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Before buying this, I used a straight edge I had bought at a lumber yard, which could be made to reach 8'. But I had to use clamps to hold it in place and sometimes the clamps interfered with my saw or the surface I was working on. This tool has that incorporated into the straight edge, making it take up less room for storage or use. I like that it reaches across a 4' sheet of plywood also, which allows me to cut a very straight line with a circular saw.
It allows you to make cuts approaching that of a table saw, if you are careful. It is fine for very, very general reference, but I did not find it useful for precision measurements.Other thoughts:I found the clamping mechanism to be somewhat notchy. Very straight and sturdy- difficult to flex side-to-side, allowing you to keep your tool on the edge without distorting the guide. This is a useful and versatile clamp that helps you cut and rout on very straight lines. I can say that when it does clamp, it's a champ; my difficulty with the clamp does not rise to the level of the annoying, but merely quirky. The graduated measuring guide on mine was just plastic coated paper that moved within its slot.
I have even used it at very slight angles and it seems to hold fine.Cons:1.
Never been able to do that before with my Skilsaw.2.
On this basis, I can only give it four stars.
Pros:1.
I've been using it for years, and have watched the how-to video intently, but I still have problems getting the clamp to work consistently.
Clamp - having just the one lever to clamp down rather than separately clamp both ends of a straightedge is very handy and saves time.
Once fully clamped, it holds well.
It may be that I am just lacking some technique or finesse, but I think the action should be more reliable.
This I can live with and still think it is a great clamp that I can recommend.
Not a bad tool. Needs to double check the front and back to ensure it has locked onto your material straight. Beeswax provides ample lub to the rail for use with accesory plates.
works good,perfect straight cut only clamp is a little bit hard to use sometime. recommended
My 98" aluminum edge guide ($20 from Ace Hardware) is superior for routing and cutting, although it does not provide the T-slots. .mine arrived with a permanent bow that prevents it from laying flat on a workpiece. Bought this in July 2007 from Amazon, tried it three times, and now it hangs unused in a corner. That means I have to rig another clamping solution to hold it down (flat). As others mention, it flexes under moderate lateral pressure. I may re-purpose it (screwed down) for it's long T-slots, but never again as a routing edge. OK, I'll say something nice: the blue color is pretty.
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