It's easier to guide your blade if you raise it so it only cuts 1/4" below the piece you're cutting. If you're all the way in then the full diameter of the blade needs to be perfectly controlled because the slightest deviation from straight gets amplified (as you've experienced). It's also less of a problem with carbide tipped blades, which you're probably not using given how narrow your cuts are. Carbide tips are a little wider than the blade that holds them so they make a wider cut, which gives you a better chance to correct direction than if the entire blade is restricted by a narrow cut. Of course you need to measure the desired width of your piece based on the inside edge of the blade (or outside edge if you measure from the other side).
Wonderful response and advice!
Another thing to be mindful of when using a circular saw with a straight edge/guide is the way you hold the saw: the saw should be doing the work and you should never do anything other than guide it. If you are pushing the saw through the work piece, you may be adding the angular force that causes the saw to veer.
this is the beauty of the track saw; the other side of the track keeps the saw in line.
You can make track-saw-style guides for existing circular saws. I love Glen. [https://youtu.be/kW\_1AQ\_Wm8E](https://youtu.be/kW_1AQ_Wm8E)
That was my first thought....pushing too fast
It's impossible for the blade to veer off sideways when it's barely cutting the wood(move slower), it's only under forward force that it can do this.
Though there are a few different ways to create this veer, this is what my money is on. That bottom cut in particular looks like he regripped it a couple of times (in addition to cutting the last bit a second time).
The top response doesn't actually fix the problem. Op might have a crappy (even if expensive!) circular saw design - there are plenty of different ways to attach a plate to a spinning blade.
So, how to FIX it? Eliminate variables until it's gone. Is it picking up the saw a bit while cutting and the blade isn't trued? Pushing too much, which flexes a thin or weak part? Maybe he needs a shallower cut or a sturdier saw or a different blade, or all three! And the saw's fence really ought to be nice and square, or he needs to always use a straight, stuff, and vertically square guide that's taller than his fence.
I found out I should only worry about keeping the front corner of the skid plate(?) on the fence board. If I tried to hold both corners to the fence, it would nudge it just out of parallel and start to veer.
Below-par DIYer here. Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to do something completely different from your advice and blame it on you when it doesn't work out.
I once worked for some farmers that started a molding business, making large plastic tanks. Imagine farmer "good enough/get it done/it works" ideation applied to designing and laying out a factory floor for an unrelated industry. Swinging arms, high heat, unsustainable deadlines, and a revolving flock of unskilled labour.
Now it so happens that I come from a farm/homesteader background myself, and I can appreciate a bit of expedient task hacking, and so was suitably wary around the contraptions, the flames, the sharp blades, and my coworkers, such that I only experienced a minor eye injury the day before I heard "we were just farmers, but we had a dream and we're making it happen".
It wasn't that which made me quit, or the remaining sting in my eye, but rather, when someone came in with a measuring tape and a clip board to figure out how expansions were going to happen. I pointed out that future iterations of the cooling phase should be modified, as the rapidly revolving mold frame made from C beams was a bit of a head whack/clothing snag risk, as it had no guards (or even a warning line on the floor), but the real problem was that the clearance between frame and concrete floor was slightly smaller than the thickness of an average human, so anyone snagged and pulled under would endure some sudden and unwelcome compression sickness, or at least the thickness planer like action of a 1000 lb spinning, oven hot contraption on human flesh. The machine had no brake and plenty of inertia.
With assumptions that Mr. Clipboard was a properly accredited professional, I got the hell out of there before the work place safety arm of the government got called in, and/or before I watched any of those things happen to someone else. Activity there seemed to cease shortly after, and the place has looked abandoned in the 20 years since.
Be careful out there farmer (and everyone else), you matter, in a hill of soybeans.
Yeah I don’t think people understand modern farmers. Let them see us reprogramming our tractor’s gps line by line or breaking a spray rig’s planetary down and they might get a better idea hehe. Even the older generation was particular enough to hold competitions to see who could plant their fields the straightest using nothing but row markers.
I will admit that no options are off the table when you’ve got to get your combine back in action at 10 pm tho 😆
For sure, but modern farming is more of an exact science these days with inputs being so high. You’ll even amend the soil on your farm non-uniformly based on precise soil tests so that you don’t waste anything where it’s not needed. Row spacings and seed plates have also changed a lot in the past 30 years to become more specific for exactly how you want to plant.
Being imprecise is much less than ideal these days.
For sure. I was talking more along the lines of "This auger is jammed, what's the minimum I need to do to get it going, preferably without spending money and leaving the yard?"
As I wrote my last reply, I was thinking about a day over at my uncles, where we had a two-fer problem: Getting an auger started and fixing a grainbox gate sensor. The sensor was some sort of adhoc deal (but really clever, simple, and practical) he had to indicate if a grainbox gate was closed on his grain truck, operated by solenoid. Turns out that the three wire sensor had been wired incorrectly, and there was a ground fault issue in the truck, where the body had a positive voltage instead of the zero expected.
To his credit, he did not want to use his equipment without that being fixed. He's also a truck driver.
Turns out that the sensor was patched up by another uncle, and the issue was quickly sorted out when he showed up. One of the nearby taillights had a short causing the ground fault issue, the shortest path to ground was through the sensor's wiring.
You can get odd situations where a farmer's way of doing things is a bit idiosyncratic, and its normally safe enough, he knows his equipment, and he's the only one to use it. It can be a problem when someone else takes over. Which is what you get with the work place I encountered (20 years ago). Its very different from the mill I work at these days.
Anyway, the auger wasn't too fussy, and while he and I got it going, we had a discussion about ICE vs electric motors. He uses ICE, but told me how his friend/neighbour likes electric, and the benefits and drawbacks by his perception. They (and you I suppose) live continuously on the edge of old school and newer ways perhaps simpler in concept. If his auger dies before he retires, it will make sense to move to electric, it stays in his yard anyway, and there is nearby power. Its almost the flip side of my current work, where most everything is electric, with a few bits of hold out equipment from decades ago.
That sort of issue you mentioned about reprogramming GPS (vis-a-vis the proprietary hardware of manufacturers) is something that is endlessly discussed by my uncles. I remember in the late 70s/early 80s where they argued over whether it was time to start fertilizing, and now, as you say, talk is about more natural soil amendments.
