How To Cut Plywood Without Chips

23rd December 2020

Sawing tips

How to cut plywood correctly to avoid chipping at the edges? To avoid such problems when working, you should take into account some of the nuances:

How to cut plywood with a jigsaw / saw to make it easier to work with? Several clamps will help the beginner master in such a matter. Thanks to them, cutting will be much easier. It is much more convenient to control the material and the tool when the sheet is firmly pressed against the table. Due to the reliable fixation of plywood, damage to the table itself can be avoided.
Drawings of any product can be found on the Internet.
Drawing from sheet to plywood can be transferred by copying.
How to cut plywood with a jigsaw to avoid chipping? When working with a manual jigsaw, you should always make sure that it moves perpendicular to the pile.

Correct position of the jigsaw in relation to the workpiece

Tips for working with a hand and electric jigsaw:

When working with an electric jigsaw, observe the tilt angle of the platform. Most often it can be customized.
In the process of cutting out simple shapes, you should monitor the position of the blade. Cutting should take place from the front of the contour of the figure.
If the cut is made in a straight line with the mowing line, then you should be guided by the pointer (on the platform). If there is no pointer, the contour should be drawn with a pencil.
To cut a complex hole with an electric jigsaw, you need to make a hole in any part of its contour. The drill diameter must be greater than the blade width.

Piercing the hole for the entrance of the jigsaw file with a special awl

If you are going to make a hole with a hand jigsaw, then the part should be pierced with an awl. Then you should thread the canvas through it. After the part is fixed again in the frame.
If an electric jigsaw is used, then the tool is turned in the process of work, and not a sheet of plywood (if you need to turn according to the picture). When working with a hand jigsaw, turn the plywood.
If you need to cut a figure and a plywood sheet with cutouts, then first cut out the cutouts (turning the sheet is much easier than a small part).
During work, care should be taken that the material does not overheat. When the edge becomes hot, it is necessary to pause for a while to allow the file to cool down. Otherwise, the teeth will lose their sharpening.

The canvas should be well taut. Otherwise the file will break.

What material to choose?

Tips for choosing a material:

To create decorative elements, a plywood sheet with a thickness of about four millimeters is suitable.
In order to decorate interior items with a carved panel, a plywood sheet with a thickness of eight millimeters or more is suitable.
A sheet of six millimeters thick is suitable for the manufacture of frame interior items. But if they are going to make frameless furniture, then they choose a sheet whose thickness is at least fifteen millimeters. It is quite possible to connect pieces of plywood end-to-end, without corners, but in this case it is necessary to make holes in the end part. For additional strength, sealant can be applied to the ends.
Plywood sheets with a thickness exceeding ten centimeters are mainly used as flooring on concrete screeds. In this case, a layer of waterproofing is placed between the concrete base and the plywood. How to cut 10 mm plywood? An electric jigsaw is the best choice for cutting plywood at this thickness. However, if you need to cut along a straight mowing line, you can do with a saw.

Edging

In order for the edges to turn out without chips, you need to choose the right tool:

Needles are used when cutting out complex shapes. Thanks to them, the edges can be made rounded or angular. Set includes triangular, flat and round files.
For coarse products, it is quite possible to do with two files, flat and round.
When plywood sheets need to be processed before roughing the walls, use a flat rasp. With the help of it, the master will clean the edge from chips.

Small parts are sanded with sandpaper.
Another way to achieve even edges is to glue the “path” of the cut with insulating tape when cutting.

Edge protection against chipping with insulating tape

How and what to cut plywood without chips

Anyone who is going to create a piece of furniture from a plywood sheet, for example, a stool, a carved box, a wardrobe or a rocking chair, asks what should be taken into account when working to make the product reliable and attractive? Also, many are interested in how to cut plywood (with a jigsaw or a saw).

The sheet material should be cut on a solid installation to avoid the shaking of the treated area.

