Clean cutting plywood - that's easy isn't it?

[Steve Medlock]

I've bought some nice Birch ply to make boxes but am struggling to get a clean cut with my circular saw. I know I can hide the top surface inside the boxes but I would like to get as good a cut as possible to start with so that its not a problem in the first place. I have a Saxton 80T blade which will 'rip' satisfactorily but 'cross cut' not so good. I resorted to Youtube and tried different cut depths including a two stage cut. Is table saw the only way?

 

[ScaredyCat]

Have you tried a bit of blue/masking tape over the bit you're going to cut?

 

[BravoNovember]

I tried a lot of things in a similar situation, tape, zero clearance plates on my saw etc… to make boxes. In the end I found that marking out a knife wall and cutting to it by hand was the best way to avoid all the splintering horror.

 

[paulrbarnard]

This is what track saws were designed for.

 

[Wilson joinery]

Hi steve it would help a little if you set your depth of cut so that the blade just protrudes the depth of the material. As others have said masking tape will also help a little.

 

[Steve Medlock]

This is what track saws were designed for.

Paul - how does a track saw cut differently from a circular saw though? This is what I don't understand.

 

[mwinfrance]

Paul - how does a track saw cut differently from a circular saw though? This is what I don't understand.

in case Paul nipped out for a coffee..

It presses down hard right along the cut line.it is like sawing with a sacrificial board on top of the one that you want the non splintered edge on.

 

[Steve Medlock]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've tried varying depths of cut including a partial and then full cut. Admittedly I've not tried tape but the guy on Youtube who was demonstrating different tapes only had a small improvement. The marking knife sounds like a good idea for small cuts so I'll certainly give that a go. The best result I've had so far is with a Bosch jigsaw and straight edge.

 

[mwinfrance]

If you are using a jig-saw and a straight edge, switch to a metal hacksaw blade type blade, ( for sawing thin steel etc , the "wavy" one ) slower but far fewer splinters when cutting in ply.

 

[Bingy man]

You could try a specific blade for cutting plywood and keep a steady feed rate , if you cut with the finish face down it will reduce the splintering, scoring with a sharp knife on the opposite side will help reduce the splintering. You could of course score both sides but you will need to accurate.

 

[Ollie78]

A track saw is the best as it provides pressure downwards on both sides of the cut.
Tape will work to a degree.
You can make a home made track from thin ply or mdf .
If you cut at a very shallow depth first, I mean 2mm or so, this cuts the top veneer at a shallower angle preventing the blade flicking the fibres upwards. Then cut full depth.
I also think 80 tooth is probably too many tpi, when I cut ply I use the universal one with about 20 teeth or something.

Ollie

 

[Doug71]

The trick with a track saw is to make the first cut about 2mm deep but backwards, pulling the saw towards you so it works like a scoring blade. The second cut is then forwards as normal, some would say blade set to full depth will now give less break out but it's trial and error to see what works.

Not sure how well the backwards cut works with a saw not on a track, be carful as it's the equivalent of a climb cut with a router.

 

[Spectric]

Paul - how does a track saw cut differently from a circular saw though? This is what I don't understand.

It has a rubber strip that works like a zero clearance filler. When I cut ply I use the scoring feature of my Makita, it is a preset depth of about a mm. I also follow what @Job and Knock advised and that was to drag it backwards across the wood rather than push it as for the normal cut.

 

[mwinfrance]

drag backwards if you like the risk of kickback.

 

[paulrbarnard]

drag backwards if you like the risk of kickback.

only for the 1mm scoring cut...

 

[TheUnicorn]

for small scale ply cuts I'll often score the line (or maybe 1mm inside the line) with a utility knife, its really just the top veneer that is the issue IMO. sometimes I just score the line, no prior pencil mark, and then fill the cut with chalk so its visable

 

[alan895]

Very shallow backwards scoring cut, then make the full cut in the correct direction.

 

[Ollie78]

It has a rubber strip that works like a zero clearance filler. When I cut ply I use the scoring feature of my Makita, it is a preset depth of about a mm. I also follow what @Job and Knock advised and that was to drag it backwards across the wood rather than push it as for the normal cut.

And some have a little plastic "foot" that runs along the other side of the cut at the front of the blade as well. This gives some support on both parts.

Ollie

 

[ChrisWiduWood]

Use any material , probably ply in your case on top of the piece your cutting and cut through both, that will give you a good enough finish. to expand on this make yourself a 'Track' by fixing a 100 mm W strip to a 200 mm W strip (the length is your choice) place your saw with the side of the base against the top 100mm then run it through the 200mm piece making a makeshift track. use this to place on your pencil marks for further cuts. i hope that makes sense. Cheers. Chris

 

[ChrisWiduWood]

Paul - how does a track saw cut differently from a circular saw though? This is what I don't understand.

your saw is cutting from under your ply to the top ripping out the fibre's as it exits, the track has a rubber that stops the fibres tearing out, the cicular saw does not, the track also keeps your cut perfectly straight.
Cheers,
Chris