11 Tips and Tricks for Cutting Straight Lines

Keep It ConsistentGet

When ripping a bowed piece of lumber with a circular saw, here’s how to keep the strip you’re cutting off a consistent width for the full length of the board:

Line up the saw blade with the cut mark at the desired width. Make a pencil mark on the shoe of the saw directly above the board edge. Now when you push the saw the length of the board, just keep the pencil mark on the shoe lined up with the edge of the board.

Important: Before cutting one-third of the way, tap a wedge into the cut to keep it from closing up and causing the saw to kick back. — Thomas Roberts.