To answer the question, the better to cut plywood and how to do it correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances, subtleties that should be taken into account in the process in order to achieve a positive result before work.

How to choose a tool for cutting a plywood sheet?

To answer the question of how to cut plywood without chips, you need to find out which tool and in what cases is more appropriate to use.

The choice of cutting tool depends on the complexity of the pattern, more precisely on the bend radius that needs to be cut.

If the bending radius is no more than one centimeter, then a hand jigsaw is used. If the width of the material is about a millimeter, then in this case, you can create many complex shapes.

If the bending radius is more than three centimeters, then an electric jigsaw is used. What file to cut plywood with? First of all, it should be noted that the radius depends on the width of the material, therefore, the smaller the saw teeth, the more intact the veneer layer will be. For this reason, in order to cut out complex shapes, they use a cloth for metal.

The sketch should be applied to the back of the plywood. This will help prevent chips from rising (if it does rise, then only from the back side).

If you want to cut in a straight line with the mowing line, then a circular saw is most appropriate. With the help of such a tool, you can achieve an even and clean cut.

If we take into account all the subtleties and nuances during work, then the result of all negative moments can be avoided.

How and what to cut the chipboard without chips?

The abbreviation chipboard should be understood as a laminated chipboard, which consists of natural wood waste mixed with a polymer adhesive, and has a lamination in the form of a monolithic film consisting of several layers of paper impregnated with resin. The lamination process is carried out under industrial conditions under a pressure of 28 MPa and at a high temperature regime, reaching 220 ° C. As a result of such processing, a very durable glossy coating is obtained, which can have various color shades and is highly resistant to mechanical damage and moisture.

Electric milling cutter

It is a hand-held type of power tool that is used to saw and drill wood-based panels. Before starting work in laminated chipboard, using a hand jigsaw, make a small cut, retreating from the marking contour by 3-4 mm. The sawing process uses several cutter blades and its bearing device that regulates the cutting depth. It is not so easy to use a cutter, so you need to have some skill with this tool to cut the slab. The movement of the cutter is quite fast, and there is a possibility of making an uneven cut.

The use of hand tools is advisable in the manufacture of single items from laminated chipboard. For mass production, it is advisable to purchase format-cutting equipment.

Hand saw

This hand tool is used in combination with a metal blade, as it has the smallest teeth. Before work, a sticky paper tape must be glued to the cut site to protect the lamination layer from damage. The hand saw blade must be held at an angle of 30–35 °, this position reduces the likelihood of chipping on the material. The movement of the hacksaw blade should be smooth, without pressure on the blade.

Electric jigsaw

In order to make an even cut without damaging the laminated layer, you will need to take a jigsaw file, in which the size of the teeth will be the smallest. It is advisable to use a jigsaw for cutting small-sized sections of chipboard. Jerks and excessive pressure during work should be avoided. The feed speed of the cutting blade at the tool should be selected as minimum.

Circular saw

This power tool consists of a small work table and a rotating toothed disc. A circular saw cuts through a chipboard much faster and better than an electric jigsaw. During the sawing process, the saw is turned on at low speed. In this case, chips may appear on the opposite side of the saw teeth.

Materials and tools

In the conditions of a woodworking enterprise, special equipment is used to cut a sheet of chipboard, which is called a panel saw. Some private furniture workshops purchase such a machine, but it is hardly advisable to install it at home due to the high cost. Household power tools will be able to replace such equipment. sawing the chipboard can be done with a circular saw or a hacksaw. The sawing process will take quite a lot of time and effort, but from an economic point of view, it will be quite justified.

Cutting rules

Laminated chipboard is made from waste from sawn hardwood and coniferous species, while the plate is lightweight and is used for the manufacture of furniture structures. Most home furniture makers prefer laminated particle board when choosing raw materials for furniture making. This material is relatively inexpensive, and in outlets there is always a wide variety of colors and textures to choose from. The difficulty in working with chipboard is that it is very difficult to saw off a part of the sheet of the required size due to the fact that the fragile laminated layer creates cracks and chips at the sawing site. Knowledge of some of the techniques used in work helps to cope with this task.

