Portable circular hand held power saws are widely used in the building industry, since they save time and money in labor costs. It is especially useful in connection with framing and other types of rough carpentry involving the cutting of large numbers of planks, posts and "2.times.4's" to length. Quite frequently, such construction members are measured, marked and cut in one swift stroke at the point of installation. No time is wasted in carrying the material to a stationary saw or in the slow and laborious process of cutting the material with a handsaw of the nonpowered variety.
While a high degree of precision in "rough carpentry" is not required, it is important in cross cutting to accurately cut the material to the right length, but also cut it perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the material, i.e. squareness of the cut. The carpenter must, therefore, first measure for length. Then, using a square, he must mark the cutting line to be followed by the saw. Because the actual cutting operation is accomplished so quickly with the power handsaw, the measuring and marking operations tend to consume more time than the cutting operation itself.
Various devices and fixtures are described in the prior art for use in guiding or directing different types of saws, but none provide the degree of simplicity and convenience of the guide disclosed and claimed herein.