The forte of track saws is making it easy to break down big pieces of plywood. There’s just one problem.
What if you don’t want to cut a board all the way across?
Let me explain.
Say you buy a standard 5’x5’ sheet of baltic birch plywood — but you need a 2’x2’ piece for your project.
You could just make a first square cut across the entire board, then cut the subsequent piece into your 2’x2’ board.
But now you’ve got a randomly sized offcut that may not be useful.
And as this process continues, you end up with a lot of random offcuts — and a lot of waste.
Not ideal when you consider how expensive plywood can be!
Instead, you might make two cuts starting from the outside edges of the board, meeting at the inside corner of your 2’x2’ board.
This can work — assuming the edges of the board are perfectly square.
To solve this, I’m going to show you 2 ways to set up track saw cuts in the middle of a board — so you can get square cuts with less waste.
1. USE THE KATZ-MOSES JIG SQUARE
The Katz-Moses Jig Square was originally designed for making crosscut sleds in record time.
But it also works super well for setting up track saw cuts.
Use a square on the edge of the border to set up the track for your first cut.
Mark a point where that first cut will end. As you make the cut, stop about 1” past this point.
Now place the tabs of the Katz-Moses Jig Square in the kerf of that cut (it’ll fit any kerf from 0.08” to 0.235”).
Bump the back edge of the track saw's track against the fence of the Jig Square and adjust its position until the zero clearance edge lines up with the end point you marked for the start of the next cut.
Turn the brass knob to expand the tabs and lock the Jig Square in place.
Now just make sure the track is snug against Jig Square fence, and make your second cut.
Nice and square!
(Side note: You could even use this technique to cut out square holes in the middle of a board using plunge cuts — like for the hole in a router table top.)
2. USE A FRAMING SQUARE AND THIN RULER
If you don’t have a Katz-Moses Jig Square, you can get by with a thin ruler and a framing square.
Place the ruler sideways in the kerf of the first cut. Then push the framing square against it.
It’ll be a little tricky to keep everything stable, but you should be able to set the track of your track saw against the other edge of the framing square and set up a 90° cut.
Want to turn your circular saw into a DIY track saw? Read this.
Any other tips for conserving material while breaking down plywood? Let us know in the comments below!
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10 comments
Aaron
Same here , as Nick kovacs info , it said 2-6 days when purchase and the email said 8-12 weeks , so any updates on when is the ETA?
Would like to be ready to receive my order before the porch Pirates Lol , thanks
Same here , as Nick kovacs info , it said 2-6 days when purchase and the email said 8-12 weeks , so any updates on when is the ETA?
Would like to be ready to receive my order before the porch Pirates Lol , thanks
Brian
Ordered and received.
Put the sled together in short order. Perfect result!
Appreciate the tips for additional uses.
And, something about patience being a virtue…
Ordered and received.
Put the sled together in short order. Perfect result!
Appreciate the tips for additional uses.
And, something about patience being a virtue…
Thom Nash
I ordered my sled square on April 4th. Is there an estimate when the next batch will arrive ?
Thanks,
Thom
I ordered my sled square on April 4th. Is there an estimate when the next batch will arrive ?
Thanks,
Thom
Joe Lazar
I think the easiest ways to conserve plywood is to use a jig saw to make a rough cut, and then a track saw to make the final cuts. If you use your track to strike a line, and offset your jigsaw by 1/8” from that line, you won’t have the rounded kerfs from at the end of your cuts from using a circular blade and will have a really easy cleanup cut with your track saw.
You can even use your track as a straight edge for your jigsaw.
Of course the same requirements around squaring your cuts apply, but overall I found this to be pretty simple.
I think the easiest ways to conserve plywood is to use a jig saw to make a rough cut, and then a track saw to make the final cuts. If you use your track to strike a line, and offset your jigsaw by 1/8” from that line, you won’t have the rounded kerfs from at the end of your cuts from using a circular blade and will have a really easy cleanup cut with your track saw.
You can even use your track as a straight edge for your jigsaw.
Of course the same requirements around squaring your cuts apply, but overall I found this to be pretty simple.
Colt
Randy – As someone else who had already purchased this prior to getting the email, I still found the email relevant. I wouldn’t have thought of this use case (and may not end up using it for this but it’s nice to have the option). Maybe you’re an exceptionally gifted woodworker who already knows how to use every feature of this novel tool and so these emails are just an annoyance for you. But for most people, follow up emails explaining additional ways to get value from their purchase is actually a positive, not a negative.
In the future, just hit the delete button if the email doesn’t appeal to you. Or unsubscribe from the mailing list.
Randy – As someone else who had already purchased this prior to getting the email, I still found the email relevant. I wouldn’t have thought of this use case (and may not end up using it for this but it’s nice to have the option). Maybe you’re an exceptionally gifted woodworker who already knows how to use every feature of this novel tool and so these emails are just an annoyance for you. But for most people, follow up emails explaining additional ways to get value from their purchase is actually a positive, not a negative.
In the future, just hit the delete button if the email doesn’t appeal to you. Or unsubscribe from the mailing list.
Jon
Received withing 6 days, good quality
Received withing 6 days, good quality
Nathaniel Caner
Received mine yesterday. Though I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, it looks and feels just as I expected. A nice, high quality tool that will have many uses as yet undiscovered.
Thank you for creating such a useful tool! Now if only the 20 oz canvas aprons would come back in stock :)
Received mine yesterday. Though I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, it looks and feels just as I expected. A nice, high quality tool that will have many uses as yet undiscovered.
Thank you for creating such a useful tool! Now if only the 20 oz canvas aprons would come back in stock :)
Nick Kovacs
Ordered this and delivery said 2-6 days. Suddenly it was 8-12 weeks.
I understand supply chain and presale items but communication would have been nice.
Ordered canceled.
Ordered this and delivery said 2-6 days. Suddenly it was 8-12 weeks.
I understand supply chain and presale items but communication would have been nice.
Ordered canceled.
Ted
I ordered this product and have not received it yet. Anxiously awaiting delivery.
I ordered this product and have not received it yet. Anxiously awaiting delivery.
Randy
Hello,
This shows me that there is no thought behind you sending me this ad, or you send simply to everyone. I just bought this item, have not received it yet.
Hello,
This shows me that there is no thought behind you sending me this ad, or you send simply to everyone. I just bought this item, have not received it yet.