Can't get a square crosscut!

[joe milana]

I am finding that when i sneak up on a crosscut length, my cut is not square. I checked everything multiple times then it dawned on me, "maybe I am getting blade drift". Yep! When I take a full kerf crosscut, and check it with a machinist square, it's dead on, but when I take less than a full kerf, my cut is not square. I have tried three blades now, all nearly brand new. Freud premier fusion, Forrest WW2, WW2 #6. All with same result. Anyone else experienced this? I have never purchased a dedicated crosscut blade before, maybe it's time.

[glenn bradley]

You don't mention the length of the cut versus the width of your material. I would expect your deviation to be coming from a lack of material control. When I am doing rough work I crosscut with a WWII TK without problems. Are you using a sled? Have you run the five cut (http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/five_cut_method_swf.htm) method to assure things are aligned?

P.s. I favor dedicated blades; 24T for rip, 40T for general and 80T for crosscut.

[joe milana]

I'm cutting maple faceframe stock (1X3). I even tried clamping the board to the miter gauge because I thought maybe it was sliding. Like I said, a full kerf cut gives me a square cut, It's when I nibble off fraction that I am off. I noticed a slight amount of pitch on the sides of the teeth (probably from cutting plywood) so I have the blades soaking. We'll see if that makes a difference.

[Paul Murphy]

Are they thin kerf blades?

[joe milana]

Are they thin kerf blades?

No, full kerf.

[glenn bradley]

Ah, thanks. I have often been pleasantly surprised to see the improvement after cleaning a blade, let's hope that helps. Obviously 1x3 a foot long or so should be no problem for a miter gauge. Once you start pushing two feet or more, even with a great saw setup, your gauge and the associated fence need to be up to the task.

Some things that might also help:
- be sure your miter bar fits snug in the slot; no slop. If your gauge doesn't allow for this adjustment, I have gotten by with foil tape down one side of the bar and there are other "fixes" for this.
- Be sure your piece is well supported; even if you have the piece clamped like the dickens at the gauge head, if the material is uncontrolled 18" to the left, the cut will show it.

If this is truly blade deviation then slowing your feed rate should cure it. If the blade still deviates at a slow speed then the blade is not cutting well, it is being "pushed" to the side. On a full kerf blade this should take some doing. I would start looking at sharpness but, you have seen the same thing on multiple blades so that doesn't really make sense. This could get interesting ;-)

[Paul Murphy]

Other than what Glenn suggested my only other thought is to check for axial play at your saw arbor.

[Andy Bardowell]

Do you trust your square? Try cutting a piece of scrap in half, flip one half over, is there any gap?

[Leo Vogel]

This can really be a pain at times, but sometimes the remedy is easy. I doubt it is the blade.

Solid control of the workpiece is important. Make sure you have a good quality miter gauge for the saw. I always use sandpaper on the face of my miter gauges. You would be surprised how difficult it is to hold a board through the cut without the sandpaper. Try it if you don't already. You will be amazed at the result. Also, after cutting the board, do not return the board by scraping it against the blade. That can ruin your square cut.

Also make sure all four corners of the saw blade throat insert are flush with the table top. If it is not, it will give you fits.

As said by someone earlier, make sure the saw is in adjustment. Also remember to measure the squareness off of the side of the board that rested against the miter gauge.

Just some of the mistakes I've made over the years.

[Tom Veatch]

What Leo said!

I would hate to have to admit how many pieces of scrap I've created by letting the workpiece creep on the miter gauge. Especially on angled cuts, but on 90° crosscuts as well and particularily when "sneaking up" on the length. For me, at least, miter creep is a fact of life if the work isn't clamped to the miter gauge or there's no high friction surface (sandpaper, etc.) on the gauge's fence.

[Joe Scharle]

Most likely cleaning the blade will fix your problem, if the blade is sharp. Did you try your dado blade? It's smaller, thicker and stiffer than the 10" blades. BTW, I've never seen any miter gage, regardless of price, that performs as well as a good sled. Looking forward to reading of your fix.