Frustrated with cuts!

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Gwynedd
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Hi all. I've been getting a little frustrated with attempts at cutting with a circular saw. Ripping ply boards has been fine. But I've been trying to cut 8x1's and my edges have just not been straight or square which is a pain when doing something simple like shelving units. I'm getting a better edge using a hand saw. I've been using a straight fence with the circular saw too. Am I expecting too much from a circular saw? Or am I just inexperienced? Yes a table saw would be ideal but I don't have one so I have to use was I got.
 
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I cut MDF using a jigsaw and a wooden strip G clamped to the MDF acting as a guide. The cut was perfect. Obviously the guide must be straight. A spirit level is ideal. You might have to score the line first when cutting real wood to prevent tearing.
 
Hi all. I've been getting a little frustrated with attempts at cutting with a circular saw. Ripping ply boards has been fine. But I've been trying to cut 8x1's and my edges have just not been straight or square which is a pain when doing something simple like shelving units. I'm getting a better edge using a hand saw. I've been using a straight fence with the circular saw too. Am I expecting too much from a circular saw? Or am I just inexperienced? Yes a table saw would be ideal but I don't have one so I have to use was I got.

You're asking a bit much from a circular saw - it'll tend to wander. Ideally you need a chop saw or a compound mitre saw to get perfect cuts, every time.
I'd stick with a quality cross cut hand saw if you dont want to invest!
John :)
 
Thanks guys.
Using a guide on the jigsaw I do get quite a good cut. I'm just playing around with pine at the moment but I am planning on using real wood.
I bought a circular saw first as I thought it might be the more useful saw. I didn't get a chop saw first as I thought it would only be good for cutting small widths of timber.
So really do you need a circular, chop, mitre, and saw table? Again, I'm hoping to put together simple storage, shelving, cabinets.
 
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A sliding compound mitre saw (Typically - Machine Mart CMS10S2) is particularly versatile for the wood worker....as well as doing the obvious, you can also cut out housing joints etc.
I've a SIP one....well worth the expense and gets hired out, too.
John :)
 
Even a cheapie sliding chop saw will give good results, you just need to set it up right and do a couple of test cuts first to check.
 
Thanks all again. I need to get this right before I move onto more expensive wood.
 
Foxhole, I'm beginning to realise that. Could be expensive getting it right.
 
Nothing beats the skill involved by using a hand saw correctly though.....once you have that, its for life and well worth pursuing!
John :)
 
Hand tools? I remember the bench hook and tenon saw in school. (40yrs ago!) I would like nothing more than to be competent with hand tools but at my age it ain't gonna happen. It's more about making life easy.
But having said that. I wonder if a bench hook and a good tenon saw would help me get straight cut edges on 4",6",8" widths? Maybe even help me attempts some jointing methods?
 
Nothing like the old beech bench hook, marking knife and a quality tenon saw (if you can get such a thing these days!)
Tenon saws are OK up to 4" but if its carpentry your looking for, then a fine tooth crosscut handsaw (22" or near) will do just as well!
If you have quality tools, your skills will come on leaps and bounds, but if you use blunt saws, chisels and planes its a waste of time really!
With so many man made materials, blades blunt big time due to the adhesive content, and with the crap softwoods we get (grown and dried at the speed of light) they just dont like to be chiselled - not the fault of the guy on the bench.
If you can get a go with a sliding cross cut mitre saw, you'd wonder how you managed without it. Stick with the hand tools though and your cuts will be square after a while.
John :)
 
i used to knock up my own mitre box when i was 1st on site,then along came the 'nobex' which was far to much money for me.but i could afford the cheapo versions.then bought a 'elu' mitre saw for lots of money.that was about 20 years ago.the elu is still going though it has been retired from main stream work am now using a 'bosch'(blue ;) ) which as others have said has a trenching facility.forming tennons on 1 of these machines is now a joy to do.
 
Hi guys, I've just put together 2 shelving units for the bathroom which as they are my first projects they look okay. (only problem was getting square edges.) The thing is I have at least 3 projects in mind, a hi-fi cabinet, a TV stand/shelves, and a kitchen shelving unit.
I've been asking questions about getting a fine tooth blade for my circular saw in the hope it might improve my cuts and squaring of edges. With the help of a DIY fence. Or do I just try it with a new hand saw? Or try and save for a while and get a table saw?
 

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