Reducing tearout on mitre saw.

[Jonny G]

Hey guys, back again.

I bought an Evo Rage 3 a couple of months ago and just started my first real project with it.

I'm cutting grooved untreated decking boards and getting a lot more tearout than expected. It behaves better with a board underneath but the cut edge on top is still very ragged and not up to the standard I was expecting.

I've tried instantly chopping right through vs going very steadily making multiple passes. The latter seems to work best but it is still not making the kind of quality cuts I have seen this saw produce in videos online.

As far as I know. The saw is set up correctly with the blade level and firmly seated.

Any tips or checks I can do on the saw would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Jon.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Put a blade on it that is designed for wood only. They are not all that expensive - I ordered a 10" 60t Saxton one yesterday for £16.99.inc. P&P.

 

[Ttrees]

Hi make a zero clearance insert for your saw when you get a new blade.
Good luck

 

[MikeK]

I have a sliding compound mitre saw and installed a zero clearance insert to take care of any tear-out on the bottom of the wood. To minimize, and sometimes eliminate, the tear-out on the top of the wood, I offset the piece away from the rails by about two inches using blocks. I then make the first cut by bringing the saw blade down, like a chop saw, to cut about 1/2-inch deep and then draw the saw towards me. When the blade has cut through the top, I lower the saw completely and push it back to complete the cut. This way, the teeth of the blade are cutting into the wood instead of cutting out of it.

 

[sunnybob]

What Mike says.

You have to realise that from the lowest tooth backwards, they are all cutting UPwards.

slide the saw towards you and the teeth are all cutting downwards.

And if after all that you get a little bit of tear out at the rear of the board, clamp in a small sacrificial piece behind the work piece.

 

[Jonny G]

Thanks fellas, that's all really useful info. I'll try it with a board at the back and underneath and hopefully that'll improve things.

I'm reluctant to cough up for a new blade at this point as I've seen this one perform well on similar wood online, but if needs must I suppose yeah, they're cheap enough. I'll be cutting wood 99% of the time anyway, so a dedicated blade probably isn't a bad idea.

Being a total chancer here I know, but does anyone knows if there's a set of plans for a Rage 3 zero clearance insert out there?

 

[Ttrees]

Hi again
Can you not take the factory insert out and trace it ?
I would make one specifically for 90 degree cuts, or whatever angle you wish to cut.
and specifically for the blade that you use.
Another possible reason for spelching or tearout which you are experiencing, could be the factory insert is not totally flush
with the castings, so even with a backer board it may be vibrating or deflecting the blade ?
Just a thought
Tom

 

[Jonny G]

Yeah I can probably trace around it, is it best practice to make the insert and then create the slot using the actual blade and angle I'm using?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That's the only way you'll get zero clearance.

 

[Bodgers]

As well as the blade and the zero clearance insert (I like John Peter's YouTube video best on making one) technique is also a factor. If you mash the blade through the work piece quickly that will affect the cut. You need to be nice and smooth and slowish. The work piece also needs support.

I have seen some people use a technique where they make an initial shallow 'scoring' cut backwards over the top of the work piece and then push through to complete the cut. Safety wise you would have to make sure you were clamped down. My mitre saw is only a 205mm model and has limited sliding depth so there is limited scope for this anyway.




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[curtisrider]

The standard blades aren't very good, a 25.4 to 30mm bush from woodford tools will allow you to run a proper blade. Look for something like a Freud 216mm (it fits) which will cut beautifully and isn't too pricey in that size. I fitted a Freud to mine and it totally transformed its cutting ability however nothing I could do would make up for the slop in the joints and sliding carriage to make it useful for anything where precision was necessary. If you may potentially hit nails the Dewalt construction blades are brilliant, I have one for each of my saws and they cut very well as well as not minding the odd nail

 

[Noel]

Might help, covers making a scoring cut as mentioned above and other aspects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-uWNHRyrZc

 

[powertools]

For some reason there seems to be a school of thought that the best way to use a csms is to start the cut on the side away from the fence and cut towards the fence. This method will give you tear out on the top of the timber and will increase the risk of the timber lifting off table.

 

[Jonny G]

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions, ordered an Evo wood blade which came this morning, and the difference is night and day. No need for a ZC insert anymore, it cuts beautifully.

One thing I've noticed though is that the multi blade seemed to stop a little quicker than the new wood one. Any ideas on checking the brake on my saw?

 

[MikeK]

The deceleration is likely related to the difference in mass between the two blades. Does the new wood blade weigh more than the multi blade?