Circular Saw Guide Rail: What It Is & Why You Need It
If you’re a proud owner of a top-level circular saw, you’re well aware that the tool is exceptionally useful. Also, you probably know that making accurate cuts with any circular saw is quite challenging, irrespective of whether you’re a DIYer or professional woodworker with years of experience under your belt.
There’s only the tiniest of measurements in difference when it comes to an accurate, high-quality cut vs. an all-over-the-place ruined cut. Therefore, making mistakes when working with a circular saw is a piece of cake. One slightest slip of the hand and your cut ends up skewed. That’s where solid guide rails for circular saw come into play. In this post, you’ll learn more about what a guide rail is and why you need it.
Circular Saw Guide Rails Explained
Circular saw guide rails are straight metal bars installed on your circular saw for guiding and directing the blade where you want to cut and thus, enabling you to make high-quality smooth cuts with ease. For many woodworkers, a guide rail is an unnecessary accessory. If you’re on the fence about whether you need a guide rail or not, read on to explore the advantages of using the tool when cutting materials.
Precise Cuts
A correctly installed circular saw used with a guide rail will ensure precise, clean cuts on a regular basis. With a guide rail, you will excel in controlling the blade — something that doesn’t come easy when cutting with your circular saw only. In other words, using a guide rail guarantees cuts that pros who’ve been working with circular saws for years would fail to make.
Tears and Splinters Prevention
Enhanced precision alone would be a great reason to want to purchase a guide rail for your circular saw, but there are other benefits, too. For instance, using a guide rail wards off tears and splinters on your material. This is particularly visible around the edges of the stuff you’re cutting. Therefore, if you’re aiming at perfectly smooth edges and want to enhance the overall aesthetic appearance of your workpiece, a guide rail is a must-use.
Scratch Resistance
Scratching or otherwise damaging your work surface is a cakewalk when it comes to using your circular saw. However, a guide rail can aid you in keeping your brand new workstation scratch-free for as long as possible. If you’re used to your work surface being constantly scratched, this benefit might not sound vital to you. However, in combination with the aforementioned perks, the possibility to minimize scratches sounds very good.
No Clamps Needed
You often need clamps to keep the workpiece in place when working with your circular saw. Although clamps are very useful, they are prone to cluttering the cutting line, which affects the precision of your work. Now, with guide rails, since most of them come with adhesive strips to grip the workpiece, there’s simply no need for you to use clamps.
Final Word: To Buy or Not to Buy
To cut a long story short, the value of a circular saw guide rail cannot be underestimated. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an amateur hobbyist or an old hand at circular saws, you’re sure to elevate the results of your work if you start using a guide rail. Submit a comment in the comment box below if you have anything to say on the topic. Your two cents are very important.
