Cutting Plywood with the Kreg SEG--How Does It Compare?
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- čas přidán 27. 02. 2021
- There's a new cutting guide in town! How does it compare to the two I've been using?
In this video I will share the new Kreg Straight Edge Guide, the pros, the cons, and the differences between it and the older Rip Cut and AccuCut that I've used to cut down my plywood sheets for the past several years.
I've previously put together a video about how I use the Kreg Rip Cut and Kreg AccuCut to make cutting down plywood sheets with a circular saw quick and accurate.
• How to Cut Down Plywoo...
This video was sponsored by Kreg, but was highly requested by readers when Kreg came out with their new cutting guides earlier this month.
I've never used the new straight edge guide before this video, so I'll share the process of putting it together, setting it up and my experience making my first cut using it in this video.
I hope you find it helpful and enjoy the comparisons between the different guides.
If you're looking to purchase any of these cutting guides, here are affiliate links to them all:
Kreg Straight Edge Guide: amzn.to/3aYZzBD
Kreg Straight Edge Guide Extension Kit: amzn.to/2Mv09xF
Kreg Straight Edge Guide XL: amzn.to/3q2iLTm
Kreg Rip Cut: amzn.to/2O7Z3IR
Kreg AccuCut: amzn.to/3aYi4WU - Jak na to + styl
Thank you. Yours is the most comprehensive and useful review of this cutting guide that I've seen so far. I purchased it already but just wanted to see what else I could learn about it. You filled in a few gaps in my knowledge.
Love Kreg stuff as well, especially the track saw. Thanks for sharing.
this was extremely detailed , thank you for the amount of helpful information
Just ordered one yesterday and here you are using it.
Hopefully you found this video helpful to get started with it!
That was a very helpful review and it gives something to think about when buying either guide. Thanks for sharing this and passing on the information.
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!
I just bought one! Can’t wait to try it out. Thank you!
Awesome!! I hope you get some great use out of it!!
Thank you for the comparison! Great information.
I have never used one of these guides and was about to buy one like you’ve been using. In the past, I’ve just used a piece of 1 1/2 “ angle aluminum scrap piece we had in the shop with clamps. But, now I am getting a set of these. Great video and excellent explanation! Thank you very much for this tool review! Be safe out there Shara!
Thank you! I hope it was helpful! I’ve used a plain straight edge several times for cuts and I hate the process of measuring and clamping and double checking and adjusting because something moves while clamping 😅 for one or two cuts, it’s manageable, but this guide will definitely save some time when I’m doing several cuts on a sheet. I hope you find it time saving if you get one!
@@WoodshopDiaries ... it will definitely be faster, more accurate, and much easier than all the measuring required to use a straight edge. I’ll check Home Depot for one. That’s where I bought all my other Kreg tools. An occasional tool review is very useful. Thanks. You’re the best!
very informative, helped me make a decision which way to go...thank you :)
Awesome informative video. You keep on rocking on pretty lady. Can't wait to see your next project.
Thanks so much! I appreciate the kind words!
Extremely helpful. I love your channel 🌸
Thank you so much!
Love your Channel. I will keep watching
Thank you!!
Very informative! Thanks
This was awesome. Can’t wait to try one out in my shop! 🙌🏼
Thanks Sam!!
Very helpful, thank you!
Great video! When checking square for the blade it is best to use the largest side of the base plate for better accuracy. Good job!
I was looking to buy one of the 3 Kreg guides and found your video. Thank you for comparing the pros and cons of each. I think the straight edge guide would work the best for me. I figure that if I want to make an angle cut with it I could just use trigger clamps to hold the guide in place.
I have the straight-edge guide. When I first set it up I was skeptical. The results, however, were great!
Thanks for the information 👍🏽
Hola. Te felicito por el excelente video y la gran información que aportaste sobre las herramientas kreg. Ojala que en el futura realices tus videos en una versión en español. Es muy interesante todo lo que compartis y son excelentes los trabajos que realizas. Un gran saludos desde Córdoba - Argentina
Very helpful, thank you for putting in all this work that goes into creating content. Do you plan on making more tool/ accessories how to's and tips you've picked up. That would be a cool in between project vids, like this video.
