My brother-in-law said to use a 2x4 as a straight edge for my tile saw, and it actually worked

I was cutting some 12-inch floor tiles for our bathroom and my saw guide felt off. He told me to just clamp a long, straight 2x4 to the saw table as a fence. I was sure it would slip, but I tried it with a piece I had in the garage. I made about 15 cuts and every single one was perfect. Has anyone else used basic lumber as a guide for power tools like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnb9516d ago

Oh man, I would have totally called that a hack job before. I used to be such a snob about having the exact right tool for everything. But last year I was trimming some laminate flooring and my proper guide was too short. I grabbed a straight piece of scrap baseboard and clamped it down as a fence for my circular saw. Cut a whole room's worth of planks and the lines were cleaner than when I used my wobbly aluminum guide. Sometimes the simple fix right in front of you is the best one.

brian_coleman15d ago

@johnb95 that's a perfect example of how overthinking can mess up a simple job. I've seen guys waste hours looking for a tool when a scrap piece would do the trick. Getting too fancy can sometimes be the real hack move.