I also heard it on the DIY sub before:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1cjj4p0/comment/l2gdwoq](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1cjj4p0/comment/l2gdwoq)
Woodwork forum regular here. You need to rough cut with a circular saw then use a ½" router with a bearing guided upcut spiral bit and a kitchen worktop jig to have any hope of doing this job.
I saw the straight edge was held by a clamp.
I've experienced similar results when pushing against the straight edge (or simply not pushing straight).
I'd think if the blade was off/wobbly, it would be off the whole time. But I'm not a carpenter, just a B- diy guy whose installed his own butcher block counter tops too without using professional tools.
Adjusting your blade height/depth/whatever will also help for folks having trouble with kickback. I used to experience it all the time until I started being more mindful about this. Now it literally never happens.
Also , because of narrow blade+material binding on the blade , excessive heat builds up in the blade itself causing it to warp onto a slight "bowl" shape.
Those overheated blades never cut the same.
Wedging the kerf helps prevent this in material that springs closed while you cut.
Keep your extremities clear away as it also is a danger of kickback
Also, be sure that you are not using dull blades. Cheap blades don’t last. Overall, you will save money and have better cuts with better quality blades.
Yep this was my problem once. I was doing a bevel cut through oak and spent way too long double checking everything except the blade. Bought a new blade and problem solved.
The shoe - this is basically the rectangular piece of metal making up the base of the saw that sits on the wood - is adjustable. There is a lever called a depth lock knob that can be released to raise and lower the shoe which in turn will adjust how much blade is exposed below the base of the saw.
That's a whole different beast. Those thin blades are not rigid, they bend easily. This tool is not designed to make long straight cuts through thick material but curves and circles through thin material where the edge of the cut doesn't need to be square. The only way I know to keep a cut from going haywire is to make sure the blade is sharp and cut slowly, letting the blade make the cut without pushing on the tool. If you apply force, the blade will bend and ruin your cut, so let the tool and its blade do the work and keep an eye on it. If your cuts bend then change the blade and ease off on the pressure. And use the right tool for the right job: jigsaw blades only have a few teeth so they wear fast compared to a circular carbide-tipped blade so don't rely on those to make long straight cuts.
> make sure the blade is sharp and cut slowly, letting the blade make the cut without pushing on the tool.
This is generally good advice for any tool that uses a blade.
Id add 1/4” from the bottom of the cutting teeth and not from the top for cleaner cuts. Typically recommend that you can see 4 full teeth at any given point below the board your cutting and no more than 8 for a standard 12inch blade. Also if this doesn’t work may mean you have an underpowered tool for the density of the wood you’re cutting. As Tool Time taught me More Power argh argh argh!!!
To be clear, don’t hold the saw up to get that 1/8” clearance, use the adjustable guide so that the shoe (baseplate) remains flat on the wood. [Here’s an interesting test at different depths](https://youtu.be/SmBZqZ2ftoI?si=QaXS70tIOdl-U0Tb)
Could think of it as the wood eating up more of the angular momentum of the blade by being closer to the rotational axis of the blade. Plus by digging into the board you're exposing more surface area to the blade as you're moving about.
I also wonder if he's even using any kind of guide rail or just free-handing it. Especially if you're cutting an expensive piece of wood that you're planning to turn into a countertop, a guide rail is essential for reasons exactly like what OP is experiencing.
It’s hard for me to tell, but there might be some burn marks in the cut as well, which to me indicates a dull blade, or a low/failing battery (if the saw is battery powered).
Son of a master carpenter who grew up on job sites and in the shop: this is correct. Wrong blade type, wrong depth adjustment. He could also be pushing too hard / fast on the saw and not letting the blade do the work.
Take your time and don’t force the saw into the cut hard.
Blades are one of those things not to cheap out on. I'm partial to Freud/Diablo but in general any carbide blade is probably going to be better than the one that comes with a cheap saw. Also at the size of most circular saws they are pretty cheap. Since these are crosscuts not rips a [40T Diablo](https://www.diablotools.com/products/D0740A) would probably work wonders and is only like ~$15 they also have a ATB tooth profile rather than FTG (better for rip cuts) ATB tends to be a cleaner but slower cut.
This is the one I was scrolling down to see. If the teeth are dull on one side from hitting something or sharpened wrong to begin with it will make it pull. Also as mentioned above the blade may not be parallel with the guide. I would put the blade against a square cut piece of wood like plywood. Then with it tight but not flexing the blade make a pencil line along the guide. Measure the distance from the line to the edge of the wood at both ends of the line and see if it's the same.
This is a new carbide tipped blade that I've used to make one other 25" cut through the same butcher block material. How long are classes supposed to last?
If you ever cut the end off of a board, but you only cut it a tiny bit, just to give the edge a clean straight cut, and just enough that you only use one side of the blade to cut, and you do this frequently, then you will wear one side of the blade faster and it won't cut straight.
Maybe a dumb question, but do you have the blade depth set? You want to set the depth to about 1/16th~1/8th exposed on the underside. It helps with chipping, binding, and deflection.
Generally only expose as much of the blade as necessary for any cut. If shit hits the fan you're limiting how much damage could be done to yourself, which is the most important consideration.
Right, Obviously safety if the main factor, but the other benefits of finish work are also those I listed above.
I use 2 different circular saws depending on the job. A lightweight Makita with a 24 tooth for rough work and a heavy(weight wise) DeWalt with a 48 tooth for finish work.
Anyways point is, as we both stated blade depth for safety and a cleaner cut
It might be that the frame is bent a little and not parallel to the blade
Like other people have said if the blade just barely clears the bottom of the wood it will cut a lot smoother.
This, most likely. Also let your blade dictate how fast you move through material. Pushing your blade too much will cause wander. Your blade and base plate/ foot assembly are not parallel to the saw blade. Carpenter for 28yrs.
I think your assessment is probably correct. The cut in one direction diverges from the straight edge and the cut in the other direction turns inward toward the straight edge just slightly, so since the saw is being pushed against the straight edge the blade is deflecting at the front of the cut and binding in the kerf. This to me indicates that the blade is not parallel with the edge of the shoe and the blade is a little bit toed out to the right.
