Appreciation post: using a 2x4 as a straightedge for circular saw cuts

I was skeptical that a warped 2x4 could give me a cleaner cut than my aluminum guide, but after watching a guy on a job site in Austin do it I tried it last week and it actually worked perfect. Has anyone else ditched fancy tools for a basic lumber trick that surprised you?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninas7014d ago

Bullshit. A warped 2x4 is never going to give you a straight cut. I don't care how careful you are or how good the guy in Austin looked. You're just getting lucky with a slightly less crooked piece of wood. Aluminum guides are straight because they're made that way. Lumber is a natural product that moves and twists. I've seen guys try this and end up with a cut that looks like a drunk snake. Try ripping a 4x8 sheet of plywood with a warped 2x4 and tell me how that works out.

alice_reed4714d ago

Yeah I read something about that actually... there was a guy on another forum who tested this with a laser level and showed the cut drifting by almost an eighth of an inch over eight feet. @ninas70 is probably right that the wood itself is the problem, not the skill level. I think people just get excited about a cheap solution and ignore the reality of how lumber behaves.