So glad to hear it! And that’s a great idea for videos I could start doing! I’ll see what I can come up with!
Thank you!!!!! I purchased this and thought “I can’t use this thing because I chop off these black thingies”
I had no idea how to work it and now I do. I almost took this guide back and got my money back. Haha!!
Haha glad this was helpful!!
Awesome tutorial Shara🤙🏾💯...Thanks for sharing...
Thank you! Hope it was helpful 👍
@@WoodshopDiaries Always helpful and very fun too watch!
I appreciate that!
Fantastic video, Shara! Thanks a lot! 😃
For now I only found the older models here in Brazil. But they can work great for me anyway. 😊
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thank you! Like I said, I’ve only started using this one, but I use the older ones almost daily. This is a nice addition to the shop but the old ones work great for me as well. Thanks always for your kind words and I appreciate you following along!
I like your videos and specially your projects you are very talented 👏
Thank you 💕
Thanks for the video!
I hope it was helpful!!
Thanks Sarah, I found your video to be helpful. Some of the other videos I've watched are very confusing and way to technical.
This is a great idea 💡
Hope the video was helpful!
Wow. Good job!
Thank you!
So it's just a straight edge with pointers. I'm unimpressed with this one, Kreg. Shara, you did a fantastic job with the video.
Thank you! Yes in a nutshell, it’s just a straight edge with a built in clamp. Personally, my thoughts...if I only cut plywood occasionally, it’s probably not a great investment. But since I cut A LOT of plywood, I do find that the “pointers” and built in clamp could potentially save me a lot of time measuring, clamping one side, clamping the other, double checking it didn’t move when I clamped the other side etc. It’s definitely not for every shop, but could be a time saver in some. I’m looking forward to using it more to see whether it ends up being any faster or better than my others.
I do appreciate your compliments on the video 😊 I honestly hope it was informative and helpful.
I agree with you its just another straight edge guide i prefer a track saw myself, in my view they are so effortless.
hola... me encanta tú estilo y forma de realizar los muebles, un beso y abrazo desde México, CDMX 😜😜😜
Thank you! I appreciate you watching!
you did a better job explaining how to setup the guide than kreg does!
Excelente el video saludos desde argentina 👍😊
Thank you!!
Thumbs up and thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching!
good!
Súper especial y los Cortes salen exactos y precisos, goodbye Shara
Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching!
Hate to be that guy, because obviously you can't try everything for everyone, but I landed here because I was comparing this to the Bora NGX (about $150 for 100" guides, saw plate and track clamps for non-parallel cuts). I'd be happy even if you took a look at its page and gave an opinion between the two, but I think it could be worth a video, since anyone looking up the NGX system would probably come across it. There isn't much content out there for the Bora, and none answering the Kreg or NGX question. Cheers!
Thanks for this. Great video showing the pros and cons. Can you tell me those how far does the 'clamp' clamp.. Like if you got the 8ft guide but have to clamp something 6 ft. Will it be able to clamp that far down? The accucute had a floating clamp that could move throughout but was not always the best.
The clamp slides down the rail and would clamp wherever you need it. The pieces come in 2 ft sections so you can add or remove as needed depending on the length of your cut.
@@WoodshopDiaries I'm confused. I saw it comes in 4ft and 8ft sections. So when you say 2ft sections are you saying it breaks down. How do you like it compaired to the accu-cut? Thanks so much for the video
The 4 ft kit comes with 2 2ft pieces that connect together. You can buy an extension kits in 2 ft pieces that you can add on to the 4 ft kit or buy the 8 ft kit (which is cheaper than a 4 ft plus 2 extensions) that comes with 4 2 ft sections. It comes apart and goes together to give you the appropriate length to use with whatever you're cutting.
I really like it--I used it in my recent dog house video if you want to check it out. Because I already have my accucut set up for plain straight cuts, I use that when I can, but the straight edge came in really handy cutting the bevels I used in that project.
thank you !;-)
Hope it was helpful!
Hi, thanks a lot for the demonstration, very informative!
As a side note, I noticed your camera's autofocus seems to be hunting back and forth quite a bit ; as a fellow videographer, I'd suggest to set your cam's focus setting to manual focus. This way you'll have clean focus every time, even if you move a lot around while filming. Cheers!