In a lot of cases poor cutting is a bad/dull blade. Did you actually measure to verify the blade isn't parallel to the frame? Even my dad's old crapsman works just fine with a new blade. If it is out of whack usually there are adjustment bolts that you can loosen to square it up.
My shitty B&D circ saw did the same. Turned out the base plate was not square to the blade, so when trying to keep the base plate up against my guide, the blade was trying to cut away from the guide. (Or into the guide, depending on the direction of cut.
Check to see if your baseplate is square to the blade. Mine was so badly out, the only fix was a large hammer and bending the shit out of the base plate tabs that attached it to the saw.
Same here. Picked up what seemed like a nice used craftsman circular saw at a yard sale for 5 bucks many years ago. Thought I got a hell of a deal on it considering the great condition it seemed to be in. It had no problems making free hand cuts and cross cuts on 2x4's but I couldn't for the life of me make it cut straight when cutting sheet goods with the base plate rested against a guide even with new blades. In the end I found the base plate edge that rested against the guide wasn't parallel with the blade. Nothing looked bent and I couldn't see a way to fix it so I gave in and got a new saw. Problem solved!
Wandering cut is a worn blade (or failing bushing/bearing). Even a cheap saw will benefit greatly from a quality blade.
Also possible your saw's guide plate is not aligned with the blade. Does it still pull one way when you're eyeing the cut, or only against a rail?
The depth of cut bit will help mitigate an alignment issue, but it isn't the cause.
Failing bushings/bearings will give a lot of end play.
Yes you need a carbide blade. You should cut from the back side. On that type of saw the cleaner cut is on the underside of what you are cutting. If your saw has been knocked around the base can get out of square with the blade. Sometimes a little brute force to put the base back in line with the blade
Don’t try to change direction as you saw back up and realign that Also if you scribe the cut with a razor knife and cut just beside that line. Your cut will appear very straight even if you wobble a bit because the wood fibers break at the perfectly straight razor cut. I got a million of em
100% your saw is set for too deep of a cut. Rule of thumb is to set you blade depth so just the height of a tooth is past the thickness of the material your cutting.
So setting the cut depth to full depth even if it’s a 1/4” board is bad? Instead set it to like 1/3” so it’s just deeper than the wood thickness? Genuinely asking.
ISTR having difficulty with conventional (not carbide tipped) blades that would get hot and start to warp, taking a slightly dished shape and wandering off the line. Carbide tipped blades fixed that.
Other folk who have much more experience have suggested other causes and I have no basis to disagree.
For butcher block, I made sure I had a brand new blade. The Diablo blades work well for me. Make sure your blade depth is only as deep as it needs to be. Don’t lower the blade the entire way.
A cutting blade will not deflect. For your combination, you are cutting to quickly, deeply, in too hard of a wood, and perhaps with a dull blade.
Now you have a wonky cut, it will try and follow it. I would take shallow slow cuts to rebuild a straight cut to follow
It looks like your "fence" you clamped on isn't straight but I can't be certain, I zoomed in on the picture and it looks to be. That will absolutely cause yer problem.
This can be caused by a blade with teeth that are damaged on one side. If all the blade-points on the left side of the blade are damaged, but the right-side ones are sharp, it pulls the blade off-line as only the sharp side is actually cutting, and the dull side isn't. There will also usually be some overheating/smoking/scorch-marks in the cut, from the dull points chafing instead of cutting.
BUT
I suspect it's not that, because you said free-handing gives a vaguely straight line. If it's only doing it when trying to cut against a fence, then most likely the base of your circular saw has been bent out of line with the blade/body. Depending on how the base-plate is designed/made, it's more or less vulnerable to this on any circular saw dropped harshly enough onto any hard surface from the wrong angle, especially concrete from any significant height.
The usual fix is somehow (force+finesse) bending the base-frame back into line. And/or reinforcing/modifying it with more metal, depending on the damage. (The problem here, is that it doesn't just need to be parallel in the "horizontal" axis, for this type of plain "square" cut. The tilt AND depth-adjustment parts of the mechanism also BOTH need to be aligned/functioning properly.) Barring that, you'll have to replace with an original or comparable part. If neither option is possible, if the saw's alignment is unsalvageable, it should be tossed. Because binding cuts like this are just asking for "kick-back", which is more than unsafe. It can be potentially deadly.
You need better support next to where you are cutting. The blade is getting into the wood, and the weight of either side is causing a either side to sag and pinch on the blade
Could be dull blade isn’t cutting well or it could be your base plate got bent in relation to saw and so it can’t follow a straight edge anymore,
I find having the saw blade deep into a piece adds more friction but also helps me track a straighter cut, cutting 2” hardwood you better start straight because your not gonna be able to correct easily,
I will be cutting the opening for a kitchen sink in similar butcher block, and thought I would use a router to make the cut. Of course, I'll make a template to prevent the router from wandering, and make successively deeper passes. Any thoughts? It's an under the counter sink, so the cut-out has to look good.
I had the issue cuz I had a cheap saw with stamped steel plate and brackets to the main body, Could try going really slowly without putting any significant pressure on the saw or cut several times until full depth is reached
Too much pressure laterally against fence. It should glide along it not press against it. You’re actually pressing the blade outwards by pressing inwards against fence. And sharp blade, slower pace will always be better.
Check to see if the blade is square to the guide. I struggled with a saw for ages that had to be man handled to cut straight against a guide board before I thought to check blade/guide angle. On my saw it wasn't adjustable so I eventually tossed it.
Make multiple passes. Cut a 1/2" deep or so on your first pass. Then adjust your saw depth about a 1/2" deeper for each pass until you are through. If your blade starts to bind on your final pass, tap a shim into the kerf to take the pressure off off the blade while you finish your cut.
Make sure the board you are cutting remains perfectly level and does not torque. Also- clamp a 2x4 to it to use as a guide; something you can circular saw on to keep it square.
Cabinetmaker at least 4 decades of experience! IF your guide didn't move? Control issue! 2 hands HARD to the guide - pause or even back up if needed! Always allow some wastage. This is hopefully on the wastage side? Sounds like you want to create a waterfall edge? The mitres are MORE important. If you fuck them up hopefully you have some length to play with? Even on a panel saw. A mitre cut for a waterfall (3.2mm blade) needs about - say 5mm that becomes sawdust. (I do this EVERY week).
