using a speed square to guide circular saw?

[lcm1947]

Thanks for all the replies. Well I'm glad I asked the question because what I got out of it was to clamp the square down. This will allow me to continue to use both hands on the saw. I'm kind of a small guy myself and have a rather heavy IMO DeWalt 15 amp CS so don't feel too good about controlling the thing without two hands. Anyway clamping the square should solve my problem worrying about a mishap. Thanks LarryG for the link. Hmmm. A person should be able to make something very similar to this. Neat idea.

[Hellrazor]

There isn't a day framing that goes by that I don't use a speed square for cutting with a circ saw. 99% of the time I am using my Ridgid 18v circ...

[docrowan]

I picked up the trick of using the speed square as a guide about 5 or 6 years ago from watching Tom DeSilva on This Old House. At first I clamped it with a spring clamp or quickgrip. After I got a little more comfortable with it, I started placing the saw on my mark, then sliding the speed square up to it, to get both better accuracy AND quicker set up. I'm using a 7 inch Swanson speed square and use it to make 90 degree cutoffs on 2x4 and 2x6's.

I had a Ryobi circular saw that I dropped a couple of times and sprang (sprung?) the base plate so the saw blade and base plate were no longer co-linear. Even with an almost 1/4 inch difference from front to back, the circular saw never kicked back. It would snarl and burn the wood and fight me trying to push through, but it never kicked back.

I've never felt this was any more unsafe than ANY time you work with a powerful motor attached to a whirling razor sharp blade. A few safety rules I follow:

1) Saw depth set to about one half tooth deeper than the material is, in other words just barely sticking out from the bottom of the cut.
2) Blade guard never defeated and in perfect operating condition.
3) Body and legs to the left of the saw blade and not in line with the cut.
4) Cord behind, out of the way, and plenty of slack for the cut length.
5) I make sure my left hand is gripping the speed square towards the end, which is necessary to allow clearance for the motor.

Can anybody think of anything I missed?

[leehljp]

I see two different threads going on in this thread: CS on sheets and CS on 12 in boards with speed square, which was the original query. However it was asked in relation to kickbacks which seems to happen more in sheets of ply.

I have had some kickbacks, as other said, from CS but it was from a dull blade or unsupported large cutoffs - which is a USER's head problem. But with a speed square, I have never had a problem. The speed square keeps everything in perfect alignment and the blade tracking perfectly.

I am not the most accurate cutter or builder by a long shot. I don't have natural ability. I do have good eyes and can spot a picture that is 1/10 of an inch out of square the instance I walk into a room. To make up for this deficiency, I use equipment that will I can depend on.

I can't make good straight cuts by following a line with a CS, so I get around this personal issue by using a speed square or saw board. If using these, I am usually using supports. IN these cases, the saw board or speed square, in effect, helps the tracking very similar to a TS fence. So far, I have never had a kickback with this set up.

[lcm1947]

Thanks for all the replies. Until this thread I really had no idea the method was so popular. I thought maybe just a few pros or extremely experienced guys used it but I see not. Althought to me it still does seem a little risky having your hand that close to the blade but maybe not. Anyway appreciate all the responses.

[mpc]

I saw Silva recommend it a while ago and I've tried it with a cordless circ saw cutting thick maple boards. Works quite well. And I find my left hand is pretty much in the same place it would have been anyway just stabilizing the board/myself had I clamped a guide to the board.

mpc