Unless I missed something along the way (very possible), when you did the initial setup you used the "motor side" (inside face) of the blade for you cut line (against the factory edge of the plywood) and when you did the cut later in the video, your cut line should be using the outside face of the blade. Where does that alignment slide account for the blade kerf or did I miss something in the setup of the slide (or maybe I'm just not getting it? Might just need to download their instruction pages and see what they show. I sort of agree with some of the other comments, just use a track saw for simplicity.
The little tab at the end is about the thickness of my saw blade, depending on which side of the line you need to cut, I can line the inside of this tab on the mark or the outside of this tab on the mark.
Which of the 3 tools would you recommend to someone who has never cut plywood and will be cutting plywood on the floor ontop of rigid foam for the first time for straight cuts?
The accucut is probably the quickest, most versatile. You can get the XL and make 8 foot long cuts which would eliminate the need for a rip cut, then you can break it down to shorter sections to make cross cuts as well. But if you plan to make a lot of beveled cuts the SEG would be a better option. But for 90 degree square cuts, the accucut would be faster to set up to make each cut
Use clamps on a straight edge guide and you can cut any angle you need, up to the length of the guide.
You’re welcome to do that 👍
A lot late for me watching the video but great video and in depth detail on the 3 different tool pieces and uses lol
And damn; it makes me want out my apartment so bad too get my own wood shop so much one day I know but ; I cant waite to try some of your builds and try to do some of my own lol may take a year or 2 to do this but I'm trying is all that matters ?? ;)
One last question Ma;am and I'll quite bugging you ; how big is your shop ??
What would be a good size rent a shed to start with lol ?? thanks for up loading and reading :)
Thank you! I hope you found the information here helpful! Also, I understand wanting and waiting for some shop space. I was like that when I first started, too! No shop.
My shop now is about 22x30. I share it with my husbands tractor and lawnmower so it’s really more like 14x25 haha. As for starting out, if you’re creative enough, any size will work. My first “shop” was a 10x10 shed!
Thanks and your welcome; thanks for the reply on my questions and comments I'll try somthing out if land lords doesn't care if I do so lol
Shara, are the connector bars for the straight edge the same as the accu-cut connectors? The XL is sold out in my area but I can get two regular ones for the same price. I'd only have 4 connectors instead of 6 but that would be okay if I could swap in my accu-cut connectors as needed. Love your channel btw :)
Thanks so much!! I don’t think these same connectors will fit both. The accucut connectors have a different profile than the straight edge. I’m not sure if they sell the connectors separately...may be worth checking to see or emailing Kreg to ask!
@@WoodshopDiaries Thanks Shara, figured as much but was worth a shot lol, I'll pick up the regular one for now :)
If I was to buy a 4' Kreg straight edge guide for now and find a need for 8' later on, could I add another 4' Kreg straight edge guide to make it 8' long? Would the clamping mechanism still work due to being 4' originally? Thanks again. 😊👍
Yes...you can buy the 4 foot kit and purchase the extension rails later (they come in in 2 ft sections) if you find you need longer later. They’re made to be able to add onto 👍
@@WoodshopDiaries Awesome! Thanks again! 😊👍
Your explanations helped a lot. Unfortunately, my results are +/- 1/32". That's potentially up to a 1/16" variance. How have you improved on that?
It might be operator error. Measure twice and cut once.
It’s a very handy tool 🍺🍺
Agreed! Looking forward to using it more
Hey you.... I just wanted to say something unrelated to you because I think it will help YOU.
One of the reasons that I subscribed to your particular channel isn't because of your skills. You're still learning a great deal. That's great but what strikes me aside from that is this... Although you're an attractive young lady that could easily entice men to subscribe in the way that many other women do by wearing skimpy clothes and showing off their bodies in an inappropriate manner, you've not done so, but rather you remain respectful of yourself and choose to stick with the content. I cant tell you how much I appreciate that.
Hi! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this comment. Thank you! I'm definitely still learning, but I do plan to keep things simple and approachable for all skill levels. My goal is to inspire people who think they aren't capable to give it a try anyway. I plan to always keep it about the content and the projects and about the process...and not about ME. It's nice to know there are those out there that appreciate that.