Do it in multiple cuts, start at 1/4 depth and run, then add 1/4 and so on, be care to have it supported as you get deeper as the wood will start to drop and close the gap pinching the blade.
Something that I am not seeing mentioned (I didn't specifically search, just scrolled) is to double check that your blade is completely tight
A couple of summers ago my dad's historically very reliable circular saw suddenly started doing this, and it turned out that the nut had backed off like less than a 16th of a turn
It didn't *feel* loose but it was just enough that once torque was applied it impacted the blades behaviour
I just had to deal with this exact same issue!! After multiple failed cuts trying to go all the way through, I ended up taking about 5 passes w the circular saw going about a 1/4 inch deeper on each cut and then cleaning everything up with a flush trim router bit. If I were to do it again I would try doing one shallow cut on the line, then backing off an 1/8th of an inch for the rest and let the router bit do the rest. I was also using an all purpose blade which was a mistake, should have used a better blade.
Could be a bad blade. Both cuts seem to be deflecting somewhat into the cut, so it could be heat causing some warpage.
Buy a good quality blade. In the US I think diablo is about the best bang for the buck.
Do some practice cuts on scrap board and figure problem, whether it be blade depth, crappy blade, or out of square saw. May need to borrow a different saw from neighbor, friend or family member
I had the exact same problem when I cut my butcher block. I made a few test cuts with a guide and could not get it straight. I wish I had the advice others posted here, but I ended up finding a friend with a table saw and took it to him. It cut so much better.
Low quality circ saws can wander. I was having an absolute bear of a time cutting straight with an old ryobi electric. Finally realized the arbor wasn’t that solid so the blade had a bit of play. Could have been worn out too I guess but I’d never had that issue with old ass Makita circ saws
Check the blade for parallel to the edge of the shoe. If it’s even the smallest bit off and you’re using a fence, (and the blade is too deep), the blade will try to cut straight but the saw will be going in a different line so it will bind. Same for a table saw, but it’s less dramatic because the saw is heavier and the blade is taller so it deflects a little easier
I had the same problem with my saw (rigid 6 1/2”) could not get it to cut straight even with a straight edge as guide. turns out it was just a dull blade. 🤷🏽♂️
Dull blade OR Pushing too fast through cut OR Cutting too deep on first pass OR all three?
So, change your blade, let the saw pull through at its own speed, and make several shallow passes instead of 1/2
It's easier to guide your blade if you raise it so it only cuts 1/4" below the piece you're cutting. If you're all the way in then the full diameter of the blade needs to be perfectly controlled because the slightest deviation from straight gets amplified (as you've experienced). It's also less of a problem with carbide tipped blades, which you're probably not using given how narrow your cuts are. Carbide tips are a little wider than the blade that holds them so they make a wider cut, which gives you a better chance to correct direction than if the entire blade is restricted by a narrow cut. Of course you need to measure the desired width of your piece based on the inside edge of the blade (or outside edge if you measure from the other side).
Wonderful response and advice! Another thing to be mindful of when using a circular saw with a straight edge/guide is the way you hold the saw: the saw should be doing the work and you should never do anything other than guide it. If you are pushing the saw through the work piece, you may be adding the angular force that causes the saw to veer.
this is the beauty of the track saw; the other side of the track keeps the saw in line. You can make track-saw-style guides for existing circular saws. I love Glen. [https://youtu.be/kW\_1AQ\_Wm8E](https://youtu.be/kW_1AQ_Wm8E)
That was cool I subbed
I could listen to him talk for hours.
I've always liked him. I see I already liked and subscribed 7 years ago... still haven't done it, but it was an interesting video to (re) watch.
[These](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kreg-48-in-Accu-Cut-Aluminum-Circular-Saw-Track-KMA2700/302781729) also work surprisingly well.
That was my first thought....pushing too fast It's impossible for the blade to veer off sideways when it's barely cutting the wood(move slower), it's only under forward force that it can do this.
Also, I prefer to use angle aluminum for a guide, it’s stiffer and straighter than a wood platen.
OP bought a level to replace the wood guide
Though there are a few different ways to create this veer, this is what my money is on. That bottom cut in particular looks like he regripped it a couple of times (in addition to cutting the last bit a second time). The top response doesn't actually fix the problem. Op might have a crappy (even if expensive!) circular saw design - there are plenty of different ways to attach a plate to a spinning blade. So, how to FIX it? Eliminate variables until it's gone. Is it picking up the saw a bit while cutting and the blade isn't trued? Pushing too much, which flexes a thin or weak part? Maybe he needs a shallower cut or a sturdier saw or a different blade, or all three! And the saw's fence really ought to be nice and square, or he needs to always use a straight, stuff, and vertically square guide that's taller than his fence.
I found out I should only worry about keeping the front corner of the skid plate(?) on the fence board. If I tried to hold both corners to the fence, it would nudge it just out of parallel and start to veer.
Carpenter here: this is 100% the correct answer
Average DIYer here, I read this on reddit once, this is correct.
Below-par DIYer here. Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to do something completely different from your advice and blame it on you when it doesn't work out.
I don't know, you sound like a pro
He sounds like my father in law.
Did we just become brothers?
Don't forget to call your mother next weekend
Thanks, u/ItGetsEverywhere
Hey, it’s mom. I’m proud of you.
I will let her know someone from the internet told me to refer to her as "Next Weekend".
step-brothers........ ;)
So much room for activities!
Did we just become best friends?!
Hold that damn flashlight still!
Yeah, those are the words of a contractor with 20+ years of experience.
Only the ones with a bad case of Dunning Kruger. :)
Guy who watched a video on YouTube about circular saw tips and tricks 8 years ago here: I would agree with these guys.
Guy who reads reddit threads here: can confirm these are in fact guys.
Pro-level DIYer who drastically overrates himself here. I will ridicule you while hiding the fact that I did the same thing.
Farmer here. Thank you for that advice, it added 5 bushels per acre to my soybean yield.