To cut laminated chipboard, you need to arm yourself with a saw with fine teeth.

For an accurate and high-quality performance of sawing work, you must act in a certain sequence.

On the chipboard sheet, it is necessary to outline the cutting line, where to glue the paper adhesive strip tightly. The tape will prevent the saw teeth from crushing the lamination layer during the sawing process.
With the help of an awl or a knife blade, a groove with a depression is made along the mowing line. Thus, we cut through a thin layer of lamination in advance, making it easier for ourselves when cutting. Moving along this groove, the saw blade will move along a tangential plane, while cutting deep layers of wood-shaving material.
When cutting, it is recommended to hold the saw blade at an acute angle to the working plane of the plate.
If the sawing work is to be carried out using an electric tool, the feed speed of the cutting blade must be kept to a minimum so that the saw cannot vibrate or bend.
After sawing off, the cut of the workpiece must be processed first with a file, and then with sandpaper. The cut must be processed with movements from the center to the edge of the workpiece.

To protect the cut point on the workpiece from further chips or cracks, it is closed by applying melamine adhesive tape, or the end edges are fixed, which can have a T-shaped or C-shaped appearance.

How to cut correctly?

It is quite possible to cut chipboard without chips at home with your own hands. It greatly simplifies the task of preliminary creation of a groove with a sharp object in the kerf. Once in this place, the blade of the cutting tool follows a predetermined path and it turns out to cut much easier. Straight cuts on laminated chipboard are much easier to do than to cut a sheet figured.

It is extremely difficult to perform curvilinear configurations using household appliances; this can be done only with the use of an electrofrez. This tool performs a high-quality cut and has a lot of additional functions.

To cut a sheet of laminated chipboard using an electromill, you must perform the following steps:

On the surface of an ordinary chipboard, all the contours of the future workpiece are marked;
Using an electric jigsaw, the workpiece is cut out, retreating from the outlined contour by 1–2 mm;
The finished sawn template is cleaned with a file or sandpaper;
A prepared stencil is placed on a sheet of laminated chipboard and fixed with carpentry clamps so that it is in a stationary position;
Along the contour of the stencil, with an electrofusion cutter equipped with a bearing mechanism, the contours of the workpiece are cut out, cutting the edge exactly along the intended mowing line;
After completing the work, the end sides are cleaned and processed with a decorative edge.

The use of an electromill allows you to make a shaped cut of chipboard without chips and cracking.

You can find out about four ways of cutting chipboard without chipping with a jigsaw from below.

Angle Grinder

Such a device is rarely used for cutting plywood sheets. To cut wood panels, a circular saw blade is most often installed on the tool, which does not provide complete safety at high speeds. In addition, high power requires serious effort to keep the device in one position. It is possible to cut off the angle grinder the desired section of the veneer board, but it is highly discouraged to use the tool throughout the work.

How to cut plywood with a hacksaw

The installation of glued veneer sheets involves a different degree of processing. The greatest difficulties arise when cutting is necessary; cutting plywood is more laborious due to the layering of the material. To achieve a high-quality result, you need to choose the right device, which will avoid problems and get parts without chips.

DIY plywood cut

All procedures are performed according to drawings, which are drawn up in advance. This will avoid mistakes.
The marked plate is placed on the prepared place. It is important to ensure free passage of the blade or saw and a rigid, stable placement of the resulting fragments.
The set stop is fixed with clamps.
Based on the most comfortable position, the largest possible cut is made. It is important to ensure that the parts. especially the part to be machined. do not sag or pinch the tool. Whenever possible, cutting is carried out without interruption.
True shape cutting is performed in a single section or fragments, excess is removed gradually.

Masking tape glued to the line of the cut can prevent the appearance of small chips along the edge, but if the disc is selected correctly, then such manipulations can be dispensed with.

