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Makin’ sawdust

Now that the panels are all drawn onto the plywood, it’s time to turn a few big pieces of wood into lots of little pieces of wood (ar ar ar… power tools! woo hoo!) Enter the trusty circular saw. A circular saw with the blade set to barely cut through the plywood makes an excellent cutting tool for both straight and curved panels. It turns out to be surprisingly easy to use the circular saw freehand to follow curved cut lines, with one hand on the saw’s handle and another on the rear corner of the saw’s sole plate, to help make fine adjustments of the saw’s path. Since the blade is set so shallow, there are no issues of kickback or binding whatsoever, although I have to admit I was very nervous at first, and remained paranoid throughout the process.

A few things that helped make this part of the process a lot easier:

• A left-hand blade circular saw - If you’re right handed, this allows you to hold the saw with your right hand and have a clear view to the blade and cut-line. A more typical right-hand bladed saw would force you to look OVER the saw to see the blade and cut line, making this part of the process a lot more awkward.
• Dust control - Connect your saw to a shop-vac or dust collector, to help control the amount of sawdust thrown into the air and onto the work piece. This is not only good for your lungs, but also makes it easier to see the cut line as you work.
• Hearing, breathing, and eye protection - I’ll admit I haven’t always been very good about this. But , [rant on] if you care about your eyes, lungs, and ears, invest in protection! [rant off] Not only will you live longer, but your work will be higher quality. If you’re not suffering from the noise and dust in the air, you’ll be able to take your time and deliver a higher quality finished product. (Was that preachy enough for everyone?)