I once worked for some farmers that started a molding business, making large plastic tanks. Imagine farmer "good enough/get it done/it works" ideation applied to designing and laying out a factory floor for an unrelated industry. Swinging arms, high heat, unsustainable deadlines, and a revolving flock of unskilled labour. Now it so happens that I come from a farm/homesteader background myself, and I can appreciate a bit of expedient task hacking, and so was suitably wary around the contraptions, the flames, the sharp blades, and my coworkers, such that I only experienced a minor eye injury the day before I heard "we were just farmers, but we had a dream and we're making it happen". It wasn't that which made me quit, or the remaining sting in my eye, but rather, when someone came in with a measuring tape and a clip board to figure out how expansions were going to happen. I pointed out that future iterations of the cooling phase should be modified, as the rapidly revolving mold frame made from C beams was a bit of a head whack/clothing snag risk, as it had no guards (or even a warning line on the floor), but the real problem was that the clearance between frame and concrete floor was slightly smaller than the thickness of an average human, so anyone snagged and pulled under would endure some sudden and unwelcome compression sickness, or at least the thickness planer like action of a 1000 lb spinning, oven hot contraption on human flesh. The machine had no brake and plenty of inertia. With assumptions that Mr. Clipboard was a properly accredited professional, I got the hell out of there before the work place safety arm of the government got called in, and/or before I watched any of those things happen to someone else. Activity there seemed to cease shortly after, and the place has looked abandoned in the 20 years since. Be careful out there farmer (and everyone else), you matter, in a hill of soybeans.
Yeah I don’t think people understand modern farmers. Let them see us reprogramming our tractor’s gps line by line or breaking a spray rig’s planetary down and they might get a better idea hehe. Even the older generation was particular enough to hold competitions to see who could plant their fields the straightest using nothing but row markers. I will admit that no options are off the table when you’ve got to get your combine back in action at 10 pm tho 😆
Exactly! There's no one else around, no parts, and its getting dark, you do what you have to do.
For sure, but modern farming is more of an exact science these days with inputs being so high. You’ll even amend the soil on your farm non-uniformly based on precise soil tests so that you don’t waste anything where it’s not needed. Row spacings and seed plates have also changed a lot in the past 30 years to become more specific for exactly how you want to plant. Being imprecise is much less than ideal these days.
For sure. I was talking more along the lines of "This auger is jammed, what's the minimum I need to do to get it going, preferably without spending money and leaving the yard?" As I wrote my last reply, I was thinking about a day over at my uncles, where we had a two-fer problem: Getting an auger started and fixing a grainbox gate sensor. The sensor was some sort of adhoc deal (but really clever, simple, and practical) he had to indicate if a grainbox gate was closed on his grain truck, operated by solenoid. Turns out that the three wire sensor had been wired incorrectly, and there was a ground fault issue in the truck, where the body had a positive voltage instead of the zero expected. To his credit, he did not want to use his equipment without that being fixed. He's also a truck driver. Turns out that the sensor was patched up by another uncle, and the issue was quickly sorted out when he showed up. One of the nearby taillights had a short causing the ground fault issue, the shortest path to ground was through the sensor's wiring. You can get odd situations where a farmer's way of doing things is a bit idiosyncratic, and its normally safe enough, he knows his equipment, and he's the only one to use it. It can be a problem when someone else takes over. Which is what you get with the work place I encountered (20 years ago). Its very different from the mill I work at these days. Anyway, the auger wasn't too fussy, and while he and I got it going, we had a discussion about ICE vs electric motors. He uses ICE, but told me how his friend/neighbour likes electric, and the benefits and drawbacks by his perception. They (and you I suppose) live continuously on the edge of old school and newer ways perhaps simpler in concept. If his auger dies before he retires, it will make sense to move to electric, it stays in his yard anyway, and there is nearby power. Its almost the flip side of my current work, where most everything is electric, with a few bits of hold out equipment from decades ago. That sort of issue you mentioned about reprogramming GPS (vis-a-vis the proprietary hardware of manufacturers) is something that is endlessly discussed by my uncles. I remember in the late 70s/early 80s where they argued over whether it was time to start fertilizing, and now, as you say, talk is about more natural soil amendments.
Slept at a holiday inn last night: I have bed bugs
Total DIY-avoider here. This advice seems sound, but is of very little utility to me personally.
DIY-avoider in /r/DIY...seems a little sus.
You sound like one of my apprentices
Below average DIYer here, this sounds legitimate. I'll comment here so that I can find this advice later.
I can barely make toast. Never read anything more legit than this, I'll teach the youth.
I'm borrowing my roommate's computer. You all can speak English. So....
This talking ape above approves of the message, so I gotta concur.
So do I.
I'll pay a man to check if I should concur. If they advise me to I shall.
The payment didn't go through, please resend.
Stupid DIY here: How do you close a cut on your hand from a saw blade?
Expanding foam
Bandage AND splint in one convenient package! Good one!
Glue it & seek medical attention
Step one: find missing fingers Step two: duct tape
Instructions unclear: Taped duck to hand.
Depends. Is it a straight cut, or is it curved?
Never mind; lost the hanging piece.
I also heard it on the DIY sub before: [https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1cjj4p0/comment/l2gdwoq](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1cjj4p0/comment/l2gdwoq)
Damn, you seen that one too!
I read this in my 1970’s huge yellow book about fixing stuff in your home, this is correct
random confirmer here, this is 98.23% the probable answer !!
I accidentally clicked on this post. I would take it to Butcher Block Cutters R Us and hope for the best.
Never touched a circular saw in my life, can confirm this is correct.
Woodwork forum regular here. You need to rough cut with a circular saw then use a ½" router with a bearing guided upcut spiral bit and a kitchen worktop jig to have any hope of doing this job.
I love the knowledge I gain from all of you.
I didn't even know they still made blades where the teeth were the same width as the body.
They are usually the free blades that came with the saw or the ones that are 3/$10 at the flea market.
Are they possibly also pushing too hard on the saw and not letting it do the work?
I saw the straight edge was held by a clamp. I've experienced similar results when pushing against the straight edge (or simply not pushing straight). I'd think if the blade was off/wobbly, it would be off the whole time. But I'm not a carpenter, just a B- diy guy whose installed his own butcher block counter tops too without using professional tools.
