Circular saw recommendations (for cutting facets)?

[JonW]

I’ll be cutting facets into the front baffle of my ongoing project. After reading and thinking about it, the circular saw method, as shown below from jquin, might be the best way to go. So I need to get a circular saw. Any favorite models out there?

By searching here I didn’t find too much discussion of specific circular saws with regards to facets. This thread does mention some specific models:

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17998&highlight=circular

It looks like jquin’s is good. It’s a Makita 5903, but that’s not available in the US. I’ve got an old, cheap Sears one at home. But the blade doesn’t line up with any marks on the base plate. So I need to get a better one for the more precise work these facets will require.

I’d think a pretty large base plate would be nice. And a blade that can cut through 3 layers (or more) of 3/4” plywood at a 45 degree angle. (So maybe an 8 1/4” blade rather than 7 1/4”?) And some sort of markings that would make it easy to line up the blade with a line marked for the cut. Thanks.

Images not available

[cjd]

Consider finding one of the really big contractor saws and rent it, rather than purchasing.

[dlneubec]

If this is for occasional use and the cuts aren't too long, one of these might work and are nice to have for other things. It won't wuite get through trhee 3/4" pieces of mdf at 45º, however. YMMV.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91852

[dwk]

I understand Makita has just introduced a 5008mga which is an 8 1/4 inch version of the 5007mga which I have. Magnesium parts so it's light, and IMHO the 5007 is a great overall saw - I use it on an EZ Smart rail setup, and my table saw is largely gathering dust. I'd definately put the 5008 on the list of saws to look at.

[JonW]

Consider finding one of the really big contractor saws and rent it, rather than purchasing.

How big are those? I'm thinking it might be worth buying a saw. I'll need it for many practice cuts. Then the real cuts. Then for the next project the practice cuts and the real cuts...

If this is for occasional use and the cuts aren't too long, one of these might work and are nice to have for other things. It won't wuite get through trhee 3/4" pieces of mdf at 45º, however. YMMV.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91852

Interesting idea. I didn't realize miter saws could cut at an angle. That would be easy. But, like you say,only for short cuts. So maybe a decent circular saw is better for more flexibility in the future...?

I understand Makita has just introduced a 5008mga which is an 8 1/4 inch version of the 5007mga which I have. Magnesium parts so it's light, and IMHO the 5007 is a great overall saw - I use it on an EZ Smart rail setup, and my table saw is largely gathering dust. I'd definately put the 5008 on the list of saws to look at.

Thanks. As you'll see in my next post, the Makitas are looking good.

[JonW]

So I’ve been looking at circular saws a bit. Looking at the web sites for the various companies. It seems that an 8.25” saw is needed to be able to get a 2.25” deep cut at 45 degrees. That would be 3 layers of 3/4” ply, with facets, for us speaker guys. I found about 5 saws that would qualify. The offerings from Milwaukee, Ryobi, Sears, Bosch don’t seem to allow for a 2.25” deep cut at 45 degrees. Some contenders are:

Hitachi C8, about $187
http://www.hitachipowertools.com/sto...h=1,11,50,p181,

Makita 5008FA, about $202, discontinued but still available

http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=5008FA

Makita 5008NB, about $216

http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=5008NB

Makita 5008MGA, about $195

http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=5008MGA

Dewalt 384, about $210

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=3026

[Dennis H]

Of the 3 Makitas, get the magnesium one. Don't know why it's cheaper at retail but you'd think it should be more expensive.

[chasw98]

5008MGA is the lightest and has led/laser sighting to keep true on the cut. Also, look in to the price and availability of the blade you will be using to make the cut. You might be spending 60 to 80 on that if you get a good Freud.

[Ray Collins]

The Milwaukee Circular Saw is the industry standard. Models 690 and 694 are a little better suited to the weekend wood warrior. Fine Woodworking Magazine has selected them as Editors Choice for several years.

I have one which replaced a Black and Decker; it was a significant step up. It has been excellent in every aspect of use. I fitted it with a top of the line Freud blade for cutting plywood and get smooth cuts with NO tearout....looks as though I used a jointer. The saw is fully adjustable so maintaining it for straight, true cuts is a snap.

Ray

[TacoD]

If you need something with nice guidance, buy festool (it's very expensive).

I would buy the hitachi with the biggest blade/ motor.

