Made a lil track saw
I just made a little track for my circular saw & played with it a little to get the hang of it.
I tried crosscuts on a small 2x4 & that went pretty good.
I tried a 1/2" dato (I think) on the same 2x4, at an angle and ...
Clamping the 2x4 to the track wasn't great when it was straight.
At an angle, it was pretty awful, and then the 2x4 hung off on the end. And it sucked trying to move it inch-by-inch for the dato.
PLUS! My saw blade is 1/4" away from the track edge when I only have 3/4" of the blade sticking down! The adjuster piece is bent. It was a cheap saw, but I'm disappointed. It's workable, but it sucks.
I think this will work great for clean, simple crosscuts. I think angle cuts could be okay, too. I don't think I can easily do datos. I'd probably be better off making a different tool for that.
I think the track is intended for larger material, too, so maybe I need something different for simple 2x4 cross cuts.
Idea!
A 12" long mini-track for 2x4 crosscuts and angled cross cuts.
Have a fixed frame that fits the 3.5" width of a 2x4, then a bolt coming up out of it.
The track part will have a hole to slide onto the bolt, and you can turn the track any angle you need, while the fixed frame stays fixed & square. Then you tighten a knob onto the top of the bolt, clamping the track.
Then you cut.
For the fixed frame, just wood glue 3 pieces of hard wood together, drill a 75% depth hole in the top, glue & screw a bolt into it. (Do I need a special glue for the bolt?)
For the track, use any thin material (max thickness depends on the circular saw blade depth) & cut to one foot long by the width of your circular saw (Or a little less sacrificial material).
Then screw a squared strip of material (wider than the bolt!) along one 1' edge. Then run your circular saw, using that track edge to cut off the sacrificial part of the track.
Drill a hole, bigger than the bolt, into the center of the track's edge. Get a good knob, or just use a nut & a wrench.
When your track is in place, tighten the bolt.
Might desire a way to tighten the grip on the sides so the fixed frame does not slide up/down the length of the 2x4.