85 - Router Table, страница 40

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tips for clean

Plywood ■ Cuts

Plywood veneer splinters easily when cut. Use these simple tips to prevent it.

SECONP: raise blade for final cut

1 Scoring. ► The key to

preventing splinters from appearing along the edge when you crosscut plywood is to pay special attention to the thin veneer layer. One of the easiest ways to do this is to score or cut through the wood fibers of the veneer before making the cut. A sharp knife or a rotary fabric cutter, like you see in the photo at right works great for this.

You'll find this method is fast and effective. But you'll need to take some time to align the saw blade accurately with the score line. That way, you'll cut through the fibers you already scored.

2 Saw Blade Scoring, m Another

method to prevent splintering is to use your saw blade to score the veneer of the plywood. With this method, you'll need to make two passes, as shown at left.

On tire first pass, set the blade at a height that will just cut through the lower veneer layer. Next, you can raise the blade and complete the cut with a second pass. I like to use an auxiliary fence on my miter gauge to help keep the workpiece aligned with the blade. And if multiple pieces are being cut, I add a stop block to ensure the pieces are the same.

FIRST: raise saw blade so

it just cuts through veneer layer

NOTE: good side of plywood facing up

40 ShopNotes No. 85