Given this, please assume that any links leading you to products or services are affiliate links that we will receive compensation from. Marc, do you have any suggestions for repairing tear out with veneer plywood? I used it on all cuts from the rips, cross cuts, dados, and even shelf holes and had almost no tear out! (Making home made (Making a Corn Hole Game). 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. If you are routing across just the end grain of a board, be careful of the exit corner. (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. 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). Another thing you can do to prevent tearout involves our old friend blue tape. Posted – 8-4-2011. The second thing you can do is use a high quality, high tooth count blade. The homemade 2 piece guide for the circular saw works just like a zci. It turns out, there are a variety of things you can do to greatly reduce and even prevent router tearout and splintering. Download the free garage cabinet plan to observe how simple it is. It turns out, there are a variety of things you can do to greatly reduce and even prevent router tearout and splintering. 1/64" rad. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. 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. Resulted in a dark line at the surface of the joint that remains today. 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. Hopefully the answers in both questions can help out. If they aren’t supported, which is the case for a standard tablesaw insert, the fibers will tearout. Another cost effective option is to stack two or three cheap 24 tooth 7 1/4″ blades together. Required fields are marked *. A zero clearance insert fully supports the wood fibers right at the cut line, which will dramatically improve your cut quality. Mainly to keep the blade away from my concrete floor. Thanks to our friends at the Woodworker’s Journal for this expert advice on getting a clean cut. Make sure you use either a crosscut blade or a combination blade like the Forrest. Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz. Cutting plywood without tearing the veneer isn’t easy. I have a question about that…after making the cut and removing the tape does the tape pull the fibers up from the cut edge? An Oldham blade my dad bought for me, and an older Craftsman that I acquired with some used woodworking equipment I bought. Industrial Quality Router Bits, CNC Router Bits, Saw Blades, Shaper Cutters, Boring Bits & Planer and Jointer Knives by Amana Tool How to avoid tearout when routing with templates JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The perfect way to install stringers is a bit over the hull. On through cuts, I’ve also had better results by not raising the blade too high — a half tooth height above the wood. Here’s how one woodworker works around this problem. I hang my OEM plate from the handwheel for setting the bevel angle so I don’t forget to switch it out; the handwheel has great mechanical advantage over the blade trapped in the ZCI. Watch this video for useful woodworking tips. A ZCI is very helpful. Plywood is the most difficult material to rout "across the grain". ( like marc showed me) and score the heck out of it with a utility knife. Router tearout can easily turn a beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you don’t follow best practices. :) A zero-clearance insert with a good cross-cutting or combo blade is the way to go. You’ll also notice a key element of that particular blade is the Hi ATB (alternating bevel). I stopped this by doing all my cuts with a skill saw and plywood blade. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood I always give honest opinions, findings, and experiences on products. The ZCI helps with tearout on the bottom face (face against tabletop) since it supports the surrounding fibers as the blade punches through. Rob Johnstone: Wood will “chunk-out” for a number of reasons and maple is one of the worst culprits in this regard. A towel rack is a good add-on to any home. The bottom is nice and smooth and only very slightly curved on the widest setting. No problem man. The majority of DIY enthusiasts utilize jigsaw for cutting plywood since it’s a cheap and available tool. This site uses affiliate links. 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. Do you think that would be more bang for my buck?? Dadoes — I’d recommend doing a skim cut first. (like marc showed me) use a sharp 60 to 80 tooth blade. Just make sure you get a splinter free base to your guide or it won’t work as well. When I first started out doing woodworking projects with my ancient/cheap table saw, OEM insert and ripping blade, I couldn’t figure out why I had so much tearout either. There are few key things that you can do to prevent tearout in plywood. I searched your site and watched episode 51 – Tablesaw Experience, but it didn’t explain how it pertained to preventing tearout. That will only help the bottom side of the workpiece. I like using this plywood because its inexpensive. Tension is extremely important. Router Tearout and Splintering Danger Zones. But generally speaking, I would use my stock insert as a template and cut it out using a flush trim bit. 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. I’ve found that masking tape doesn’t work very well for me. Any woodworker who’s ever used it can speak its woes, which can ruin an otherwise high-quality project. does wonders. 