# Making Your Own Portable Circular Saw Guide Rail



## jedmc571 (12 Jan 2007)

Hello everyone ,

I had a post running in the Buying Forum about Festool V Eurekazone, I made my decision on Festool and was about to make the purchase from Andrew at Festool Fanatics.
Unfortunately a £900 dental bill for myself and my wife and my ceiling collapsing the other week, I'm no longer able to afford it  

So I thought I'd ask if anyone can suggest a good plan for constructing my own guide ? I know it's not going to compare, but it'll do for now.

I was thinking MDF for consistency, and perhaps some small ally extrusions on the rubbing surfaces and leading edge ? ( I noticed in Screwfix the other day som 19 x 19mm 90 degree corner extrusion ?

Any Ideas welcome, and any plans with cutting list even better, and if anyone feels realy sympathetic, you could always give a TS55 with guide rails :lol: 

Look forward to your replies

Lucky Jed


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## kevinr (12 Jan 2007)

I used this page to build mine. I also found this.

Good Luck


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## Roger (12 Jan 2007)

Have a look at the one from Axminster - seems a good solid item:

Panel Saw Guide


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## gidon (12 Jan 2007)

Or here:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/featu ... sp?id=1104
I would (and have) offset the guide strip by a couple of inches, or even make the other side a guide for your router and favorite bit. It makes clamping a lot easier believe me!
The easiest way of making one (or a couple in fact different sizes) is to go into a B&Q warehouse and get them to rip you the appropriate strips of some MDF or plywood sheets. A few accurate guides in minutes and some MDF spare all for a tenner .
With a decent saw you get very good results with this simple jig.
Cheers
Gidon


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## jedmc571 (12 Jan 2007)

Hello, 

Thanks for the replies, 

I'm afraid this is a low cost option only, Gidon, what size MDF do you suggest ? 

And any Idea about fitting an anti-splinter device ? not important, but an afterthougt.

Jed


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## Shivers (12 Jan 2007)

What i always did was to fix a 4" wide piece of 8' ply onto a 10" piece of 8'ply(oversized to the circular saw base)---make sure the 4" piece is perfectly straight(&then glued/screwed down),take the circular saw rip off the waste from the 10" piece using the 4"edge as a guide,

Then what you have is a perfect guide with built in location(no need to calculate offset between straightedge & saw blade anymore) plus it keeps dead straight even under force


shivers.


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## Shivers (12 Jan 2007)

gidon":2xj5yxup said:


> Or here:
> http://www.popularwoodworking.com/featu ... sp?id=1104
> I would (and have) offset the guide strip by a couple of inches, or even make the other side a guide for your router and favorite bit. It makes clamping a lot easier believe me!
> The easiest way of making one (or a couple in fact different sizes) is to go into a B&Q warehouse and get them to rip you the appropriate strips of some MDF or plywood sheets. A few accurate guides in minutes and some MDF spare all for a tenner .
> ...



I like that one the guy dont even realise that 8'x4' sheets of ply are related primarily to housebuilding -ie:-- room heights.& hes making a totally elaborate better mousetrap.

shivers.


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## Alf (12 Jan 2007)

Shivers":24bzcs9y said:


> What i always did was to fix a 4" wide piece of 8' ply onto a 10" piece of 8'ply(oversized to the circular saw base)---make sure the 4" piece is perfectly straight(&then glued/screwed down),take the circular saw rip off the waste from the 10" piece using the 4"edge as a guide,


Yep, did the same. As long as the guiding piece is wide enough to clamp down without the clamps fouling the saw that's about as technical as it gets.

Cheers, Alf


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## Colin C (12 Jan 2007)

I have the plan for one in a book that can be made to break down in two parts, it is in the Woodsmith custom woodworking book ( Shop built jig & fixtures ) , which is not a bad book at all


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## gidon (12 Jan 2007)

Jed - those numbers (from Alf and Shivers) sound about right. I would make up a 8' one and a 4' one while you're at it. If it's my final cut and it's nice veneered board I just make sure the non show side splinters. Masking tape along the cut line helps as would scoring it. You shouldn't get too much splintering anyway if the guide is on the save piece.
Cheers
Gidon


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## Shivers (12 Jan 2007)

Alf":14qfc1us said:


> Yep, did the same. As long as the guiding piece is wide enough to clamp down without the clamps fouling the saw that's about as technical as it gets.
> 
> Cheers, Alf



Well spotted Alf,it might be more prudent to make the 4" piece into a 6"er,or leave a couple of inches on the back of the bottom piece to allow for clamps,i remember having problems with the saw motor housing hitting the clamps if set to low for a deep cut.

shivers.


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## George_N (12 Jan 2007)

Shivers":2qwrd7yg said:


> Well spotted Alf,it might be more prudent to make the 4" piece into a 6"er,or leave a couple of inches on the back of the bottom piece to allow for clamps,i remember having problems with the saw motor housing hitting the clamps if set to low for a deep cut.
> 
> shivers.



The usual use for these guides is for cutting sheet material down to size. This means that you are not making a deep cut, ie. the saw motor is well above fence and clamps so 4" should be plenty wide enough (mine is and I have used it lots with no problems). I would use birch ply rather than MDF for the fence, twice the price but much more durable. A 4" strip of 18 mm ply won't bend much but you should check it's straight with a string line. Also worth remembering that the best side is facing down with a hand-held saw.


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## Anonymous (12 Jan 2007)

You must enter a message when posting.