@@WoodshopDiaries You're welcome Shara? 🤔 You're doing well. Any good man would be proud to have a daughter like you.
It doesn’t look like a real strong clamp. Do some people add clamps to it to keep the straight edge from moving while sawing?
Amazing videos. Can you make a video of your tools
Thank you! Which tools?
If your blade is not centered in the base. Yon can only cut in one direction or you will have to recalibrate the straight edge? Is that correct? Thank you.
Don't have to recalibrate. Reposition the guide to the other side of your cut line. Just ensure your saw is supported. I don't think I'd want to rip a 2x6 with this, for example without additional support for the saw.
Would they work for cutting on normal wood also. Like teak or mahogany. I dont have a table saw so straight long cuts give me some problems. Ps. Just a beginner ..
Yes definitely! This isn’t limited to just plywood. You could use it anywhere you need a straight cut.
Mine is the original straight edge guide. My observation is it will be better for my use than the new Kreg guide. Thank you for sharing.
Request: when editing your videos please turn off the tool noise. We cannot always turn down our sound quick enough, then when you stop using the power tool we then must turn up the sound. When we are watching your videos in an area where other folks are doing other things eliminating power tool noise is especially important. Thank you for considering my request.
I honestly don’t know of a single video (at least from the last two years) where I run a tool and actually left the tool noise in there at all. 99% (if not more) is muted. Did this video have running tool noise? Can you point me to an example?
Oh, I see that it did. I turned it down, but it’s not muted. All of my building project videos have tools muted. Everything is always muted. This one was different since it wasn’t a project video. My apologies.
@@WoodshopDiaries Thank you for your very polite courteous reply. It is my hope you did not read my comment as being harsh. Very much enjoy your videos.
I was thinking the rip cut and the matching acu cut were the new versions, Lowes doesn't carry the other one. Because those were the ones I told you I bought in another vid, but I will enjoy them no matter what.
I’m not sure what you’re saying…there are three different guides…the rip cut, the accucut and the straight edge guide. The ones you see me using in the majority of my videos are the rip cut and accucut. Here’s a breakdown of each one and which is which:
www.woodshopdiaries.com/cut-down-plywood-sheets-with-circular-saw/
@@WoodshopDiaries and those are the 2 i bought ma'am. Lowes doesn't carry the straight edge guide here as of right now.
Why don't they have the acu-cut XL anymore i can't find it anywhere. Would this be the cheapest most complete tool for cross-cuts and rip-cuts? I don't want to but 2 separate tools for cross and rip cuts. I thought the accu cut XL would be able to do both but I can't find it anywhere, so I'm thinking the straight edge 8ft guide would be able to do both cross and rip cuts the cheapest.
Thank you
They do: amzn.to/3hRBocd
Hi Shara, I see that you have 4 pieces of kreg jig rails, is that the XL Kit? Thanks, Steve
Yes the XL kit has four pieces to make 8ft. Each extension is 2ft.
great video, thanks a lot for sharing. When you cut with Accucut, do you repeat that edge on table saw? In other words - can you build furniture without table saw?
Of course. When I cut my plywood, I cut it using my rip cut and accucut and that’s it. I don’t cut it with one and then run it through the table saw…I don’t have time to cut it twice 😂 the accucut and rip cuts make my final cuts.
The 24 and 50 in clamp straight edge guides from harbor freight have served me well so far so I'll probably skip this one. Nice Video though, right to the point.
Would a cheap harbor freight straight edge guide work about the same? I am following your cabinet build video and and trying to reduce the amount of tools to buy.
I’ve never used the one from harbor freight. I’d recommend reading reviews on it to see how and how well it works. You can also just use a straight board and clamp it if you’re trying to keep things super simple.
@@WoodshopDiaries You're awesome! Thanks for the advice.
im sure kerig will come out with them but some1 with a 3D printer should come up with some templates so you can add other tools to the tracks other then the circular saw....
Thank you for the great information! I was going to go with the Accu-Cut system but, my saw won't fit the base. Now, I'm thinking about getting the kreg straight edge guide xl but, I have a few questions that I would like to ask you since you're a real world user. Thanks again for your great video! 😊👍
1) How well do does the clamp hold? Just wondering due pulling it out versus the push to lock down type.
