If you’re looking for an easy way to make straight cuts with your circular saw, you need to check out the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. This handy guide attaches easily to your saw’s base and helps you make perfectly straight cuts every time.
In this post, I’ll show you how to use Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide and give you some tips for getting the most out of it. Let’s get started!
Why You Need a Circular Saw Guide?
There are many benefits to using an automatic saw guide, including:
- Perfect cuts every time
- Creates accuracy for joinery projects
- Creates quick work of sheet goods
- Creates the perfect base for cabinets and storage units (see the Smalley Steel Storage Cabinet)
The Kreg Rip-Cut Saw Guide is one of the easiest guides to use and makes it possible for you to make perfectly straight cuts with your circular saw. Let’s learn how!
How To Use Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide
Step 1: Attach Your Circular Saw
Plug your circular saw into an electrical outlet and turn it on. Make sure your saw blade is securely attached to the base of the saw.
Then, line up one edge of the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide with the edge of your circular saw base and gently press it onto your circular saw until you hear a faint snap or click letting you know it’s locked into place.
Your Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide should now be fully attached.
Step 2: Put Your Workpiece Against Your Saw Guide
Line up one end of your workpiece against the left side (the side closest to the electrical cord) of your Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. Make sure that there’s at least an inch between where your workpiece will rest against the guide and where you’re about to make your cut.
Step 3: Align Your Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide in Front of Your Workpiece
With the guide attached to my circular saw, I’m able to keep my workpiece flush with the right edge of the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide creating a perfectly straight line. Note that you can also attach your guide on top of your workpiece for an overhead cut if you’d like!
Step 4: Make Your First Mark
If you want to save yourself some time when making multiple cuts or if you’re not sure how long your workpiece needs to be, you can make a quick mark with a pencil along the left side of your saw guide.
Then, just line up your workpiece along this pencil mark and cut as you normally would. You can then remove this material and measure or re-position the piece that’s now left over for a new cut. This process will save you time when making repetitive cuts with your circular saw!
Step 5: Make Your First Cut
With one end of my workpiece flush with the right edge of my Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide and one inch between where my cut is going to be made and the left edge of the guide, I’m ready to make my first cut!
Note:
If you prefer to use a tape measure rather than an inch between where your cut is going to be made and where the edge of your guide is, that’s perfectly fine! Just make sure you have an extra inch or so of space between the left side of your Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide and where you’re about to cut.
Step 6: Make Your Second Cut
To finish my cut, I just line up another one-inch section of my workpiece flush against the right edge of the saw guide, this time with the opposite end firmly against the left edge of the guide. Then, I simply make a second quick pass through my circular saw until I’m finished cutting!
Note:
To finish my cut on some pieces, I’ll need to make several more cuts by lining up different sections of my workpiece against the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. However, I use the same process every time line up one inch of my workpiece flush against the right edge of the guide, make a quick cut with my circular saw, and then line up another section of my workpiece against the left side of the guide for my next cut.
A Video Guide On How To Use Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide?
The Verdict?
Using a circular saw guide makes it super simple to make straight cuts with your circular saw. Plus, it’s easy to attach and detach from your saw when you’re finished just snap it into place or slide it off! And since this saw guide adds virtually nothing in terms of weight or bulkiness, there are no downsides to making all your future cutting projects even easier.
Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide (and other cutting guides) is designed to help you make straight cuts with your circular saw which can be much more difficult than using a table saw or miter saw especially when you’re working on smaller pieces!
Keep in mind that the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide only covers one base of your circular saw so you’ll need to take extra care not to accidentally cut beyond its range. Also, if you have another piece of material directly below where you are making your cut, this could cause major problems as well.
I’ve found that works best for me when my workpiece is clear of any obstacles and I use a tape measure to ensure my first cut is made precisely 1 inch from the left edge of my saw guide. I’ve used the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide for a while now and recommend it to anyone who has problems making straight cuts with their circular saw, but make sure you take some time to familiarize yourself with any new tool that you use on your projects!
Tips for using the Kreg rip cut circular saw guide for different types of cuts:
Make your first cut by lining up one inch of your workpiece flush against the right edge of the saw guide.
Line up the second section of your workpiece with the opposite end firmly against the left edge of the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide.
Line up the third section of your workpiece in between these two sections, and make your second cut following steps 3 and 4 in this tutorial.
Use a tape measure to ensure that you’re making properly sized cuts. Make sure you have an extra inch or so between where you’re about to make your cut and where the left side of the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide is located!
Depending on what type of material you’re cutting, such as plywood or several thin pieces of wood, you might need to make more than two cuts with your circular saw guide.
Conclusion:
The Kreg Rip-Cut is a great circular saw guide that can make your cuts more accurate. It’s easy to use and set up in minutes, making it a perfect addition to your tool arsenal. I hope you found this review helpful and are now ready to tackle your next woodworking project with confidence!
If you have any questions about how To Use Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide feel free to comment below.