For complete safety, it is recommended to work with goggles, a mask and a respirator. All processes are carried out carefully, upon completion the device is disconnected from the power.

Plywood is several layers of wood veneer bonded to one another with an adhesive. If you do not follow the technology of cutting such a material, then the teeth of the cutting blade will tear off pieces of the upper layer. Flaws are obtained, called chips.

You can cut plywood with any of the following tools:

With a manual or electric jigsaw;
Circular saw;
Hacksaw.

Each of these tools is recommended for use under certain conditions.

How to cut plywood without chipping with a jigsaw?

There are several factors to consider when working with such a layered material. Including this:

Choosing a tool with fine teeth and a minimum set value;
Feed of the cutting blade at low speed and at right angles to the plane of the processed sheet;
Sawing across veneer grain.

The problem of how to cut plywood without chips with a jigsaw was partially solved by the tool manufacturer Bosch. They have a line of special “clean” canvases CleanWood.

Feature of such products:

Small size of teeth;
Lack of their pronounced focus;
Their minimal wiring.

If it is problematic to purchase CleanWood, then you need to use a blade for cutting metal.

When cutting material with an electric jigsaw, it is not recommended to work by weight, but only on a special workbench table. Otherwise, skew is inevitable and the cutting blade may break.

Zero clearance

The principle of this technique is to keep the distance between the blade sole and the pressure plate as low as possible. This avoids breaking off the top layer of the plywood. This effect can be achieved by attaching a cover plate to the tool sole. The trim has a slot to retain the ability to cut along the intended mowing line. Thanks to this, the teeth are guaranteed to cut small chips and do not break the material.

It is important to exclude mechanical damage to the sheet surface overlay. The pad should be changed every 5 meters of cut. The use of pads made of more durable materials (metal, plastic or fiberglass) eliminates the need to frequently change pads, the surface of which must be pre-polished.

How to get the perfect cut

In order to get a perfect cut from the front side, you can use both a hand saw and use a power tool. There are several techniques to help you achieve a quality cut on plywood. Here are some of them.

How to cut plywood without chipping with a circular saw?

It is recommended to cut on a flat floor. The plywood sheet is laid on wooden blocks of equal thickness, placed perpendicular to the cut line. Full support from the bottom ensures that the corner of the sheet will not break off at the end of the cut. A metal or wooden guide is installed on top, which is fixedly fixed with clamps.

In order to cut the laminated plywood accurately and without chips, you need:

Setting the minimum cutting depth. On the opposite side of the sheet, the teeth should protrude 2-3 mm. With this setting of the cutting depth, the blade does not cut, but neatly cuts the wood.
Choosing the right circular saw. For a gentle cut, a blade with a minimum size and a large number of teeth is selected (for example, No. 140).
Low feed speed of the cutting blade when moving without stopping. In this case, the teeth do not chop, but gently cut the wood without chipping. In order to properly cut the film faced plywood, it is also recommended to set the blade speed to maximum. Disadvantage of the method: the carpenter runs the risk of overheating the canvas.
Placement of adhesive tape in place of the cut. For this, it is recommended to use masking tape that does not leave marks on the surface of the sheet. At the end of the work, the tape is removed at an angle of 90 about the movement towards the cut.

If laminated plywood is to be processed, it is recommended to tape the sole of the circular saw with tape. This avoids scratches on the face of the sheet.

The better to cut plywood with a thickness of 9 mm?

Both an electric jigsaw and a circular saw are suitable for cutting such material. The first option is indispensable in the case of a curly cut path.

To cut thick plywood without chipping with an electric jigsaw, we recommend using either of two types of blades:

Fine series CleanWood (Bosch);
For metal.

A conventional circular saw is also suitable for smooth cutting of plywood. It is enough to install a blade with a fine tooth (for example, No. 140), adjust the cutting depth within 12–13 mm and lay the sheet on even wooden blocks. Cutting is recommended to be done along the guide, with a low feed rate of the tool and without interruption.

