If you have a sheet of a piece of wood to make a straight cut on it, you would surely want it to look elegant and smooth. And you don’t want it to look like a three-year-old took a crayon and just drew a straight line. Right?
If you have a table saw, this makes it easier but table saws are expensive and when you’re first starting out, probably not going to have one but you may have a circular saw. Let’s see how to cut wood straight with a circular saw.
How to cut wood straight with a circular saw: 3 popular ways
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Cutting straight with a circular saw using a level
So the first and easiest method is to get a 48-inch level. You can use this as a straight edge. Now, if you got a 48-inch level, these are very inexpensive. An aluminum-made I-beam style level would surely help you keep a good straight edge.
So let’s say you have a sheet of plywood. It doesn’t really matter how wide you’re going to cut a piece off. Whatever you need to do, the cut dimensions are going to depend on what kind of circular saw you have and the distance between the blade edges.
Keep your eyes on the inside part of the blade. Ensure that where you want the cut, the level is placed there lined up with the blade. You can fix the level with a small clamp onto the workpiece. Just snug it. Now after the level is fixed, check the measurements from the level to the edges. It should be exact all the way down. Now take a circular saw, you are ready to make the cut, and this level will be the guide for getting a straight line.
Using a Straight edge to cut straight with a circular saw:
Typically, you’re not going to get a level that is over 48 inches long. Most of the plywood sheets are 4 foot by 8 foot. So a level is excellent for cutting across the plywood. But if you need an 8-foot long cut, you need to have something for that. You can use a Straight Edge for this situation.
It’s generally eight feet long. It comes with two small clamps. You can also break it down in half and use it for a smaller cut, don’t worry; it can be re-attached. So it’s basically the same premise as the forefoot. The way this works is one side is more raised than the other side. So, you have a thin side and a thicker side. This will be about a quarter of an inch tall, which gives you an excellent flat surface for your circular saw to run down.
You do the same thing as before. You’re going to take the measurements, checking everything and clamping the straight edge properly. If you’re ripping a long eight-foot strip, this straight edge will give you plenty of room for your saw to keep tracking after you get to the end of the plywood, and it gives you plenty of room to clamp. It’s straight and helps you get good straight cuts once you clamped and get the distance measured off your saw.
It’s actually about the same height as the saw shoe. So it’s got a good flat surface to run up against; that’s a good thing. It’s thick enough for your saw to run against, but it’s thin enough that it’s not going to interfere with the motor coming this way. This is a super good way to get a good straight cut on plywood.
Using a Rip cut jig for cutting straight with a circular saw:
Last but certainly not least is the rip-cut jig. It could probably be one of the best jigs you ever spent on. They are great for beginners and intermediate Woodworkers. Their inexpensive & rip-cut jig will work with virtually any circular saw. It’s so simple to put your saw in a rip-cut jig.
Most of the jigs will have two or three screw clamps on there. So you just slide your circular saw right onto the mount. It will have a stop block to adjust. You can measure it out and just set it to the right measurements. It will be super easy to use with a circular saw. Set it up, snug those screws and just let the saw do its job.
Final Verdict
I hope you got the true gist of how to cut wood straight with a circular saw. If you are a newbie, then using a jig will be your best option for getting a straight cut. And don’t forget to wear safety gear; remember you are not just working with a tool; you are working with a powerful weapon. So follow proper safety measures.
Use a guide. A clamping straight edge is great. You can also make one from one of the factory edges of a sheet of plywood. Just clamp it to your piece (noting the offset) and cut with the edge of the saw against the guide.