prob need bolting as screws would be really short.
Charley, I was just thinking that if you drilled appropriately positioned 20mm dog holes in the side rails it would allow you to lock this into your MFT top in line with the table top holes. Two more dogs would allow you to keep material being cut at 90 Deg to the blade so setting up for a cut could be a lot faster. I've made one of these and although it's a great enabler for cutting with a circular saw, there's still quite a lot of faff clamping everything up. You could maybe use one of the 3mm pins through the holes in the parf jig against the side of the cut slot to keep the lateral location of the driled holes constant? Or clamp the jig down straight and mark through the dog holes from the bottom of the table (the block for drilling the initial 3mm holes doesn't fit in a dog hole does it?). Food for thought.
Food for thought indeed, Nial. The problem is still when ripping down a large 1.2m x 2.4m sheet, in which case the dog holes are all covered up. Thanks for the comment though 👍
I was thinking more for cross cuts, longer cuts are easy enough to get plumb through the sight holes. I've been thiinking of making some speaker enclosures and would need to make a fair few cross cuts that I want to be as straight as possible.
I did buy a Makita plunge saw, stayed in its box for over a year after a single use. But since then it’s paid for itself time and time again. Great very useful vid. Thanks for posting 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Mike
I’m in the market for one if you decide to sell it, Mike!
THANKS, just made one. Absolutely brilliant.
Good work, and thanks for the comment 👏
Another advantage of the double edged guide is that it helps protect the wood from splinters on both sides of the cut - it’s a great idea, wish I knew it for my kitchen and bathroom install
Looking good. As an added bonus you can clamp the new guide to the work piece from both sides which is a big plus compared to the earlier model. Looks like I have to do one my self; I just made a pretty long guide from 10mm film faced plywood...
Hi Charlie. Thanks for the videos. I second what many have written that these are extremely useful and you're a naturally skilled presenter. I do have a question. Is there a reason to use ply over MDF? Ply certainly won't have the same quality issues with voids in the wood at least.
Hi Gavin, massive thanks for the kind words. The only reason I used ply is that it's typically a bit stronger and less likely to warp longitudinally. That said, there's not much between them and MDF would give you a smoother surface to slide your saw down. They're great tracks, these, and actually more accurate than a metal track saw guide like you'd use on a plunge saw in that you can line up your cut very precisely in that circular window knowing exactly where the blade is going to cut. The only thing I'd say is that I got the long guide out for my recent wardrobe project and was disappointed to find it was 2mm out in the middle. I don't know if it's flexed or whether I made it with the bend in it. So if you're making a long guide, see if you can get a couple of metal sections for it - in place of the wood retainers I used - so that there's no chance of building a bend into the track. I still love my circular saw, but have realised it's horses for courses. I had so much MDF to cut I ended up buying an Erbauer plunge saw - attached to my dust cyclone and used the 2800mm metal track with it that I got for my Evolution hybrid circular/ plunge saw (don't buy the Evolution - far too much dust generated!)
@@CharlieDIYte Thanks for the detailed reply! That's a shame about the guide, although if it had existed when you made it I imagine you'd have spotted it. I'm just buying my first house and starting out in the DIY world so figure I'll make this one of my first projects. I'm considering putting a hinge in the middle (seems annoyingly long otherwise!) and using metal somewhere in the construction so once it I'll be sure to let you know the results. I figure using metal will push the price up but still considerably cheaper than buying a ready made track and plunge saw!
Great video, thank you. Did you ever add the hinges, and did they compromise the rigidity of the guide? Will you be making a follow-on video? Thanks!
I didn't add the hinges. To be honest, whilst this is great for short guides, the longer guide is a couple of mms out (would have been even worse if I had hinged it) so when I built the wardrobes recently I ended up buying a cheap Erbauer plunge saw and use that on some aluminium tracks I've got.
A great guide there Charlie 👍 I personally bought the erbauer plungesaw and wouldn't look back. A cracking peice of kit 👌
Yes I've had my eye on that for a while!! I'm still using the Erbauer kit that B&Q sent me for my first and only advertorial video th-cam.com/video/i6KYfrDBj3w/w-d-xo.html and I can't fault it, plus they've been selling the combi drill and 2 x 5Ah batteries for £115 recently, which is phenomenal value.
