The sawboard

I can't honestly remember when I first came across this simple idea for cutting sheet material and panels to size. It's quite frustrating when you watch TV programmes or videos where the woodworker turns to the mitre saw or the table saw or the whatever and cuts a square panel without any effort.

The idea behind the saw-board is simple. 

Take a straight edged piece of material and glue and pin or screw it to some base material. In my case I took a sheet of 12mm mdf and cut the edge off, turned it around and glued and screwed it to the remaining sheet.

When the glue is dry, trim the board with your circular saw using the edge as a guide. Then trim the other side leaving enough room for clamps.

Now, when you run the saw along the guide it will always cut to the edge of the board. If you line that edge up with your pencil mark, you will always cut to the line. Remember though, it's important to make sure you have the stock the right way around. Used the "wrong way round" you will lose the width of the blade in the bit you want to keep rather than on the waste side of the cut.

I've labelled mine because I have two saws and will, at some point, need to make a second one. It's also a reminder which saw to use with the one I've made!

My next jig idea is to make a guide that will turn the circular saw into a kind of mitre saw for cutting stock square and to length. It will make sense when you see a picture, honestly!