[Paul H]

... And some sort of markings that would make it easy to line up the blade with a line marked for the cut. Thanks. ...

You won't use those marking except for very rough cuts (i.e. cutting off 2x4's). Any accurate cutting will be done with a clamped straightedge, offset from the cut by the distance between the blade and the edge of the saw base plate.

[JonW]

Thanks for the further input, guys! If I’ve got things mostly narrowed down to the Makita, Hitachi, and Dewalt I’ll now see if I can find reviews of them from some woodworking sites. A quick look showed favorable comments on the Makita.

Of the 3 Makitas, get the magnesium one. Don't know why it's cheaper at retail but you'd think it should be more expensive.

5008MGA is the lightest and has led/laser sighting to keep true on the cut. Also, look in to the price and availability of the blade you will be using to make the cut. You might be spending 60 to 80 on that if you get a good Freud.

I noticed that this one has 2 different slots on the baseplate for lining up cuts- one for 90 degrees and one for 45 degrees. That sounds good.



Although then Paul said this:

You won't use those marking except for very rough cuts (i.e. cutting off 2x4's). Any accurate cutting will be done with a clamped straightedge, offset from the cut by the distance between the blade and the edge of the saw base plate.

I didn’t know that- thanks. I haven’t used a circular saw too much yet. Still learning this woodworking thing.

If you need something with nice guidance, buy festool (it's very expensive).

I would buy the Hitachi with the biggest blade/ motor.

I looked at Festool and didn’t see one that would work well for cutting facets (e.g., 2.25” deep cut at 45 degrees). The Hitachi is a contender.

The Milwaukee Circular Saw is the industry standard. Models 690 and 694 are a little better suited to the weekend wood warrior. Fine Woodworking Magazine has selected them as Editors Choice for several years.

I have one which replaced a Black and Decker; it was a significant step up. It has been excellent in every aspect of use. I fitted it with a top of the line Freud blade for cutting plywood and get smooth cuts with NO tearout....looks as though I used a joiner. The saw is fully adjustable so maintaining it for straight, true cuts is a snap.

Ray

It seems that the Milwaukee saws don’t cut quite deep enough (2.25” at 45 degrees). Never used them, but I have always heard good things about their tools. Black and Decker, however... never again. Yes, I might want to get a good blade, too. I gather that Freud is well liked.

[ColoradoTom]

You really don't need to cut the full depth. With the Festool I cut from both sides at a 45 degree angle using the supplied guide (it's VERY accurate) and just finished the remaining center piece with a hand saw. Since the Festool has done most of the cutting the hand saw is guided with the cuts from the power saw. At their widest point my facets are 4.5 inches and took all of about 20 minutes to cut and finish. Thomas has seen them up close and personal and he didn't run from the room laughing so I think they probably turned out OK. If you need pictures I can get some, but this was done with the smaller Festool saw and is way safer than anything else I can think of or tried. I play guitar and I'm anal about protecting my fingers and this method with a ~6.25 blade it will cut ~1.5 inched at 45 degrees. Small, accurate, light and worth every penny I spent on it.

ColoradoTom

[ColoradoTom]

Pictures here
https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26030&page=11&highlight=Colorado Tom

Look about midway down the page and you'll see the redesigned facets on my speakers.

[Dennis H]

The Milwaukee Circular Saw is the industry standard.

Well actually the industry standard is the Skil Model 77 wormdrive. There's a reason carpenters say skilsaw instead of circular saw. Most pros use them for framing, not cabinetmaking. They use bigger tools for cabinets. Go anywhere they are framing a house and you will most likely see a bunch of 77s.

http://www.skiltools.com/en/AllTools/Category/Product/default.html?pid=HD77&cid=192162

They also make an 8 1/4" model that will do 2 1/4" on 45.

http://www.skiltools.com/en/AllTools/Category/Product/default.html?pid=HD5860&cid=192162

That said, the base isn't as adjustable as some of the conventional direct drive saws and it probably isn't the best saw for cabinets. I've dropped my 77 off a roof so many times that the base isn't parallel to the blade anymore and there isn't much I can do about it. No big deal for framing where all you do is watch the blade and the line but an extra hassle for cabinets using a guide board. Of course the fact that it has survived falling off roofs multiple times does say something.

[Ray Collins]

Dennis,
You are absoutely right...I stand corrected! The model 77 is The King and indeed is why carpenters say Skil Saw to cover ALL circular saws. ;x( I was basing my comments on "gentlemen/hobbiest " woodworker magazine recommendations and my personal experience owning the recommended Milwaukee.

The use of saw boards will provide dead accurate cuts both straight and bevel. I also made a crosscut saw board by attaching a 90* short arm to one end; it enables quick, easy crosscuts 48" wide without the clumseyness involved when using a table saw.

Ray

[JonW]

You really don't need to cut the full depth. With the Festool I cut from both sides at a 45 degree angle using the supplied guide (it's VERY accurate) and just finished the remaining center piece with a hand saw.

Tom,

Nice to see you around these parts again. Your woodworking skills are so impressive that I've got to listen to what you have to say. That's an interesting approach. I hadn't thought about it. I guess my hesitation there might be that you are making 2 cuts with the powered saw, so that leaves some ample room for messing things up- the two sides reallly have to meet dead on. The last time I tried something similar with a router, well... another trip to the store to buy more wood. With my skills not being like yours, I think I might lean toward a good saw making one cut. But if I were to get, say, an 8.25" saw and, some day, want to cut deeper than 2.25" I now know how to do it. Interesting approach.

[JonW]

I've dropped my 77 off a roof so many times...

E gad. Better the saw than you. Be careful, Dennis. We want to keep you around here for a while.

[Dennis H]

Don't worry, Jon. I got old(er) and I'm more of a computer geek than a carpenter these days so all I have to worry about is a bad back from sitting down too much. But I did enjoy the jock aspect of being a carpenter back in the day even though it was a bit hard on the body.

[ColoradoTom]

Tom,

Nice to see you around these parts again. Your woodworking skills are so impressive that I've got to listen to what you have to say. That's an interesting approach. I hadn't thought about it. I guess my hesitation there might be that you are making 2 cuts with the powered saw, so that leaves some ample room for messing things up- the two sides reallly have to meet dead on. The last time I tried something similar with a router, well... another trip to the store to buy more wood. With my skills not being like yours, I think I might lean toward a good saw making one cut. But if I were to get, say, an 8.25" saw and, some day, want to cut deeper than 2.25" I now know how to do it. Interesting approach.

Jon......

The nice thing about the Festool is that the guide is accurate at both 90 degrees and 45 degrees and it's actually hard to screw up a cut. You line it up with either a line or a previous cut and away you go. Using the method I described, even with the smaller sized saw, I don't think it would be too hard to make a facet with a face size in the 6 - 7 inch range!

Over the last couple of months I've been working on house projects and have collected some veneering tools (such as a vacuum veneer press system) that have really made things both easier and more professional looking. I'm more than likely going to redo my M8ta's over the summer to include several things I've learned through the furniture building process

Tom

[JonW]

Hi Tom,

The nice thing about the Festool is that the guide is accurate at both 90 degrees and 45 degrees and it's actually hard to screw up a cut. You line it up with either a line or a previous cut and away you go. Using the method I described, even with the smaller sized saw, I don't think it would be too hard to make a facet with a face size in the 6 - 7 inch range!

OK, I see. It lines up and is accurate such that it minimizes the odds of misaligning 2 cuts from opposite sides.

It was probably a mistake, but I just watched the online video for that saw. Veeeery slick. You'd hardly need a table saw with that thing (although I have table saw.) Hmmm... $200 for the Makita and $440 for the Festool. Hmmm...

I'm more than likely going to redo my M8ta's...

8O Wow. You're really serious. :T

[---k---]

Jon,

You know there are people on your campus that have CNC machines and use them for wood?

http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/woodresearch/courses/fnr484/index.html

[JonW]

Ryan-

I had no idea about that. Interesting. Thanks.

Actually, I know a guy who does some woodworking as part of his job. He's got a CNC router. He said I could use it sometime if I want. These days, I'm trying to better my "regular" woodworking skills, with "classic" power tools that are not computer controlled.

Don't worry, Jon. I got old(er) and I'm more of a computer geek than a carpenter these days so all I have to worry about is a bad back from sitting down too much. But I did enjoy the jock aspect of being a carpenter back in the day even though it was a bit hard on the body.

OK, good to hear. Stay off the roofs! A colleague of mine had a painter die from a fall from a ladder/roof at his house.

[chasw98]

Ryan-

I had no idea about that. Interesting. Thanks.

You could probably get an employee discount if you signed up for the course! :B :B :rofl:

[JonW]

So here’s an idea, subject to change...
Get an 8.25” saw like the Makita. Then make a saw board like here:

http://members.aol.com/woodmiser1/sawbd.htm

Cut the saw board with the saw at a 45 degree angle. Then I can use the saw board to line the saw up to the exact cut line I draw on the front baffle. Make the saw board base from 1/4” hard board (peg board without holes) so I don’t loose too much depth from the saw. Use something thicker and sturdier like 3/4” plywood for the guide ripper, to provide more strength to the assembly. Make the saw board longer than the baffle corners to cut. Support each side of the overhanging saw board with stacked up ply wood, to support the weight of the saw and saw board, to prevent any flexing, etc.

With the deeper cut available from the 8.25” saw I can make one, clean cut and have less chance of messing things up with having to cut from 2 sides and/or using a hand saw.

The thing I like best about the Festool is the guide rail. But it’s pretty expensive and the cut depth will require more than one pass, one from each side. Plus the hand sawing. So use a deeper cutting saw and a custom saw board for the guide.

You could probably get an employee discount if you signed up for the course! :B :B :rofl:

I'd have to be careful around there. Or they might suddenly make me teach the course.

[Ray Collins]

JonW,
I tried unsuccessfully to attach a saw board demo video to this post so I sent it via PM. Hope you find it useful.

Ray

[JonW]

Ray,

Yes, I got your email. Thanks for the video. :T That was exactly what I was referring to in my post above about using a saw board. But trim the saw board with the circular saw at a 45 degree angle. Then go from there. I'm still thinking this might be the best way to go. But I'll think about it some more before buying the saw to test it out.

[Ray Collins]

JonW,
I made two saw boards for full length plywood rips...one for straight cuts and the other for 45* bevel cuts. Both work great!!! I also made one with a 90* arm for cross cuts..quick and easy!
Also, I included a flange on the other side of the ripper guide on mine to provide a clamping surface--just make the sawboard base wide enough for two flanges and glue the guide ripper in the middle( Both edges of the ripper guide MUST be straight ). The additional flange can be used for clamping the guide to your work when your circular saw motor is set low due to deep cutting depth--the clamps tend to get in the way. It also will serve with your router ( guided by the left edge of the ripper guide ) in the same way as your saw for trimming--gives you a double use/duty sawboard?!

Oh yes...remember...the piece being cut for application in your project is always UNDER the saw board. Guess how I learned that little tip?!

Ray

[JonW]

I made two saw boards for full length plywood rips...one for straight cuts and the other for 45* bevel cuts. Both work great!!! I also made one with a 90* arm for cross cuts..quick and easy!
Also, I included a flange on the other side of the ripper guide on mine to provide a clamping surface--just make the sawboard base wide enough for two flanges and glue the guide ripper in the middle( Both edges of the ripper guide MUST be straight ). The additional flange can be used for clamping the guide to your work when your circular saw motor is set low due to deep cutting depth--the clamps tend to get in the way. It also will serve with your router ( guided by the left edge of the ripper guide ) in the same way as your saw for trimming--gives you a double use/duty sawboard?!

Hi Ray,

Yeah, it sounds like a good way to go. I used something similar with my router, for cutting dados into the insides of my cabinets to hold the shelf braces. Kind of like this:

http://www.newwoodworker.com/rtrdadojig.html

Oh yes...remember...the piece being cut for application in your project is always UNDER the saw board. Guess how I learned that little tip?!

Exactly. But this aspect of thing is my main source of concern regarding using a circular saw and saw board to cut the facets. Because of the angle of the saw blade at 45 degrees, basically, the weight of the saw and the saw board will barely be touching the baffle. They will just be on the corner of the baffle. So I'll have to support the saw and saw board with stacked ply. There won't be any stability from the baffle itself. Will have to be careful about clamping and such. I think it will work well, but I'm not 100% sure.

[cjd]

On sawboards: I don't think it applies for a 45 degree cut since the motor is up in the air, but remember that the guide edge material height DOES limit cut depth for a 90 degree sawboard, since the body of the motor can/will run into it at some point.

Also, with the specific way these are being cut, a sawboard would have to be resting on the scrap material. That, to me, is very risky.