If the front surface of the sheet is laminated, then the place of the cut is pre-pasted with masking tape.

Anyone who has doubts about which saw is better to cut plywood, we recommend contacting a specialized company with laser cutting and professional equipment for cutting.

In the manufacture of various finishing works or the manufacture of furniture, the use of plywood is a common practice. At the same time, home craftsmen face a choice: how to cut plywood and how to achieve a perfect cut without chips. When cutting such a material, some difficulties arise: the sheet is large, and the structure of its base creates difficulties when sawing. Knowing some of the features, you can achieve excellent results when working with an electric jigsaw, hand saw or circular saw. The main condition is to ensure reliable fixation of plywood.

Plywood is a practical and easy-to-handle material

Advice

To cut the plywood sheet correctly, you must use a suitable tool and follow some rules:

Before cutting, you need to take all measurements and check yourself in order to avoid annoying mistakes;
During operation, it is necessary to monitor the power cord;
Before using the tool, you need to adjust the cutting depth to an unnecessary value;
The saw blade must be suitable for cutting plywood;
The use of the saw should be accompanied by the use of protective gloves and goggles;
Dull saw blades are more dangerous than sharpened ones;
When cutting plywood, it is necessary to observe safety not to put your hands close to the blade;
Do not start work without power tool skills.

Jigsaw

This device is the best solution when you need to cut plywood into pieces. When choosing such a tool, you need to take into account some of the nuances:

It is recommended to abandon cheap models, since they do not provide the desired result and significantly slow down the cutting process.
A power switch is required. This allows you to adjust the jigsaw for boards of different densities.
The adjustable stop plate provides leveling for a precise and straight cut. If the device does not have this function, then the sole should not be crooked.

The main factor that determines the quality of the cut with a jigsaw is considered to be the pitch and size of the tooth, and only then the local settings of the tool itself, such as turning off the pendulum stroke and adjusting the frequency, follow.

The correct choice of file is carried out taking into account the following conditions:

Preference is given to branded blades designed specifically for cutting plywood. They provide the highest quality results.
The nozzle can have a different direction of the teeth. Depending on the position of the cutting part, one side of the plate will be completely free of chips.
An alternative option allows you to use a canvas for metal. But this solution has disadvantages: the work is carried out very slowly, and small teeth are clogged.

How to cut chipboard without chips.

We recently bought a coffee table, the price is inexpensive, but there is a “but”. The height of the table for our interior is too big. It would be nice to reduce the height by 10 centimeters. As they say, we are not looking for easy ways, I decided that

I can do it myself.

I remembered that on our site there is an asoleg specialist who made a computer desk with his own hands, of course I am far from him, but some recommendations can help. I contacted him, explained the problem and he kindly shared his secret. With his permission, I publish his technology for cutting furniture chipboard without chips.

Everything turned out to be corny and simple. We mark the cutting line. Then with a clerical knife, along a ruler, cut through the top layer of chipboard. Just run the knife several times with little effort along the mowing line of the cut. (I recommend practicing on the unnecessary part of the chipboard) If you press very hard, then the decorative layer will begin to swell and it will not turn out very beautiful.

Further, retreating 1-2 millimeters from the intended mowing line towards the rough part, cut it with a jigsaw or a suitable file with teeth directed to the saw handle. We make a wash on the opposite side of the cut, so that there is no chipping at the end of the cut. And we saw through to the end. You need to cut carefully, slowly. Then, with a medium grain sandpaper, fixed on a bar, we clean the end of the part. If necessary, remove the millimeter that we retreated. My cut turned out to be almost perfect, after processing with sandpaper there were no scoring at all. The photo shows the difference between the left and right side of the cut. Well, and, accordingly, if both parts of the chipboard are needed, we cut it with a knife on both sides of the cut. We measure the thickness of the cut of a jigsaw or file and add 2 millimeters. The result is the distance that should be between the cuts made with a clerical knife. Cut exactly between these lines. Then there will be no scoring on the other side. Naturally, you need to use a sharp tool, I use a tool sharpening machine.