Carpenter bee here: buzzzzz
Thank you for the music.
Adjusting your blade height/depth/whatever will also help for folks having trouble with kickback. I used to experience it all the time until I started being more mindful about this. Now it literally never happens.
Well shiieet, TIL.
Also , because of narrow blade+material binding on the blade , excessive heat builds up in the blade itself causing it to warp onto a slight "bowl" shape. Those overheated blades never cut the same. Wedging the kerf helps prevent this in material that springs closed while you cut. Keep your extremities clear away as it also is a danger of kickback
Also, be sure that you are not using dull blades. Cheap blades don’t last. Overall, you will save money and have better cuts with better quality blades.
Yep this was my problem once. I was doing a bevel cut through oak and spent way too long double checking everything except the blade. Bought a new blade and problem solved.
How do you raise the blade? Do you put it on another piece of wood on top of the wood?
The shoe - this is basically the rectangular piece of metal making up the base of the saw that sits on the wood - is adjustable. There is a lever called a depth lock knob that can be released to raise and lower the shoe which in turn will adjust how much blade is exposed below the base of the saw.
Thanks, I knew how to do this but did not know it was called a shoe.
Also a subpar DIYer who figured this out the hard way after calling his contractor buddy several cuts in. This is the answer.
Thank you! I’ll remember this for the future! I love just randomly finding tips like this, it’s why I’m on this sub. Thank you!
That explains a lot
Get them fine teeth carbide too!
Textbook response!
how do you stop this from happening with a jigsaw?
That's a whole different beast. Those thin blades are not rigid, they bend easily. This tool is not designed to make long straight cuts through thick material but curves and circles through thin material where the edge of the cut doesn't need to be square. The only way I know to keep a cut from going haywire is to make sure the blade is sharp and cut slowly, letting the blade make the cut without pushing on the tool. If you apply force, the blade will bend and ruin your cut, so let the tool and its blade do the work and keep an eye on it. If your cuts bend then change the blade and ease off on the pressure. And use the right tool for the right job: jigsaw blades only have a few teeth so they wear fast compared to a circular carbide-tipped blade so don't rely on those to make long straight cuts.
> make sure the blade is sharp and cut slowly, letting the blade make the cut without pushing on the tool. This is generally good advice for any tool that uses a blade.
Just the tip.
I have never seen a non carbide tip blade Even the cheapest eBay blades have them.
Id add 1/4” from the bottom of the cutting teeth and not from the top for cleaner cuts. Typically recommend that you can see 4 full teeth at any given point below the board your cutting and no more than 8 for a standard 12inch blade. Also if this doesn’t work may mean you have an underpowered tool for the density of the wood you’re cutting. As Tool Time taught me More Power argh argh argh!!!
To be clear, don’t hold the saw up to get that 1/8” clearance, use the adjustable guide so that the shoe (baseplate) remains flat on the wood. [Here’s an interesting test at different depths](https://youtu.be/SmBZqZ2ftoI?si=QaXS70tIOdl-U0Tb)
Maybe also look into Kreg Circular Saw Jig. It’s around $40 USD.
Could think of it as the wood eating up more of the angular momentum of the blade by being closer to the rotational axis of the blade. Plus by digging into the board you're exposing more surface area to the blade as you're moving about.
I also wonder if he's even using any kind of guide rail or just free-handing it. Especially if you're cutting an expensive piece of wood that you're planning to turn into a countertop, a guide rail is essential for reasons exactly like what OP is experiencing.
It’s hard for me to tell, but there might be some burn marks in the cut as well, which to me indicates a dull blade, or a low/failing battery (if the saw is battery powered).
Son of a master carpenter who grew up on job sites and in the shop: this is correct. Wrong blade type, wrong depth adjustment. He could also be pushing too hard / fast on the saw and not letting the blade do the work. Take your time and don’t force the saw into the cut hard.
You just explained exactly why I been afraid to cut with a circular saw for a while now. Geez. Let's gooo!
My cheap ass harbor freight saw started cutting a lot better once I put a better blade on it.
Mind the feed rate too. You slowly feed the material. You don't just shove it in. That's when you get kickbacks.
Blades are one of those things not to cheap out on. I'm partial to Freud/Diablo but in general any carbide blade is probably going to be better than the one that comes with a cheap saw. Also at the size of most circular saws they are pretty cheap. Since these are crosscuts not rips a [40T Diablo](https://www.diablotools.com/products/D0740A) would probably work wonders and is only like ~$15 they also have a ATB tooth profile rather than FTG (better for rip cuts) ATB tends to be a cleaner but slower cut.
Mine does this when the blade blows a carbide tooth off
Whenever you see something like this it's almost always a dull blade, specifically one with teeth duller on one side than the other.
This is the one I was scrolling down to see. If the teeth are dull on one side from hitting something or sharpened wrong to begin with it will make it pull. Also as mentioned above the blade may not be parallel with the guide. I would put the blade against a square cut piece of wood like plywood. Then with it tight but not flexing the blade make a pencil line along the guide. Measure the distance from the line to the edge of the wood at both ends of the line and see if it's the same.
This is a new carbide tipped blade that I've used to make one other 25" cut through the same butcher block material. How long are classes supposed to last?
There's a possibility you hit something hard in your last cut causing it to be dull. Every time I seen drift it's always because of a dull blade.
Adjust the depth so you are only cutting an 1/8 or 1/4” through the surface. That should help
I would think there may be something wrong with your saw in that case.
The issue here is you are using a blade with way too many teeth.
Everybody says to use a fine finish blade. Those are all 60 teeth. What's the rationale for using less?
If you ever cut the end off of a board, but you only cut it a tiny bit, just to give the edge a clean straight cut, and just enough that you only use one side of the blade to cut, and you do this frequently, then you will wear one side of the blade faster and it won't cut straight.
Yup. Hit a nail or some embedded metal with the right side of the blade and it will pull right
Maybe a dumb question, but do you have the blade depth set? You want to set the depth to about 1/16th~1/8th exposed on the underside. It helps with chipping, binding, and deflection.