C

[Dennis H]

Also, with the specific way these are being cut, a sawboard would have to be resting on the scrap material. That, to me, is very risky.

Not really. For a 45 cut, the narrow side of the saw base rides on the board which sits on the baffle. That said, it will be tippy with the heavy and wide part of the saw hanging in space over the scrap so good technique to hold the saw flat is needed. A sawboard built with a slot for the blade might help -- it would support the whole saw and you could prop the board up if needed before making the cut.

Edit: I probably made that sound harder than it is. With a little practice, it's not hard to hold the narrow side down on the board. Both hands on the saw and push down as much as forward with a bit of sideways torque, keeping the saw base flat on the board.

[JonW]

Gentlemen,

Maybe we are getting a little confused on the specifics? A picture might help here. I drew this up in about 12 seconds:




When you have the circular saw at the 45 degree angle, the motor is up in the air and the blade is angled underneath the large part of the base plate (and the motor). The small part of the base can rest on the baffle that we are trying to cut. But the large part cannot. So it will be tough (but not impossible) to just run the saw base atop the baffle to make the facet cut. That’s why I was thinking the saw board would be good here, helping to support the saw. The saw board will also help line up the saw to the exact cut line. But it will only overlap with the baffle at the corner to be cut. You’ll have to be careful about placing the saw board. Scrap wood will be needed to support it on either side of the baffle corner. And you’ll have to be a little clever with all your clamping. You will also need to cut through all the (red) supporting wood.

At least that’s how I’m thinking about it. I’d go try this out for myself, except my current, old, cheap circular saw cannot even hold the blade perpendicular to the base plate. Probably not worth much effort, considering I’d have to make the saw board, glue up some test baffles,etc. Then do that all again for practice with the new saw. Then make the real cuts. So I’d like to have a better idea if this method will work before buying the Makita. Thanks.

[Ray Collins]

JonW,
Looks like it will work. I am sure you realize that the scrap material jig needs to be flush with the baffle surface. After the first cut, just rotate the baffle 90* and cut the other side starting from the top. Looks like a plan...

Ray

[Dennis H]

Jon, what you drew is what Chris described. Propping up the ends will help with the danger aspect. If the board is stiff enough not to sag, the blade probably won't bind. However it will still be quite inaccurate because the cut will be offset from the line by the width of the blade -- if you put the board on the line, you will cut 1/8" too much. Also the bottom 45 deg edge of the board is obscured by the overlapping top edge so it would be a bit hard to line up perfectly even if you could estimate the 1/8" or so blade width.

Move the board to the right, so the left edge of the board is on the line. Move the saw to the left hand side of the board and you've got it.

You probably won't even need to prop up the ends if the board is stiff and you clamp it to the cabinet well. In fact, the supports at the ends will probably just get in the way. To do this, you need to get the saw into position, with the guard retracted so it's riding on the board, before you ever pull the trigger.

Edit: words bad, pictures good. The saw runs along the left side of the guide.

Image not available

[chasw98]

Jon:
Why wouldn't you reverse the sawboard and saw so that at any given moment your saw is sitting on solid cabinet that is not being cut off or supported scrap wood? That way the saw board will not possibly twist or warp because some of the cabinet is cut through and ready to fall off.

Dennis beat me to it. :T

[JonW]

OK guys. Yes, moving the saw board more onto the baffle, and then putting the saw on the left side of the board seems to make sense. Although then you have very little of the saw base plate being supported by the saw board. But I do see the reasoning behind what you’re saying. And it will make for much more accurate cuts because the saw will cut right at the line you mark on the baffle.

words bad, pictures good

Revised pic below.

[Dennis H]

I'd do it like this. Clamp the sawboard to the baffle.

[JonW]

Thanks Dennis. That all makes sense. It seems simple on paper. We'll see what happens when time comes to try it out on scrap wood. Maybe this weekend I'll glue up some scrap 3 layers deep. And order the Makita. And see how it goes before cutting into the real baffles.

I've started a little bit of the cabinet construction. It's fun. When I've got something decent to look at, I'll post pics. Thanks again.

