Two builds at a glance
| Build | Difficulty | Time | Stock | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop-made saw track, 60 in | Beginner | About an hour plus glue drying | 1/4 in tempered hardboard, 3/4 in plywood strip | Guides a circular saw along a line, with its edge on the cut |
| Sheet-cutting platform | Beginner | Under an hour | Four 2 × 4s, 96 in; two sawhorses | Holds a 4 × 8 ft sheet flat on both sides of the cut |
BenchRoot designs. Times are for a first build with hand-held power tools.
Build 1: a shop-made saw track
The idea is the same as a plunge saw's rail and its splinter strip: DEWALT and Milwaukee both trim the rail's edge with the saw's first pass, so the edge marks exactly where the blade cuts. Here the base is hardboard, the fence is a straight strip of plywood, and the saw's shoe runs along the fence. Because the first pass trims the base, the track is matched to one saw and one blade; a different blade or saw needs its own track. This one is 60 in long, for crosscuts across a 48 in sheet.
Sizing the track for your saw
Base width ≥ fence width + D + 1 in
Track length ≥ cut length + shoe length
- D
- Distance from the edge of the shoe that rides the fence to the blade (in)
- Fence width
- 3 in in this design (in)
- Shoe length
- Front to back of your saw's shoe, so it is fully on the track at the start and end of the cut (in)
With a 3 in fence, a 12 in base works for any saw with D up to 8 in. A 48 in crosscut with a shoe about 12 in long needs about 60 in.
| Part | Qty | Material | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 1 | 1/4 in tempered hardboard | 12 × 60 in |
| Fence | 1 | 3/4 in plywood, one factory edge | 3 × 60 in |
| Screws | About 12 | #6 × 3/4 in flat-head | Driven up through the base into the fence |
| Glue | — | Wood glue | A thin bead along the fence |
The factory edge goes on the side the shoe rides; it is the straightest edge in the sheet. Check it with a straightedge before gluing.
Building the track
Cut the parts
Rip the fence from plywood so one long edge is the factory edge. Cut the hardboard base 12 in wide; its edges need not be perfect, because one is trimmed later.
Glue and screw the fence
Lay the base smooth face up. Glue the fence along one long edge, its factory edge facing the open width of the base where the shoe will ride, clamp it, then drive screws up through the base, countersunk, every 5 in or so. A 3/4 in screw through 1/4 in hardboard leaves 1/2 in in the fence and does not come through the top.
Let it dry flat
Leave it clamped on a flat surface until the glue has cured, so the track does not set with a twist.
Set the depth for the trim cut
Set the saw's depth to just through the 1/4 in base, plus a little, over a scrap sheet or a sacrificial board — not over your bench.
Trim the base
Clamp the track to the scrap with the base overhanging. Run the saw along it with the shoe's edge against the fence the whole way, at full speed before the blade touches. The off-cut strip falls away; the new edge is your cut line.
Mark it
Write the saw and blade on the track. Store it flat or hanging so it stays straight.
Safety— The saw's guard still works
A track changes nothing about the saw's own safeguards. The lower guard must still swing back and snap closed; never pin or tie it to clear the fence — if it snags, the fence is too tall or too close, and the track needs changing, not the guard. Set depth for the work plus the 1/4 in base, then your manual's figure below the work.
Using it. Put the base's edge on both pencil marks, keep the track on the part you are keeping, clamp both ends, and support the sheet as in build 2. The cut is on the base's edge, with splintering reduced on the top face under the hardboard. A full 96 in rip needs a track about 108 in long by the formula, longer than one 8 ft sheet of hardboard; a second track spliced end to end with a plywood joining plate under the seam, or longer stock, is needed for that — and a rail made for a plunge saw is the other answer: see track saws.
Build 2: a sheet-cutting platform
DEWALT's corded manual says large panels must be supported on both sides, near the line of cut and near the edges, because a sheet held only at its ends sags and pinches the blade; its track-saw manual describes 2 × 4s laid lengthwise between the sawhorses for the same reason. This platform does both. Nothing is fixed: the 2 × 4s are moved for each cut.
| Part | Qty | Size | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 4 | 4 | 96 in | Straight; sight along each one |
| Sawhorses | 2 | Your height | About 1 ft in from each end of the sheet |
| Clamps | 2–4 | To reach over the track | To hold the track and sheet |
Setting up for a cut
Horses and boards
Set the sawhorses a little less than 8 ft apart and lay the four 2 × 4s across them, parallel to the cut you are about to make.
Place the sheet good face down
The blade cuts upward, so DEWALT puts the good face down; splintering stays on the face that is up.
Move two boards to flank the line
One 2 × 4 a few inches either side of the cut line, the other two near the edges. None under the line.
Set depth to clear the boards
Set the blade to your manual's figure below the sheet; at that depth it passes between the 2 × 4s and touches neither.
Cut
Clamp the track, start the saw clear of the work, and cut through. Both parts stay where they are, supported, until the blade stops.
Before cutting on the platform
- Two supports flank the cut, two near the edges, none under the line
- Sheet good face down, track on the part you keep
- Depth: work plus the track base, then your manual's figure
- Track clamped at both ends
- Lower guard swings freely past the fence
- Cord or battery clear of the line
The cut itself, step by step, is in cutting plywood and boards; sawhorses are in sawhorses; and planning parts on a sheet is quicker with the cut list optimizer and the plywood calculator. Keeping the blade sharp is in blade care, and the saw itself in the circular saw guide.
Sources
Both builds are BenchRoot designs; their dimensions are ours, sized for a 48 in crosscut and a standard 4 × 8 ft sheet. The principles — a guide trimmed by its own saw, supports either side of the cut — come from the saw makers' manuals cited. Check your saw's shoe and depth before cutting parts.
- 1.
DWE574, DWE575 7-1/4" (184 mm) Circular Saws, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: Supporting panels on both sides near the cut and near the edges; good face down; clamping the work; a straightedge guide for rips; depth set to expose half a tooth; never tying the lower guard open; the saw at full speed before contact.
- 2.
DWS520 Heavy-Duty Track Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: 2 × 4s laid lengthwise between sawhorses under a panel so it cannot sag; a rail's anti-splinter strip trimmed by the saw before first use.
- 3.
M18 FUEL 6-1/2" Plunge Track Saw, Cat. No. 2831-20, Operator's Manual. Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: A guide rail trimmed by the saw's first full-depth pass so it marks the exact cutting edge.
About this guide
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