Do you love woodwork but you are not sure of how to use a circular saw? Well, you aren’t alone since most people find it hard even to understand what it is in the first place. Circular saws are an essential part of every carpenter’s tool kit. Circular saws are essential in making it possible for a carpenter to get a clean and precise cut on various materials. The process is as simple as setting the saw blade to a given depth and angle and lining it up with some materials and then guide it smoothly over your measurement lines.
What to know before you start using a circular saw
Before kick-starting the sawing process, make sure you are familiar with the design features of a given model that you intend to use also, make sure you wear gloves and goggles to protect your eyes when working.
Steps 1- Make correct marks
If you want to get the right cuts, you must start with right marking. Just stretch out your tape measure and place your pencil at the proper measurement making two marks that form a V with the tip of that V pointing the exact measurement. It is good to use a V since it is more accurate than using a single line which can at times stray sideways and get rid of your cut mark.
Using a square, mark the cutting line over the tip of your V, and finally, put an X on the scrap side of the line you want to cut along.
Bottom-line
Cutting wrongly on the other side of the line may make the eighth difference in your board’s length. Sometimes making the wrong mark can affect your overall work. Therefore, make the right marks.
Step 2- Make sharp chalk lines
Chalk lines are the best and the simplest way of making straight cutting lines. Before lying the lines on the plywood, give it a quick aerial plunk. The first twang will remove excess chalk, and the marks will become less fluffy and easier to follow when making cuts.
Bottom-line
Sharp chalk lines are the best to use since they are visible enough and you are less likely to miss them when sawing. As long as you make the exact lines, you will never go wrong with chalk lines.
Step 3- Light the cut
A right cutting line may not do you any good if it is not visible enough. Therefore, before you start sawing, check the lighting. Even in the workshops that are best lit or sunny outdoors, you can cast shadows that make it a bit hard to see the lines. You can change the angle of your board or reposition your work light to make sure the line does not disappear as you cut.
Bottom-line
Lighting is essential since if you do not see clearly, you will not only make the wrong cuts but you can also harm your hands or any other part of the body. Therefore, always make sure you light the lines as clear as possible.
Step 4- Always watch the blade and not the guides
Every saw comes with marks on the front side of the shoe as an indicator of the position where the blade needs to cut, even though they are not so easy to follow. In most cases, these marks are covered by sawdust, or at times the entire shoe bends out of whack, and it throws off the guide. That is where you should never follow the guides as they may mislead you. Just watch the blade.
Bottom-line
If you follow the blade when sawing and not the guide, you will get better results. Even though it is hard, you are less likely to make mistakes compared to when you follow the guide.
Step 5- Fasten before you cut angles
Blade guards usually hang up any time they come across a board that is any other angle and not 90 degrees angle. Since when sawing you need a single hand to push a circular saw and the other hand to retract the guard, you need to fasten your workpiece down to make sure it does not move around. You can even fasten it with your knee.
Bottom-line
When cutting bevel or angles, make sure the thumb rests on the blade guard lever and retract the lever when you feel the saw hesitates a bit.
Step 6- Tape before marking
When cutting laminate or dark wood, you need to mark your cutting lines on a masking tape instead of marking it direct on the work-piece. That way, you can see your lines easier. In some cases, when cutting plywood that is hardwood, masking tapes reduces splintering.
Bottom-line
Masking tape is useful when it comes to correct and clean cuttings. Just invest in one today and make your project a success.
Step 7- Safe is equal to accurate
Do I have to wear ear muffs, dust masks, and safety glasses? What do they have to do with accuracy when it comes to cutting? Well, it is evident that it is tough to watch a cutting line with bare eyes, and at the same time blinking and squinting through a sawdust storm.
Bottom-line
Protection against dust, splinters, and noise makes you comfortable and patient, and so you are less likely to make the wrong cut.
Step 8- Shoulder the cord
On the majority of the saws, they come with a plug that is engineered to rest on the edge of the plywood and follow your cut. To stop the snag, you can drape the cord on your shoulders as the trick reduces cord cutting rate by ninety percent.
Bottom-line
Quick identical cuts are significant if you are making similar products since these products save a lot of time. Once you measure the first workpiece, the rest is easy to cut.
Step 9- Score a clean cut
Circular saws splinters wood that faces up and cuts clean on the sides that face down. Therefore, when cutting a workpiece, place the material’s right side facing downwards to make sure that the blade’s teeth are pushing the material up against the core instead of ripping it away.
Bottom-line
For a cleaner cut, push your saw a bit slower than the usual speed to eliminate splintering for a smoother cut.
There you have it. Just make good use of the above information and use a circular saw to your advantage!