Charlie DIYte I noticed that the other day. I've been so impressed with their tools at a great value,especially for a DIYer! I recently added the biscuit joiner to my erbauer collection😄
Well done in your presentation. I bought riobi tools many years ago and all of them either didn't last long or burnt out. I'm very careful with my tools also. So perhaps technology has improved for riobi. In saying that I have since bought professional tools. I think you did a good job and building a rail system. The riobi has a rather narrow base plate which you mentioned is easy for the people tool to wonder away from the desired cut. Have you ever considered using aluminium extrusions for a rail guide? I bought some flat aluminium for the purposes of cutting dry wall sheeting.
I borrowed a saw from an engineer as I needed to cut 60mm deep into a hardwood. My rail saw has a depth of 55 when on the track. I was able to cut the timber using a 185 mm makita circular saw. Since I was only cutting a small 10mm slice off the guide was on the offcut side of the blade ( other side of base plate) . The machine cut rather well which brings me to wonder whether the wider base plate may have less of a tendency to wonder if running off a fence provided pressure was applied during the the whole cut process. Edit footnote predictive text changes words where is seed fit sometimes confusing readers of comments. My sentence was meant to read power tool not people tool. One of my gripes that social media platforms have to mess with people's typing.
Thanks for this. I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with Ryobi. Mine have been faultless except perhaps my combi, the chuck on which is failing after years of quite heavy use. Yes I have a long aluminium extrusion that was salvaged from the underside of a Lutron electric blind box, which I have used on multiple occasions to run the saw down against. It's just that you have to apply constant pressure against it, which this new guide eliminates.
Charlie DIYte I guess that's a reason for the rail system with the groove. However like your build having a fence on either side eliminates having to put constant pressure during the whole process of cutting. I'm thinking it's the power of the unit will determine how efficiently it can cut sheet goods of certain thicknesses. Also your invention or what you have seen elsewhere as a reference. When you look at wet tile cutters or even dry scoring tile cutters they have parallel bars.
Hi Charlie, great videos. Marine Ply is good quality, with strong glue between the laminations, makes it very stable in different temperatures and humidity levels. Also is reliably flat, which would make it ideal for the saw guide. You can buy it, or order it from Jewsons Builders Mearchants, (phone your branch first before travelling to them as it is a specialised product and all branches don't keep it off the shelf) other Builders Mearchants might be able to order it in. Hope this helps.
Keep up the good work.
All the best, stay safe, Pete
Nice video, well produced and explained. Honest comments, well done.
Thank you Gilbert!
In the USA, look and see if there is a Rockler store near you. They have great plywood.
Thanks Caleb. Plywood is so expensive here in the UK since lockdown. Wish we had some Rockler stores over here!
For decent quality quality ply, I've found you have to buy in from a specialist supplier. None of the DIY shops sell good ply. Although I find wicks is much better than b&q. In the south west, I use Avon ply. They'll deliver and stock high quality all birch ply of all kinds.
Thanks Matthew. That's what I'm finding too. I'm posting a video this weekend showing how I made a new bed, using tulip wood sourced from a specialist supplier in Somerset.
Many thanks the tutorial, usefull and easy to follow.
Great video, thanks, I just made a guide to use to trim our new gates. I have an 18cs7. The saw blade is on the right hand side of the handle and I noticed yours is on the left. Is there any reason for them being different?
Great video Charlie. I love watching old videos for inspiration. I wonder if uPVC fascia might work and could be lighter? What do you think?
Like your foldover workbench with peg holes. Is there a video on that or plans/sizes?
Yes, there's a five video series th-cam.com/play/PLyai2ugIzdZXJ1nnlk9art1fbWIhV-Zt_.html
Hi charlie, amazing video as always! Took your advice and got myself a Ryobi circular saw and It’s great! Going to make a saw guide like you have suggested. I have 2 questions if you wouldn’t mind answering them,
1. Are there finer blades anywhere with more teeth that will fit the Ryobi circular saw or is it just Ryobi blades that you have to have? (Like the one supplied)
2. Did you ever hinge your guides and was it succesful?
Thanks Michael. There are Ryobi blades like this bit.ly/3qMRAA6 - a lot more than the 24 teeth of the blade the saw ships with and I have a few of these. However you've just inspired me to delve into something I've never done before! I'm on a Whatsapp forum with some of the big DIYers like Peter Millard, Gosforth Handyman etc and they all rave about Freud blades, and look what I just found on Screwfix bit.ly/3nmkwwz It's exactly the same specs as the Ryobi but I suspect far superior. No I didn't hinge it in the end. I was going to use the long track on my wardrobe build but unfortunately it has a 3mm deviation in the middle (either it's warped since I built it or I never set it straight in the first place) so I ended up buying an Ebrauer plunge saw to use on my Evolution tracks, just because I had so much ripping down to do on the job. My circular saw did feature a lot on the build (as did the shorter track I made in that video), just not for that. If you are going to make a full length track, see if you can get hold of an aluminium section to use for at least one half of the guide. That way you should be able to ensure it stays completely true down the length.
