How to cut plywood straight with a hand saw. How to cut plywood - recommendations and instructions

It is believed that without professional tool high-quality wood cutting or sheet materials do not execute. Today we will talk about ways to make a clean, even cut without chips, on your own and without using expensive equipment and consumables.

Cutting tools and the mechanics of their work

Apart from stationary sawing machines, there are not many alternatives for manual work. Among the available tools, we can offer circular and pendulum saws, commonly referred to as miter saws and jigsaws. It is also possible to perform a fairly high-quality cut using an angle grinder, on which a wood saw blade with pobedite teeth is installed. But this is not the most effective and, moreover, far from safe option.


During the cutting process with any type of power tool, the working parts move with very high speed, and therefore the processing mechanics remain behind the scenes. However, understanding it is the key to getting a clean, chip-free edge. The simplest principle is the basis of the work pendulum saws. The cut is carried out with direct movement of the saw blade, and the size of the removed fragments completely depends on the size of the tooth and its setting.


Chips appear due to the heterogeneity of the processed material, in particular due to the hard crust of laminated sheet materials or because the fibers of solid wood have different densities. Chips can form with different sides products depending on the shape of the tooth, the feed force and the speed of movement of the working body. When working with a jigsaw, the appearance of chips is caused either by the fact that the teeth tear out large fragments from the reverse side, or by pushing through the top layer, during which it is not cut off, but breaks out in large fragments.


The operation of the teeth of a circular disk is in many ways similar to a jigsaw, with the only exception that their movement is directed strictly in one direction, and they move at a very high speed. Also a significant factor is the direction (angle) of the applied force: if the jigsaw blade moves strictly perpendicular to the surface, then the circular saw cuts at an arbitrary angle, depending on both the diameter of the disk and the thickness of the part. This can work to your advantage: the oblique immersion of the tooth contributes to more accurate cutting of chips, but with reverse side Due to the tangential movement of the cutting edges, quite large fragments can be torn out. Of course, you can only make a straight cut with a circular saw.

Selection of saw blades and blades

When cutting, cleanliness and processing speed are inversely dependent quantities. It is worth noting that chips on the cut will appear in any case, so the main task is to reduce their size to such a value that they can be easily eliminated by subsequent processing. The smaller the size of the tooth and the closer to right angle, under which the cutting edge touches the surface of the material. To select a circular saw blade, these are the two most important factors out of three.


The third can be called the setting value - the displacement of adjacent teeth, which can be easily determined by applying a ruler to them. To ensure a clean cut, the routing should be minimal, but do not forget that in this case, when trying to cut a thick board or sheet of plywood, the disk may simply jam or the end will burn from strong friction.

Jigsaw blades are more varied. For cutting without chipping, a series of clean-cutting saws are used, for example, BOSCH has a line of blades called CleanWood. Their main difference is their small size and lack of pronounced directionality of the teeth. They usually have the shape isosceles triangle and carry out cutting in both directions of movement.


Also, saws for clean cutting are distinguished by the almost complete absence of setting and the opposite direction of sharpening of adjacent teeth. In order to ensure the possibility of a figured cut with a small setting, the files have a very small width, which is why they become quite fragile.


For finishing cutting of sheet materials, blades designed for working with metal products can also be used. These files have smallest size teeth are from known ones, so the cut is performed slowly, but with the highest quality indicator. Due to the significant width of metal blades, finishing figured cuts can only be carried out with a significant bending radius, on average about 60–80 cm.


Please also note that dull teeth, which is typical for low-quality saw blades with a “mileage” of 3–5 meters, also leads to the formation of chips. Therefore, do not skimp when purchasing consumables if the quality of processing is really important to you.

Zero gap technique

Carpentry craftsmen most often use the principle of modifying the sole of a cutting tool, which consists in reducing the gap between the working tool and the pressure pad. This is almost guaranteed to eliminate the effect of “breaking” the crust in top layer material.

Zero clearance is achieved by securing the cover plate to the tool base. The pad has only one narrow hole (or slot) that fits tightly to the cutting organ. Because of this, even with a high feed force, the teeth are guaranteed to cut off small chips and not turn out the chips in the upper layer of the part.


When using overlays, it is extremely important that they do not scratch or damage the surface of the part. Therefore, they are most often made from a material that is inferior in hardness to the material being processed, for example MDF or plasterboard. Unfortunately, such an overlay does not last long, which is why it has to be changed every 4–5 meters of the cut.


