Yeah, one of my unsuccessful attempts was the home-made guide you are mentioning. Even that didn't work for me. My theory was that my saw's blade is not perfectly parallel to the edge of the factory base, so it was sort of "ruddering" off away from the guide.

The EZ Smart base has screws whose purpose is to be able to adjust the setup so the blade is perfectly parallel.

You folks who can freehand a circular saw have my ULTIMATE respect. I LOOOOOVE watching professionals working when I hire them for stuff around my little ranchette. I try not to be too obnoxious, but I am always amazed at their skill.

The system is kind of expensive, but so far its the best (only?) way I've been able to successfully cut plywood. I figured I'm saving the money for a better table saw and using this instead. At least that's how I sold it to my wonderful and understanding (sort of) wife.

Ken