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## Dave S (12 Jan 2007)

I use mdf for the base and a piece of 15cm contiplas for the guide. I have them at 8', 4' and 2'. One side for circular saw, the other for router with a spiral bit. For veneered or melamine faced material, hidden edges are done to size with the saw. Where clean edges are required I cut a couple of mm oversize with the saw and finish to size with the router and spiral bit. 

With a cheap and cheerful black and decker saw and a 7 year old Power Devil router (yes, really) I can still get a good finish when required.

Dave


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## Steve Maskery (12 Jan 2007)

It's only the last couple of years that I have had the luxury of an aluminium guide rail system and high quality saw. For the rest of my nearly 30-year woody career I did OK with an assortment of cheap circular saws and jigs.

All the above advice is fine, my own advice is to make sure that the guide is wide enough to clamp without the clamps getting in the way of the body of the saw.

Also, make sure that the guide is a bit longer than the piece for which it is intended. 5ft for cross-cutting a sheet, for example, and 9ft for ripping. The latter means getting an offrip of a 10ft sheet, or laminating into a longer strip.

I still use my DW cordless when I go to buy sheet stuff in an emergency, and I know they can't cut the sheet for me until a week next April. A couple of pairs of trestles in the back of the car, a fully charged battery and a quiet corner of the car park means that I can buy full sheets, convert them before loading on the roof rack, and get them home without getting airborne or stopped by the police.

It's not as good as professional system, but it's a perfectly usable alternative, and has served me well for many years.


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## Shivers (13 Jan 2007)

Steve Maskery":3ncm65qw said:


> It's only the last couple of years that I have had the luxury of an aluminium guide rail system and high quality saw. For the rest of my nearly 30-year woody career I did OK with an assortment of cheap circular saws and jigs.
> 
> All the above advice is fine, my own advice is to make sure that the guide is wide enough to clamp without the clamps getting in the way of the body of the saw.
> 
> ...



Nuff said,- this caps the whole thread.

shivers


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## Anonymous (13 Jan 2007)

Old dogs & new tricks!

For years I've blundered on with simply clamping a straight edge onto the board - with variable results.

I need to trim up the waney edge on a ton of beech I've just bought off Scrit.

Off to the shop this morning to make me a couple of sawboards!


Thanks Jacob 

Brad


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## mel (13 Jan 2007)

as mr grimsdale said , this pops up all the time 
IIRC someone made one with the baseboard made out of 8/9mm thick laminate flooring 
:idea: which seemed like a good idea to me , as the saw will slide easily on laminate :idea:


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## Alf (13 Jan 2007)

Steve Maskery":2fggr9js said:


> It's only the last couple of years that I have had the luxury of an aluminium guide rail system


I think it's only fairly recently that anyone's had that luxury, isn't it? Daresay Scrit has an advert for a version offered in 1947 he'll dig out now... :lol: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Niki (13 Jan 2007)

As Mel said

You can see the post here
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... highlight=

I used the 1300 mm but there is also 2500mm

niki


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## jedmc571 (13 Jan 2007)

Hello, 

Whilst looking through Screwfix catalogue I came accross 7mm PVCU nail on fascia baord, and a lightbulb apeared above my head :idea: 

My current idea, and it's vague at the moment, first think of the fascia board lay flat, and the lip which is approx 18mm high is on the left sticking up ( so it's a straight 90 degree ) the falt bit will be just over the width of my saw soleplate.

1. Glue a small piece of mdf approx 18 x 10mm to the angle to stengthen it and stop it flexing when pushing the saw against it.

2. On top of that little MDF off cut I'll put some 19 x 19mm ally angle on as a rubbing/wear strip.

3. 2 small 25 x 7mm off cuts will act as runners for the sole plate ? but thinking of some sort of bearing system on the sole plate :?: or might even keep it simple and use Trend's ultraglide tape.

4. On the under side, Screwfix do a 65mm anti slip tape for carpet/rugs, a couple of narrow strips underneath should help it remain in position, still need to work on an end clamping idea :?: 

5. Simply run the saw through it as with all the other types, and hopefully I'll have a lightweight version.

Obviously it needs more thought, but the general idean is there, I figured that PVCU would give little resistance and should be ok.


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## Steve Maskery (13 Jan 2007)

Hi Jed,

I think that idea has legs!

The trouble with all the home-made versions, whatever the material, is that the guide only guides the saw in one direction. All (I think all, anyway) the pro versions stop it wandering away from the rail as well as preventing it cutting too far in.

That's a big advantage.

But you have little to lose by trying it, so let us know how you get on!


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## jedmc571 (13 Jan 2007)

Cheers Steve, that's praise indeed  

I understand what you mean about the saw wandering
It did cross my mind when I was thinking about with the bearing guidance, obviously with spherical bearings it would be like ice skating, so I will have a look.

I even thought about a magnetic system to pull the saw back to the guide :?: 

Now I'm just getting ahead of myself :lol: 

regards

Jed


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## Colin C (13 Jan 2007)

Jed

PM sent


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## manso (13 Jan 2007)

May I just echo the excellent point Steve Maskery makes about the length of the sawboard. If your circular saw has a base of around 300mm then, in order to avoid starting with a plunge _cut_ rather than just a plunge, I would argue for at least 300-400mm over and above the length to be cut, i.e. 1600mm or even a bit north when cutting 48"(1220mm) and 2800mm or even a bit north when cutting 96" (2440mm).
I have two 1400 Festool rails which, when linked, work well when cutting 96", but I find a single rail too short to safely cut 48" and would have preferred either a 1600mm or even 1700mm.


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