More durable linings can be made from sheet plastic (PVC, fluoroplastic), fiberglass or metal. In the latter case, the surface of the lining must be carefully polished and soft metals such as aluminum or duralumin must be used to reduce vibration.

Using adhesive tapes

Using the same principle, you can protect the back side of the material being cut. Tape should be placed along the cut line to protect against large fragments being torn out. Pasting surfaces is one of the few ways to ensure the cleanliness of a figured cut with a jigsaw. Unfortunately, masking tape is not the best choice for this due to its low strength.


The highest quality cut can be obtained by gluing the part with aluminum or fiberglass reinforced tape It should be wide enough to cover 15–20 mm on each side of the cutting line. The density of the sticker is also important: the tape must be pressed down well with a dry cloth swab and the formation of folds must be prevented by any means.


You should avoid tapes with very tenacious adhesive. During the tearing process, they can carry along small fibers and fragments of the laminated surface, dissected by microcracks that form during cutting. Also pay attention to how easily traces of glue are removed and whether the adhesive adheres well enough to work with rough materials such as unsanded plywood or OSB.

Ensuring a perfectly clean cut

For most parts, it is enough to reduce the chip size to 0.2–0.5 mm. Such small irregularities in the cut edge are not noticeable; if desired, they can be easily eliminated by chamfering with an emery block or covering them with a wax corrector pencil. End grinding is also possible sandpaper, if a sufficient allowance was given during cutting.


However, even at home, it is possible to achieve a cut quality comparable to the result of a cutting machine with two high-speed disks. This is only possible when the tool moves along a guide rail, or, in extreme cases, along a temporary stop bar.

First you need to make two cuts about 0.5 mm deep on both sides of the part to indicate the thickness of the cut. Along the edges of the cutting line, you need to scratch two grooves under an even ruler. This is done either with a segmented or oblique shoemaker's knife (for chipboard and uncoated wood), or with a sharply sharpened drill or pobedit cutter (for laminated materials).


The depth of the grooves should be at least half the thickness of the outer layer, which is non-uniform in relation to the main body of material. This method requires high precision in matching the grooves and the cutting line, but this is the only way to ensure a perfectly even cut end that does not require additional processing.

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Anyone who is going to create from plywood sheet interior item, for example, a stool, carved box, a wardrobe or a rocking chair, you are wondering what needs to be taken into account when working to make the product reliable and attractive? Many people are also interested in how to cut plywood (with a jigsaw or saw).

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

How to choose a tool for cutting plywood sheets?

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

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

If the bending radius is no more than one centimeter, then a manual jigsaw is used. If the width of the material is about a millimeter, then many complex shapes can be created.

Advice! Using a drill you can make a round hole much faster.

If the bending radius is more than three centimeters, then in this case use electric jigsaw. What saw 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, a metal blade is used to cut out complex shapes.

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

If you need to make a cut in a straight line, then a circular saw would be most appropriate. With this tool you can achieve an even and clean cut.

Important! To ensure an even cut, you must ensure that the tool is not suspended. Otherwise, distortions are inevitable. If a hand saw is used, the load of the tool should be on the surface of the sheet.

Edge processing

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

  • Needle files are used when cutting out complex shapes. Thanks to them, the edges can be made rounded or angular. The set includes a triangular, flat and round file.
  • For rough products, you can get by with two files, flat and round.
  • When it is necessary to process plywood sheets before rough wall cladding, use a flat rasp. With the help of it, the master cleans the edge of wood chips.

Important! During the sanding process, it is necessary to monitor the direction of the fibers. The file must not move perpendicular to them.

  • Small parts are sanded with sandpaper.
  • Another way to achieve smooth edges is to cover the cut path with insulating tape when cutting.

Which material to choose?

Tips for choosing material:

  1. For creating decorative elements A plywood sheet about four millimeters thick will do.
  2. In order to decorate interior items with carved panels, a plywood sheet with a thickness of eight millimeters or more is suitable.
  3. A sheet 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 added strength, sealant can be applied to the ends.
  4. Plywood sheets, the thickness of which exceeds ten centimeters, are mainly used as flooring for concrete screed. In this case, between concrete base and a layer of waterproofing is laid with plywood. How to cut 10 mm plywood? An electric jigsaw is best suited for cutting plywood sheets of this thickness. However, if you need to make a cut in a straight line, then you can get by with a saw.

How to properly saw plywood to avoid chipping on the edges? To avoid such problems when working, you should consider some nuances:

  1. How to cut plywood with a jigsaw/saw to simplify the process? A few clamps will help a novice master with this question. Thanks to them, sawing will be much easier. It is much more convenient to control the material and tool when the sheet is securely pressed to the table. Thanks to the reliable fixation of the plywood, damage to the table itself can be avoided.
  2. Drawings of any product can be found on the Internet.
  3. A drawing from a sheet of paper can be transferred to plywood by copying.
  4. How to cut plywood with a jigsaw to avoid chipping? When working with a hand jigsaw, you should always ensure that it moves perpendicular to the pile.

Tips for working with manual and electric jigsaws:

  1. When working with an electric jigsaw, it is necessary to monitor the angle of inclination of the platform. Most often it can be customized.
  2. In the process of sawing simple figures you should monitor the position of the canvas. The cut should occur from the front part of the outline of the figure.
  3. If the cut is made in a straight line, then in this case you should follow the sign (on the platform). If there is no pointer, the outline should be drawn with a pencil.
  4. To cut a hole complex shape Using an electric jigsaw, you need to make a hole in any part of its outline. The diameter of the drill must be greater than the width of the blade.

  • If you are going to make a hole using a hand jigsaw, then in this case the part should be pierced with an awl. Then you should thread the fabric through it. Afterwards the part is fixed again in the frame.
  • If you use an electric jigsaw, then turn the tool during the work, and not the sheet of plywood (if you need to make a turn according to the drawing). When working with a hand jigsaw, turn the plywood.
  • If you need to cut out a figure and a plywood sheet with cutouts, then cut out the cutouts first (turning the sheet is much easier than turning a small part).
  • During operation, care should be taken to ensure that the material does not overheat. When the edge becomes hot, you need to stop working for a while to let the file cool. Otherwise, the teeth will lose sharpening.

Important! Before changing the file or cooling it, you must first turn off the power to the tool. You should also place the electric jigsaw on the surface only when it has completely stopped. If you neglect these rules, you can lose your fingers.

  • The fabric should be well stretched. Otherwise the file will break.

Finally

If you take into account all the subtleties and nuances when working, then the result of all negative aspects can be avoided.

Multilayer wood-based materials are widely used in various areas of construction, but can cause many problems in processing. The heterogeneous structure is easily deformed and susceptible to chipping if a low-quality tool is used in the process of cutting it. IN household During the next renovation, the question may well arise: how to cut plywood? The material is familiar, but it’s not so easy to get an even cut. Both household tools and special equipment can help in solving this problem - the choice is made depending on the volume of work and the characteristics of a particular plywood.

Features of working with a jigsaw

Perhaps this is the most accessible and practical tool for cutting plywood sheets. A typical hand jigsaw has a crescent-shaped frame design and a saw blade secured with screw clamps. To start the work process, the user only needs to fix the workpiece in a vice and select the saw blade of the desired format. How to choose a jigsaw attachment for plywood? You can focus on metal sheets 11-13 cm long. If you plan to work a lot with thick sheets, then you can use wide files with large teeth. For figure cutting Narrow arc-shaped attachments with a small sharp tooth are suitable, which will allow you to make careful maneuvers during cutting. Now it’s worth considering a few tips on techniques for working with a jigsaw:

  • Sawing is done by pointing the file down. The jigsaw moves strictly vertically and with each downward movement the operator puts slight pressure on the file, moving it forward. Deviations from the vertical should be minimized, otherwise the risk of jamming and breakage of the metal sheet will increase.
  • When creating figures from a plywood sheet, it is advisable to adhere to the following sequence: first of all, the internal contour is processed, and then the external one.
  • Correction of the cutting angle is done not by rotating the tool, but by changing the position of the workpiece in the vice.
  • During the cutting process, it is important to remember the temperature of the blade. Overheating the saw also increases the risk of it breaking. Therefore, during long working sessions, you should take short breaks.

Alternative cutting methods

IN living conditions choosing a tool for high-quality processing veneered wood is small. If the question arises about how to cut plywood without a jigsaw and its electrical modifications, then you can turn to an angle grinder (angle grinder) or a circular saw. In both cases, it is important to remember that this technique works rougher than a jigsaw, so it is more often used for continuous processing of sheets.

The quality of the cut itself will depend on the size of the tooth and its alignment. The smaller the pitch, the better - especially in the case of a circular saw. But there are also advantages to this equipment. Unlike a jigsaw, a circular saw moves strictly in one direction, and the disk rotates at high speed. The angle of the applied force is also a plus: the slightly beveled plunge of the tooth ensures a neat cutting of the chips. The disadvantages include the complete exclusion of the possibilities of figured cutting - only straight cutting is performed.

How to work with an angle grinder?

In principle, it is not the most successful tool for working with wood materials, but if you need to process 2-3 sheets with a simple cut, and there is nothing on the farm other than an angle grinder for cutting, then you can try this method. But it is very important to adhere to the following recommendations:

  • The sheet thickness should not exceed 4 cm.
  • Only special attachments can be used. How to cut plywood if you use a grinder? You can find cutting discs on the market wood materials with side teeth that increase the size of the cut.
  • The work is performed at the lowest speeds available for a specific angle grinder model.
  • Any distortions in the direction of the disk are excluded. You should also dispense with the tool locking function - this button will be needed in case of a wedge.

Cutting with adhesive tape

Very simple but effective method prevent large fragments from chipping on the surface of the plywood. It has nothing to do with the mechanics of cutting, but it is very useful as insurance for processed multilayer sheets. Masking tape is usually used to cover edges, but it is only suitable when working with soft cutting. How to cut plywood at home to minimize the likelihood of back chipping when gluing the surface? In this sense, a jigsaw is the safest, but if rigid tape protection is used, then you can use more powerful angle grinders or even a circular saw.

Zero gap cutting

Professional carpenters know the principle of modifying the supporting platform of a cutting tool, which is to minimize the distance from the clamping base to the sawing body. Reducing this gap also reduces the likelihood of breaking the upper layers of the workpiece. How to cut plywood using the zero gap principle?

All tools with a working sole are suitable - from a jigsaw to a circular saw. Technically, this task is achieved with the help of a special lining, which is fixed to the support sole. Its presence reduces the size of the slot, due to which the working body will select smaller chips, keeping the workpiece surfaces intact.

What is the secret to cutting plywood perfectly?

All of the above cutting methods help to varying degrees to reduce possible damage from chipping. For example, they will eliminate the possibility of a large fragment breaking, leaving a maximum of a small defect up to 0.5 mm in size. This is often an acceptable result, but it can also be improved. How to cut plywood without chips and small irregularities in the cut edge?

To do this, use a fine-grained abrasive and wax. First, the working surface is sanded along the line of the future cut, after which it is covered with a wax pencil. If you additionally use guide rails during the cutting process, then the chances of getting even a small chip will be reduced to zero.

Application of Laser Plywood Cutting Machine

This professional equipment, which is used in carpentry and woodworking shops. The accuracy of laser cutting of plywood is higher than on most machines furniture factories. The operator of such an installation literally performs jewelry work with an accuracy of up to 0.1 mm. The operating principle of a laser plywood cutting machine is based on light radiation, which is generated by a gas tube. A powerful luminous flux upon contact with the surface provides the effect of evaporation of wood particles without direct mechanical contact. The edges are not just smooth, but almost polished. But such equipment is not cheap - in the initial segment it costs about 50-70 thousand rubles.

Conclusion

The choice of tool has a significant impact on the quality of the cut, but not the only one. The formation of chips also depends on the characteristics of the material being processed - its density, quality of coating, veneer thickness, etc. How to cut plywood to minimize Negative influence its same structure? To varying degrees, each of the tools discussed can help achieve the desired cut. Before work, it is recommended to experiment with test sheets of plywood, the characteristics of which correspond to the target workpiece. In particular, it is worth trying processing with different parameters in terms of degree of pressure, amount of feed force, etc.

In the production of various finishing works or furniture making, the use of plywood is a common practice. At the same time, home craftsmen are faced with a choice: how to cut plywood and how to achieve a perfect cut without chips. When cutting such material, some difficulties arise: the sheet is different large sizes, and the structure of its base creates difficulties when sawing. Knowing some 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 the plywood.

Plywood is a material that is practical to use and easy to process.

Depending on the purposes of sawing, we select what can be used to cut plywood most effectively. Among the tools used for work are the following:

  • electric circular saw;
  • hand saw;
  • electric jigsaw.

Let's consider the features of using various tools for cutting plywood and in what cases it is more advisable to use one or another device.

Hand saw

When cutting plywood with a hand saw, you have to apply physical effort due to the significant density of the material. This tool is used when it is necessary to cut a sheet of plywood into identical fragments.

Hand jigsaw – best helper in processing plywood sheets

A hand jigsaw is considered the best tool and allows you to decide in advance what to use to cut plywood without chipping, eliminating the need to purchase electric tools. With its help you can make a small amount of elements of complex shape. 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.

Hand saw for plywood

If you don’t have electric tools or a simple jigsaw at hand, then you should resort to using a simple hand saw. To make cutting a sheet convenient and to avoid chipping, the tool blade must have big amount small and well sharpened teeth. The angle of the saw to the plywood sheet should be sharp. It is recommended to avoid jerking and uniform movements with strong pressure.

Tip: The cut of a regular saw is rough, so it is recommended to sand the end parts after finishing the sawing.

Circular Saw

Sheets of plywood can be created into various shapes using circular or circular saw, but the main purpose of these tools is to create rectangular cuts. When cutting material, it is very difficult to get a neat cut because the rotation speed of the discs is very high. In this regard, preference should be given to those cutting wheels that have small teeth and are used for working with wood. When processing plywood it is good to use cutting wheels, intended for sawing chipboard.

A cutting wheel with fine teeth will prevent the formation of large chips

Tip: when cutting a plywood sheet, make sure that the pressure on the sheet is insignificant and the rotation speed of the disk is low.

Circular Saw

When making furniture or repairing it, you often have to choose what to cut laminated plywood with. To get a clean cut, you need to select discs or blades that have frequent and fine teeth. The angle of their sharpening, as well as the shape, is of great importance. It is advisable to select discs with a positive sharpening angle and different shapes teeth (alternating trapezoidal and straight teeth are observed). If the disk has negative sharpening angles, then it is necessary to reduce the speed, otherwise the wood will burn.

Important: the larger the diameter of the disk, the wider the cut will be and, accordingly, the number of chips will increase. It is completely impossible to avoid the formation of chips, but it is possible to reduce their number and size to such an extent that subsequent processing can completely eliminate all roughness.

A relationship has been established between the size of the chip and the saw teeth: small ones leave less damage than large ones. The amount of tooth set affects the cleanliness of cutting plywood. The best result is achieved with minimal wiring. You can check this parameter using a regular ruler. You should not saw a thick sheet using a disc with minimal tooth spacing, since increased friction will cause it to burn and the disc will become pinched.

Electric jigsaw

An electric jigsaw is best for cutting any plywood. When working with this tool, you should use small files, cut the blade, pressing the jigsaw and avoiding jerky movements. Upon completion of the process, the ends of the material are processed using sandpaper.

A jigsaw will make sawing easier and make a high-quality cut of the sheet

Advice: when choosing saws for an electric jigsaw, you should give preference to those models that are marked “clean cut”. Most manufacturers of cutting tools have saws in their assortment for these purposes; for example, BOSCH has a product line called CleanWood. Distinctive feature teeth - regular triangular shape and the ability to cut in opposite directions.

You should not purchase low-quality tools, since after a cut 5 meters long, the cutting edge becomes severely dull, which causes chips to appear. The absence of setting and the opposite sharpening of teeth located next to each other and the small width make it possible to make complex figured cuts. But these qualities of files for finishing cutting cause the fragility of the blades.

Plywood saws are the key to successful sawing of the material

Finish cutting of plywood can be done using blades for working with metal parts. The size of the teeth of such saws is minimal, which greatly slows down the cutting speed, but allows you to achieve highest quality. Since the width of metal files is large, it is possible to carry out a figured cut only with a large bending radius (0.6-0.8 m).

Features of cutting tools

Each plywood cutting tool has its own characteristics when used. Let's look at the rules for working with different types of plywood. cutting tools.

Sawing with a circular saw

Using a guide when cutting with a circular saw will help avoid unevenness.

