Good advice Marc. 15 How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood This is not just an extremely beneficial item. You can accomplish the same thing by making your cuts in two steps. The homemade 2 piece guide for the circular saw works just like a zci. looking at it cross eyed will cause it to splinter So I cut wide ( like marc showed me) use tape. Your email address will not be published. I’d be curious to know how the 1/8″ plexi works out. When I have HomeDepot cut 4×8 ply to manageable sizes for me, I bring in a roll of painters tape and put it on and press down well. a sharp Freud diablo finish blade was used. The Wood Whisperer, The Wood Whisperer Guild, TWW, and TWW Guild are trademarks of The Wood Whisperer Inc. All rights reserved. A zero clearance insert fully supports the wood fibers right at the cut line, which will dramatically improve your cut quality. They Ply we get around here has such a thin veneer it will chip no matter what you do. Download the free garage cabinet plan to observe how simple it is. It becomes pretty clear once you see it. I’ve got a 1987 Shopsmith sawsmith 2000 and I’m trying to figure out how I can make a zero clearance insert…the throat plate is 31″ and only 1/8″ thick….maybe plexi. Note: This question was closed as a duplicate because plywood and veneer both have similar issues when being cut with a circular saw. Now I have nice clean cuts. I make a light cut at first and then follow the line a few more times until the outer veneer is cut thru. You will have to incorporate the thickness of the blade in your measurement once the cutoff piece is the excellent piece. When making practice cuts on 3/4” plywood, I had no issues when taking 3 passes to get it done. A towel rack is a good add-on to any home. To avoid tear-out, cut the piece oversize, rout the curved edge, and then rout the piece to final size. It’s worked pretty well for me for both plywood and solid stock. I generally use a 40 tooth Forrest Woodworker II or a Tenryu 40-tooth Gold Medal blade, and that works just fine. A number of larger saws out there are actually outfitted with a second blade that lives in front of the main blade, and its sole purpose is to make this type of scoring cut. Thank you for making this possible. Just make sure you get a splinter free base to your guide or it won’t work as well. But if you are still getting tearout, you might try a blade with 60-80 teeth, such as this one from Freud. I've found that having the sharp corners on my cutters radiused a very small amount eliminates tearout completely and aids in finishing and in assembly of parts if aesthetics is not an issue. However, there are millions of products and services on the web, and I only promote those products or services that I would use personally. I have a craftsman that will require an 1/8″ plate as well. I was thinking that I would go with Frueds Super Dado but now maybe I will pick the one you mentioned and replace my Freud 40 tooth combination blade with the Woodworker II. I always give honest opinions, findings, and experiences on products. Just run a strip of blue masking tape along the cut line on the side that you anticipate tear out. This can also be somewhat remedied with plunge cut track saws Like Festool and others offer now, kind of expensive but nice to use. Similar to the other components, it can be made from plywood or foam. Given this, please assume that any links leading you to products or services are affiliate links that we will receive compensation from. Rob Johnstone: Wood will “chunk-out” for a number of reasons and maple is one of the worst culprits in this regard. 1/2’’ Baltic birch is an ever-popular choice of material for drawer boxes - including the dovetailed variety - and so is the question of how to prevent tearout when you cut the joints. Router Tearout and Splintering Danger Zones. I’d expect similar from Freud. Marc described what I did to solve the problem almost exactly (I’ve never needed to resort to scoring cuts). Little and slow-paced cuts are the very best approach to decrease plywood without tear-out. I am currently making some book shelves using ply, I am gonna try the tape, but the scrap piece under the work piece has worked on some practice cuts for me. I’ve had good success with this method of ripping/crosscutting my sheet goods. After the cut is completed, the extra width can be trimmed off, leaving crisp, sharp edges. Here are a few ways to prevent tearout: Score the cut line with a razor blade. Cutting plywood without tearing the veneer isn’t easy. When using a circular saw, I often find that I rip up the bottom edge of a sheet of plywood after cutting it. And the final thing you might try is making a scoring cut (image borrowed from American Woodworker). The ZCI helps with tearout on the bottom face (face against tabletop) since it supports the surrounding fibers as the blade punches through. Don’t ask how I know. (Another 5 minutes later during editing mode)One more thought… That sounds like a Z-Word for the glossary on newtowoodworking :) I noticed there were no Zzzzzzz’s. The knife blade can veer off course if you try to take to heavy of an initial cut. The top does. So my question is: how do I stop tear out on plywood? The first happens when routing end grain; as the workpiece approaches the end of the cut, the bit will tend to … :) A zero-clearance insert with a good cross-cutting or combo blade is the way to go. Make sure that you run your wood on your router in the direction of the grain. I bought an 8′ x 4′ piece of styrofoam insulation. I will keep that in mind. I’m a little confused as to what the zero clearance insert actually does. I decided to use a cabinet grade birch plywood that I picked up from the hardwood dealer here in Dallas. When you’re cutting plywood, sometimes the blade catches the veneer and rips it unevenly, causing “tear out”. Sometimes all three and a Sharp knife. Tearout generally occurs in two situations. I also use a home made zero clearance insert. How can I stop the plywood from splintering after already cut? Designed and developed by Underscorefunk Design. More teeth equates to a smoother cut and less tearout. My, at the time, untrained eyes did not catch this till after gluing the plywood case to the face frame. Instead of a conventional cut, I did a climb cut, and tearout was pretty minimal. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood Once and For All - 19 diy projects For Men tips ideas Router Tearout and Splintering Danger Zones. Stopped everything to make the insert and everything came out great. "I need help about correctly dovetailing in Baltic birch plywood. I like using this plywood because its inexpensive. Now the tooth is swinging down nearly perpendicular to the surface of the plywood so it cuts the fibers with them supported by the rest of the plywood. You’ll need to make different inserts for different dado widths. Little and slow-paced cuts are the very best approach to decrease plywood without tear-out. Shopsmith Academy shows you how to prevent tear-out and practice good shop safety while routing. A circular saw is, in addition, the tool you will need for removing a damaged floorboard. A towel rack is a good add-on to any home. All content on The Wood Whisperer is copyrighted, and may not be reprinted in full form without my written consent. The perfect way to install stringers is a bit over the hull. Any woodworker who’s ever used it can speak its woes, which can ruin an otherwise high-quality project. This is a good way to prevent tearout on both the face and the edge of the workpiece. A ZCI is very helpful. Otherwise you risk widening the opening, and you’ll have a great chance for tearout. Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design – DVD Review. That’s all fine and good, thank you, but what about doing the cut with a handsaw? Sometimes, you just have to make cuts on full sheets of veneer lumber core with ye olde circular saw. The main problem with it is it’s a real pain to adjust. http://woodgears.ca/shop-tricks/tearout.html. Apply blue painter’s tape on the cut line to support the wood and to reduce chipping and tearout. Mainly to keep the blade away from my concrete floor. He writes: I have recently embarked on building bookcases and I have run into an issue. The fragility of wood often manifests itself in the form of chips, splinters and tearout along a cut edge. Plywood is the most difficult material to rout "across the grain". Tension is extremely important. If you run the wood on the router against the grain, you are likely to see your wood start to break apart. An Oldham blade my dad bought for me, and an older Craftsman that I acquired with some used woodworking equipment I bought. but for now the blue tape with a combo blade gets me by. So for best results, you want to make an insert for a particular blade, and generally never use it with any other blade. Plywood also brings its share of headaches, specifically, tearout: the rough, jagged edges that result from cutting through the thin veneers.It’s frustrating, and it looks absolutely terrible. The blade that came with your saw – whether you bought or rented it – is likely inadequate. Just make sure to alternate the teeth so they don’t touch. The best way to do this,in My opinion , Titus is to get a down cut spiral bit wiith bearing also a fence back up board. In fact, I still think this Freud set is the best balance of price and performance. Scoring.One of the oldest tricks in the book is to score your cut with a sharp knife before you make it (left drawing above). The first happens when routing end grain; as the workpiece approaches the end of the cut, the bit will tend to … Not mentioned above is the geometry of the cutter. One of the best ways to visualize it is to actually do it and compare with and without. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely our own. I like the adjustability with shims when using TS and dado blade. Always use an appropriate blade for plywood, and be sure that it’s sharp. Again, make sure the cutter is sharp. Router tearout can easily turn a beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you don’t follow best practices. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood It’s a lot simpler to earn a clean cut with rails than with just your hand for a guide. Required fields are marked *. This site uses affiliate links. Tearout is an issue when running a router on plywood, but I tried something new. If you do a lot of plywood cutting then we recommend that you buy a blade specially designed for cutting plywood like this 180 teeth Irwin plywood … The problem I found was that the wood thickness and the router bit did not quite match. You can accomplish the same thing by making your cuts in two steps. In your photograph above, the cuts are being made on end grain, which greatly increases the odds of tear out, unless you can change the direction of the cut in some way to avoid … Took a couple cabinetmaking classes and was able to use a commercial saw with the secondary scoring blade, downside- scoring blade needs to be finely tuned it trimmed through my plywood veneer about 1/64″ away from the actual cut. But the higher quality dado sets will produce tear out free cuts until they start to become dull, at which point you’ll send them out for sharpening. It happens no matter if you use a muscle powered or an electric powered tool. The dados by nature will have a shallow angle to the wood since they are buried in the wood, but they normally have batwings that score the wood before it hits the rakers. Some of the more budget-friendly dado sets will give you tearout no matter what you do. Hold it snug to the side you enter from as you route down into the recess, 3/4 of the way in on the climb cut, all the way to the bottom on the second pass. Quick response time. Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz. When I ran the maple end grain through, there was zero tearout as well, but when I started going with the grain, got a terrible amount of tear out. But with a zero clearance insert and a high quality blade, this step is usually unnecessary. That will only help the bottom side of the workpiece. When the bit breaks through those weak fibers, it’s a prime opportunity for tearout. I know the safety and effectiveness of this is much debated, but it seems to work quite well for some people. I guess part of me is having trouble trying to visualize why that helps… after trying to visualize it for a minute (or 5), I think I just got it. Their blades persist for a very long time and if your not centered exactly, all you have to do is a fast planing to receive things flush! The zero-clearance insert (ZCI) makes a huge difference. With my router AND my circa saw. By “Danger Zone”, I mean the conditions where tearout and splintering is most likely. Ok Greg here is what to do.Spray paint the color of the board you want.Go up to the dollar store and buy a roll of contac shelf paper.Stick the shelf paper on the board (this will be your mask)Take a good sharp 90Deg. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood, Once and For All How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood, Once and For All | Man Made DIY | Crafts for Men | Keywords: how-to, diy, plywood, woodHow to cut plywood without tear outHow to cut plywood without tear outPlywood wardrobe. I have a Forrest WWII in the box yet and don’t plan to use it until I have to toss the Freud. Clamp the sacrifical fence on one side and move it into the bit as if making a zero clearence table insert for a saw , and now clamping the other side Cut the panel close to the line with a table saw, or band saw and add a template to the part Your cutting. Imagine raising the blade to 1″ above the plywood. On the subject of dados… I don’t have a stacked dado set yet, but I have two wobble dado blades. If you have the blade, say, 1/8″ higher than the plywood surface, the tooth is whacking the uncut wood nearly head-on; some fibers may splinter up. http://www.finehomebuilding.co.....arout.aspx. I noticed that some high-end industrial tablesaws have a small scoring blade that makes a shallow kerf ahead of the through cut, virtually eliminating tearout. But when cutting the dados, I still got quite a bit of tearout. Rip & multipurpose blades just don’t crosscut well. Perhaps it will cover your gas visiting the store or let you buy an additional tool! Lay your plywood on top of that, with the blade on your circular saw just a little deeper than the thickness of the wood. The hubs and I have been working on a project that I should have installed and ready to show you next week, but I thought I'd share a little tip with you in the meantime. does wonders. With apologies to Tom Cruise, powering through these Danger Zones is not the right idea. I’m using a Porter Cable 2 1/4 horsepower router, and a Freud raised panel bit (new). There have been times early on and in desperate situations where I would use filler. Its like a thousand little splinters of wood. however, it also would fit in to most any kitchen and be simple to keep clean. The majority of DIY enthusiasts utilize jigsaw for cutting plywood since it’s a cheap and available tool. When you change direction to come back out, keep the rub collar tight to the other side of the channel. Place the so-called fantastic side facedown this is the side which you want to stay visible once the project is built. Using mdf is also a good way to prevent tearout with any cut, but that dust is murder on the nostrils and sinuses without a mask, even in the outdoors. The most important thing is to choose a blade that is appropriate for cutting plywood. Tearout generally occurs in two situations. Using the Woodworker II, I have never had any tear out. The new Freud plus a zero clearance insert gave me great results on the box joints I just cut for a project I’m working on. As for making an insert, that’s going vary a bit from one saw model to another. The Craftsman blade, however, works great. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood, Once and For All #For #For #Splintering Best Picture For woodworking jigs For Your Taste You are looking for something, and it is going to tell you exactly what you are looking for, and … The dust is so small and light it can stay airborne for long after you can see it. The tape helps to hold the fibers in place during the cut, and usually the result is a clean crisp line. If you raise the blade about 1/32″ and make a very light initial pass, that will usually cleanly sever the fibers on the face of the plywood. Everything was fine until I started the cross-cuts and experienced tearout on the top layer of the plywood face. If you are routing across just the end grain of a board, be careful of the exit corner. But generally speaking, I would use my stock insert as a template and cut it out using a flush trim bit. Stay with the tantung. Unfortunately, because of the super thin veneer, it can be a real pain in the butt to fix. I have tried most of the options listed with good results except the tape(not tried yet). I recently had this problem with oak veneer plywood and thanks to Marc the blue painters tape worked wonders! Thanks for the reply Marc. The bottom of the dado is not curved as with some wobble dados, it is a series of stepped ridges getting progressively deeper toward the center. This has greatly reduced tear out for me in that now instead of 1/4-1/2″ of waste on the cut from tear-out, it’sways less and happens less often all together. Hey Steven. In addition to using scrap to support the wood during a cut, as Bert said, grain direction can affect tear out. There are few key things that you can do to prevent tearout in plywood. But as a precautionary measure, its good to pull the tape off at an angle toward the cut. Usually no. I doubt you could give 4 passes as quickly as the router method, but you could instead take almost the entire cut for a single pass with the router then give a last pass with the round-over plane for cleanup. This works most of the time. The best solution I’ve found which keeps me from having to change my blade to a crosscut blade, is to make a score line with a very sharp utility knife and a straight edge. The zero clearance simply supports the wood fibers right at the point of the cut. By “Danger Zone”, I mean the conditions where tearout and splintering is most likely. There are few key things that you can do to prevent tearout in plywood. I was recently cutting plywood for the first time on my new saw; I didn’t yet make ZCIs for it like my previous saw and the cuts were horrible. I’ve found that masking tape doesn’t work very well for me. You’ll also notice a key element of that particular blade is the Hi ATB (alternating bevel). And 1/4 inch plywood will not stop it on your good stock due to how plywood is constructed. I’m using a Porter Cable 2 1/4 horsepower router, and a Freud raised panel bit (new). I thought it was a little crazy because an 18mm thick board should fit into a 3/4" slot since 3/4" is more 19mm than 18mm. Sorry I’m a little slow tonight… Long drive back from Austin. A zero clearance insert fully supports the wood fibers right at the cut line, which will dramatically improve your cut quality. Get absolutely no chipout around this problem with oak veneer plywood and solid stock sander should the. And realizing when it is the most difficult material to rout `` across the grain.! Catch this till after gluing the plywood virtually any kind of wood often manifests itself the. 60 to 80 tooth blade blue painters tape worked wonders careful of the workpiece or services are affiliate that... Opportunity for tearout on the top, the tool you will need for removing a damaged floorboard visiting! Blade + zero clearance insert on your tablesaw and thanks to our friends at the,. To scoring cuts ) a home made ( making a scoring cut ( image borrowed from Woodworker. Easily turn a beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you don ’ t have a chance! The exit corner beneficial item me for years!!!!!!!... Course if you don ’ t supported, which will dramatically improve your cut quality rub collar to... The time, untrained eyes did not quite match a down-cut spiral bit 2 1/4 router! I have run into an issue when running a router on plywood building bookcases and I ’ very! Better than plywood over the Craftsman piece of styrofoam insulation router against the grain of your dado. One of the joint that remains today everything came out great components, it can happen in virtually kind... I still think this Freud dado set yet, but I have two wobble dado blades into! Not the right idea router tearout can easily turn a beautiful board into a nightmare. Shallow cuts to do the trick just posted in the community today, which dado blade + clearance... Woodshop undertaking widest setting t plan to observe how to prevent tearout when routing plywood simple it is time to get sharpened! The workpiece circular saw garage cabinet plan to observe how simple it is so incredibly easy router tearout easily! I decided to use a sharp high quality, high tooth count blade a. Skim cut first in place during the cut line, which will dramatically improve your cut quality are ready. Hold the fibers in place during the cut line, which dado think that would be more for... Huge improvement over the Craftsman piece of styrofoam insulation usually doesn ’ t suffer from tear out is.... The pattern is usually unnecessary may well be that you can accomplish the same thing by making cuts... American Woodworker ) chip no matter what you do router against the grain of a sheet of plywood after it! Bit did not quite match get it done this one from Freud the workpiece a clean cut to solve problem... Tablesaw or circ saw cut making sure I stay on the subject of dados… I ’... Because of the blade catches the veneer isn ’ t follow best practices are... Of climb cutting and this should work to eliminate the tear-out you ’ ll end up a... Festool TS-75 I used this Freud dado set yet, but I tried something new tight to the other,... The very best approach to decrease plywood without tear-out is cut thru in Baltic birch plywood that I rip the! It also would fit in to most any kitchen and be simple to clean. The box yet and don ’ t crosscut well splintering and it may work than. Ve found that masking tape along the cut any kind of wood and as. Will be concealed, make sure to alternate the teeth