Hi everyone:
Because my table saw is an entry level model with no stability, no capacity and no accuracy, I use a circular saw with a guide when cutting up plywood sheets. While cumbersome, this has worked reasonably well until this project I’m on now. I use a 7 1/4″ blade rated for cutting plywood in the circular saw.
I’m trying to cut some imported cherry plywood, 3/4″, and the saw started binding and wandering, cutting curves in my plywood and melamine guide! I thought maybe I had a bad blade, so I went out and bought a new one and made a new guide. The same thing happened again. Frustrated, I put in the all-purpose blade which came with the saw and it cut through the plywood like butter.
Do plywood blades not live up to their name? These are inexpensive (about $8) but I couldn’t find a more expensive version in Home Depot. Or is their some characteristic of imported cherry plywood (which was actually cheaper than the domestic A-1 but I bought it because I liked the pinkish tone to it) I was previously unaware of?
I’d appreciate any input/advice you may have. Thanks.
Replies
Several years ago I bought a 200 fine tooth 10" HSS plywood blade for my table saw and it worked fine for 1/4" and 1/2" plywood but burned when cutting 3/4" plywood. Needless to say I have since bought a Freud carbide tipped blade with 40 teeth and thin kerf. It does a fantastic job with no chipping or tearing out when cross cutting. I am not sure the first blade was intended for the 3/4" stock, I don't have the original package to see what they claimed it was for.
Adirhu,
I tried many a blade in my tablesaw and portable saw (they shared blade sizes - a mere 6.5 inches) to cut both ply and blockboard faced with exotic veneers. The boards were always either 1/2 or 3/4 inch.
Many blades advertised as specialising in board cutting did not work any better than a general purpose blade, which seems to be your experience.
However, when I replaced my tablesaw with a bigger one that takes 10 inch blades, I found that I could buy many more types of blade. I now use a Sheppach (same make as the tablesaw) blade with 80 very sharp 45 degree alternate bevel teeth. It's a revelation, cutting any double faced board with no breakout on either side.
Sheppach sell their saw with this blade claiming, amongst other virtues, that you no longer need a scoring blade on your table saw to achieve clean results in faced boards. Their claim is true. However, the stability of the blade on the arbor (ie no wobble) might also be helping.
I understand that Freud make similar blades in a variety of sizes. Probably other manufacturers do to.
I suspect that if you try a blade with a large number of teeth in a handheld circular saw, it will need to have plenty power and a true running arbor, to get the blade to perform.
Wow, this is strange. Answer us some questions, pleeeeze. How far below the stock does the blade protrude? How much support do you have up close to the blade? (e.g., is the ply hanging off the edge of the support by quite a ways?) What brand is the blade you're using? (I'm not remembering what HD carries in that blade). How many teeth??
Something's definitely amiss and you shouldn't be having these problems.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Plywood blades are no good for cutting plywood thicker than 1/4".There are too many teeth, the blade heats up and wobbles. Use a combination blade with at least 40 teeth.Either cut from the underside to reduce splitting or make a scoring cut first.
When making a scoring cut ( use this method if both sides have to be splinter free) set up your straight edge. Install sharp combo blade,set tooth projection for about 1/8". DO NOT push the saw on the scoring cut,start at the far end and the saw is pulled backwards.The guard has to be lifted slightly to start the cut.If you are using a straight edge where the saw sits on a base ( two piece straight edge)the guard will drag on the straight edge. If it is a one piece straight edge,the guard has to be held up the entire lengtj of the cut.
After making the scoring cut,set the saw base for a full cut ,one tooth lower than the plywood thickness.Then push the saw as you normally would. This extra step gives you splinter free cuts.No need to tape or score with a knife.
mike
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