Tips for reducing tear out

[joe webb]

Hello all,

I am a new woodworking hobbyist. Could you please share your tips on reducing tear out with Baltic Birch plywood?

I am able to get a fairly clean cut on my table saw. Even the circular saw mounted on a sled (to use w/ a track) gave quite satisfactory result.
But after the cut, I smooth out the edge with light sanding. I sand by hand with a block sander. I start w/ 150 grit, then 180, and finish w/ 240. I just give few strokes with each grit. I am not trying to create a chamfer. But sanding the edge often produce tear out. That is when I am not using edge bands to conceal the layers. In some cases, I like the look of the exposed ply.

I can use some tips from the pros here. If there are faster and/or easier way to finish the edges, I would be super interested in as well.

Thanks much

[Mel Fulks]

Blade with lots of sharp teeth. I would try a steel blade, steel can get sharper. Lightly sand the corners before sanding the edges. Then
do final sanding on the corners. Putting blue masking tape on the wood before sawing can help.

Joe ,thanks for being a contributor !

[joe webb]

Blade with lots of sharp teeth. I would try a steel blade, steel can get sharper. Lightly sand the corners before sanding the edges. Then
do final sanding on the corners. Putting blue masking tape on the wood before sawing can help.

Joe ,thanks for being a contributor !

Thanks Mel. Oh and sorry, previously when i said edge, I mean the corner and not the flat section of the edge itself. When I smooth the corner, i get some tear out on the veneer side.

And I thought carbide blades are now better than steel? Is that not the case with plywood? I use a 10" 60T on my table saw, and 7.25" 40T on my circular saw.

[Rick Potter]

Another thing you might try Joe, is to get a fine tooth Freud 7 1/4" blade from HD, and try that on your table saw. On baltic birch it will cut a super thin kerf and cost very little. I think they go as fine as 60 tooth.

Of course when sanding you should push the paper toward the cut, not away.

[joe webb]

Thanks Rick. I have been considering the thin kerf blade because I have an entry level job site table saw. The standard 15Amp. It will give my table saw more mojo. But I am not able to find a riving knife as thin as the blade. Isn't it a big no-no to cut without the riving knife?

Can you please explain what "push the paper toward the cut" means?

[George Makra]

Score your wood with a utility knife before you make the cut and use a sharp blade.

[George Bokros]

Another thing you might try Joe, is to get a fine tooth Freud 7 1/4" blade from HD, and try that on your table saw. On baltic birch it will cut a super thin kerf and cost very little. I think they go as fine as 60 tooth.

Of course when sanding you should push the paper toward the cut, not away.

I have done this. It really works well. I use the same blade in my circ saw when cutting plywood.

[Phil Mueller]

I think what Rick means is to sand from the face to the edge. Not from the edge up over the face. I also avoid sanding back and forth down the corner...just from the face over to the edge.

[Mel Fulks]

And I thought carbide blades are now better than steel? Is that not the case with plywood? I use a 10" 60T on my table saw, and 7.25" 40T on my circular saw.[/QUOTE]

Carbide stays sharp a lot better than steel. But steel GETS sharper, for some critical work steel is better.

[Mel Fulks]

Adjust blade height just above the work. No higher than needed.

[Lee Schierer]

A zero clearance insert is your best friend for reducing tear out. If you use tape as suggested just be sure to remove the tape by pulling it toward the cut line. Regular masking tape works better than blue tape.

[Kevin Jenness]

Best blades for veneer I have used are high tooth count (10"/80 tooth), high angle alternate bevel, moderate forward rake angle like the Forrest Duraline. Usually keeping the blade height low will result in least tearout at the bottom of the cut. Baltic birch tends to have a flaky face veneer because of slicing defects in the thick face plies. You might try another product like Appleply or Columbia Europly for exposed edges.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Carbide blades hold an edge longer; steel blades can get sharper.

[Rick Potter]

I didn't word that very well Joe, Phil said it much better.

About that riving knife, most portable saws I have seen use pretty thin riving knives. Whether it will work with a 7 1/4" blade is a question maybe someone else can answer. The riving knife is a great safety device, and should be used.

