Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 23, 2006 05:12am | #1

   I suspect you are discovering the reason why end grain slices aren't used much. 

1. 
   joinerswork | Apr 24, 2006 04:30am | #2

   Steve,

   A case of the end justifying the means?

   Cheers,

   Ray

2. 
   SawdustSteve | Apr 24, 2006 04:36am | #3

   Somewhere I read that the cure for this problem is to saturate the cut line with cyano-acrilyc (crazy) glue before cutting. The glue holds all those tiny fibers in place and gives you a neat edge. I'm not sure on how it would affect the finish. SawdustSteve

3. 
   splintergroupie | Apr 24, 2006 09:28am | #4

   When i was making lots o' jewelry chests for resale whose box sides didn't fit under my miter saw, i flopped the sides on a board between a couple of guide strips to eliminate tear-out on the exit side, and used a 45-degreee chamfer bit to cut the miter, the bearing riding on the edge of the board under the workpiece. The board was large enough to clamp to the bench, and i used toggle clamps to hold the workpiece to the board, edges flush to one another, outside where the router base had to slide. Fast, repeatable, and if your chamfer bit isn't perfectly a 45*, you can shim the board with tape as needed under the workpiece for a dead-accurate miter. The cut is very, very smooth and glue-able with no hardening treatment to the cut edge.

   I still used keys in my miters, though...i wouldn't rely on just a glue joint in a mitered box joint.

4. 
   hammer1 | Apr 24, 2006 06:44pm | #5

   Often, an easy way to prevent tear out is to use a backer. It may only require a piece of scrap where the blade exits the work , in other cases, the work can be sandwiched between two tight fitting backer pieces.

   Are you using end slices (end grain) for the structure of the box? I would worry about the strength of the end grain, but I don't know what you mean by a box. There is a technique called oyster veneering. Veneers are made from end slices, showing the growth rings, and applied.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

5. 
   pzgren | Apr 24, 2006 07:10pm | #6

   Have you tried using a mitre shooting board?