The other day I was watching an episode of Ask TOH. Tommy Silva was using a circular saw to trim a door blank to fit a door opening. The circular saw he used worked in conjunction with a straight edge that appeared to be part of a package (i.e. came with the saw). Has anyone seen anything like this before?
The straight edge was designed so that the bottom of the circular saw sat in a track so that the cut-edge wouldn’t suffer from user-error and creating wavy cut line. All I could say was I’ve got to get me one of those gadgets! Anyone shed some light on this?
Replies
http://www.eurekazone.com
http://www.festoolusa.com
Search, there have been many, too many, discussions/arguments about the attributes of both guides.
Festool also manufactures high end power tools, and their dust collection is great.
Stop, drop, shut 'em down, open up shop.
I guess I was hoping that the solution was adaptive, and not a complete power-tool system. Thought that maybe a combination swapped-baseplate and straight edge as opposed to buying a new circular saw.
Go to the eureka zone site above. Use your saw, his base, and guide. You can spend a reasonable amount and have a very capable system!
Check out the EZ guide. It has a guide rail, and base plate that are adapted to your own circular saw. http://www.eurekazone.comStop, drop, shut 'em down, open up shop.
Thanks folks! I need to order that EzGuide. Why are these not sold in the big box stores? Sounds like a no-brainer for helping out the DIYer/homeowner.
my rigid circular from HD came with a pretty handy little guide.
I also got a mini-guide with my PC router, but when you are a one-man DIYer the thought of wrestling 3/4" 4x8 sheets of plywood onto the tablesaw seems foreboding. :)
I can feel the rumbling. The festool vs. eurekazone volcano is about to erupt!!
"With every mistake we must surely be learning"
I am fairly certain that Tom was using the Festool. He has that system and it first showed up on TOH last season or the one before it.
The ez system allows you to use an existing CS. There are several other "systems" out there. But I don't think that you will find any of them at home horror store. More likely at a full line tool store or woodworkign store.
Bill thanks for waking up my brain. Yeah, I need to find a 'real' toolstaore, but unfortunately for me I live in a county not kind to tools beyond the dote's tools. I think there is one !20 miles from me and I need to make effort to go there. I'd much rather get it in retail.
Highland Hardware is the big woodworking supply store in your area.http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.aspI thought that there was a Stone Mountain Tools company, but a Stone Mountain is too generic of a name and I did not find it.I did a google on Athens, GA Power Tools and got this listing.http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=power+tools&near=Athens,+GA&sa=X&oi=local&ct=titleNote the Retool in Athens.And it did find Stone Mountain tools.And I see that Stone Mountain and Gwinnett are fairly close to you.Also Miktia and Hitcha are close by. Now I assume that those are regional headquarters, but they might have factory outlet store.Google and the Yellow Pages are your "friends".And changing it to contractors supply found a few more. Some of those are specialized (such as drywall), but others might have tools.And woodworking supplies go another bunch. Straing mix, but the first one was GA Hardwoods in your back yard. Don't know what market that they aim for, but I would not be suprised to see then have tools and supplies.Just Woodworking seems to mostly show woodWORKERS, but there appear to be some suppliers such as Tri City Saw.
Bill, Highland is the one. I've been meaning to get to that store (for the first time) for a couple of years now.
To show that I am not pimping Dino's super great EZ here is a simple, lower cost alternative with much less growth capability.
http://www.rocklerpro.com/product.cfm?page=16448&SearchHandle=DADBDBDFDADADDDGDHDADFDGGGGDDADACNDCDCGBGCCNDEDCGFDACNDIGCGBDGCNGBGFDFGGGBGCGCGFDEDGDEGEDADADADBDADADADBDDGDHFHEHEGJGOGHCAGHHFGJGEGFDADADADEDADADADADADADADBDFDADADADBDADADADADADADADADADADADADBDADADADBDDGDHFHEHEGJGOGHCAGHHFGJGEGFDADADADBDB&filter=cutting%20guide
I strongly suggest Highland..man, they know what they do there.
I ordered a bandsaw blade on monday for a serious session of curvy cutting coming up..and the doode was so cool, he asked if one would be enuf..after I thought about the amount of cutting I have to do, I agreed to buy 2 LOL.
BTW, it is a possiblity I will dull or break this blade in the first cut..not a hard sell on his part, just looking out for what could cause me a delay. Very professional. I got the blades on Wed. as promised.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" the best investment in life, is a handle on love''
I don't remember if he was cutting the door bottom or side? if bottom your 48"level and 2 clamps will get you the straightest cut you need? Or If 80" cut you can do the same with a rip 4-5" x 3/4" plywood straight edge. I have self clamping systems but 4 out of 5 I'm reaching for the plywood or level.
I know we like our tools. Till then improvise.
Rip two pieces of quality half inch plywood the length that you want your guide to be. One should be about 12 in. wide, the other about 6 in. Make sure one edge of the 6 in. wide piece is dead straight. Screw the 6 in. piece on top of the 12 in. so that one pair of edges line up. The straight edge on the 6 in. piece should not be the outside edge.
When you make your first cut with this guide, the bottom plywood gets ripped to the exact width of your saw base. Next time you use it, you just need to make a couple of tick marks for your cut line, and align the guide with them. Clamp it in place, make your cut, and Bob's your uncle.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
also check out http://www.leevalley.com
they have a really slick extendable edge guide system
nuke, i've got 2 ez-guide setups
one on my pc 7 1/4 & one on my bosch 8 1/4..
EZ-Guide is da bomb..
here's my 8 1/4 ripping a quadrant out of a turned column
View Image
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 3/19/2006 12:02 pm ET by MikeSmith
Mike, thanks for that picture. It makes me want to say, "I want". :)
Nuke,
Hang on fellow - you're in for a ride! I discovered the EZ Smart system last fall and it is making huge changes in how my employees and my self work in my cabinet shop and on job sites. The ability to put a door on a table, saw horse, etc and do a perfect cut is just the beginning. Think of doing cabinets and only handling that big sheet once - more accurate, quicker and best of all safer than ever. Straight line those rough boards easily and quickly. Make dado's and flutes quicker than ever. Safely make those very narrow rips and keep your fingers away from the blade. We could write a book on the possibilities.
Dino is the inventer of the EZ System. Give him a call at the number shown on the web site. Tell him exactly what you want to do and he'll help you select the equipment you need.
There is an EZ Smart forum at Sawmillcreek.
Burt
Edited 3/19/2006 4:24 pm ET by Burts