I'm building a workbench this weekend from a design I found at AW.com (http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/...workbench.aspx).
It says to build a fence for the circ. saw. Here's what it says:
Build a temporary cutting guide to fit your circular saw (Photo 1). It’s easy to make by nailing together two overlapping 1x6s cut just over 6 ft. long (you’ll use these boards later as parts of the bench). The edge of the bottom board shows you exactly where the saw will cut, so you don’t have to do any complicated measuring. The top board guides the saw. Nail some extra pieces of 1x6 under the overhang of the top board for balance.
My question concerns the red. What is the complicated measuring if I want to just freehand these cuts with my circ. saw?