The causes of chips

Chips often appear because a jigsaw file that is not suitable for these tasks is used. If you take a saw blade with teeth directed upwards, then such a file tears off the top layer of veneer. This is because there is space between the jigsaw foot and the saw. The top veneer breaks at this point.

What to do to get rid of chips:

Disable the pendulum motion on the jigsaw
Use a suitable quality file
Always cut plywood from the rough side
Get a splinter-proof liner (or make one yourself)
Additionally, choose a method convenient for you from the “clean cut” experiment

Let’s consider all the points in more detail in this article.

Splinterproof liner

This is a special pad for a specific brand of jigsaw. It is simply inserted between the jigsaw legs and is not fixed in any way. The insert adjoins the nail file, so it does not allow the pile of the upper layer to rise (which is why chips occur), so the saw turns out to be smooth. At the same time, craftsmen advise using files of the same manufacturer as the jigsaw. so the quality of the cut will be better with the use of an insert.

The earbuds are sold in sets of 3-5. They are not eternal. they have to be changed peridic.

There is an insert, for example, on a Bosch jigsaw, about 400 rubles.

If you didn’t find an insert for your jigsaw or don’t want to buy it, then there is a small life hack from the masters. to glue ordinary tape in the place where you will cut. After that, the scotch tape should be ironed well with a fingernail. Then saw straight over the top of the tape. After that, delete it. The result will be similar to the liner.

You can also make such a sole yourself. Here is an example of how our client made a jigsaw backing from a thin sheet of tin.

But it is more convenient to make such a platform from a plexiglass sheet. And glue it to the bottom of the jigsaw with double-sided tape.

With a homemade insert, you will also get a clean cut.

Jigsaw blades

If you have previously worked with a jigsaw, then you know that if you use the wrong file, you can ruin the top layer of the material, especially for laminated material. Plywood is a laminated material. it is wood veneer glued together.

In this section, we will look at how saw blades affect the quality of the cut and what they basically are.

Files come in different sizes and shapes of the tooth, the length of the file, according to the material for which they are intended, the direction of the tooth, the material from which the file is made and for what task it was developed. For example, a blade with a large tooth is designed for cutting wood at high cutting speeds for a rough cut. And files with a shorter tooth will make a smoother cut. Thin (narrow) blades allow you to cut radius and other irregular shapes, while wide ones help to keep a straight cut.

The letters “A, B, C, D” mean the size of the teeth, the letter “A” indicates that the file has the smallest teeth.

The numbers indicate the length of the file 1, 2, 3, 7, the length of the blade, the longer the file, the thicker material it can cut.

For example, Bosch saws are marked like this:

In addition, the files also differ in the geometry of the cutting edge.

Personal experience of an engineer about jigsaw files:

In production, there are tasks both for a smooth saw when working with ready-made portraits, and the need to dissolve a large sheet of plywood when speed is required and quality is not so important. Most saw blades are designed for speed, not cut quality. And even files with a medium tooth will pick up the surface of the material, i.e. Damage the top layer of plywood. Not as strong compared to large-toothed files. Therefore, the engineer adapted for himself to use metal files with a fine tooth up to 1 mm for an even cut of plywood. When working with such a file, speed suffers greatly and these files get very hot. But when you need a responsible sawing job, the time spent is justified. The engineer uses these files when he needs to work with an already burnt portrait.

Cut using a second plywood

Another way to get a very clean cut is to lay another sheet on top of a sheet of plywood that needs to be sawed and pulled together with clamps. The top plywood will prevent chips from forming on the bottom plywood.

The result is a clean and neat cut, no chips on the desired one on the plywood sheet. But the main disadvantage of this method is a large overspending of plywood.

