How to Make and use a Rip Guide for your Circular Saw

A rip guide is used to cut accurate and straight cuts using a circular saw.

A simple rip guide can be made using a scrap ripping leftover from a paneling job or ¼” plywood. You will need at least one edge that is straight or a factory edge. The guide is made using two pieces. The base piece needs to be about 12” wide and the top piece with the factory or straight edge should be about 6”.


Start by laminating the two pieces together lengthwise with the out side long edges directly on top of each other. Install the straight edge on the top with the straight side on the side of the bottom that reveal. Use glue and short staples or brads that don’t completely penetrate the two pieces. Allow the glue to set before continuing.

After the glue has se,t clamp the guide to a work bench or suitable support. The clamps need to be on the side with the two layers and as close to the edge as possible. Rip the lower edge of the guide using the same saw that will be used while using this guide. Be sure to keep the base plate of the saw tight against the factory or straight edge of the guide. I recommend using a new high quality blade in the saw and using that blade anytime you use the guide. This step will cut the guide exactly where the saw will cut in the future.

To use this guide, mark the work piece at both ends. Clamp the guide on the marks. Keep in mind which side of the work piece that you are keeping or you will cut the piece short by the width of the kerf.

Guides like this can be made to use with routers, however they are tool specific. If you make one for a router it needs to be made for that particular router and what ever cutter that will be used in that router. It works great with a plunge router to make flutes in columns.

How to Make Decorative Scalloped Molding

Furniture with a scalloped top adds interest to the piece. Making the molding is not as hard as one would think. All you need is a little imagination, some 1/8” plywood or some cardboard to make a pattern. If you can find a piece of cardboard (not corrugated) large enough, it works well because it cuts easily using a sharp knife. I save the cardboard from the back of legal pads.

Other things that you will need are a good table mounted router with a desired profile bit including a rub bearing, a jig saw or band saw, sandpaper or a spindle sander and a wood rasp.

Start by drawing the shape of ½ of the piece of molding on the plywood or cardboard. This is to be ½ of the width of the cabinet that you are going to build plus enough past the end to make a miter if needed.

Next select a piece of lumber that is wide enough and long enough to make the molding. This needs to be twice as long as the pattern from step one. Using a Combination square and a pencil draw a line across the center of the board. Set the pattern on the line and trace around the pattern. Turn the pattern over and place it on the other side if your center line. Now trace the other ½. This approach will help keep the molding symmetrical.

Next cut out the shape using a band saw or jig saw leaving the outside edge to be cut later. Sand the edge smooth and check that the contour doesn’t have any unwanted humps.

Select a router bit that has a bearing and is appropriate for the style of furniture that you are building and install it in the table mounted router. Be sure to use a starter pin installed in the base of the router to safely start the cut. Now route the edge that will become the lower profile of the piece. Be sure not to run around the end of the piece.

Using a marking gauge or a pencil and your finger as a gauge, mark the outside of cut on the piece. Cut the outside line with a band saw or a jig saw. Sand the outside edge and make sure that the piece is smooth and does not have any unwanted humps in it.

Using a Story Stick to aid in the designing and laying out furniture.

Laying out all of your joints and built up moldings for any given piece of furniture on a story stick removes most of the fuzzy math and guess work.
A story Stick can be made using any scrap lumber. I salvage the left over wood after ripping long lumber or plywood. Begin by cutting a piece of scrap the exact overall length of the piece that you are designing. Using a Ruler, sharp pencil and a Combination Square measure the height of the base or legs and mark it on the stick. Next measure and mark the capital, Top or Crown on the other end of the stick. The area that is left over area can be used to layout drawers, doors and any face frame areas. Using this will allow you to mark out all door parts as stiles and rails. If the door has a divided light section you can even mark all of the muntins and even glass sizes can easily be calculated.

For instance, suppose that I am going to build a small Curio Cabinet. This cabinet will be 40” tall with a 3” crown on the top, a wood framed glass door including muntins and a small drawer at the bottom. I will start by cutting a stick 40” then I will mark the height of the drawer on the stick and the 3” crown on the top. I will then mark the face frame and any reviles. Then mark out the door parts Rails and muntins. If you make a mistake just sand out the pencil marks and start over. Make a stick for both the vertical and horizontal cabinet and lay out all of the joints and components on the sticks.
On a much larger scale you can use story sticks to layout built in cabinets and complete kitchens. Start by cutting and assembling a stick the full length of the wall or room the cabinets will occupy. Screw any pieces together and mark them for reassembly. Mark all of the existing conditions on the stick as plumbing, electrical outlets, doors and windows. Assemble the stick in the room on the wall that the cabinets will be installed. Armed with this you can take apart the stick parts, go into the shop and layout all of the cabinets without any mistakes.

How to make a Cross Cut Sled

A Cross Cut Sled is a handy fixture in any shop. It can be used to cut small pieces square and as an index for making dental mold and box joints.
A simple cross cut sled can be made from ¾” plywood with hard wood ends and steel runners. All of the parts can be bought from your local home center. All you need is a scrap of ¾” plywood (chose a good flat piece that is slightly larger in width than the miter slots in your table saw and about 14” long). You can also use melamine or MDO plywood, if you can find some, but any good flat stock will do. Pick up a short piece of ¼” x ¾” x 28” flat stock steel. (Home centers usually carry it in 3’ lengths). Test it to make sure that it slides freely but snug in your miter slot. If it is too tight, dress it to fit using a flat file. Cut the steel into two pieces the length of your plywood base. Drill and counter sink three holes in each piece. Cut two pieces of good straight surfaced 8/4 hard wood that will fit the width of your plywood base and glue and screw them to each end of the base. Be sure to counter sink the screws. Place the steel bars in the miter slots and using double face tape, cut to slightly the ¾” width of the runners. Place the plywood squarely on to the steel runners. Carefully pick up the plywood with the runners stuck to the plywood. Install screws in the 3 holes in each runner. Test the sled to ensure that it slides freely in the miter slots. Make sure that no screws holding the hard wood in place are in the path of the blade. Bring the blade up about 1-1/2”. Start the saw and cut the base of the sled. Cut a scrap and check to insure that it is cutting square.