Hello!
If you want the neatest cut possible with a circular saw, should you saw from the underside or the top side? When jigsawing, you saw from the underside for the best result.
And how deep should the blade go? Should it just go through what needs to be cut, or should you "max" the depth for the blade to cut perpendicular to the material at the front edge of the blade??
Best regards
If you want the neatest cut possible with a circular saw, should you saw from the underside or the top side? When jigsawing, you saw from the underside for the best result.
And how deep should the blade go? Should it just go through what needs to be cut, or should you "max" the depth for the blade to cut perpendicular to the material at the front edge of the blade??
Best regards
You should saw from the top side. To reduce the risk of chipping on the backside, you should set the depth so that you just saw through, but add a couple of mm extra to ensure you saw through even if, for example, you happen to lift slightly at the end of the cut.
Put tape on the side that splinters as you cut through, this often results in much less splintering.
You might have already thought of this ...
But test cutting on a piece that's going to be removed anyway could be a good idea, so the whole board isn't ruined if it doesn't work as planned.
But test cutting on a piece that's going to be removed anyway could be a good idea, so the whole board isn't ruined if it doesn't work as planned.
I would have probably tried prefrez, according to festool's work description for melamine panels referred to in this thread: http://www.byggahus.se/forum/moebelsnickeri/100443-saga-i-hoegblank-spanskiva.html
If not, I would have cut from the back side, with the depth set to just 2-3 mm extra. The top side of the laminate panel I would have placed against, for example, an MDF board (so the blade cuts down 2-3 mm into it).
And of course, as Mikael writes, test on a scrap piece first.
If not, I would have cut from the back side, with the depth set to just 2-3 mm extra. The top side of the laminate panel I would have placed against, for example, an MDF board (so the blade cuts down 2-3 mm into it).
And of course, as Mikael writes, test on a scrap piece first.
I'm saying exactly the opposite and agree with Jeppe.Farzan said:
You cut from the underside. The top side tends to splinter upwards. Make sure to set the blade deep so that the teeth get an angle to cut across the surface, which gives minimal chance of splintering. If set shallow, the teeth cut along the length and there is a greater risk of splintering.
Apart from splintering, the surface that should be visible can be damaged or discolored by the saw's base plate if you cut from the top side. However, no worries with laminate.
It is possible that it's different when it's laminate (which wasn't clear from the beginning here), but I find it strange that there would be less risk of chipping on the side where the blade exits at the front edge. I have made quite a few cuts on oak boards in the way I describe and never experienced any chipping. However, I always tape - I forgot to mention that.
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The blade exits (sawing) on the side you have the saw. That's why you should saw from the underside. On the opposite side, the blade saws in. That's why you should have the saw set deep, and that side should be the one you want with a fine cut.
I never tape. You get knife-sharp edges if you make sure to have the saw set deep.
The blade exits (sawing) on the side you have the saw. That's why you should saw from the underside. On the opposite side, the blade saws in. That's why you should have the saw set deep, and that side should be the one you want with a fine cut.
I never tape. You get knife-sharp edges if you make sure to have the saw set deep.
Circular saw and jigsaw, unlike for example hand saw, usually have their splintered side on the top, because all saws, regardless of type, leave the most splintered cut on the side where the blade exits the material. That is, most splinters occur on the side facing the saw for jigsaw and circular saw, and the side away from the saw for examples like hand saw and multi-master.
Tape, but even better a "sacrificial board," helps to avoid splintering. Scribing according to the Festool link above works well but requires some form of guidance. Otherwise, cutting from the backside is the way to go. A rail to guide the saw eliminates all marks from the saw on the material, otherwise, as Linnex writes, there is a risk of scratching/discoloration, even if it is often quite small.
It's important to remember that a rail and splinter guard on the right side of the saw, like for example the TS55, generally also eliminate splintering on the top.
Regarding the depth, my experiences are completely different from Linnex; I clearly find that you get a better cut when the blade just barely goes through the material.
Tape, but even better a "sacrificial board," helps to avoid splintering. Scribing according to the Festool link above works well but requires some form of guidance. Otherwise, cutting from the backside is the way to go. A rail to guide the saw eliminates all marks from the saw on the material, otherwise, as Linnex writes, there is a risk of scratching/discoloration, even if it is often quite small.
It's important to remember that a rail and splinter guard on the right side of the saw, like for example the TS55, generally also eliminate splintering on the top.
Regarding the depth, my experiences are completely different from Linnex; I clearly find that you get a better cut when the blade just barely goes through the material.
I'm not quite following the reasoning.Daniel_N said:
The reason a jigsaw splinters the least on the back (the side away from the saw) is probably because the most common jigsaw blades, those with so-called positive teeth, have the teeth bent up towards the saw, and it's the side where the teeth are bent where the risk of splintering is greatest (since most of the cutting occurs when the blade moves in that direction).
The circular saw blade rotates so that it goes down into the material in front of the saw and comes out on the back, where there should be a risk of splintering. Then, of course, it goes back in at the back edge on the underside and exits on the top side, but at that point, it moves in the already sawed cut where it should barely touch the material if you saw gently and don't press too hard.
That has been my experience as well.Daniel_N said:
All the circular saws I've used rotate in the opposite direction compared to what you wrote ...Farzan said: