Small circular saw for cutting plywood. Here's what you need to know to cut plywood and chipboard without chipping. Cutting plywood is done with a saw.

An electric jigsaw is a device with which you can cut plywood of different thicknesses, as well as cut out various kinds of figures from it. Let's try to figure out how to properly cut plywood with a jigsaw, and let's start with the fact that the main thing here is strict adherence to safety precautions!

Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to take care of such protective equipment as:

  • glasses;
  • gloves;
  • special oil.

Basic rules for cutting plywood with a jigsaw

For smooth cutting, you must adhere to the recommendations below.

  1. At the very beginning, secure the plywood firmly.
  2. Start sawing across the grain. If you do this lengthwise, cutting will be much more difficult.
  3. Do not put pressure on the jigsaw. Otherwise, the device will heat up and may even fail.
  4. If the plywood has increased strength, then coat it tightly with oil. This will make the work much easier.
  5. Do not operate the jigsaw at low speed for too long, otherwise the engine may overheat. Upon completion of work, clean the tool and lubricate it.


Other process features

We continue the conversation about how to cut plywood using electric jigsaw. If you plan to cut into the material round hole, then first make a small hole and place it in hacksaw blade. You can also use plunge sawing if the previous method does not work.

Note! A jigsaw is also suitable for cutting bevels. Here you can additionally secure the guide so that you can cut smoothly. To avoid chipping, place the plywood face down.

When using an electric jigsaw to cut plywood, you will not need to use any additional equipment. However, they - devices - can still be used to make the work easier and more comfortable.

If you are working with plywood of significant thickness, then use a special sawing table (this way you can work more accurately). Finally, if you are working with material of different thicknesses, then use replaceable inserts that are attached to the tool.

As a result, we note that a jigsaw can be either with a pendulum stroke or a regular one. If the material is thick, the stroke should be normal. In this case, the plywood itself must move vertically and be cut as it moves.

Video - Cutting with a jigsaw correctly

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It is believed that without professional tools it is impossible to make high-quality cuts of wood or sheet materials. Today we will talk about ways to perform a clean smooth cut without chips, on your own and without using expensive equipment and consumables.

Cutting tools and the mechanics of their work

If you don't take into account stationary machines for cutting, alternatives for self made not so much. 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.

In the process of cutting with any type of power tool, the working parts move at a very high speed, and therefore the mechanics of processing 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 hard crust laminated sheet materials or because the fibers solid wood have different densities. Chips can form on different sides of the product depending on the shape of the tooth, the feed force and the speed of movement of the working element. 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.

Working teeth circular disk 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 circular saw blade these are the two most important factors out of the three.

The third can be called the amount of setting - 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 of an isosceles triangle and cut 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 figured cutting, the files have a very small width, which is why they become quite fragile.

For finishing cutting of sheet materials, blades designed to work with metal products. 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

The principle of finishing the sole is most often used by carpentry craftsmen. cutting tool, which consists in reducing the gap between the working body and the pressure platform. 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 cutting line to protect against large fragments being torn out. Pasting surfaces is one of the few ways to ensure the cleanliness of a curved cut with a jigsaw. Unfortunately, masking tape is not suitable for this. in the best possible way due to its low strength.

The best quality cut can be obtained by covering 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 matching the grooves and the cutting line, but this is the only way to really ensure a perfectly even cut end that does not require additional processing.

Plywood today is one of the most popular materials for finishing. In this regard, many people have a question, how to cut plywood? To answer this, it is worth familiarizing yourself with some useful information.

"Golden" rules for cutting plywood

In order to cut plywood as efficiently as possible, you need to adhere to several simple rules. Firstly, you first need to cut across the grain, and then along it. This measure allows you to avoid splitting corners and other deformations of the material.

Secondly, depending on the side of the cut, you should use various instruments. So, if we're talking about O inside, then the most optimal choice will it be manual or band-saw. If you need to cut the material from the reverse side, you should use a contour or circular saw.

Thirdly, you need to know that when cutting with a hand-held circular saw, the speed of revolutions should be maintained at high level. In this case, it is best to feed the material itself slowly and smoothly, since otherwise there is a high risk of damaging the material.

Fourthly, every person should know that regardless of the type of saw, its teeth should be fine. In this case, the risk of defects such as sheet bending is significantly reduced.

Finally, the fifth rule is to understand that when cutting you need to stick duct tape. This allows you to protect the surface of the sheet from chipping.

Is it possible to make a cut using a regular hacksaw?

The above information can help a person understand the question of how to cut plywood? Depending on the specific situation, the optimal tool may vary. But what to do if you only have a hacksaw at hand? If everything is done correctly, you can even cut the material evenly using such a primitive tool.

So, if immediately after marking you take a hacksaw and start sawing, the edges will turn out terribly uneven. This is due to the characteristics of plywood, however, there is a way out. Before you start sawing, you need to pour boiling water over the material, let it soak in a little, and then remove excess liquid. This measure allows you to achieve an even and smooth cut.

There is another way - before cutting, make cuts using a sharp knife. Moreover, they should be located at a distance of only 1-2 mm from each other (depending on the thickness of the tool). This measure allows you to avoid the hacksaw breaking and, as a result, an uneven cut.

Thus, it can be stated that any tool can produce a high-quality cut. The main thing is to follow simple rules for cutting. However, in order to guarantee the desired result, it is better to purchase professional tools or seek help from specialists.

How to cut plywood, given that its sheets have a minimum size of 12.2x12.2 cm. After all, during construction and repair work fragments of smaller parameters are needed and various forms, sometimes even curvilinear. Cutting of this material cannot be avoided as it has become a necessity in most cases.

Hand tool

Those who don’t know how to cut plywood at home should look at the information below. The main tools for cutting plywood are:

  • hand saw;
  • band saw or circular saw;

  • jigsaw.

Plywood is considered sufficient dense material, so you have to apply physical force when cutting it with a hacksaw manually. The device is usually used to divide sheets into equal fragments. The teeth should be small to avoid damaging the structure of the material.

  • Plywood sheet elements different forms also create band saws or circular saws. Due to high speed rotation of the cutting wheels makes it difficult to obtain a neatly perfect cut. Therefore, it is recommended to use cutting wheels that are equipped with small teeth and are intended for work processes exclusively with wood.
  • Any plywood can be easily sawed using a jigsaw with a fine file. To do this, you just need to press the tool against the tile and move it carefully, without jerking. Upon completion of the cutting process, it is recommended to sand the edges of the sheets.

What is the best way to cut plywood and in what quantity. Hand jigsaw consider the perfect tool, if it is necessary to produce a small number of complex elements. With some skill, it can allow you to get neat cuts. Manual method cutting cannot be called productive, especially since it is very tiring.

  • When creating straight cuts, use circular saw with fine-toothed cutting wheels. Cutting wheels for chipboard can quickly cope with the task of cutting plywood sheets. In this case, the saw is driven with little pressure at a slow speed.
  • If you don’t have jigsaws and power tools among your available tools, you should try sawing the material using a regular saw by hand. The tool should have small teeth and good sharpening. During the cutting process, the blade is held at an acute angle to the surface of the plywood sheet. Movements should be performed evenly with great pressure and without jerking. Careful work must be done especially at the end of cutting, because the slightest wrong movement can lead to the formation of a large chip, thus rejecting the finished element.

Attention! The saw makes a rough cut, so after this process the ends of the sheets must be processed with sandpaper.

How to cut plywood with a laser and what parameters of the material can be cut with this tool. Plywood can be cut in this way to a thickness of 8-10 mm. This process may depend on the type of wood, type of adhesive and processing option. It is better to cut resin-free plywood sheets from wood coniferous. Birch plywood is not recommended for cutting, and material with formaldehyde resin is even harder to cut. Top part the cut is always dark in color. The mode and level of cutting quality of all types of plywood are determined through experiment.

The laser cutting process will make it possible to produce parts without applying pressure to the sheets mechanical influence. Thanks to this, chips and lint will not appear around the edges. The laser beam has such a small diameter that it will allow you to cut out elements with parameters of several millimeters and complex geometric figures.

The maximum thickness of material that a laser can cut through depends on the power level of the laser emitters and is often limited to a thickness of 15-20 mm.

Important! Upon completion of the laser work, the cut can change color due to burning of the material. However, this can be both a positive and negative result of the work, depending on the desired result and intended purpose parts received.

The principle of operation requires a level of training. After all, wood is a fairly flammable material, so it must be constantly cooled. To do this, the tool blows along the cutting part, which is adjusted manually. This way you can achieve maximum purity of processing without the formation of carbon deposits. At the same time, processing of technical elements is carried out, which can last longer.

Laser – best option for those interested in how to cut plywood into shapes.

How to cut plywood without chipping will become clear after reading Basic recommendations regarding the workflow:

  • The cutting of plywood sheets is carried out on the flooring with absolute support;
  • It is necessary to adjust the depth of cut, which can affect the quality of the cut;
  • When cutting longitudinally, a long, straight-shaped object is used as a guiding tool;
  • Before making a cut, you should check the guide;
  • It is recommended to cut at high speed, which should not be changed;
  • When cutting with a circular saw, the discs must be selected with the largest number cloves;
  • It is recommended to make a crosswise cut using adhesive tape.

Milling

How to cut 10mm plywood with a hand routerthickness, the following recommendations will suggest:

  • The cutter is secured to the collet.
  • The engine speed suitable for this operating process is set.
  • The required milling depth is adjusted using a plunge limiter when working with plunge-cutters, or a specific value of the cutter overhang relative to the base is fixed - when working with edge cutters).
  • A guide bearing or ring for working with edge cutters or other equipment is installed to help ensure the required path of the cutter.

Note the following basic safety measures when using a router: when cutting plywood sheets:

  • Fastening the cutter and setting it up must be done with the power cord unplugged from the outlet.
  • Exploitation hand router requires attentiveness and concentration. During milling, you need to stand firmly on your feet and firmly hold the router with your hands. It is not allowed to work while tired or distracted to avoid injury.
  • The processing element must be firmly fixed, otherwise it may be torn out of place by the cutter and thrown with great force and speed.
  • You need to be wary of possible impacts when the tool touches the material. To avoid impact, you need to hold the router firmly, pressing it securely to the base and move it with smooth movements. Clothing should be chosen to work without loose parts that could catch the tool.
  • It is better to avoid inhaling fine dust that occurs during the milling process. It is sucked out with a vacuum cleaner. You can use a respirator.

Thus, it became clear how you can cut plywood and the basic recommendations with the principles of work when cutting.

When you look at the price tags of furniture made from chipboard in a store, you are amazed at how expensive it is! But chipboard is one of the most available materials for designing furniture with your own hands. Fortunately, everything is on sale now necessary fittings. And furniture projects, whether on the Internet or in “paper” magazines, can now be found to suit every taste. So what's the problem? The main problem is to carefully cut the chipboard.

The most suitable household tool for cutting chipboard is a hand-held circular saw. But even when cutting chipboard with its help, a number of problems arise: 1) it is very difficult to follow strictly in a straight line, the saw wobbles; 2) chips form.

Are there ways to solve these problems? Eat. We will talk about them today. By the way, all these tricks also apply to cutting plywood.

Tip 1: Cutting chipboard on the floor with full support

Full support cutting means that when you get the saw to the end, the chipboard you are cutting will not immediately fall off.

If you want to get a very smooth and clear cut, Chipboard is better Just cut on the floor. This way you will 100% get a solid, stable base. The chipboard will not move even if you stand on top of it to complete the cut. You will also be sure that the cut piece will not fall off, crack or fall.

Place 5x10cm pieces of wood under the chipboard sheet perpendicular to the direction of the cut. The bars will have to be sacrificed, since the saw will pass through them. The more stable your chipboard sheet lies, the neater the cut will be.

