Circular Saw Woodworking Tips

While the table saw is probably the most useful power tool for a woodworker, for a carpenter on a job site, the most useful power tool would probably be the circular saw. A quality circular saw can be used for a wide variety of tasks both on a job site and in the wood shop, as the same tool can cross-cut and rip boards, both square to the face and at bevels of up to 45 degrees. Here are some tips to consider when choosing a circular saw.

When working in your shop, your table saw is always at the ready for making a variety of cuts quickly and easily. If you are on a construction site, you don't have that luxury. You can, however, make a considerable number of similar cuts on a job site using a circular saw, a straight-edge and a circular saw jig. In this guide, learn how to make a circular saw measuring jig that will let you align your straight-edge to make precision circular saw cuts quickly and easily.

The main purpose of a woodworking jig is to make a difficult task easier, safer or easily repeatable. While many commercial woodworking jigs are available on the market, a number of woodworking jigs can be built in the woodshop. Two very useful homemade jigs are used for panel cutting and ripping boards using a circular saw. By following the step-by-step how-to instructions in this article, you can make these jigs and use them on your woodworking projects.

There are a variety of different saw blades available for the circular saw. Some are specialty blades, designed for cutting a specific type of wood (such as plywood), while other blades are more general in nature, designed to cut nearly any kind of wood (called combination blades). While combination blades do a respectable job for most tasks, choosing the right specific blade for a particular cut will produce better results. Learn about the different types of circular saw blades available (and the advantages and disadvantages of each) in this article.

One question I occasionally hear from beginning woodworkers is asking how many teeth per inch (TPI) their saw blades should have for the best cuts on their woodworking projects. Well, the answer is a little more complicated than that, but it doesn't have to be. Learn the basics of choosing the proper blades to make any cut required by your woodworking plans.

The Final Cut Saw Blade, available in 7-1/4 inch, 10-inch and 12-inch sizes, is a patented saw blade with a sanding disk attached to each side of the blade. This provides a few benefits: the cut is sanded as it is cut, kerf marks are sanded and kick back is nearly eliminated. In this woodworking review, learn about our test of the 7-1/4 inch Final Cut Circular Saw Blade.

Is it possible to make a precise curved cut using a circular saw? The ARCUS Blade and Guide System is designed to help you do just that. The ARCUS is a curved circular saw blade and the corresponding Guide System is a clamp that attaches to your circular saw to act much like a compass, with the circular saw revolving around a center point to cut an arc. Does it work? Read this woodworking review to find out!