Making a Simple Rip Guide

Flute Maker

Mike
User
I need to make a simple rip guide for my skil saw…. nothing fancy…I don’t have a table saw and just occasionally need to rip something.
TIA!!!
 

Howie

Howie
Senior User
Cut it wide then use circ saw against low fence (motor clearance) for final witdth cut. This allows you to use the edge to match your cut marks and assures "fence" is parallel to edge.
 

zdorsch

Zach
Corporate Member
I’ve been using a variant of that Wood magazine jig for years. It’s simple to make and easy to use.
 

JRedding

John
Corporate Member
I just made an 8’ and 4’ version of the Wood magazine jig - didn’t know that’s where it came from. A neighbor showed me that one nearly 10 years ago and I left the old ones behind when we moved. Not as high tech as a track saw but have always worked well enough for me.
 

BeachBoy1942

BeachBoy
User
use a sheet of OSB cut down to about 10 - 13 inches and use factory edge for guide with clamps holding in place
 

awldune

Sam
User
If you are breaking down sheet goods, you could do worse than to just clamp a 2x4 or 1x4 to use as a straight edge. I often use this with a battery circular saw in the Home Depot parking lot to get plywood down to a size that fits in my car.
 

charlessenf

(;harles
Senior User
I need to make a simple rip guide for my skil saw…. nothing fancy…I don’t have a table saw and just occasionally need to rip something.
TIA!!!
I use a piece of HARDBOARD (1/4" Masonite?) and glue a 1/4" x 1-2" x L" piece of hardwood as the guide strip. The idea is to run the SkillSaw along the hardwood strip. The width of the hardboard is as wide as the base of your saw, plus the width of the hardwood guide, plus another two or three inches to allow clamping the assembly as necessary.
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Shows 1/2" plywood and screws, but hardboard's cheaper these days and you don't want the guide strip/fence too thick as it can interfere with the saw if too 'tall." And, the thicker the base, the less depth of cut you would get.

When the glue dries on the hardwood guide strip, you lay it out on some support and run the saw down it's length trimming the 'excess' hardboard to the right of your saw blade. Now, position the edge of that cut on the line you want to rip (clamp the assembly/guide as/if necessary) and let her rip.

There must be better explanations and even videos of this jig/trick and pictures and plans. It is a real OLDIE ;)

"The hardest part in making these is ensuring that the guide is perfectly straight, and you don't warp it when attaching it to the base."

HARDBOARD is relatively stable stuff. If you cut the (2" wide?) guide strip from the hardboard, it should lay straight and flat while the glue dries. I suppose you could 'seal' the working edge of the guide - to harden it a bit, but for most of us it doesn't wear much from 'constant use' ;)

" prevent tear out " When cutting plywood, cut your boards with the SHOWSIDE down or lay (and firmly press down) a strip of masking tape along the cut line; use appropriate blade; use sharp (and clean) blade; and so forth and so on.

"When using it with a router, care must be taken to not rock the router"

If you have a section of hardboard (or whatever material you used for the base) left over/laying about, you might be able to fix it to one side of your router base (Double Stick Tape?) to support the router squarely as it travels along the subject material.

There is a Flip-up guide design that works with routers - search YouTube "flip router guide" to find at least three videos. With it, you avoid the instability and always rout right down the center - cutting half the diameter of the bit along each side of your layout line*. With the saw guide, first above, you cut right at / along / to your layout line.

One issue, you need to remember which edge of you router base needs to ride the guide because your base may not be perfectly symmetrical e.g. might be a bit oval, etc. You can test this (on a scrap) by carefully rotating the router as it travels along the guide to see if the result looks straight - couldn't hurt.
 
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Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Mine (one 5' and one 8') are like the one in Charles' drawing. One advantage to using it is that it helps prevent tearout on the side you have the guide resting on, as the cutting action of a circular saw is up (like 1/2 of a zero clearance insert on the TS). It also protects the wood surface from tool marks. I have the opposite side (clamp side) set up for my router with a straight bit. It works well for long rabbets (like for a removable cabinet or shelf unit back panel, etc) when its easier to move the tool than the board, or putting a smooth square surface on a long board edge when you don't have the clearance to use your router table. When using it with a router, care must be taken to not rock the router.

The hardest part in making these is ensuring that the guide is perfectly straight, and you don't warp it when attaching it to the base. The old conundrum of "How do you make something perfectly straight without first having something perfectly straight to check it against". (The answer is that you must have three edges that every one matches perfectly with both of the other two). This is where "simple" can become quite difficult.
 
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junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Mine is like Charles' with one exception. After cutting dedicated edge, I take it to my table saw and rip it to 10" wide. This way, I can measure to either side, just remembering to subtract 10" from measurement needed.
 

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