[CraigJ]

Hi Jon,

I've have excellent luck the the All-in One clamp. I don't even use the saw plate accessory. Just put slow pressure on the 5008MGA against the guide, and you'll have a perfect facet every time. Info can be found here: www.eemersontool.com/A-Series.html Good luck, and when are you coming back to town with the testing gear? I also need your ears for the Isiris Juniors.
Craig

[ColoradoTom]

I'd do it like this. Clamp the sawboard to the baffle.

Well, if you've got a flat surface, you can place the second speaker next to the one you're cutting to support the sawboard. That's what I did.

Tom

[Ray Collins]

Tom,
Very clever, you get an A... :T

Ray

[chasw98]

Jon and I have been discussing how to cut facets without hurting yourself and making a cabinet that looks good, even excellent. I have followed this discussion on and off line and have told Jon that I would cut a set of facets this weekend at home.

I have a table saw that will rise to 3 1/2" at 90 degrees and 2 3/8" at 45 degrees. I also have an Incra miter gauge that is very accurate. Using the tabel saw has been my first inclination to use both for accuracy and ease of use. But Jon has a smaller table saw and it might not work as well for him.



I also have a radial arm saw that might prove useful for cuts like this!

So I am also using the circular saw with saw board method everyone has discussed. Here are the pictures of the 'jig' before the first cut this morning.







I have opted to use drywall screws to hold key points in alignment so that there is no slippage. Clamps are used at the rear and front to hold the supporting blocks in place.

[chasw98]

And here are the results. I did the left side with the saw board and the top and right side with the table saw. The saw board takes a lot of time to set up but it was very easy to push the saw through the material and keep it up against the saw board. If you set it up firmly and correctly, it works very well.



The table saw takes almost no time to set up and it is very easy to make adjustments before committing to the cut. It is also just as accurate.



Except for my miscalculation in my angles, my baffles came out just fine. It really depends upon what you own for tools. My table saw will cut all the way through a 2 1/4" slab. My circular saw will not. I can also use my table saw for longer baffles like Jon is building by adjusting the miter gauge to a different angle and clamping the long piece to it.

[JonW]

Chuck,

Super, super post! :T Thanks for all the info. This should help others as well. Those cuts came out great. It looks like both a table and circular saw will work well with your setup.

Good idea with the screws. Although I won’t be able to put crews into the baffle because I’ll likely cut out the driver holes first, then glue together the multiple layers. So maybe I could clamp the baffle down instead.

I’d imagine getting the circular saw setup to work well is going to be dependent upon how well you set things up, clamp down, etc.

Hi Jon,

I've have excellent luck the the All-in One clamp. I don't even use the saw plate accessory. Just put slow pressure on the 5008MGA against the guide, and you'll have a perfect facet every time. Info can be found here: www.eemersontool.com/A-Series.html Good luck, and when are you coming back to town with the testing gear? I also need your ears for the Isiris Juniors.
Craig

Hi Craig!

I never heard of such a clamp. Thanks. I don’t have any plans to be up your way. Although I’d like to be some time, so if any small excuse comes up... Of course you’re always welcome here for a visit if you’re passing by.

Well, if you've got a flat surface, you can place the second speaker next to the one you're cutting to support the sawboard. That's what I did.

Oh, I don’t know if I’d let the other baffle anywhere near a saw blade, after putting in the effort to make it.

[JonW]

To revive this thread...
I got the saw (Makita 5008MGA),glued up a few pieces of ply to make a practice baffle. And I tried cutting the facets. They came out just OK. Not super, not awful. Some of the cuts were deeper than others. Sometimes I cut deeper into the saw board and that made for deeper cuts than I wanted.

I think I had 2 problems with this method. The first is that the base of the saw is teeny (maybe ~1”) on one side. So when you run the saw across the saw board, it’s not necessarily moving totally flat. Any tilt up or down of the saw will make the cut deeper or shallower. The other side of the base was resting on a second saw board.

The solution might be to make sure that everything is really flat- especially the second saw board that is supporting the other side of the saw. So the second problem is that my “work bench” (ahem) isn’t too flat- it’s some scrap ply on saw horses. And I can’t do this on my floor because that’s not terribly flat either (old house).

I’d like to do a little better. But it might be OK as is. Maybe making more effort to keep things flat will help. And the practice certainly helped get a feel for things. This will probably work OK and I don’t have any better ideas at the moment. I’ll think about it a bit before I cut into the real baffles.









And just a pic of the test baffle leaning against one of the real cabinets:

Image not available