I made this guide about six months ago from the same web site "one minute work shop" works great.
Hello buddy. I'm looking to purchase my first a circular saw for casual DIY. Do you still recommend the Ryobi over the evolution in this video?
I dont have a biscuit cutter.. Any ideas on how to connect the two plywood pieces? Was thinking construction glue lik tec 7 and some staples from my pneumatic gun. Think that would hold? That way i can have the hardwarestore do the cuts for me so i have all the main woodpieces be similar. Then just join at home..
Thoughts? Appreciate any help
Yes that would do it. Try and clamp them together. There's a trick on how to do that here th-cam.com/video/iGVz38gQsWA/w-d-xo.html staple the top and when the glue has set flip it over carefully and staple the bottom. Just make sure the staples are recessed enough to allow the saw to slide over the top freely. Or actually you may not need staples on the face up side, as you'll be strengthening that with the side rails.
@@CharlieDIYte clamp looks brilliant, but for this it would have to clamp on the short side of the plywood that would be almost 3m spart meaning an enourmous piece of wood for the clamp. I thought maybe screw some wood on the end of both pieces of plywood and just clamp them for support might be easier in this one instance
And thank you for answering earlier, Great channel
Dowels, perhaps
Would you consider using metal angles as guide rails? Seems like it'll prevent more flex and need a lot less cutting?
Yes definitely, and in fact I've been using an old aluminium section from an electric blind box for years now as an improvised straight edge. The crucial thing though is to have one on each side of the saw so that there's no chance that the saw can wander off the straight edge.
I was skepticle of a 20 volt circular saw. But I have several B&D 20 volt batteries and the drill Works great th-cam.com/users/postUgkxjpBI8OOeUXib_iT7UomCrQ-uauwZJ62c . I saw the 4 stars and some glowing reviews so decided to purchase this saw. Well, leave your money in your pocket and run a cord because this little saw won't cut
Glad to hear it 👍
Haha, you oughtta check out bosch’s 12v circular saw…
It’s a tiny beast!
Hi Charlie, I'm really finding the videos useful but I'm looking to purchase a circular saw and wondered what you would recommend buying a 150mm or 165mm?, I'll be using it for trimming doors and perhaps kitchen work surface.
Great video Charlie, 100% agree on the Chinese wood too 👍🏻
Thanks Paul. Yes it's flooding the builders and timber merchants these days 🙄
Hi Charlie, still loving your videos! This will be something I consider doing at some point once my other projects are in order! I tried to make something like this before although far more hodge-podge than this. My issue was cutting the pieces to make the guide straight in the first place! Always found the guide pieces to have been cut ever-so-slightly out of square or wavy, as the fence on my circular saw is not reliable at all. I ended up getting some bits of 18mm MDF cut down from a large sheet at my local B&Q, as at least this gave a better chance of them being straight. Might do the same with the plywood once the stores are back to normal 🙂 cheers again, Joe
Hey, amazing video, can't wait to attempt my own. Just wondering, what dust bag you use, and is it universal?
Thanks! It's not universal. It's an Evolution that I got with a circular saw. Annoying that Ryobi don't make one, but the dust extraction on this saw is surprisingly good considering it's only a circular saw.
Charlie - this is brilliant! I have tried my best to make straight cuts with 2 different types of circular saws and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I even bought the Bora NGX guide system and a sled for my saw. Even if I am very careful staying against an edge, I sometimes find the saw's plate moving slightly out of level which then creates a horizontally straight cut, but one that is not vertically straight. Even with the saw guide I found that rigging up my saw with the Bora sled (about $30 USD) didn't work that well because the Sled doesn't seem to fit my standard Ryobi saw that well. I spent nearly an hour making numerous adjustments to make sure my saw was square and fit tightly in the sled, but it still wandered during a cut for some reason - maybe because the BORA saw guide got pulled a bit. So - I'm off to build one of your Guides. One suggestion - could you screw on a few pieces of lumber underneath your thin bottom piece - or even a piece of plywood so that you can leave the end piece off so you would be avoiding the awkward plunge cut - or better yet, attach the side guide pieces and top one, line them up with your saw and then make the cut at the bottom and afterward put on the bottom edge piece?
