| Cutting Plywood | | | | times than not, I will use a circular saw. If you think |
| No matter what kind of woodworking you do, at | | | | of the circular saw as a upside down table saw, it will |
| some point you're going to be using plywood. | | | | make sense to make sure you cut with the good |
| Whether you're building cabinets and using | | | | side facing down. |
| commercially available plywood, make your own | | | | Here's four tips for using a circular saw to get a clean |
| veneer, or buy veneer to apply to a plywood | | | | cross cut on plywood: |
| substrate, sooner or later you're going to have to | | | | 1) The same blade considerations we talking about |
| deal with cutting plywood. | | | | for the table saw apply to the circular saw. |
| | | | 2) Score the plywood first by setting the height of |
| Here are some ways to avoid this: | | | | the blade just deep enough to score the top veneer. |
| Let's first look at the tools used to cut plywood, | | | | Then go back and cutting all the through. This |
| both for cross cutting and ripping. Large 4 x 8 sheets | | | | method works very well if you use a fence so you |
| of plywood are most often ripped using the table | | | | can make the exact same cut twice. Free handing a |
| saw. When ripping or cross cutting on the table saw | | | | cut like this won't work. |
| the good side should always be facing up. This action | | | | 3) A method I like to use to help prevent splintering |
| alone will prevent the majority of splintering on the | | | | on the bottom side when using a circular saw is to |
| good side. To be sure of this though, two things | | | | use a backer board. Use a sacrificial sheet of cheap |
| should be done to your table saw. First, you need to | | | | MDF underneath your plywood. Lower the blade to |
| be using a sharp 40 tooth combination blade, (my | | | | just cut below the thickness of the plywood. The |
| favorite is the Forrest Woodworker II) or a high | | | | MDF will support the fibers of the veneer, keeping |
| alternate bevel grind blade, a specialty blade designed | | | | them from tearing out. |
| to cut melamine and veneered wood without | | | | 4) Another trick is to use a strip of painters tape or |
| splintering. Second, your table saw needs to be tuned | | | | masking tape along the cut line. The tape acts like |
| up. By this I mean that the blade needs to be parallel | | | | the back board in the previous method. A work of |
| to the fence. On the side facing up, if you're only | | | | caution here. Don't use tape that is real sticky, it will |
| getting tear out on one side of the blade, this is | | | | end up pealing up the wood fibers underneath, |
| probably the problem. If you're getting tear out on | | | | exactly what you were trying to avoid. Which ever |
| both sides of the blade, your blade is wobbling due to | | | | type tape you use, be sure you remove it as soon |
| being bent, or the arbor isn't running true. It helps to | | | | as the cut has been made to prevent it from melting |
| have a dial indicator to tune up your table saw. | | | | to the plywood from the heat of the blade. |
| For cross cutting large sheets of plywood, more | | | | |