Hey Everyone! I'm new here and bought my first circular saw yesterday (it's a rigid 15 amp 7 1/4). I plugged it in started cutting but I noticed the saw blade doesn't align with any guide on the front metal part of the saw. Is that normal? I thought the blade would line up with at least one of the lines, or notches on the saw. I started making practice cuts and just watched the blade the whole time but my cuts are still wiggly or slanted. I know practice will help, but any advice is much appreciated. My hubby hasn't ever used a saw either, so we're a little in the dark. Thanks!
Also, we did try taking the blade out and putting it back in and it's still not aligning.
Michele
Forums
claydowling
Tue, 01/21/2014 - 13:25
Common Solutions
Usually you can see through the side or front where the blade is tracking. What most of us eventually come to is clamping a straight edge to our work, in the right position so that our saw blade is on the line we want to cut. If you tool around on the Pink Toes and Power Tools blog, she has some good videos about how to cut material with a circular saw.
I wound up building my own track saw. It's a narrow strip of plywood (mine started out about 6 inches wide) with a shallow groove cut down it's length. I made a hardwood skate that fits in the groove with just enough room to slide, and screwed that to the bottom of my circular saw. The first cut you make sizes the plywood track so that the edge of the plywood is exactly where the cut line will be.
The problem with that plan is that you need a tool capable of making a long accurate groove first. When you're starting out you don't have one of those.
Also, as a warning, don't expect to be able to go to a home center and buy lumber with a straight edge to use as a guide. Even their "select" lumber has crooked edges (it's not very select: I can buy common pine at my local lumber yard that is higher quality). You can buy angle iron that is reasonably straight.