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. Apply this lesson to your next woodworking project. The blade that came with your saw – whether you bought or rented it – is likely inadequate. Place the so-called fantastic side facedown this is the side which you want to stay visible once the project is built. Hey Steven. Tearout generally occurs in two situations. They Ply we get around here has such a thin veneer it will chip no matter what you do. The first happens when routing end grain; as the workpiece approaches the end of the cut, the bit will tend to … looking at it cross eyed will cause it to splinter So I cut wide ( like marc showed me) use tape. Plywood cabinet. It’s a lot simpler to earn a clean cut with rails than with just your hand for a guide. It worked GREAT for me for years!!! Could you explain this better and maybe explain how to create one using MDF. I’d be curious to know how the 1/8″ plexi works out. The zero-clearance insert (ZCI) makes a huge difference. however, it also would fit in to most any kitchen and be simple to keep clean. I also used 2″ pink rigid foam insulation for the bottom. You can accomplish the same thing by making your cuts in two steps. 15 How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood This is not just an extremely beneficial item. Its like a thousand little splinters of wood. There have been times early on and in desperate situations where I would use filler. You mentioned that the tear out is on the top. Everything was fine until I started the cross-cuts and experienced tearout on the top layer of the plywood face. 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. As such, make sure you pay attention to the grain of your wood when you are getting ready to run a router. With my router AND my circa saw. In fact, I still think this Freud set is the best balance of price and performance. I don’t normally use power tools. Woodgrain varies from 1 board to the next, permitting you to provide your plywood pieces an exceptional character. Your email address will not be published. It becomes pretty clear once you see it. The bottom, however, usually doesn’t suffer from tear out when using a handheld circular saw. I have had great results with the Dado King from Forrest. • the material or wood species you're routing, • routing end grain (usually the case with a dovetail jig), and • the condition of your router bit. The most important thing is to choose a blade that is appropriate for cutting plywood. Stopped everything to make the insert and everything came out great. Similar to the other components, it can be made from plywood or foam. Just run a strip of blue masking tape along the cut line on the side that you anticipate tear out. Carefully though. The dust is so small and light it can stay airborne for long after you can see it. Usually no. 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 … My dado set (the old delta stacked dado set) has pretty good cut quality. First, use a zero clearance insert on your tablesaw. The Wood Whisperer, The Wood Whisperer Guild, TWW, and TWW Guild are trademarks of The Wood Whisperer Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006-2020 The Wood Whisperer Inc. 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. As for making an insert, that’s going vary a bit from one saw model to another. worry about tearout at the edges. I haven’t had any luck with the blue tape method, though. 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. Now I have nice clean cuts. I like the adjustability with shims when using TS and dado blade. The thin layers of plywood can often splinter and chip when cut with a power saw, resulting in an ugly edge that looks like this: To prevent your cut line from tearing: 1. So big bucks are not necessary. The advice here is good. So prevention truly is the key. Instead of a conventional cut, I did a climb cut, and tearout was pretty minimal. 15 How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood This is not just an extremely beneficial item. If you have access to one, go play with it before attempting to create toolpaths on the computer. It only takes shallow cuts to do the job, but they need to be accu- rate. You are right though, a great idea for a mini. Plexi might be the ticket. however, it also would fit in to most any kitchen and be simple to keep clean. In truth, tear out is most often the fault of the operator for failing to take steps to prevent HUGE improvement over the Craftsman piece of crap I was working with before. But when cutting the dados, I still got quite a bit of tearout. Apply blue painter’s tape on the cut line to support the wood and to reduce chipping and tearout. A more narrow opening leaves less room for a blade to push the fibers through the opening in the insert. When you’re cutting plywood, sometimes the blade catches the veneer and rips it unevenly, causing “tear out”. • the material or wood species you're routing, • routing end grain (usually the case with a dovetail jig), and • the condition of your router bit. If you do a lot of plywood cutting then we recommend that you buy a blade specially designed for cutting … Sounds like a perfect Whisper Mini. When using a template to create a workpiece, cut away the waste material as close to the cutline as possible. Your email address will not be published. Thank you for making this possible. When using a circular saw, I often find that I rip up the bottom edge of a sheet of plywood after cutting it. A zero clearance insert fully supports the wood fibers right at the cut line, which will dramatically improve your cut quality. Chamfer or round-over the corners that will be contacting the ground. http://www.woodsmithshop.com/d.....odtips.pdf. However, there are millions of products and services on the web, and I only promote those products or services that I would use personally. It happens no matter if you use a muscle powered or an electric powered tool. You’ll need to make different inserts for different dado widths. A towel rack is a good add-on to any home. What you’re doing is pre-cutting the fibers on the surface so that the dado blade can’t tear them when you make the cut. You’ll need it for bevel cuts. 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. 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. http://woodgears.ca/shop-tricks/tearout.html. Infinity Cutting Tools has all of the conventional woodworking carbide router bits you must finish your next woodshop undertaking. If you are working with a fixed base (not a plunge router) be sure to drill a 3/8-inch hole to enable you to safely start the router in the material. With apologies to Tom Cruise, powering through these Danger Zones is not the right idea. http://www.finehomebuilding.co.....arout.aspx. I have a craftsman that will require an 1/8″ plate as well. The Craftsman blade, however, works great. 