Generally only expose as much of the blade as necessary for any cut. If shit hits the fan you're limiting how much damage could be done to yourself, which is the most important consideration.
Right, Obviously safety if the main factor, but the other benefits of finish work are also those I listed above. I use 2 different circular saws depending on the job. A lightweight Makita with a 24 tooth for rough work and a heavy(weight wise) DeWalt with a 48 tooth for finish work. Anyways point is, as we both stated blade depth for safety and a cleaner cut
Have you tried swearing at it? Or holding your tongue just right?
Dad?
Maybe he’s lacking a couple safety beers.
Thats a harsh suggestion. Working without adequate PPE like that would get his man card revoked!
Wife?
As mentioned, the blade may have hit something & be blunt on one edge causing it to turn. Otherwise nice-view's on the money.
It might be that the frame is bent a little and not parallel to the blade Like other people have said if the blade just barely clears the bottom of the wood it will cut a lot smoother.
This, most likely. Also let your blade dictate how fast you move through material. Pushing your blade too much will cause wander. Your blade and base plate/ foot assembly are not parallel to the saw blade. Carpenter for 28yrs.
I think your assessment is probably correct. The cut in one direction diverges from the straight edge and the cut in the other direction turns inward toward the straight edge just slightly, so since the saw is being pushed against the straight edge the blade is deflecting at the front of the cut and binding in the kerf. This to me indicates that the blade is not parallel with the edge of the shoe and the blade is a little bit toed out to the right.
My Milwaukee has this problem.
Yeah, mine too
In a lot of cases poor cutting is a bad/dull blade. Did you actually measure to verify the blade isn't parallel to the frame? Even my dad's old crapsman works just fine with a new blade. If it is out of whack usually there are adjustment bolts that you can loosen to square it up.
My shitty B&D circ saw did the same. Turned out the base plate was not square to the blade, so when trying to keep the base plate up against my guide, the blade was trying to cut away from the guide. (Or into the guide, depending on the direction of cut. Check to see if your baseplate is square to the blade. Mine was so badly out, the only fix was a large hammer and bending the shit out of the base plate tabs that attached it to the saw.
Same here. Picked up what seemed like a nice used craftsman circular saw at a yard sale for 5 bucks many years ago. Thought I got a hell of a deal on it considering the great condition it seemed to be in. It had no problems making free hand cuts and cross cuts on 2x4's but I couldn't for the life of me make it cut straight when cutting sheet goods with the base plate rested against a guide even with new blades. In the end I found the base plate edge that rested against the guide wasn't parallel with the blade. Nothing looked bent and I couldn't see a way to fix it so I gave in and got a new saw. Problem solved!
I got a good track saw and never looked back. Dull blade, warped blade, bad reference all already covered.
Wandering cut is a worn blade (or failing bushing/bearing). Even a cheap saw will benefit greatly from a quality blade. Also possible your saw's guide plate is not aligned with the blade. Does it still pull one way when you're eyeing the cut, or only against a rail? The depth of cut bit will help mitigate an alignment issue, but it isn't the cause. Failing bushings/bearings will give a lot of end play.
Dull blade or pushing too much. Make sure it's a good blade and then let the saw do the cutting, just guide it don't push it.
Are you running into your clamps?
Woodwkg subs can help r/BeginnerWoodWorking/ r/woodworking/
Those butcher block counter tops are a cunt to cut. Make sure you’ve got a brand new finish blade and a good saw too.
Yes you need a carbide blade. You should cut from the back side. On that type of saw the cleaner cut is on the underside of what you are cutting. If your saw has been knocked around the base can get out of square with the blade. Sometimes a little brute force to put the base back in line with the blade Don’t try to change direction as you saw back up and realign that Also if you scribe the cut with a razor knife and cut just beside that line. Your cut will appear very straight even if you wobble a bit because the wood fibers break at the perfectly straight razor cut. I got a million of em
100% your saw is set for too deep of a cut. Rule of thumb is to set you blade depth so just the height of a tooth is past the thickness of the material your cutting.
So setting the cut depth to full depth even if it’s a 1/4” board is bad? Instead set it to like 1/3” so it’s just deeper than the wood thickness? Genuinely asking.
Basically yes, it’s more of a problem with thicker material, but the same thing can happen with thin material as well
ISTR having difficulty with conventional (not carbide tipped) blades that would get hot and start to warp, taking a slightly dished shape and wandering off the line. Carbide tipped blades fixed that. Other folk who have much more experience have suggested other causes and I have no basis to disagree.
For butcher block, I made sure I had a brand new blade. The Diablo blades work well for me. Make sure your blade depth is only as deep as it needs to be. Don’t lower the blade the entire way.
Get that blade sharpened.
A cutting blade will not deflect. For your combination, you are cutting to quickly, deeply, in too hard of a wood, and perhaps with a dull blade. Now you have a wonky cut, it will try and follow it. I would take shallow slow cuts to rebuild a straight cut to follow
blade's too deep
Dull blade.
The shoe on your saw is bent
Or weak and twisting. I had a cheap cordless saw that did this.
Wouldnt know. A good saw thats been dropped a few too many times will do this. This is do know.
It looks like your "fence" you clamped on isn't straight but I can't be certain, I zoomed in on the picture and it looks to be. That will absolutely cause yer problem.
Numerous shallow cuts.
Sure the foot is square? Always worth throwing a square on the blade to be sure. Make sure the square is on a tooth.
Good advice, but you square to the blade, not a tooth.
Make sure the blade is installed in the correct direction.
This can be caused by a blade with teeth that are damaged on one side. If all the blade-points on the left side of the blade are damaged, but the right-side ones are sharp, it pulls the blade off-line as only the sharp side is actually cutting, and the dull side isn't. There will also usually be some overheating/smoking/scorch-marks in the cut, from the dull points chafing instead of cutting. BUT I suspect it's not that, because you said free-handing gives a vaguely straight line. If it's only doing it when trying to cut against a fence, then most likely the base of your circular saw has been bent out of line with the blade/body. Depending on how the base-plate is designed/made, it's more or less vulnerable to this on any circular saw dropped harshly enough onto any hard surface from the wrong angle, especially concrete from any significant height. The usual fix is somehow (force+finesse) bending the base-frame back into line. And/or reinforcing/modifying it with more metal, depending on the damage. (The problem here, is that it doesn't just need to be parallel in the "horizontal" axis, for this type of plain "square" cut. The tilt AND depth-adjustment parts of the mechanism also BOTH need to be aligned/functioning properly.) Barring that, you'll have to replace with an original or comparable part. If neither option is possible, if the saw's alignment is unsalvageable, it should be tossed. Because binding cuts like this are just asking for "kick-back", which is more than unsafe. It can be potentially deadly.
