Cutting strips with a hand held electric circular saw

[Mondo]

Hi Folks,

I am making a Prospector using Sitka spruce for the hull. I got some 18 foot by 6 by 3/4. After carefrul measuring, I superglued a small metal guide to the metal plate of the saw and clamped it in place. The guide gives an exact 1/4 inch strip. My mill is a ping pong table with another small table at the end of it. I clamp the boards I am ripping to the two tables making sure that the overhang is sufficient so I don't cut into either table. This turns out to be much easier than running the boards through a table saw or a band saw. With some patience, I am able to easily saw the 6 inch wide board into strips down to the last 1/2 inch wide strip. If I need to turn this piece into strips, it is easy to saw with my band saw.

Mondo

[Bryan Hansel]

That's a great way of cutting strips and I've done it for more boats than not. I've rigged up a way to get the last bit of wood. It just involves cutting over a scrap pine 2x. You add the next 1x to the cutting board to stabilize the saw. I wrote about it here: http://www.nessmuking.com/mykayak4.htm

[Mondo]

Thanks Bryan. It's gtood to know somebody else had success with this. And thanks for the last couple inches tip.

Mondo

[Bladeforger]

That's a great way of cutting strips and I've done it for more boats than not. I've rigged up a way to get the last bit of wood. It just involves cutting over a scrap pine 2x. You add the next 1x to the cutting board to stabilize the saw. I wrote about it here: http://www.nessmuking.com/mykayak4.htm

Thanks, Bryan! That's a great write-up, and I'll go invest an hour or two reading the whole saga--maybe a few hours. I've seen the Mississippi, and the thought of kayaking down it for 500+ miles in a kayak you just had built is something! I've watched it several times while stopped for lunch during several trips between FL and TX, and that monster rolls right on by, complete with tree branches, trees, barges, and anything else that falls in. That's for a whole different class of paddler; my hat's off to you.

I did have a question, though. In the photo:

It looks like when the board about to be cut is slid over against the scrap 2-inch piece, and butted up against the stop board with one screw, then you'd at some point be running the saw blade over the head of the screw. I reckon this didn't happen in practice. What am I missing? Was it because you were cutting the strips from a 2x instead of a 1x, and the stop is a 1x?

ALSO, I've read somewhere (and can't remember where) about using hot-melt glue to temporarily hold the boards being cut to scraps tacked down every 3-4 feet. That looked like a good idea and a nice "first" use of the strongback. (Apologies for not remembering the source of the idea--seems like it was MCA buried somewhere in the archives, but I'm not sure.)

Thanks,
Keith

[AlanWS]

I agree with Bryan that a circular saw can do an excellent job ripping strips. Here is a link to our description with photos: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~durgerian/id5.html

At the time I did not have a tablesaw, but having ripped strips for canoes with a tablesaw and with a circular saw, I prefer the circular saw method when ripping long stock. With the added base for the saw that serves as a ZCI and provides a splitter, the risk of kickback is comparatively remote, and the strips are very smooth and even.

While the splitter largely avoids kickback, it keeps you from using the blade guard of the saw, so you need to have a safe place to set down the saw, and to be very careful. It might be worth considering cutting an opening in the base toward the back of the saw to allow the guard to function, even though this would necessitate moving the splitter much further from the blade.

[Bryan Hansel]

Keith, I didn't see your question until today. The hot glue gun idea sounds great. In my photo, the two inch piece is cut into just enough to make sure the guide finished the cedar cut perfectly. So, you're not cutting all the way through the block each pass. If I remember correctly, I get around 10 strips before I have to move a 1/2" over. So, the block you see would probably last the whole strip cutting episode.

[Jim Dodd]

Great photo job!

That's the method I use, I learned from the Minnesota builders, and to date is the best way I've found !

I do it a little different, but you have it!

Thanks for posting !!
Jim