2) How is the connection between the two sections? Most connection types aren't very true as well as the screws having a tendency to strip out after a few times.
3) Have you tried it without the cutline indicaters?
I’ve not had this one very long so take that into consideration with my answers. But,
1. The clamp holds fine. Unless you’re really rough with it or you’re trying to move it, it stays put. For normal use...just sliding a saw along the side...it’s not a concern of mine that it will move.
2. I’m sure over time, the screws may strip, but I’ve had my accucut for about three or four years of constant use and I’m just now having to replace a few of them. I imagine this will be the same situation. Also, the connection is tight, but the instructions mention using a straight edge to hold it true while you tighten the screws. That helps 👍
3. I haven’t tried it without the cut line indicators. I’ve only used it with a circ saw so far and the whole point of this vs a piece of plywood straight edge is so I don’t have to measure, remeasure each end before cutting. The cut line indicators save SO much time not doing that so I haven’t had a reason to remove them.
I hope that’s helpful!
@@WoodshopDiaries Thank you Shara for taking the time for answering my questions. This has been extremely helpful in making my decision. In regards to the Accu-Cut, I have seen some complaints of the saw base not fitting the track precisely causing some movement in the cut. Those complaning used 1/8" strips of tape to fill the gaps on the sides of the grooves of the base. Have you noticed this play in the saw base, which did the trick? Thanks again, you did an awesome job on your video and I sincerely appreciate all of your input. Ray 👍👍😊
I responded then realized I was not properly reading your question ha 🤦🏼♀️ I haven’t had any issues with my base wiggling on my accucut track. I use mine all the time and it’s been very accurate in my experience. I suppose they could have ran a bad batch at the factory that causes some to have an issue, maybe? But personally, I’ve not had a problem with mine.
I enjoy your video, however I'm keeping my Harbor Freight wood clamp on straight edge guide, much much simpler to use.
I’m not trying to sell or push anything here. Whatever works best for you is what you should use 😊 I’ve just had several questions on this guide and wanted to share what I know. I hope it was helpful!
👍👍
Do you think this will be accurate for 2x material?
I don’t know why it wouldn’t
Can wood of different thicknesses (1/4") be cut
Yes you can use it on any thickness of wood
@@WoodshopDiaries Thank you
🤗👍
If you could only have 1 of these in the shop - which one would you choose?
Hard to choose, but the accucut has the most versatility if you get the XL so it cuts up to 8ft long
@@WoodshopDiaries - i like the "clamping ability of the straight edge. does the accu-cut engage the wood enough to keep it from moving?
So what’s better…this or the accucut? Wouldn’t get both
Neither is “better,” they’re just different. It really depends on what you’re using it for to decide which one would benefit you more.
Can you think of any improvements you could make to both new and used guides?
I’m no product developer haha. I have no complaints except it’s kind of annoying when you want to attach an extra extension on the accucut or straight edge that you have to find your Allen wrenches and hope you didn’t lose your set screws. I wish they made them like “quick connect” somehow
Does it clamp SQUARE every time to the sheet or you have to fiddle with it to make sure it is perfectly square? The hardest part using a guide is to make sure it is actually square to the sheet.
It doesn't automatically clamp perfectly square. The key with this is that you need to make sure your marks are square, then you just clamp this on your marks. So it is much easier (in my opinion) than using two clamps and a long board to get it square. It's impossible to get it WAY off square, but there is enough wiggle room to get it slightly off.
Matériel très intéressant,mais est-ce qu' on le trouve en France, à bientôt salut Jeannot 🛠😉
Thanks so much!
How does it compare? 7:14
Made my own base plates to take router & jigsaw
Cool! Whatever works best for you is what you should do 👍
The previous one accu cut much better and worth th money. This one is like a regular plywood straight edge
Yes this is literally a straight edge. There’s pros and cons to each guide but the accu cut is definitely one of my most used tools!
I have the old guide. I hate it and ended up making my own sheet cutting guide from a couple of strips of plywood. It works so much better than the Kreg guide. I'm not a fan of buying things you don't need and overpriced rip guides aren't needed.