I have seen home made riving knives made of thin steel for use with very thin blades. Check youtube.

[joe webb]

Thank you everyone. I got many tips I can try. First, I will try a blade with more fine teeth and the sanding pushing into the cut given they are the least tedious and not adding extra steps.

It's been a lot of fun to learn and do woodworking for the past 12-18 months. I started with my staircase remodeling which isn't the simplest project to tackle for a beginner (so I was told), but with the help of people on this forum, and all the detailed explanation, I managed to get it done. And since then, it has become a fun hobby that helped me to get off my computer. So big thanks to all for helping me discover a new fascinating hobby. And looking around, I now realize so many things are made of wood.

[Mark Hennebury]

If i understand you correctly, you are trying to soften the sharp edges of the plywood. So in essence a small chamfer. Try using a small blockplane with a sharp blade. Hold the plane on the edge of the plywood, at 45° to the face and edge, and skew the plane 45° so that the face fibre's are cut before the edge fibre's, the blade will slice the fibre's by pushing them down and into the board. You will get a very clean cut with no tearout. You need only take a very fine shaving. You can take several passes and make adjustments to the plane angle to make a small roundover if you don't want a chamfer. You can then finish with 240 grit sandpaper if you wish.

[Rick Potter]

One other thing. I learned this one the hard way. You mentioned Baltic Birch ply. There is a big difference between Baltic Birch and 'looks like Baltic Birch' plywood.

Baltic lookalikes may have razer thin face layers that shatter when cut, and may also have interior layers of softwood, so your first indication is that the real stuff is much heavier than the phony. Both exterior and interior layers are hardwood, and the thickness of exterior faces are easy to gage thickness on the real stuff.

Another common problem with the Borg stuff is that layers might be overlapped on the inside, resulting in varying thickness. I once made some cabinet pieces with prefinished Borg plywood, and after dadoing, found that some shelves wouldn't fit and others did.

[Gordon Dale]

You mentioned Baltic Birch ply. There is a big difference between Baltic Birch and 'looks like Baltic Birch' plywood.

I agree with this 100%. Something I also learned the hard way.

[joe webb]

If i understand you correctly, you are trying to soften the sharp edges of the plywood. So in essence a small chamfer. Try using a small blockplane with a sharp blade. Hold the plane on the edge of the plywood, at 45° to the face and edge, and skew the plane 45° so that the face fibre's are cut before the edge fibre's, the blade will slice the fibre's by pushing them down and into the board. You will get a very clean cut with no tearout. You need only take a very fine shaving. You can take several passes and make adjustments to the plane angle to make a small roundover if you don't want a chamfer. You can then finish with 240 grit sandpaper if you wish.

I saw this technique in a Youtube video and tried to apply it. It didn't go well. It kinda catch in the wood when I glide and create a dent. I believe although it looks simple, using a plane needs more skills and touch. It's my plan to learn to dial and use the plane at some point. Get use to the motion.

[joe webb]

One other thing. I learned this one the hard way. You mentioned Baltic Birch ply. There is a big difference between Baltic Birch and 'looks like Baltic Birch' plywood.

Baltic lookalikes may have razer thin face layers that shatter when cut, and may also have interior layers of softwood, so your first indication is that the real stuff is much heavier than the phony. Both exterior and interior layers are hardwood, and the thickness of exterior faces are easy to gage thickness on the real stuff.

Another common problem with the Borg stuff is that layers might be overlapped on the inside, resulting in varying thickness. I once made some cabinet pieces with prefinished Borg plywood, and after dadoing, found that some shelves wouldn't fit and others did.

This is my first project w/ Baltic Birch thus I don't have other references. I ordered BB and I hope I got the real thing.
13ply on the 3/4 sheets and 5ply on the 1/4 sheets. They are 4x8 and not the standard 5x5 sheets though.

Both faces are the same quality and the outer layers are much thicker than the maple plywood I used from home depot. The outer layers are almost as thick as the inner ones. No void in the core.