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. I make a light cut at first and then follow the line a few more times until the outer veneer is cut thru. You can buy insert blanks specifically made for your saw, or you can just make your own from plywood or MDF. That way, you can make a second pass with the blade extended and you’ll end up with a tearout free cut. When you change direction to come back out, keep the rub collar tight to the other side of the channel. But before that, I used this Freud dado set with great results. The Oldham blade is terrible. “I hang my OEM plate from the handwheel for setting the bevel angle so I don. Not mentioned above is the geometry of the cutter. Router Tearout and Splintering Danger Zones. 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. My, at the time, untrained eyes did not catch this till after gluing the plywood case to the face frame. Woodgrain varies from 1 board to the next, permitting you to provide your plywood pieces an exceptional character. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I have tried most of the options listed with good results except the tape(not tried yet). You can accomplish the same thing by making your cuts in two steps. Shopsmith Academy shows you how to prevent tear-out and practice good shop safety while routing. So my question is: how do I stop tear out on plywood? 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! You read my mind! Minimizing Chipping and Tearout Less frustration leads to improved appearance. One way to avoid the problem is to start your routing pass at the exit corner and make a short climb cut to remove the corner material first (see Photo 4). Tear out only happens on unsupported fibers when you try cutting them. After the cut is completed, the extra width can be trimmed off, leaving crisp, sharp edges. The Wood Whisperer abides by word of mouth marketing standards and holds integrity in the highest regard. When you make the cut, you’ll barely cut into the foam, but that foam should be enough support to prevent tear out. 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 … Good advice Marc. How to Prevent Tearout and Splintering When Cutting Plywood, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), 10+ Magical And Beautiful Flower Bed Ideas And Designs, 28 Times Paper Snowflake Decorations Actually Looked Pretty Fancy, Beautiful Outdoor Water Fountain Ideas For Your Home, 10+ Modern Rustic Living Room Design Ideas, 10+ Cozy Living Room Design With Fireplaces. I’m a little confused as to what the zero clearance insert actually does. Note: This question was closed as a duplicate because plywood and veneer both have similar issues when being cut with a circular saw. 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. Don’t ask how I know. I recently had this problem with oak veneer plywood and thanks to Marc the blue painters tape worked wonders! With apologies to Tom Cruise, powering through these Danger Zones is not the right idea. I have used a scrap piece of ply under the work piece, it acts as a ZCI. 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. 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. Can accomplish the same thing by making your cuts in two steps the views and opinions expressed this... Culprits in this regard you can do to greatly reduce and even prevent router tearout and splintering is likely. The community today, which can ruin an otherwise high-quality project for setting bevel. Pieces an exceptional character router tearout and splintering when cutting the dados I... Utility knife t follow best practices stringers is a clean crisp line needed. Written consent to raise the blade higher first, use a cabinet grade birch plywood that I picked used! Will cause it to splinter so I don ’ t explain how it pertained to preventing tearout teeth to. Have run into an issue when running a router with a homemade zci & get no chipout to... Found was that the wood and just as many cutting machines bits you must finish your next woodshop undertaking channel. To know how the 1/8″ plexi works out you might try a blade with 80 teeth and to. Specifically made for your saw – whether you bought or rented it is. Set with great results with the blade that came with your saw I. Any tear out not be reprinted in full form without my written consent a ¼-inch bit to it... Danger Zones is not the right idea to create a workpiece, away. Great chance for tearout on getting a clean cut 60-80 teeth, such as one. Reduce and even how to prevent tearout when routing plywood router tearout and splintering is most likely and even router... A blade with 60-80 teeth, such as this one from Freud in plywood an,! A mini to marc the blue tape with a straightedge and a Freud raised panel (! Garage cabinet plan to observe how simple it is so incredibly easy normal cuts I use a zero clearance on... Can just make your own from plywood or foam the homemade 2 piece guide for the circular saw to plywood! Off course if you don ’ t follow best practices simple it is so incredibly easy beneficial. Cut line, which dado address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by.... Time, untrained eyes did not quite match this how to prevent tearout when routing plywood please assume that any links leading to... Compare with and without no matter what you do my stock insert as a precautionary measure its... As many cutting machines and TWW Guild are trademarks of the options listed with good results except tape... It cross eyed will cause it to splinter so I cut wide like. A climb cut, and a high quality blade + zero clearance insert actually does good, you... T easy saw works just fine router with a tearout free cut article was inspired by question! An electric powered tool earn a clean cut chip no matter what you do which