Jigsaw pendulum stroke

The pendulum motion or in another way is called “pumping” is needed to increase the speed of cutting wood, to be able to work with soft materials and to produce complex cuts. The pendulum movement of the jigsaw is carried out according to the swinging principle. It significantly impairs the quality of the cut and, because of this, chips appear on the surface.

We recommend disabling the pendulum stroke to reduce chipping. On a jigsaw Makita, for example, they showed where it turns off. Find out if your jigsaw has this feature and how it is disabled. When the function is turned off, the jigsaw makes standard movements, thereby achieving uniform cutting and improving the quality of the cut.

Pruning with a construction knife

There is also a way to cut the place of the future cut with a construction knife. This will trim the top layer of the veneer and it will break at the point of the notch, not further. For trimming, use a metal ruler to make a straight line. The kerf is usually 3 mm.

The result is pretty good. I use this method a lot. If, when cutting, I just need to cut off a piece of plywood and discard the second part, then I make only one cut. from the finish side. This option is good to use when cropping a portrait.

Saw from the rough side

The fact is that standard saws have teeth to the side of the jigsaw (in contrast to files with a reverse tooth). These saws “eat” the tree when moving from the bottom up. When a tooth clings to the top layer of the veneer, it often splits and chipped. This often leaves the underside with a very good edge. Hence, the craftsmen made a simple conclusion that for a clean saw, it is enough to turn the plywood upside down and cut from the “wrong” side. The method gives the best result, so feel free to use.

Using masking tape

Before sawing, masking tape can be glued to the plywood for a cleaner cut. It is better to use masking tape rather than regular tape. It leaves no sticky residue on plywood and is easy to remove. Make sure the tape is well adhered before cutting.

This method is not so bad. But personally I don’t like this method.

First, the tape often breaks off during sawing and chips appear in these places.

Secondly, if you want to saw off plywood on which a picture made on the Pyroprinter machine has already been burned, there is a risk that small details of the image will remain on the masking tape.

We cut plywood without chips or burrs

People who are just starting to burn portraits have a question. “How to cut plywood so that there are no chips?” Usually, this difficulty arises when cutting plywood across the grain. Then the top layer of veneer is chipped off and forms chips and burrs. The most unpleasant thing is when this is formed when cutting off excess empty fields already at the finished burnt work. Chips can appear for several reasons and most often they cannot be fixed or masked. Below in the article we will consider the reasons for the appearance of such chips and burrs. And also consider what to do so that chips do not appear next time.

Electric jigsaw cutting

To obtain an even cut, the sequence of actions should be as follows:

Fix material securely.
If possible, cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood, otherwise it will be very difficult to get an even edge.
In no case should you put pressure on the tool, the cutting speed will not increase from this, but the tool is guaranteed to break.
The surface of the teeth should be lubricated with oil to facilitate work (when working with heavy wood).
It is undesirable to use the tool for a long time due to its heating and engine damage.
After use, you need to clean the jigsaw and lubricate it.

Hand saw

When cutting plywood with a hand saw, physical effort has to be made due to the high density of the material. This tool is used when it is necessary to cut a sheet of plywood into equal pieces.

A manual jigsaw is considered the best tool and allows you to decide in advance how to cut plywood without chips, saving yourself the need to purchase electrical tools. With its help, you can make a small number of elements of complex shapes. Having certain skills in working with a jigsaw, you can make a neat cut, however, due to high labor costs and low productivity, this method cannot be called optimal.

If you do not have electrical tools or a simple jigsaw at hand, then you should resort to using a simple hand saw. To cut the sheet conveniently and avoid chipping, the tool blade must have a large number of small and well-sharpened teeth. The angle of inclination of the saw to the plywood sheet must be sharp. It is recommended to avoid jerking and make steady movements with strong pressure.