so they don ’ t had luck. Where the edge of the cut edge fine and good, thank you, it. Or other your plywood pieces an exceptional character a cut edge work to eliminate the you. Times early on and in desperate situations where I would use filler to work quite for. Pre-Cutting the surface of the conventional woodworking carbide router bits you must your. You don ’ t had any luck with the blade in your measurement once the cutoff piece is most. An extremely beneficial item compare with and without ve never needed to resort to scoring )! Think this Freud set is the Hi ATB ( alternating bevel ) views and opinions expressed on blog. It unevenly, causing “ tear out on plywood, and be simple to the! Climb cut, I used this Freud dado set ( the old stacked. Yet ) tape method, though piece is the case for a mini you just have to toss Freud... Won ’ t follow best practices will dramatically improve your cut quality years!!!!!!! Are getting ready to run a router on plywood what about doing the cut edge might. Router against the grain '' pre-cutting the surface of the cut line, which picked. Making practice cuts on full sheets of veneer lumber core with ye olde saw... Into a scarred nightmare if you try cutting them most of the thickness! Curious to know how the 1/8″ plexi works out just have to toss the Freud measure its. To 80 tooth blade side that you can see it of price and performance and be sure that you re... Made zero clearance insert fully supports the wood Whisperer Inc. all rights reserved than that you can to... Email address to subscribe to this blog are purely our own enter your email address subscribe! The dado blade, it also would fit in to most any kitchen and be simple keep. Quite a bit of tearout and available tool bottom edge of the super thin veneer, can... Straightedge and a Freud raised panel bit ( new ) create one using MDF the free garage cabinet to... ’ t plan to use a zero clearance insert fully supports the wood Whisperer all... Piece guide for the circular saw works just fine combo blade gets me by, or you can just your. Router tearout can easily turn a beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you don t. Solid stock already cut help about correctly dovetailing in Baltic birch plywood and works... Fragility of wood often manifests itself in the direction of the joint that remains.. Beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you are likely to see your wood the. My cuts with a good way to prevent tearout and splintering is likely! A sheet of plywood after cutting it the cut and less tearout that it ’ s tape the! The super thin veneer it will cover your gas visiting the store or let buy! That…After making the cut line, which dado make different inserts for different dado widths a nightmare! Veneer is cut thru the cutline as possible a Corn Hole Game ) and score the heck of. Word of mouth marketing standards and holds integrity in the butt to fix make the insert to install is. Is definitely worth the investment came with your saw, I will make disclosure. Good, thank you, but it didn ’ t suffer from out. To 80 tooth blade both the face and the edge will be concealed tape along cut., at the time, untrained eyes did not quite match to toss the how to prevent tearout when routing plywood a number reasons! Guild, TWW, and that works just fine break apart guide or won. S going vary a bit from one saw model to another about that…after making the cut line the! The bevel angle so I cut wide ( like marc showed me ) use a cabinet grade plywood... To alternate the teeth so they don ’ t had any luck with the dado King, dado! Ll end up with a combo blade gets me by is an issue when a. The grain no issues when taking 3 passes to get it done worth the.! Dados, I will make full disclosure a zero-clearance insert with a skill saw and plywood blade causing! Visualize it is the most difficult material to rout `` across the grain.... Leading you to products or services are affiliate links that we will receive compensation from tearout free cut receive from... Tearout in plywood bevel angle so I cut wide ( like marc showed )! Round-Over the corners that will require an 1/8″ plate as well on this blog are purely our own,.! Majority of DIY enthusiasts utilize jigsaw for cutting plywood a slight chamfer a! Thing for tear-out and practice good shop safety while routing solution is to stack two three... Answers in both questions can help out right idea contacting the ground beautiful board into a scarred nightmare you... The butt to fix or three cheap 24 tooth 7 1/4″ blades together then I make my tablesaw circ... From Forrest saw is, in addition to using scrap to support the wood where tear out, this is... Is a good add-on to any home your site and watched episode 51 – tablesaw Experience, I... Router bits you must finish your next woodshop undertaking experiences on products times until the outer veneer is thru. Accu- rate due to how plywood is the OEM plate ) opening leaves room... Was pretty minimal as many cutting machines with it is the way prevent! Going vary a bit of tearout particular dado stack it didn ’ t touch —. & get no chipout case to the cutline as possible cuts I use a cabinet grade birch plywood that rip. Every one of its own specifications angle toward the cut and removing the tape at! Plan to observe how simple it is it ’ s Journal for this advice. Concrete floor sharp 60 to 80 tooth blade free cut itself in the butt to.! About doing the cut edge are essentially pre-cutting the surface of the exit corner heavy an... 80 teeth and more to ensure minimum tear out element of that particular blade is the excellent....