For amateurs only

[Nissim Avrahami]

Good day

If you are a “pro”, probably you have one of those “guide system”. If you are not…..

One day I was laying floor panels in my house and I noticed that I’m “skiing” on them. So I said to myself, why not to use them for the circular saw guide. I took the left over panels and did it.

The floor panels are covered from both sides with plastic laminate (Formica), very strong (15 years guaranty), very flat, straight and smooth.

I used 5/16” thick panels; they come in 50” and 100” length.
I had to connect another ½ width so the motor line will be out of the clamp line.

Another improvement that you can make, is to use the same floor panel as an auxiliary base for the saw (I used simple MDF but its on my “to do” list), to minimize the friction and to give you means to adjust the blade parallel to the base edge so it will not “pull” and by that, gives you cleaner cut

The “knives” positioning method ensures maximum accuracy and I’m using is also for the hand held router to cut dado but that’s other story.

Hope it helps

niki

[Art Davis]

Niki,

Thanks a lot from an amateur. Great idea and tutorial.

Art

[Frank Chaffee]

Niki,
I admire your approach to shop tooling and jigging, and have been enjoying all the threads you have begun lately.
Thanks,
Frank

[Rafael Carias]

i second frank's comment. your approach to a saw guide with dust collection is very admireable and down right inventive. i don't see any thing amateur about it.

thanks for sharing your good ideas.

[Sam Chambers]

Wow, Niki. You really come up with some great ideas! I'd love to see some more details of your dust collection system on the circular saw.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Excellent idea for a good saw and router guide without costing yourself a small fortune!!

[Nissim Avrahami]

Thank you all for the kind replies

Sam
For dust collection, I just grind an elongated hole on the saw guard and glued this plastic tube that I found in the “gardening department”, it looks like a long cone or cup closed at the end. I just cut the bottom and shaped it to fit the opening in the guard.
I’m using the saw without the sliding guard, but I have an iron rule: I never lift up the saw before it stops rotating, and after that, I switch “off” the “in-line safety switch”. My saws are equipped with electric brake and stops in a second.
I’m using the saw all the time with fully extended blade that’s why I can cover all the side with thin plywood or cardboard attached with screws. If you don’t like the “full blade”, maybe you can make half sliding plywood cover adjustable to the blade extension.

I’m attaching a few more pictures of my Makita and the way that I adjust it. You will also see another method that I use the guide as a straight edge, in this case the dust collection is 100%, because the saw base is covering the work totally (with the guide, the saw is 5/16” above the work, on one side).

Thanks
niki

[Nissim Avrahami]

A few more pictures

[Frank Chaffee]

Niki,
Is that a switch lock button I see on your saw? We don’t have those here.
More thanks and kudos too!
Frank

[Nissim Avrahami]

Yes Frank, It’s a switch lock button.
I would prefer it to be a safety button. I bought this saw in Japan (100v) and probably that’s “normal” there, that’s the reason that I’m using “in line” safety switch.

Thank you
niki