- 1). Place a sheet of 1-inch-thick rigid insulation on a pair of saw horses. The insulation helps give support to the sheet of plywood. Place the plywood sheet on top of the insulation, with the area you wish to cut hanging over the outside of the saw horses.
- 2). Measure the amount you want to cut with a tape measure on each side of the plywood. Ask a friend to hold the end of the chalk line on one side of the plywood, while you extend the line to the other side at your marks. Hold the chalk line tight and snap a line across the sheet of plywood.
- 3). Install a plywood cutting blade in your circular saw. Plywood blades have more teeth than a standard blade. Measure from the left side of the blade to the outside of the saw guide plate. The guide plate is the metal plate at the bottom of the saw.
- 4). Transfer the measurement to the left of your cut line on both sides of the plywood sheet. Place a 2- by 4-inch stud board on top of the plywood at your two marks. Clamp the board to the plywood and foam with two wood clamps or c-clamps. The board serves as your cut fence to keep the saw straight when cutting.
- 5). Adjust the depth of the blade half the distance of the plywood thickness. Plug the circular saw blade power cord into an outlet. Place the side of the guide plate against the edge of the board on top of the plywood. The saw blade should be at the chalk line. Cut the plywood, ensuring that you keep the side of the guide plate against the side of the board.
- 6). Unplug the saw, and readjust the depth to 1/8-inch more than the thickness of the plywood sheet. Plug the cord in again, and cut the plywood sheet with the second pass. Cutting in two passes helps to prevent splintering the wood.
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