Introduction: Get Cleaner, Better Cuts With This Circular Saw Tracking Guide

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About: It's said that to perfect a skill takes about 10,000 hours of work and study. If that's the case I've got around 9,000 hours to go. But, like they say, it's not the destination but the journey.

Cutting 4'x8' sheets of plywood can be a challenge if you're working by yourself and using a circular saw. I always worried about damaging the finished side of the board as I muscled it into position on top of several 2x4's laid on the ground. This zero clearance tracking guide solves that problem by allowing me to put the good side up, providing a smooth, chip free cut. And, it keeps the blade of the saw squarely on line, eliminating saw handling errors that result in a less than perfect cut. I use it to accurately rip or cross cut large sheets of plywood with ease. It consists of two, approximately four foot long sections of hardboard with MDF guide rails that the shoe of the saw rides between. The tracking guide locks to a board with adjustable, sandpaper backed end blocks. Use one section for a 4' cross cut or screw the pieces together for a full 8' rip cut.

Step 1: Parts List

This tracking guide can be built for around $20 which is considerably less than a commercially manufactured metal tracking sled. The parts list below includes all required parts as well as a description of each parts function.

Parts:

1/8" thick Hardboard for base – 4 pieces: length = 47 7/8”, width = circular saw shoe dimension plus 3” (glue 2 pieces together for a final thickness of 1/4” for each half of the base),

1/2" thick MDF for rails and connectors:

guide rails for 1st section of base: 2 pieces: length = 54”, width 1 1/2”

guide rails for 2nd section of base: 2 pieces: length = 48”, width 1 1/2”

base section connectors: 2 pieces: length = 12”, width 1 1/2” (bridge connections that join the two track sections together)

setup / transport / support brackets: 2 pieces: length = total overall width of tracking guide, width 1 1/2”

Hardwood Blocks – 2, 1 3/4” x 1 1/2”, length = total overall width of tracking guide (one block is fixed, one is adjustable)

Sandpaper – 60 or 80 grit to glue to wood blocks

Wood Screws – 8, 10x1” phillips head, countersunk

Hardware (for adjustable end block) – 2, 5/16” tee nuts, 2, 5/16” fender washers, 2, 5/16” x 18 threaded screws with plastic knobs (min. 1” screw length)

Circular Saw Shoe Template – 1, 1/8” thick piece of hardboard, length = 48”, width = circular saw shoe width (used to properly space guide rails during assembly).

Step 2: Rail to Base Assembly

Parts review:

Hardboard Base Pieces:

4 pieces: length = 47 7/8”, width = circular saw shoe dimension plus 3” (glue 2 pieces together for a final thickness of 1/4” for each half of the base)


MDF parts for rails:

guide rails for 1st section of base: 2 pieces: length = 54”, width 1 1/2” (note: use two pieces of MDF for each rail, one 36" long and the other 18" long when cutting from a 2' x 4' piece of MDF)

guide rails for 2nd section of base: 2 pieces: length = 48”, width 1 1/2”

Circular Saw Shoe Template:

1/8” thick piece of hardboard, length = 48”, width = circular saw shoe width (used to properly space guide rails during assembly).

Assembly:

After cutting all the required pieces to size and gluing the hardboard base pieces to the proper thickness the rails can be glued to the bases. The attached photos illustrate the sequence.

Photos #1 & #2 show the main pieces that make up a section of the tracking guide (base section connectors and support brackets not shown)

Photos #3 & #4 show how the guide rails are glued to the base using the template that was cut to match the width of the circular saw.

Things to make note of:

- The guide rails of section 1 extend 3" past each end of the base to accept the end blocks (one fixed, the other adjustable) that hold the tracking guide firmly to the work piece.

- The guide rails of section 2 are offset 3" from one end of the base to extend 3" past the end of the base that accepts the end block when making 8' rip cuts.

- Remember: the sled will only be usable with one particular saw.

Photos #4 & #5 show the saw in position between the rails

Step 3: The End Blocks

Parts review:

Hardwood Blocks – 2, 1 3/4” x 1 1/2”, length = total overall width of tracking guide (one block is fixed, one is adjustable)
Sandpaper – 60 or 80 grit to glue to wood blocks

Hardware – 2, 5/16” tee nuts, 2, 5/16” fender washers, 2, 5/16” x 18 threaded screws with plastic knobs (min. 1” screw length)

Photo #1: This wood block is permanently screwed to the 1st section of the tracking guide. Make sure it is square to the base and rails.

Photo #2: The removable end block can be used at the end of either section of the tracking guide to facilitate making either a four foot cross cut or eight foot rip cut to a sheet of plywood.

Photo #3 & #4: Sandpaper attached to the end blocks help hold the work piece firmly in the tracking guide

Photo #5 Elongated holes in the rail ends allow movement of the adjustable end block to facilitate mounting to the work piece.

Photo #6: Shows the fixed end block in section 1 of the tracking guide and the adjustable end block secured to the out feed end of section #2.

Step 4: Base Section Connectors & Setup / Transport Support Brackets

Parts review:

base section connectors - 2 pieces: length = 12”, width 1 1/2” (bridge connections to join 4' and 8' track sections)
setup / transport / support brackets -2 pieces: length = total overall width of tracking guide, width 1 1/2”

BASE SECTION CONNECTORS: The base section connectors are glued and screwed to the rails of section #2 and extend approximately 6" over the rails of section #1. Drill and countersink mounting holes in section #2 with matching holes in section #1 where the bases will be joined together. Join the sections together when making a full 8' rip cut on a sheet of plywood.

SUPPORT BRACKETS: The support brackets provide stability to the base sections before joining them together and should always be used. Their function is to keep the tracking guide from undue flexing and the separation that would occur if one end of the tracking guide isn't locked in place to match the opposing fixed or adjustable end block.

- The brackets will be removed after mounting the tracking guide to the work piece and before making the cut.

- They will be reattached prior to removing the tracking guide from the work piece.

Step 5: Mount and Saw

These photos illustrate the tracking guide in use:

Photos #1 & #2: Show the tracking guide sections joined together and mounted to the work piece to make the initial, full 8' rip cut. This cut will create the zero clearance saw kerf.

Photo #3: Shows the tracking guide moved to the side after the cut has been completed.

Photo #4: Shows section #1 of the tracking guide mounted to the work piece to make a 4' crosscut on the same sheet of plywood.

If you find cutting large sheets of plywood difficult, this tracking guide will make things a lot easier. Plus you can use section #1 to cut pieces shorter than four feet by simply clamping the end of the base to any length of wood you care to rip or cross cut.