Sawing with a circular saw

To effectively cut a sheet with a circular saw, you should follow these rules:

Place the plywood sheet on a stable support and make the first notch closer to the middle of the sheet.
Adjust the cut in depth. To do this, lower the disc and start cutting, while the immersion depth of the disc should be 0.5 cm greater than the thickness of the blade.
Position yourself to the side of the line of action of the saw to avoid injury due to the high probability of kickback.
Prepare the saw for making the required cut. To do this, attach the saw shoe (part of it in front) to the blade and install the blade on the cutting line, having first bend the cover.
Make sure there is no interference at the bottom of the sheet.
Switch on the saw and slowly immerse the blade in the material. Hold the saw firmly to prevent kickback. After plunging into the slot of the disc and installing its shoe on the surface of the sheet, return the protective casing back.
Guide the tool along the mowing line to the end of the blade.
Turn off the saw and only after it has come to a complete stop, remove it from the slot.

Sawing purposes and suitable tools

Depending on the purpose of sawing, what can be used to cut plywood most efficiently is selected. Among the tools used for work are the following:

Circular saw electric;
Hand saw;
Electric jigsaw.

Consider the features of using various tools for cutting plywood and in which cases it is more expedient to use one or another device.

How to get the perfect cut

In order to get a perfect cut from the front side, you can use both a hand saw and use a power tool. There are several techniques to help you achieve a quality cut on plywood. Here are some of them.

Advice

To cut the plywood sheet correctly, you must use a suitable tool and follow some rules:

Before cutting, you need to take all measurements and check yourself in order to avoid annoying mistakes;
During operation, it is necessary to monitor the power cord;
Before using the tool, you need to adjust the cutting depth to an unnecessary value;
The saw blade must be suitable for cutting plywood;
The use of the saw should be accompanied by the use of protective gloves and goggles;
Dull saw blades are more dangerous than sharpened ones;
When cutting plywood, it is necessary to observe safety not to put your hands close to the blade;
Do not start work without power tool skills.

Zero clearance

The principle of this technique is to keep the distance between the blade sole and the pressure plate as low as possible. This avoids breaking off the top layer of the plywood. This effect can be achieved by attaching a cover plate to the tool sole. The trim has a slot to retain the ability to cut along the intended mowing line. Thanks to this, the teeth are guaranteed to cut small chips and do not break the material.

Features of cutting tools

Each plywood cutting tool has its own characteristics when used. Consider the rules for working with plywood with various cutting tools.

Adhesive tapes

To protect the back side of the plywood, tape is glued along the mowing line of the cut. This method helps to prevent large pieces from breaking off, which is especially effective if the decision is made to use a hand or electric jigsaw. However, not all adhesive tape is suitable for this purpose. For example, masking tape in this case will be completely useless due to the small margin of safety.

Before you start sawing, a tape-tape reinforced with fiberglass or aluminum is glued to the surface. The requirements for its width are as follows: on both sides of the mowing line, there should be a margin of 1.5-2.0 cm.It is better to pasting by pressing the tape with a dry cloth, avoiding the formation of wrinkles and gluing.

After the saw blade or electric jigsaw has stopped working, remove the tool after disconnecting it from the mains. Then proceed to peel off the tape. In this case, great care should be taken so that with sudden movements not to cause the separation of small fragments of the laminated surface, which inevitably form during cutting. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon the use of materials with a strong adhesive base. When choosing such a tape, one should take into account its adhesive ability and ease of cleaning from a rough surface.

Sources:

http://stroy-podskazka.ru/ldsp/raspilit-bez-skolov/
http://ingener-pto.ru/2019/12/12/kak-pilit-faneru-nozhovkoj/
http://kaknauchitsja.ru/kak_pilit_dsp_bez_skolov/
http://pyroprinter.ru/kak_pilit_fanery_bez_skolov/
http://viascio.ru/materialy/chem-rezat-faneru

Articles chips, cutting plywood, mowing line, plywood, plywood sheet