Tool Guide

Make cuts like a pro with this guide for your power tools.

Even with a steady hand and a good eye, when you make freehand cuts, portable power tools tend to wander off the mark. One solution is to use a guide that fills the offset between the base plate of your tool and its blade or bit, therefore allowing you better control of the cut.

Our shop-made guide project can be used with almost any portable cutting tool, such as a circular saw, jigsaw, or router. It's designed to handle two tools, a different one on each side. The instructions below are for building one 8-foot-long tool guide, but the materials listed will yield three guides up to 8 feet long (they're also handy at 2- and 4-foot lengths).

General Instructions

Cut and label parts as needed, using the Cut List as a guide and adjusting for fit.

Step-by-Step

Build the tool guide.
- Rip a 16-inch-wide strip from 3/16-inch-thick hardboard for each guide you plan to make.
- To ensure a good epoxy bond between the two aluminum channels and the panel, clean the bottom of the channels and the surface of the panel with mineral spirits or paint thinner, and sand lightly.
- Locate and mark the center of the (01) hardboard panel at both ends. Make marks 3/8 inch to one side of the center of the panel, and snap a chalk line at these marks.
- Mix the epoxy, and apply it to the bottom of the channels.
- Lay the channels along the chalk line as illustrated, and set a light weight, such as a 2 x 4, on top. Let the epoxy cure overnight.
- Locate the center of the channels on the back of the assembly, and snap the line to mark it.
- Use a countersink pilot bit to drill holes approximately 6 inches on center along this line through the panel and channels.
- Secure the channels to the panel with flat slotted machine screws and nuts.
Customize the guide.
- Select two power tools to use with the guide. Align the base plate of one tool against the channel, and run the tool along the length of the channel, cutting off the unneeded portion. Repeat on the other side of the panel for use with a different tool.
- Label both sides of the panel with the name of the tool to be used.
- To use the guide, mark the material where it needs to be cut, and place the edge of the panel at that mark. Clamp in place and make the cut. No offset measurements are necessary.

Illustration

Cut List

Part	Material	Size (in inches)	Quantity
hardboard panel	hardboard paneling	3/16 x 16 x 96	1-3
Finished Dimensions Width: 16 inches Length: 96 inches

Part

Material

Size (in inches)

Quantity

hardboard panel

hardboard paneling

3/16 x 16 x 96

1-3

Finished Dimensions

Width: 16 inches
Length: 96 inches

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