Tip 2: Adjust the cutting depth

The appropriate cutting depth affects the quality of the cut.

Adjust the depth so that no more than half the disc's teeth protrude beyond the bottom edge of the chipboard or plywood (see photo above). This may not seem important to you, but believe me, the depth of the cut greatly affects the quality of the cut. With this setting, the tooth cuts the material rather than chopping it, and also stabilizes the saw so that it vibrates less during the cutting process. Both of these factors make saw marks on a chipboard cut less noticeable.

Position the saw along the edge of the chipboard, lift the guide and look from close range to set the correct cutting depth. By the way, at the same time it would be good to check the saw blade for damage, because a saw with bad teeth will make a rough cut. One more point: the saw is designed in such a way that its stroke goes in the upward direction, so chips most often form on the surface of the chipboard that faces upward, and the cut from the side of the surface facing downward is cleaner. Therefore, place the chipboard with the good side facing down when cutting.

Tip 3: For longitudinal cut use a hard, long, straight object as a guide

As a guide for making an even straight cut, it is convenient to use a narrow long piece of chipboard, 16mm thick and about 30cm wide, which was cut professionally in a specialized workshop. All you need to do is tighten its ends with a clamp.

The main difficulty is to position it in the right place for an accurate cut. To do this, you need to measure the distance from the edge of the saw support platform to the blade (see photo below).

Add this to your cut width, mark the chipboard on both edges, and apply a guide board. You will also need to factor the thickness of the saw blade into your measurements.

It is usually best to have a metal base plate circular saw rested against the edge of the guide, this ensures maximum stability of the saw during cutting.

Tip 4: Check the guide before making the cut

This is fine tuning, so to speak. Make a mark with a pencil - a line 5 cm long, thus determining the width of the part to be cut. Then start the saw, press the saw support platform against the guide and cut the chipboard. Make sure that the saw blade begins to rotate in the air before it even touches the sheet to be cut, otherwise the edge of the sheet may split. Now measure the distance from the edge of the sheet to the cut to make sure that you have done everything and calculated it correctly. It’s better, as they say, to measure seven times...

Tip 5: Cut at a constant speed without stopping

Cut without stopping and maintain a constant speed. If you stop, it will leave a mark on the chipboard or plywood.

Cutting speed depends on many factors, including the type of saw and blade sharpness, as well as the material you are cutting. In general, the sharp disc passes through a sheet of chipboard with little resistance, as if it were melting wood. If you feel like you have to force and push the saw, it means either you are sawing too fast or the blade is dull. Cutting too quickly tears the chipboard fibers and leaves noticeable marks on the cut. Too slow can cause the disc to overheat and ignite the wood.

Then you will get both marks and a burnt mark on the cut. This is why it is best to cut on the floor when you make a long cut. You can crawl on your knees right along the chipboard, following the movement of the saw, without the need to reach or bend.

Just calculate in advance whether the length of the electrical cable is enough for you.

Tip 6: Get a blade with more teeth

The more teeth on the disc, the sharper the cut will be. And, naturally, the disk must be sharp.

In principle, all the disks from the picture above are capable of making a good cut on chipboard and plywood. As we wrote above, the more teeth, the better the cut. However, the downside of the 140-tooth blade is that it becomes dull faster than the other three types. Especially if you are cutting chipboard. Take a 40 or 56 tooth disc. It's better to keep one more in reserve. A 56-tooth blade is commonly used for cutting.

Tip 7: Cross cutting is best done using duct tape.

The cross-cut runs perpendicular to the grain of the plywood, and even the sharpest blade easily leaves behind chips. This a big problem, The best decision which, buy a disc for cutting laminate, which we wrote about above. However, you can perform this task using other drives. To do this, place adhesive tape on both sides of the cut line. It will prevent the formation of chips.

You need to remove it carefully, pull it in a direction perpendicular to the cut (see photo below) so as not to damage the laminating coating of the chipboard.

And one last piece of advice. If you need to cut expensive material from the front side, cover the saw platform with adhesive tape so that it does not leave scratches on the surface of the sheet.