I think the bottom edge piece is a great idea. It sounds like you've got the saw blade set too low which might explain why it's wandering. It's really important you set it so the lowest tooth is only just poking out below the cut, by about half a tooth or a few mm. Good luck with making the guide. Let me know how you get on 👍
@@CharlieDIYte Good point and thank you. I actually spent most of my afternoon yesterday building a guide almost exactly like your design. I'd attach a photo, but there doesn't seem to be a place for it. My first cut was a bit off, but I think this might be due to the fact that the guide shifted. I'm working with a long piece of thin plywood - close to 60 inches - and I have a piece of styrofoam insulation underneath underneath so it's difficult to find more than 1 spot to clamp it, but I might just let the ends hang over the corners. Do you use a tape measure or another tool to measure your cutting depth?
Any ideas how to make one for 6-8 cm wide by x deep wood. These always show a nice wide bit of ply:)
That was a great piece of advice and a very nicely done presentation, really liked it.
Charie you are hero!!!.🎉🎉🎉
07:56 Any link for that beautiful foldable / hinged workbench? Thanks.
Here's the video on how I made it folding but there are a few videos on the initial construction and drilling the mft holes th-cam.com/video/PTN3EmLiYdg/w-d-xo.html
@CharlieDIYte Can you use a smaller blade in your Circular saw then the recommended size? Ie Can a Bosch GKS 190mm Circular Saw use a 185mm or 160mm blade? thanks for the great vid
Hi Charlie, thanks a lot for this - recently bought my first circular saw, and now looking forward to making myself one of these, which I would never have had the confidence to if not for your video.
I was just wondering if you'd specifically recommend MDF for the base for its relative smoothness (assuming thick enough to minimise flex), as I imagined that might allow the saw to slide a little more easily? Or does it not actually make much difference in practice?
Hi Peter, you're welcome. It doesn't make a huge amount of difference to be honest. It slides over both with ease. You just want the base as thin as possible and ideally metal for the side edges particularly if you're making a long one for full length sheet cuts as that longer one I made was actually slightly out by a couple of mms. It's a great guide rail though- particularly the shorter one. It makes super accurate cuts.
i would recommend Kreg Accu cut it will fit any brand universal
Good recommendation - thanks
Great video and well explained mate ,, thanks for sharing gonna make a couple of these ,,cheers
You're welcome, James. Thanks for getting in touch 👍
This is pretty quality! 👌 A quick spray (or undercoat first) with some PTFE spray might help that saw slide like butter. Thanks again Charlie for the tips, mistakes always aid the next build, saves us watchers a lot of time 😊
You're welcome Elliott, and thank YOU for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it 👍
How timely, Charlie. I'm building cabinets for either side of the false chimney breast constructed during lockdown and am struggling with making consistently accurate cuts with my circular saw.
I went with a Triton Plunge saw when I needed to cut some MDF accurately. I feel that the extra expense was worth it vs the work (and cost of materials) involved in making a circular saw into what I actually wanted which is a plunge saw.
Thanks Christopher.
Another very helpful video, Charlie; thanks. The tips in this video and the one at One Minute Workbench have given me the confidence to give this a go.
I was only using the saw laser guide for several weeks, and think I had the blade too deep. The outcome reminded me of what my old English teacher used to write on my essays: "Rowe, what did you draw this margin with, a bloody banana?" He had a way with words.
Can u show how to put up wood on plasterboard for curtain rail can it be done with duopower plugs
Take a look at some of Charlie's other videos. He has several videos on different methods for attaching something to plasterboard.
Thanks for the video Charlie. I will certainly use this guide when making a guide for my circular saw. Nice one
That was mega. Inspired me to try my own design. Gonna lay down a length of square steel screwed down to a base plate to eliminate any flex issues :) Might not be as good as this one, but no harm messing around right?
James that will be much better than mine as the longer one unfortunately has a 3mm bow in the middle now for some reason. With metal you'll eliminate any chance of that. 👍
Great stuff as always. Though I can't help feeling the recent profusion of cheap tracksaws now makes that the real 'must have' saw for the diy-er?
Invaluable information Charlie as I'm about to start building my camper van. ATB-Marc
New subscriber from Sunny Cape Town South Africa...great video.
