Wood Splintering Solution?

[Aaron Kitchell]

Hi All,

I'm new to WW and Sawmill Creek. I recently purchased a Ridgid 12" miter saw, and purchased a Freud Diablo 80 tooth, fine kerf blade. Even with the improved blade, I still experience wood splintering on the back side of my cuts. Does anyone have a solution?

Thanks,

[Bob Turkovich]

Aaron,

Welcome to Sawmill Creek!

Is your miter saw a sliding compound miter or not? (Ridgid makes both).

Looking at their saws online it is hard to tell how big of a slot is in the table insert. Typically, you would have to make a zero clearance insert (not that hard to do if you have the right tools) to support the wood fibers on the bottom side of the cut. If it is a slider, your blade may not be in line with the stroke. Your manual should be able to tell you how to check and adjust for that.

[Van Huskey]

Along with a ZCI you might try blue painter's tape along the cut line where you are getting splintering.

[Jim Summers]

Along with a ZCI you might try blue painter's tape along the cut line where you are getting splintering.

I have used the blue tape with success when cutting picture frame stuff on my miter saw.

[Van Huskey]

I have used the blue tape with success when cutting picture frame stuff on my miter saw.


What I think is funny is have have found almost as many uses for blue tape as duct tape, the only one it doesn't work for me is actually painting...:mad: Though I will say the green Frog Tape does an excellent job with painting.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Be sure to let the blade get up to full speed before cutting, and slow down how fast you plunge/push [depending on saw type] the blade thru the cut.

[Peter Quinn]

Make a sub fence for splinter free fine work. Every scams I have used has holes in the stock fence. Make an L with two pieces of plywood, the bottom piece maybe 8" wide, 24" long, make the back fence piece tall enough to support the work you are doing, screw the fence the bottom and attach the assembly to your main fence through the back with screws. Take care not to put any screws in the path of your blade. Set your blade depth to cut 1/8 deep into this new sacrificial bottom, and replace the back fence as necessary. Regardless of blade type and feed speed some wood is going to splinter if unsupported as the blade exits, so supporting it becomes your only option. Nearly every cutting tool benefits from this same type of thinking.

[Forrest Bonner]

Aaron, tape and ZCI are good ideas. If you have a SCMS, then try to eliminate the teeth coming out of the wood on either side: Your first cut would be a very light climb cut on the top surface. That will drive the teeth down into the wood rather than up out of the wood. With the slide fully extended at the end of your climb cut, take the blade all the way down and complete the cut with a stroke into the saw. Now the bottom surface is also seeing the teeth go into the wood. With your 80 tooth blade you should have no splinters.
Forrest

[Steve Griffin]

The good news is only on in a 100 cuts matters on the back side....

For the few that do--cut on a sacrificial backer board, use top quality blades, cut slow and hope for the best.

-Steve

[Josiah Bartlett]

I use offcuts of 1/4" plywood from drawer bottoms and cabinet backs as a sacrificial backer board for stuff like this- just rip the plywood to the depth of your saw base and either let it free-float or tape it down on the ends. Move it left or right if you need to have a new slot, and toss it out when it gets too junky. It backs up the cut nicely and stops tearout.

I even do this on my old school hand powered miter box. It works great.

[Aaron Kitchell]

thanks for the advice. I have a four month old baby, so I'll be trying some of these techniques, likely in combination with each other, as soon as he falls asleep!

[mreza Salav]

Be sure to let the blade get up to full speed before cutting, and slow down how fast you plunge/push [depending on saw type] the blade thru the cut.

Good advice here. If you rush it into the wood you get splinter even with the best blades. You can get a good cut if you go slowly even with e medium quality blade.