Guides · Section 02
Cutting & Accuracy
A cut is only as good as the line it follows and the setup behind it. These guides cover sawing to a line, rip and crosscuts, allowing for the kerf, keeping cuts square, and the setups that make a cut repeatable.
- Subjects
- 4
- Guides
- 3
- Level
- Beginner
Start here
Foundation guide
How to Cut Wood Straight by Hand and Machine
Keep the kerf on the waste side, start and track a hand cut, diagnose a wandering saw, and set the fence, track or straightedge a machine cut follows.
Beginner · 9 min readRead the guide
In this section
Clean edges
Tear-out, burning and chipping, and how blade and technique prevent them.
- Circular Saw Blade Care: Changing, Cleaning and SharpeningWhen a blade is dull, how to change it safely, clean pitch and gum off it, check it for damage, and when to send it to a sharpening service, from saw manuals.Beginner · 4 min read
- How to Clean, Change and Adjust a Table Saw BladeTake a blade off, clean the pitch from it and inspect it, refit it the right way round, then set its height, tilt and alignment as saw makers describe.Beginner · 5 min read
What this section covers
- 2.1
Sawing to a line
Starting, tracking and finishing a cut on the waste side of the line.
1 guide
- 2.2
Rip and crosscut
Cutting with and across the grain, by hand and with power tools.
- 2.3
Square, repeatable cuts
Fences, stops and jigs that make one accurate cut into many.
- 2.4
Clean edges
Tear-out, burning and chipping, and how blade and technique prevent them.
2 guides