Dancin' the Crosscut Circular Saw Jig

UPDATED 26 Aug 2017 to correct the board sizes I used. (See comments too).

Now it's on to jig #2 to help me make some precise sawdust on the next project.

This jig is going to be a cross cut jig.  I suppose I could also do rip cuts on small pieces too.

I had a nice square (hint!) piece of MDF from a shelf project.  It's the perfect size to use as a base for this jig.  I also had some 2x3s left over from the sunroom project, and they too are coming in handy here. ("2x3" is a nominal US measurement. The actual size is about 1.5 x 2.5 inches, or about 38 x 64mm).

Just cut the 2x3s to fit the width of the MDF and screw them into place, like so.

Zen ve coot ze aluminum guide into two equal lengths to span across ze 2x3s like ze bridge, ja?

These things cut like butter with a hacksaw.  This jig is coming together much faster than the rip jig.

Then I laid the guides in place across the jig like so.

I use the saw as a width guide.  At this point, you should be getting an idea of how this thing will work.

I countersunk the screws on the guide as I did with the other jig.

Next I adjusted the depth of the saw's cut so it would go through the 2x3s and into the MDF - but not too deep.  I set it so it would cut the MDF about 1/4 inch, or about 6 or 7mm.

My upcoming project is going to be measured in all metric units, so I'm trying to think metric!

With everything adjusted, I put the saw into the guide and cut across the jig.

To my slight amazement, it actually works!  This thing is a-gonna rock!

You've probably sussed it out, but what we do is put a board up against a 1x3 guide crossways with the mark where we want to cut lined up with the groove in the jig.  Then we just cut across it to suit.  I'm confident I'll get some precise cuts this way.

On the left is a picture of the finished crosscut jig.  The width between the 2x3s is about 13 inches.  Should be plenty wide for my needs.

I decided to mark the direction of cut and the most important thing - the depth to set the cut.  My saw has depth markings in 1/4 inch increments; the cut was a touch over 1 3/4 inches deep.


Now that I have two jigs ready to go, it's time to start making some sawdust!