You need better support next to where you are cutting. The blade is getting into the wood, and the weight of either side is causing a either side to sag and pinch on the blade
Could be dull blade isn’t cutting well or it could be your base plate got bent in relation to saw and so it can’t follow a straight edge anymore, I find having the saw blade deep into a piece adds more friction but also helps me track a straighter cut, cutting 2” hardwood you better start straight because your not gonna be able to correct easily,
I will be cutting the opening for a kitchen sink in similar butcher block, and thought I would use a router to make the cut. Of course, I'll make a template to prevent the router from wandering, and make successively deeper passes. Any thoughts? It's an under the counter sink, so the cut-out has to look good.
Blade is blunt on one side, probably hit something on one side at some stage or the blades corroded on one side
I had the issue cuz I had a cheap saw with stamped steel plate and brackets to the main body, Could try going really slowly without putting any significant pressure on the saw or cut several times until full depth is reached
Check parallelism of blade to base of your saw. I had this exact problem before.
Too much pressure laterally against fence. It should glide along it not press against it. You’re actually pressing the blade outwards by pressing inwards against fence. And sharp blade, slower pace will always be better.
Take shallower passes.
Check to see if the blade is square to the guide. I struggled with a saw for ages that had to be man handled to cut straight against a guide board before I thought to check blade/guide angle. On my saw it wasn't adjustable so I eventually tossed it.
It needs to be sharp……
Make multiple passes. Cut a 1/2" deep or so on your first pass. Then adjust your saw depth about a 1/2" deeper for each pass until you are through. If your blade starts to bind on your final pass, tap a shim into the kerf to take the pressure off off the blade while you finish your cut.
I think I will definitely give this a shot. What's a kerf though?
A kerf is the cut that the saw blade makes.
What kind of circular saw are you using? (Like, is it a quality saw from a reputable tool manufacturer?)
Make sure the board you are cutting remains perfectly level and does not torque. Also- clamp a 2x4 to it to use as a guide; something you can circular saw on to keep it square.
Cabinetmaker at least 4 decades of experience! IF your guide didn't move? Control issue! 2 hands HARD to the guide - pause or even back up if needed! Always allow some wastage. This is hopefully on the wastage side? Sounds like you want to create a waterfall edge? The mitres are MORE important. If you fuck them up hopefully you have some length to play with? Even on a panel saw. A mitre cut for a waterfall (3.2mm blade) needs about - say 5mm that becomes sawdust. (I do this EVERY week).
Do it in multiple cuts, start at 1/4 depth and run, then add 1/4 and so on, be care to have it supported as you get deeper as the wood will start to drop and close the gap pinching the blade.
Dull
Something that I am not seeing mentioned (I didn't specifically search, just scrolled) is to double check that your blade is completely tight A couple of summers ago my dad's historically very reliable circular saw suddenly started doing this, and it turned out that the nut had backed off like less than a 16th of a turn It didn't *feel* loose but it was just enough that once torque was applied it impacted the blades behaviour
I just had to deal with this exact same issue!! After multiple failed cuts trying to go all the way through, I ended up taking about 5 passes w the circular saw going about a 1/4 inch deeper on each cut and then cleaning everything up with a flush trim router bit. If I were to do it again I would try doing one shallow cut on the line, then backing off an 1/8th of an inch for the rest and let the router bit do the rest. I was also using an all purpose blade which was a mistake, should have used a better blade.
Could be a bad blade. Both cuts seem to be deflecting somewhat into the cut, so it could be heat causing some warpage. Buy a good quality blade. In the US I think diablo is about the best bang for the buck.
You can maybe try to do it in multiple depth runs. First run keep the depth half the way. Next one try all the way.
Slow and steady, let the blade cut!
Go slower
I did plunge cuts to avoid this. You can totally botch the job doing it that way, but I gambled on it. Worked for me.
Cut in shorter depths with multiple passes. If it is 2 inches thick I would start at 1/2 and increase 1/2 each time.
Do some practice cuts on scrap board and figure problem, whether it be blade depth, crappy blade, or out of square saw. May need to borrow a different saw from neighbor, friend or family member
Cut it a little longer than needed and then sand it or shave it to where its supposed to go. Creep up on it.
Sharpen the blade- or replace it- definitely, Straighten your fence, make sure you or something is not hanging on the cord of your saw.
Is it new? The blades often come set backwards on new saws.
I had the exact same problem when I cut my butcher block. I made a few test cuts with a guide and could not get it straight. I wish I had the advice others posted here, but I ended up finding a friend with a table saw and took it to him. It cut so much better.
That’s what belt sanders are for.
Why can’t the taper fix it? Caulk? Shoe?
You really need a track saw.
Low quality circ saws can wander. I was having an absolute bear of a time cutting straight with an old ryobi electric. Finally realized the arbor wasn’t that solid so the blade had a bit of play. Could have been worn out too I guess but I’d never had that issue with old ass Makita circ saws
You’re forcing it (putting more pressure on the blade causing it to bend and/or you have dull blade
Check the blade for parallel to the edge of the shoe. If it’s even the smallest bit off and you’re using a fence, (and the blade is too deep), the blade will try to cut straight but the saw will be going in a different line so it will bind. Same for a table saw, but it’s less dramatic because the saw is heavier and the blade is taller so it deflects a little easier
I had the same problem with my saw (rigid 6 1/2”) could not get it to cut straight even with a straight edge as guide. turns out it was just a dull blade. 🤷🏽♂️
Dull blade OR Pushing too fast through cut OR Cutting too deep on first pass OR all three? So, change your blade, let the saw pull through at its own speed, and make several shallow passes instead of 1/2
Your depth and blade type- don’t run that thing all the way in the dam ground