Comments on: Swanson Cutting Guide

By: Jim German

Jim German — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:33:54 +0000

Thanks Guys, I’ve got some plywood to cut this weekend and have been looking for a good way to do it. Definitely gonna give a sawboard a shot tonight.

By: fred

fred — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:58:49 +0000

While the sawboard that BarelyFitz describes works well - if you only have one saw in in your site box - the other way to go is to make setup blocks that fit your different saws. If you make 2 for each saw they can ce used to accurately clamp a straightedge paralle to the cut line and just the right distance for the saw without need to measure.

By: Paul Lapczynski

Paul Lapczynski — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:49:17 +0000

Where where you guys last week!

Thanks for the jig plan BarelyFitz I am going to make one of these this weekend.

By: MeasureOnceCutTwice

MeasureOnceCutTwice — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:25:11 +0000

Also agree with BarelyFitz - I thought I invented it, but I guess not. I use 1/4″ tempered masonite, so it is nice & smooth & stays straight.

By: paganwonder

paganwonder — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:57:11 +0000

Agree with BarelyFitz, this method has been very reliable over the years

By: BarelyFitz

BarelyFitz — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:56:13 +0000

I have one of these - the only advantage is that it can be broken down for storage so you don’t have to keep a 9 foot piece laying around. Ultimately If I had the space I would make a sawboard as described in this PDF: http://www.rochesterwoodworkers.org/JunkDrawer/Sawboard.pdf

Another advantage of a saw board (besides being cheap and easy to make) is that you can line it up directly on the cut mark for perfect results.

By: BigEdJr

BigEdJr — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:29:38 +0000

While shopping for a straight edge for the same reason you needed one, a very wise man at an Ace hardware store a few years ago told me to go to a local metal shop and ask for a length of extruded aluminum. I ended up with a piece that’s about 2 1/2″ x 1″ by 9 feet. It only cost about $15 and will give me a nice straight edge (straight enough for my projects) for any standard board I will ever cut. A couple of squeeze clamps and I’m ready.

I also bout a smaller/shorter piece (1″x1″x4 1/2′)that is a bit more user friendly for cross cutting plywood etc.

It was a cold crazy day trying to get that 9 foot piece of aluminum home in my convertible mustang…