Whatever works for you is what you should stick with. I use mine often and find them extremely helpful 👍
Honest feedback is just so hard to come by now a days with everyone pushing expensive products. Thank you for sharing. I live outside the US, and would have to pay little over 3 times the amount you'll pay (shipping and import taxes) to buy one. I was really tempted to buy one but I only do 1 or 2 small projects about once a year and hence checked out this video to see it was worth it for me. I'm so happy I saw your comment, I was going to buy the XL version which allows cuts upto 8 feet long, so you just saved me about 300$, thanks a ton!
if you're real slick ,you can run your saw down the other side of the accu-cut at a 45 , and it gives you a really closeidea of where your cut is going to be,, at least closer than the alternative of measuring and a straight edge, drinking while procrastinating that cut,, having to go back to depot and get another piece because you drank too much and messed up the last one,, risking a dui because a breathilizer will say you are still impaired, all the fines, lost job , etc
Witch do you recommend?
If I could only have one, the accucut is the most versatile option
With all the new technology in jigs and rails, I really don’t need a table saw anymore and that’s fine with me. I can’t stand using my table saw.
I try to avoid it as much as possible but I can't get around it for some things I do, even using a grr-riper table saws scare the heck out of me!
Very cumbersome to have to move those arms/stop blocks out of the path of the blade on every cut. That’s too bad they didn’t make it easier to use.
I agree that is somewhat of a pain, but not a deal breaker for me personally.
First the price is great. The clamping power would be one thing of concern. However it looks as if you could add a squeeze clamp on each end if that was a concern. Please come back in six months of use and give your second opinion of it. It looks as if it would be a great alternative in buying this one rather than making one yourself.
As of now, it definitely clamps with plenty of strength. But, over time, I’m not sure if it’ll wear out any. I’d be curious to see as well. But this is definitely quicker than having to clamp a straight edge and line up everything square
please some company just provide me a CHEAP lightweight 50+" long one piece aluminum extruded guide rail that I can clamp down with some irwin squeeze clamps and wide enough so that it doesn't bend in the middle if you happen to lean into it. I doubt those extension arms won't survive for long.
You can just go buy a piece of aluminum if you’re just going to clamp it in place 👍 call a local metal shop and ask for tubing or flat stock. It’s cheap
I wonder how this stuff compares with a cheap track saw. It seems like the cheap track saw might be more efficient to use and if it didn't cost much more it might be a better solution for some people.
The AccuCut is basically a trak saw. That’s how I use mine. Like I mentioned in the video...there are pros and cons to every guide. The advantage to the straight edge is you can use it for bevels on circ saws, and for jig saws and routers and any tool you need a straight edge for...not just a circ saw. If you just need square cuts from a circ saw, a cheap trak saw might work better (or the accucut as that’s what it’s designed for). It all depends on what you’re using it for.
@@WoodshopDiaries Thanks for the response. That's what I understood the AccuCut to be. And that was the basis for my question, A cheap track saw comes with a saw that is a slightly modified normal circular saw. So there are two ways to achieve what I am calling a cheap track saw setup. Buy the Kreg gadget and attach your saw to the sliding part or buy a cheap track saw. My guess is that the price is going to be similar between the two choices. Obviously the benefit of the the cheap track saw approach is that you have a dedicated saw for it. That's also the disadvantage if you're short on room. Beyond that I wondered if there weren't other differences that would favor one approach over the other.
Personally I like the accucut because I can swap between using the accucut snd the rip cut with the same saw and same sled. That’s just how I do things. There are a million ways to accomplish the same task.
Just get a corded track saw people.
You’re welcome to use whatever works best for you. I’m simply sharing information and comparing a few tools 👍
@@WoodshopDiaries Sounds good just wanted people to know it's easier that way. Keep up the good work.
Corded track saw is about 7x more expensive than this solution.
@@mrchedda Buy it once suffer once.
@@mrchedda Not really, you can buy the R185CCSX which even cuts through metal and comes with a track ($134.27)
or the wen for 181.08, 116 for the saw and 64 for the track. It just less of a hassle using a track saw since it tells you exactly where it will cut and does not require that much adjustments. BUT each person can do what they want I just get annoyed having to play around with the setting for an hour just to get one cut.
seems like too much work. love your channel tho.
No more than a plain ole straight edge, but everyone has their own preferred method. Whatever gets the job done 👍
Thanks.
Hope it was helpful!