How to cut plywood with a circular saw video
Ok Mel, here it is!! I had one request for the cutting plywood with a circular saw video so I edited it last night and uploaded it to You Tube. I have it on the setting that only lets you see it with a link, so if you go and search for it, it won’t show up. Here’s the link if you want to see how I go about it…
But first I must warn you! It’s long, sorry. I’m pretty sure I don’t sound like or look like the person in this video. I do weird things with my hands when I’m speaking and I got a strange southern twang on camera. It’s strange because I’m from central Ohio.
And here we go:
Oh my. I’m not sure I want you to tell me what you think. Be kind…
If you want to see the other posts on the circular saw:
http://pinktoesandpowertools.com/2011/01/18/cutting-a-sheet-of-plywood/
http://pinktoesandpowertools.com/2011/01/30/beauty-and-the-beast-cutting-plywood-part-2/
25 Responses to “How to cut plywood with a circular saw video”
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The only plywood I use
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First of all, I liked this much better than the “make a ruffley pillow” post.
Way cool video! I am going to make a guide jig like yours today because that is the POO! My freestyle cutting leaves alot to be desired. There is not much more I can say about that, Here is what I liked best about your video:
1) Tie a knot where the cord joins. (I had a shop teacher who told us to NEVER do that. He was an idiot)
2) LOVE THE GUIDE JIG! (see above comment about freestyle cutting)
3) Making sure you have enough cord to get through the cut. (I have “run” out of cord.
4) Throw the power cord over your shoulder (I have cut my cord)
5) Keep yours safety gear in one place. (Even though pencil is what seems to run off most often)
Thanks for an awesome video! Happy building!
I swear that pencils have legs. Someday I am going to buy an entire pack and just lay them all around the garage while I am working so there is always one close!
So glad the video helped!!!
OMG! I forgot! If Sawstop takes pity on you and sends you a free saw, tell them you have a very accident prone friend in Illinios that needs one to and I PROMISE not to test it with a hot dog!!!
Please!
Lol! I’m thinking the chances that SawStop ever hears about Pink Toes is, well I can’t even come up with an example that slim. The proverbial snowball has a much better shot I imagine! But a girl can dream
You need to promise to test it with a hotdog and not a finger!!!!!
Awesome! I dropped a couple of plywood projects last summer because I wasn’t sure how to get decent cuts using only my circular saw (or where to put the wood so I could cut it!).
Thanks so much for this. These tips are fabulous.
xox
I am so glad they might help you out!
Take it from a Southern girl…no twang there! Just a lot of helpful information. Good Tutorial.
Thanks Lorraine!
Thank you so much!! Your video broke it down to a step-by-step process, making the use of a circular saw much less intimidating. I appreciated the tips you included as well as the links to your former posts on learning to use the circular saw. I hadn’t found your blogg yet when those were posted. You have inspired me. I think I’m ready to give it a try. Thanks!
Yay! Hope you build many, many things now!
Just found your site and can’t wait to have a look around. I love that guide you have for the circular saw…where will I find that to make my own?
Hi Debora! Glad to have you here. I have a link to the Family Handyman article that talks about the straight edge jig here (click on the words “straight edge jig” that are highlighted in the actual post):
Cutting a sheet of plywood
and I have a post showing how I constructed mine here:
Beauty and the Beast {cutting plywood part 2}
Hope that helps!!
Love this!!! i just mastered the circular saw before Christmas. If I had plywood cuts, I had to take it to my Dad’s so he could use the table saw. NO MORE.
thanks for the tut.
Jess
Thank you. I always have to wait for the hubs to help me wrestle a whole sheet of ply onto the table saw. I like that I could do this all by myself (that sounds like a three year old but sometimes you just need to be able to be independent!)
I am certain I would trip over the support 2X4′s and cut my foot off!
That being said, a couple of probably dumb questions:
1. If the blade extended a little below the plywood, does the blade gouge the support 2X4′s?
2. For smaller pieces of plywood (not a whole sheet) do you clamp the wood at all to the supports? Does the force of the blade moving through the plywood cause it to shift?
I’m a licensed teacher (without a classroom though), so I’m in the camp of “there are no dumb questions”
And please don’t cut your foot off!! But you do bring up a good point–using this system requires being aware of where you are and where you are going next, in addition to cutting with the saw (but you should always be doing that with any saw in my opinion). The 2x4s will get in your way, but I’ve gotten so used to them, it is a non-issue now. If you are concerned with that, I would go with a 4×8 sheet of the styrofoam I talk about in one of the written posts. It would be like a tabletop cutting surface on the floor, rather than the 2x4s. I can’t personally vouch for that option. I chose the 2x4s because they were much smaller to store.
1.Yep, the blade does gouge the plywood with each pass. My 2×4 supports are all striped with cuts now!
2.I never clamp the plywood to the supports for any of the cuts, whole sheet or smaller. The straight edge guide gets clamped to the plywood I am cutting, but if I wanted to, I could lift the plywood I am cutting and the guide it is clamped, to right off the 2×4 supports. The plywood and the guide are just sitting on top of the 2x4s at all steps in the process.
Now if my piece of plywood is narrower than the straight guide itself and I can’t clamp the straight guide to it because of that, I do have a process I use. It is called wishing really hard for a table saw. Just kidding! I use another piece of wood the same thickness (for example, both might be 3/4″ plywood) of the narrower piece I want to cut and clamp the straight edge to the extra piece. You have to make sure both pieces are flush against each other, but I’ve found this will work in most instances. The weight of the saw helps, and I make sure I am applying pressure to the saw to keep it against the straight guide as well. This has worked fine for me in all instances except for one. I did try this on a 1×2 that I wanted cut in half and the saw just began pushing the 1×2 with it when I was into the cut. Just stop at that point. Other options would have required me to operate the saw with one hand and that is dangerous. If you want to see pictures with this explanation, stay tuned. I had planned on doing a post on this in the near future!
Thanks for getting back to me.
I am seriously considering buying a circular saw. It is about 1/4 of the price of a compound mitre and much smaller. The hardware store never cuts my wood right because they rush which leads to issues. It is also small and easy to store since I live in apartment and dont have a separate garage.
I cant get past the fear factor though – I wish I hadnt read all the safety manuals first – scared the bejeesus out of me! I have looked into doing a power tools safety course because all the people near me are very laissez faire about their power tool use and I dont think I will learn how to use them safely or properly.
Thanks for all your videos/tutorials – I look forward to seeing more soon!
Kristen, this video is so helpful for new woodworkers that I thought I should put up a link from my own blog, just so there’s more links pointing here. I’ve got my own method, but it takes a table saw to build the jig, which creates a bit of a chicken and egg problem.
Clay–thanks for linking to the video!
Thanks for the guide. Just got my first circular saw and looking at video guides
Your welcome–hope it helps!