Mitre saw burning stock.

[Honest John]

So I decided to knock up one or two bird boxes before the nesting season starts. I only expected this to be a short non time consuming activity and so I set about the task using machines. I ripped some boards that I’d had in stick to appropriate widths on my table saw, then crosscut these short boards to the sizes required. The last task I needed to do was to mitre a couple of pieces to form a pent roof. I decided I didn’t want to tilt the blade in the saw as on my Saw I need to take out the zero clearance plate and fit a different one to enable the blade to tilt to the required angle. I realy must engineer a fix for this in the future. Anyway, I thought that for the 2 required cuts the quick solution would be to use my Makita chop saw from under the bench. This is a simple device, I think it’s a ML100 or something like that, single bevel, non sliding jobbie. I’ve never used it to cut a bevel, I’ve only ever used it as a cut off saw. On cutting the first bevel, there was a dreadful smell of burning wood and the blade appeared to bind n the cut. I cannot exactly see anything wrong with this little used saw, but every attempted bevel cut had the same effect. 90 deg crosscut were fine. I returned this evening to have another look at this problem and I’m still stumped as to what is going on. I have cleaned the blade with a solvent cleaner and removed all marks of burning and any resin but the result is the same. Cross cuts are fine. Anyone any idea what is going on?

 

[sunnybob]

How are you holding the wood steady?
once cut are both sides burned or just the left?
If the saw is tilted to the left and you are holding the wood with your left I suspect that you are pushing the wood into the side of the blade as it cuts.
Clamp the wood before cutting and i think the problem will go away.

 

[Honest John]

I need to investigate this Bob, I suspect this is 5he way forward. The stock was not clamped except by my hands well out of the way of 5he blade I might add. I tried to use a clamp but couldn’t find a secure fixing that didn’t cant the small stock at an improper angle. Il have another look and see where the burning was occurring. From my memory t was more on one side of the wood as you have suggested.

 

[Honest John]

Just popped into my shop and tried another cut. All is well now and I suggest you were right Bob. I clamped the stock to the right of the blade, with the blade bevelled to the left.....
Therefore the cut off is under the blade and the keeper to the right. Don’t know if this is a conventional way to do it, but it does leave much more room for clamping.

 

[sunnybob]

To hell with convention. If its safe and it works, job done. =D> =D>