casey268•13h agoProlific Poster

Picked up a trick from an old timer at a shop in Portland

I was visiting a custom shop in Portland last month and saw a guy use a piece of scrap plywood as a quick straightedge for routing hinge slots. He just clamped it down and ran the router against it, saved forever marking out lines. Anyone else got a go-to trick they stole from watching someone work?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.kim13h ago

Hell yeah, that's a solid one. I used to be the guy who spent forever squaring up lines with a speed square and a pencil, thinking that was the only real way to do it. But after watching a framer buddy of mine just slap a scrap 2x4 down and run his circular saw against it for a straight cut, it totally changed how I think about it. Now I keep a few pieces of good straight plywood scraps in my truck just for stuff like that. Saves so much time and frustration, especially when you're in a hurry and the old way just ain't cutting it.

cora8137h ago

Have you ever tried keeping a strip of hardboard or Masonite in your truck for that? I find it cuts cleaner than plywood and stays straight way longer without warping.

parker_hall51h agoTop Commenter

The 45 degree bevel cut is where this trick really falls apart for me @ross.kim. I tried using a straight scrap to guide my saw for miters once and ended up with a cut that looked like a zigzag. The shoe on my circular saw just doesn't ride consistently against the edge when the blade is tilted. I've found a chalk line snapped on the plywood works better for angled cuts than trying to clamp a straightedge. But for straight 90 degree rips your method is unbeatable, especially when you're framing in a crawlspace and can't get a table saw anywhere near the job. I've got a 4 foot level I use instead of plywood because it's already guaranteed straight and has a lip for the saw base to ride against.