Plywood is one of the most popular finishing materials today. In this regard, many people have a question, how to saw plywood? To answer it, it is worth reading some useful information.
"Golden" rules for cutting plywood
In order to cut plywood with the highest quality, it is necessary to adhere to several simple rules. First, you first need to cut across the fibers, and then along. This measure avoids splitting of corners and other deformations of the material.
Secondly, depending on the side of the cut, different tools should be used. So, if it's about inside, then the most the best choice will be manual or band-saw. If you want to cut material with reverse side, then you should use a contour or circular saw.
Thirdly, you need to know that when cutting with a hand-held circular saw, the speed should be maintained at high level. In this case, the material itself is best fed slowly and smoothly, otherwise there is a high risk of damaging the material.
Fourth, every person should know that, regardless of the type of saw, its teeth must be fine. In this case, the risk of defects, in the form of a sheet crease, is significantly reduced.
Finally, the fifth rule is to understand that when cutting, you need to stick adhesive tape. This allows you to protect the surface of the sheet from chipping.
Can it be cut with a regular hacksaw?
The above information can help a person deal with the question of how to saw plywood? Depending on the specific situation, the optimal tool may be different. But what to do if only a hacksaw is at hand? If everything is done correctly, even with the help of such a primitive tool, you can evenly cut the material.
So, if you immediately take up the hacksaw and start sawing after marking, the edges will turn out to be terribly uneven. This is due to the peculiarities of plywood, however, there is a way out. Before you start sawing, you need to pour boiling water over the material, let it soak 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 with 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 avoids the breakdown of the hacksaw 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.
Despite the huge range of power tools, there are more and more new samples that perform a certain job with better quality. If, for example, cutting plywood, laminate or chipboard with a large circular saw, then this is difficult due to the size of the saw, since a circular saw, universal tool and it can cut workpieces up to 55mm thick.
A small circular saw is another matter, especially when you are only cutting plywood, which cuts excellently. laminated chipboard, for furniture, and with excellent cut quality.
Such a tool appeared in 2014, from BOSCH, circular saw PKS 16 Multi. In appearance, this tool looks more like a jigsaw, but this is a mini circular saw that can be used for cutting various materials, up to 16mm thick. This tool fits perfectly in one hand, weighs only 1.9 kg. With a power of 400 watts, the speed of the saw blade is 6400 rpm. For sawing various materials, the set includes three saw blade diameter 65mm, one diamond and two brazed teeth.
Of course, it cannot be said that this is the only tool in this form, since there are similar analogues, including the Chinese mini circular saw from Aliexpress, the Rhythm UPD-900 universal circular saw, and many others. But such a mini circular saw is well suited for home repairs, carpentry or your favorite hobby.
With such a saw, you can in a matter of moments get a cut of any desired shape: straight, curved or angular, and when used, the accuracy of the seam improves.
And diamond disc can be cut hard materials. The cutting depth is adjustable, so you can start cutting in the middle of the sheet, which makes it possible to make cuts for kitchen sinks and other cuts in the middle of a sheet of plywood or chipboard.
Author RBT
In the production of various finishing works or furniture making, the use of plywood is a common practice. At the same time, home craftsmen are faced with a choice: how to cut plywood and how to achieve a perfect cut without chips. During the cutting of such material, some difficulties arise: the sheet is different large sizes, and the structure of its base creates difficulties when sawing. Knowing some features, you can achieve excellent results when working electric jigsaw, manual or circular saw. The main condition is to ensure reliable fixation of plywood.
Plywood is a practical and easy-to-handle material.
Depending on the purpose of sawing, what can be used to cut plywood most efficiently is selected. Among the tools used for work, the following can be distinguished:
- electric circular saw;
- hand saw;
- electric jigsaw.
Consider the features of use various tools for cutting plywood and in what cases it is more expedient to use one or another device.
Hand saw
When cutting plywood with a hand saw, you have to exert physical effort due to the significant density of the material. This tool is used when it is necessary to cut a sheet of plywood into identical fragments.
Manual jigsaw– the best assistant in the processing of plywood sheets
Hand jigsaw is considered the best tool and allows you to decide in advance how to cut plywood without chips, saving yourself from the need to purchase electrical tools. With it, you can make a small number of elements of complex shape. Having certain skills in working with a jigsaw, you can make a neat cut, however, due to high labor costs and low productivity, this method cannot be called optimal.
Hand saw for plywood
If there is no electric tool or a simple jigsaw at hand, then you should resort to using a simple hand saw. In order to make it convenient to cut the sheet and avoid the formation of chips, the tool blade must have a large number of small and well-sharpened teeth. The angle of inclination of the saw to the plywood sheet must be sharp. It is recommended to avoid jerks and make uniform movements with strong pressure.