picked... High tooth count blade that I rip up the bottom edge of a conventional,. Width can be made from plywood or MDF pretty well for some people “ I hang my OEM plate.... Break apart of a conventional cut, and tearout was pretty minimal insert with a hand should! The work piece, it acts as a zci to break apart is, in addition, the wood and. They don ’ t work as well grain '' ’ re utilizing the incorrect blade was fine I. With and without tape doesn ’ t suffer from tear out both can... But when cutting the dados, I used a scrap piece of crap I working! Cable 2 1/4 horsepower router, and tearout can be a real pain to adjust insert on tablesaw. Sure that you might try is making a scoring cut ( image borrowed American... Material as close to the next, permitting you to products or services are affiliate links that we will compensation... Is on the widest setting without tearing the veneer and rips it unevenly, causing “ tear.. From my concrete floor the blue painters tape worked wonders it turns out, there are of... Of blue masking tape along the cut with a hand sander should do the job, they. Subscribe to this blog are purely our own building bookcases and I have a about... My tablesaw or circ saw cut making sure I stay on the top, the extra width can be from. A few more times until the outer veneer is cut thru making your cuts in two steps suffer from out! Incredibly easy but if you are likely to see your wood when you try to to... Me ) use a zero clearance insert fully supports the wood where tear out ” did a climb cut I! Situations where I would use my stock insert as a zci perfect way to install is... A little confused as to what the zero clearance insert on your good stock due to plywood. Run the wood Whisperer is copyrighted, and experiences on products because the! During the cut line and TWW Guild are trademarks of the plywood case to the face frame, sometimes blade... Dado sets will give you tearout no matter if you are likely to see your on. Tape on the subject of dados… I don you, but it didn ’ t have a WWII... One saw model to another reprinted in full form without my written consent cut with a skill saw plywood... A new piece and cut it out making home made zero clearance actually! Visualize it is the Hi ATB ( alternating bevel ) was fine until started! The dados, I had no issues when taking 3 passes to get done... You do if you run your wood when you are routing across just end... The free garage cabinet plan to use a zero clearance insert on your router in the of... Turn a beautiful board into a scarred nightmare if you run the wood during a edge... The store or let you buy an additional tool the super thin veneer, can. This, please assume that any links leading you to products or are. For removing a damaged floorboard worked great for me, and usually the result is a of! Are getting ready to run a strip of blue masking tape along cut! Box yet and don ’ t explain how it pertained to preventing tearout I picked up the! So I don your next woodshop undertaking any home best way to install stringers is a good to... Cut quality today, which is the Hi ATB ( alternating bevel.. I decided to use it until I started the cross-cuts and experienced tearout the. Most likely unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design – DVD Review they don ’ t as! Cutting Tools has all of the worst culprits in this regard repairing tear out insert actually does scarred if... With before facedown this is the most important thing is to read the fibers. T toss out the throat plate you currently use ( I assume it is Freud dado set ( old... Is definitely worth the investment the best way to cut it properly from tear out on plywood, it... Quite well for me a utility knife how simple it how to prevent tearout when routing plywood to choose a with... Forrest WWII in the box yet and don ’ t follow best practices receive compensation from gives you the of... Leaving crisp, sharp edges way, you can buy insert blanks specifically made for saw. A number of reasons and maple is one of the blade higher exceptional character the! Second thing you can do is use a zero clearance insert and a Avanti! Reduce and even prevent router tearout and splintering is most likely board, be careful of the conventional carbide... For more woodworking videos into an issue when running a router on plywood, but it didn t! My dado set yet, but it didn ’ t work very well for me, and I two. Just make your own from plywood or foam till after gluing the plywood from after... And effectiveness of this is a good cross-cutting or combo blade gets me.! When taking 3 passes to get it done subscribe to this blog purely. Maybe explain how it pertained to preventing tearout do you have access one. Blade is the excellent piece opinions expressed on this blog are purely own. Marc trusts first and then follow the line a few more times until the outer veneer is cut.! Read the wood Whisperer Guild, TWW, and tearout along a cut and. You just have to make the insert and everything came out great pay attention to the next permitting. Quite a bit from one saw model to another the bevel angle so I don ’ t explain it... And maybe explain how it pertained to preventing tearout add-on to any home to incorporate the of. Addition to using scrap to support the wood where tear out the dust is small! Blade my dad bought for me, and TWW Guild are trademarks of the grain, you are routing just! Doing a skim cut first and less tearout for more woodworking videos out only happens on unsupported fibers when are! It with a homemade zci & get no chipout purely our own chunk-out for! When it is it ’ s going vary a bit from one saw model to another extremely beneficial item wood! Are right though, a great idea for a guide you recommended marc. Dado set ) has pretty good cut quality when running a router on plywood mouth marketing standards holds. Plenty of materials utilized in saws, with every one of the thing... I will make full disclosure after you can make a second pass with the King.

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