I use an aluminum edge but my saw does wonder. I will put this together tomorrow..Baie dankie
Do you need the thinner sheet inside the frame?
Yes it stabilises the frame and provides a guide for what you're cutting
Hi Charlie. First time I watch your channel, and I musrt say I like the style, which is very refreshing, and different to our american cousins, who I appreciate as well.
Just a quick question, if you have time: When you sued the router for the biscuit holes, how did you ensure that the holes were facing each other?
Thanks in advance!
Edit: another question I forgot, is what you would recommend if you also want to cut at 45 degrees? Use the same track, or build a separate one. I, theory, I imagine it should be fine to have a single track for both, as you will still be guided by the sides. Just have the obervation holes not too close to each other
To get the holes facing each other you place the edges your joining on top of each other and draw the guide lines the width you're routing down both pieces of wood, using a combination square to keep it nice and square. Hope that makes sense. Yes I'd just use the same guide for 45 degree cuts, and if you have an MFT work top, you can put parf dogs into the table holes to press the guide up against to make your 45 degree cuts. But that's going a bit far for most of us DIYers! Here's a link to the video I did on this th-cam.com/video/bAbdpozi53g/w-d-xo.html
The Makita is very effective with regard to dust extraction into a simple dust bag. I have dust extraction in the workshop, but don't bother with extraction for the Makita.
To be able to fold in half a jig that's about 9 ft. long would be a great asset for storage. Two sections of piano hinge on each side of the kerf line should do the trick. Epoxy and screw the hinges to the end grain of the plywood base.
I thought about piano hinge. You're absolutely right, it needs a piano style hinge to support across the entire width otherwise the flex will be back. Problem is, I don't think the piano hinge would be strong enough even with the epoxy. The aluminium tracks have the sliders underneath secured with grub screws, but again on our wood design with the slit, this wouldn't work 🤔
The key to the ply is to choose “hardwood throughout” - many DIY type merchants will do hardwood ply, but the core is softwood. Proper builders merchants will sell structural hardwood ply, which some still refer to as WBP (this refers to what punishment the glue will stand up to, but is no longer the name for the standard). This is more likely to come from Canada or Brazil than China.
Hope this helps.
That helps massively. Thanks Chris 👍
I just got a really thin section of aluminium 6ft long and a hard wood door stop screwed on edge then cut through base to make zero clearance guide, making a thin and strong guide with almost full depth of blade.
Very useful Charlie. Thanks - Im going to make one using this design. Did see the One minute workbench version but was still figuring out which design to make and why this one seems very practical.
Itz amazing... I got more idea, hope someday can i have like ur amazing tools🙏🙏🙏🙏
What blade are you using on the circular saw?
Pretty sure the Ryobi only takes Ryobi blades. I'm using their CSB165A1, 165mm, 1.6mm thick blade
Nice. Love your videos and this is something I will be making. Thanks.
Excellent thanks very much
You're welcome Clem.👍
Thanks for the info, excellent ideas
Somewhat late to the party, that's a great video. Just a thought though - was there a reason not to make a 'slide' for the saw to fit a shop bought track?
Thanks Charlie - cracking video. I'll definitely be making myself one
Great video Charlie
Hey Charlie Hello from New York City
Hi buddy, good to hear from you. How are things in NYC? 👍🏻
Charlie is it possible to see if I can get plans or similar for the Saw Track please? I'm happy to pay for it.
I live in Australia. Thank you. John Tuttle
It's going to be tricky as I'm a bit manic at the moment. What type of saw have you got?
@@CharlieDIYte Thank you for getting back to me. I have a Makita 185mm HS7000SP
Great vid - thanks for sharing 👍
Nice one Charlie
Thanks Jono 👍
I never even thought about that, I can move a biscuit jointer down my priority list now, and bump a router up 😃
did you ever add a hinge?
Not yet, no, and in fact I ran into a problem with the 2880mm track in that it's about 2mm out in the middle. I think it would be better to construct with aluminium guides each side. That way you know it's perfectly straight.
@@CharlieDIYte interesting, would you buy some sort of aluminium guides or try and make something yourself.
@@CharlieDIYte I was going to make one with a straight bit of wood running horizontally so i could place it against one side and have some sort of built in clamp so i know it’s always straight to the factory cut edge.
Another fantastic video Charlie. Is it worth paying the extra £33 for the brushless model in your links?
Really appreciate this video. Thank you.
Cheers for another great video Charlie 👍