straight edge:

[sal]

Hello W/W what do you guys use for a straight edge when ripping 8ft plywood? I looked at various pro. models but they are too expensive.

Sal

[marc rosen]

Years ago I used to use the edge of another sheet of plywood. =20 Marc

[Steve Barker]

i have a piece of oak, about 4 1/2 inches wide, i keep straight on one edge.

[Leon]

My TS fence?

And or my Festool Track saw and track.

Yeah my track saw and track were expensive but only about 1/3 the price of my TS.

[RonB]

I have used 2 x 4's that had been passed across the jointer a few times but I had to check it against the layout line carefully and it is a one-shot deal.

I bought an 8' aluminum straightedge from Home Depot a while back. It is two pieces of extrusion that join together with an insert plate and you clamp it on with c-clamps that are provided. I is not the highest quality thing around but it will stay true to a layout line if you clamp it tight. As two 4' straightedges is is just fine. I think I paid around $18-20 for it. But I have seen some that are way more expensive.

As Leon noted the table saw works as well as anything, unless you are cutting at an angle.

RonB

[Pat]

I had a machine shop make me some out of 10 gauge stainless years ago. They have served me well ever since.

[John Grossbohlin]

A steel stud and a couple claps would be fine for rips. From what I've seen most steel studs are quite straight... certainly adequate for initial rips that would be later cleaned up on the table saw and for most purposes just fine as is.

John

[G.W. Ross]

I made my circular saw guides out of a piece of 1/2 " aluminum channel from Lowes, bolting it onto a strip of scrap paneling. I countersunk the flat-head bolts on the bottom. Left about 2 inches on the left side of the channel for clamping. Run the saw down the paneling with the shoe rubbing against the channel. The cut edge is where the saw will cut every time. The plywood you are keeping should be on the left side of the cut line, otherwise it will be a saw blade's thickness shy of what you measured.

Drill 2 or 3 holes for hanging on the wall. I hang mine over the door. I have a 4' one and an 8' one.

[Swingman]

Exactly what I used for 20 years, until I got a Festool track saw. AAMOF, just gave it to my main carpenter just recently. Got tired of watching his crew trying to eyeball sheet good cuts with circular saws that have been dropped roofs umpteen times.

[tiredofspam]

Although I have a track, I like using my shop made jig. I used 2 pieces of masonite.

One I cut on the tablesaw oversized. The other is the guide piece. I placed the guide piece in the middle and then cut the oversized piece with the circular saw.

I have zero clearence now on both sides of the blade. One side is for the 5" sole, the other side of the jig is for the narrower sole plate.

Works great, just but up against your cut marks.

[Larry Jaques]

I used to use an 8'2" aluminum straight edge built for that purpose. Now I can use my Makita SP6000K plunge saw guides. The Texan Twins use their Festool guides.

For a quick and inexpensive one, build your own:

make sure that 1x4 is _straight_!

-- When a quiet man is moved to passion, it seems the very earth will shake. -- Stephanie Barron (Something for the Powers That Be to remember, eh?)

[Larry Blanchard]

I've got something similar to that. I noticed that it tended to bow a little at the center connection when pressure was applied. I drilled a small hole for a finish nail. Problem solved.

[clare]

Another 4X8 sheet of plywood??

[Bill]

Incidently, using this technique has made me better appreciate Lew's remark that "When you buy a TS, you're buying a FENCE." I've learned I can get some decent cuts without a TS, but it is SLOWer work!

[Zz Yzx]

I've used both a strip of plywood ~6 in wide with a factory edge and piece of aluminum angle stock. I use it with a circular saw becasue I don;t have enough room in my shop to use my table saw.

[Lew Hodgett]

-------------------------------- A 2"x2"x1/8"x96" aluminum angle and a couple of 3" C-Clamps.

Lew

[sal]

Thanks for the input guys, very useful info quite a range of ideas.

[Doug Miller]

"sal" wrote in news:dqovr.25743$ [e-mail]:

One of these (105" version):

one of these:

[Morgans]

Thanks for the input guys, very useful info quite a range of ideas.

Sal

I have several jigs I built for ripping ply. I start with a piece of hardboard about 14 inches wide and 8 feet long. I then rip a piece of 1/2" ply about 4" wide, keeping one factory edge, and ripping it very carefully in a table saw, so both sides of it are very straight.

Measuring the distance between the edge of a circular saws shoe and the blade, I add about 1/4" and place the 1/2' ply onto the 1/4" hardboard the above distance from the edge with glue and staples. Clamp the jig on something and run the saw down the edge, and it will cut off the extra 1/4" so you then have the edge of the hardboard that is exactly where you will later cut plywood. Makes it easy to put the cut exactly on the line you measure on your ply.

On the other side of the jig from where the saw rides, I do the same thing, but I make it a little wider than the distance from a 3/4" router bit to the other side of the 1/2" straight plywood fence.

I now have one jig that works for cutting a dado or rabit, with quick use with no need to add measurements to the desired size to account for the size of the saw or router shoe. If you want different size for different router bit, make them, too. I have a stack hanging on a shelf bracket on the wall. I also have 4 foot versions, and 2 foot versions.

If you have never done this, give it a try. It is hard to imagine anything easier to use or as accurate for a tenth of the price.

-- Jim in NC

[J. Clarke]

I have a guide made from the factory edge of a sheet of plywood.

Here's one variant:

Takes maybe 10-15 minutes to make.