To effectively cut a sheet using a circular saw, you should adhere to the following rules:

  1. Place the plywood sheet on a stable support and make the first cut closer to the middle of the sheet.
  2. Adjust the cut depth. To do this, lower the disk and start cutting, while the depth of immersion of the disk should be 0.5 cm greater than the thickness of the blade.
  3. To avoid injury due to the high risk of kickback, position yourself to the side of the saw's line of action.
  4. Prepare the saw to make the required cut. To do this, you should attach the saw shoe (its part in front) to the blade and install the blade on the cutting line, having previously bent the casing.
  5. Make sure there are no obstructions at the bottom of the sheet.
  6. Turn on the saw and slowly plunge its blade into the material. To prevent kickback, hold the saw firmly. After immersing the disk in the slot and installing its shoe on the surface of the sheet, the protective casing should be returned.
  7. Run the tool along the line to the end of the canvas.
  8. Turn off the saw and only after it has stopped completely, remove it from the slot.

Cutting with an electric jigsaw

A jigsaw allows you to make high-quality curly cuts

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

  1. Securely fix the material.
  2. If possible, cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood, otherwise it will be very difficult to obtain a straight edge.
  3. Under no circumstances should you put pressure on the tool; this will not increase the cutting speed, but the tool is guaranteed to break.
  4. The surface of the teeth should be lubricated with oil to facilitate work (subject to working with high-strength wood).
  5. It is not advisable to use the tool long time due to its heating and engine damage.
  6. After use, you need to clean the jigsaw and lubricate it.

Working with a hand saw

Metal saw is good for working with plywood

Working with a hand saw involves a lot more labor compared to a circular saw. To properly cut a sheet of plywood, you need to consider the following rules:

  1. Make a vertical notch along the cut line. To do this, you need to place a saw blade and pull the blade through to form a groove.
  2. Tilt the saw blade until an acute angle is formed with the plane of the sheet (from 30 to 40 0) and begin to make smooth movements.
  3. To maintain an even cut, the forearm and shoulder should be located in the same plane. If you deviate from the specified direction, you need to slightly bend the saw in the desired direction and continue working.
  4. To avoid the formation of a fracture, you need to hold the part being sawn off with your unoccupied hand.
  5. When you finish cutting, you need to return the blade to a vertical position and finish the work by making several movements perpendicular to the sheet of plywood.

This is interesting: the hard coating of laminated plywood imparts heterogeneity to the material, which causes chipping during processing. Another reason for the appearance of such defects is determined by the speed of movement of the cutting edge, the shape of its teeth and the applied forces. Often the jigsaw blade breaks out large pieces of plywood, which is due to the use of saws with large teeth or pushing through the top of the sheet.

How to get the perfect cut

A high-quality cut simplifies further work with the material

In order to get a perfect cut from the end side, you can use either a hand saw or a power tool. There are several techniques to help achieve high-quality cutting plywood. Here are some of them.

Zero clearance

The principle of this technique is to reduce the distance between the saw blade and the pressure pad to the minimum possible. This avoids breaking off the top layer of plywood. This effect can be achieved by attaching an overlay plate to the sole of the tool. The pad has a slot to maintain the ability to saw along the intended line. Thanks to this, the teeth are guaranteed to cut small chips and not break out the material.

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

Adhesive tapes

To protect the back side of the plywood, tape is applied along the cut line. This method helps prevent large pieces from breaking off, which is especially effective if you decide to use a manual or electric jigsaw. However, not every adhesive tape suitable for these purposes. For example, masking tape in this case will be completely useless due to its small safety margin.

Adhesive tapes – best protection from chips

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

After the saw blade or electric jigsaw has stopped working, you should remove the tool, first unplugging it from the power supply. Then start peeling off the tape. However, great care must be taken to sudden movements do not cause the tearing off of small fragments of the laminated surface that inevitably form during cutting. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon the use of materials with a strong adhesive base. When choosing such a tape, you should take into account its adhesive ability and ease of cleaning from rough surfaces.

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

  • Before cutting, you need to take all measurements and check yourself to avoid annoying mistakes;
  • During operation, you must monitor the power cord;
  • before using the tool, you need to adjust the cutting depth to an unnecessary amount;
  • the saw blade must be suitable for cutting plywood;
  • the use of a saw must be accompanied by the use of protective gloves and goggles;
  • dull saw blades are more dangerous than sharpened ones;
  • When sawing plywood, you must be careful not to bring your hands close to the blade;
  • Do not start work without skills in using power tools.

Conclusion

It is quite possible to achieve excellent quality of plywood cutting at home if you use a guide rail in your work, correctly cut the material and follow safety precautions when working with cutting tools. Knowledge about the structure of the plywood sheet and the features of its processing will help you avoid annoying mistakes and avoid additional expenses on purchasing new material to replace the damaged one.



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