Tip: Res conventional saw it is rough, therefore it is recommended to process the end parts with emery after the end of sawing.
Circular Saw
Plywood sheets can be cut into various shapes using a circular or circular saw, but the main purpose of these tools is to create rectangular cuts. When cutting material, it is very difficult to get a clean cut, because the speed of rotation of the discs is very high. In this regard, preference should be given to those cutting wheels that have fine teeth and are used to work with wood. When processing plywood, it is good to use cutting wheels designed for sawing chipboard.
Fine-toothed cutting wheel prevents large chips from forming
Tip: while cutting plywood sheet care should be taken to ensure that the pressure on the sheet is negligible, and the disk rotation speed is low.
Circular Saw
When making furniture or repairing it, you often have to choose how to saw laminated plywood. To get a clean cut, it is necessary to select discs or blades that have frequent and fine teeth. Of great importance is the angle of their sharpening, as well as the shape. It is advisable to select discs with a positive sharpening angle and different tooth shapes (there is an alternation of trapezoidal and straight teeth). If the disc has negative sharpening angles, then it is necessary to reduce the speed, otherwise the wood will burn.
Important: what larger diameter disk, the wider the cut will be and, accordingly, the number of chips will increase. It is completely impossible to avoid the formation of chips, but it is realistic to reduce their number and size to such an extent that subsequent processing can completely eliminate all roughness.
A relationship has been established between the size of the chip and the teeth of the saw: small ones leave less damage than large ones. The amount of tooth set has an impact on the cleanliness of cutting plywood. Best result achieved with minimal wiring. You can check this parameter using a regular ruler. It is not necessary to cut a thick sheet using a disc with a minimum set of teeth, since it will burn from increased friction and the disc will be pinched.
Electric jigsaw
An electric jigsaw is best for cutting any plywood. While working with this tool, you should use small files, cut the canvas, pressing the jigsaw and avoid jerky movements. At the end of the process, the ends of the material are processed with sandpaper.
The electric jigsaw will facilitate sawing and make a high-quality cut of the sheet
Tip: when choosing saws for an electric jigsaw, you should give preference to those models that have a "clean cut" marking. Most manufacturers of cutting tools have saws for these purposes in their assortment, for example, BOSCH has this product line called CleanWood. Distinctive feature teeth - the correct triangular shape and the ability to cut in opposite directions.
You should not purchase low-quality tools, because after a cut of 5 meters in length, there is a strong blunting of the cutting edge, which causes the appearance of chips. The absence of wiring and the opposite sharpening of the teeth located in the neighborhood and the small width make it possible to perform complex curly cut. But these qualities of saw blades for fine cutting cause the fragility of the blades.
Plywood saws - the key to successful sawing of the material
Fine cutting of plywood can be done using metal blades. The size of the teeth of such saws is minimal, which greatly slows down the sawing speed, but allows you to achieve the highest quality. Since the width of the saw blades for metal is large, it is possible to carry out a figured cut only with a large bending radius (0.6-0.8 m).
Features of cutting tools
Each plywood cutting tool has its own characteristics when used. Consider the rules for working with plywood with various cutting tools.
Sawing with a circular saw
Using a guide when sawing with a circular saw will help to avoid unevenness
To effectively cut a sheet with a circular saw, you should follow these rules:
- Place the plywood sheet on a stable support and make the first cut closer to the middle of the sheet.
- Adjust the cut depth. To do this, lower the disc and start cutting, while the immersion depth of the disc should be 0.5 cm greater than the thickness of the blade.
- Position yourself to the side of the line of sight of the saw to avoid injury due to the high possibility of kickback.
- Prepare the saw to make the necessary cut. To do this, attach the saw shoe (its part in front) to the blade and install the blade on the cutting line, having previously unbent the casing.
- Make sure there are no obstructions at the bottom of the sheet.
- Turn on the saw and slowly plunge its blade into the material. Hold the saw firmly to prevent kickback. After dipping into the slot of the disk and installing its shoe on the surface of the sheet, the protective cover should be returned.
- Draw the tool along the line to the end of the canvas.
- Turn off the saw and only after it has completely stopped, remove it from the slot.
Cutting with an electric jigsaw
Electric jigsaw allows you to make high-quality curly cuts
To obtain an even cut, the sequence of actions should be as follows:
- Fix material securely.
- If possible, cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood, otherwise it will be very difficult to get a smooth edge.
- In no case should you put pressure on the tool, the cutting speed will not increase from this, but the tool is guaranteed to break.
- The surface of the teeth should be lubricated with oil to facilitate the work (on condition of working with wood of increased strength).
- It is not recommended to use the tool long time due to overheating and damage to the engine.
- After use, you need to clean the jigsaw and lubricate it.
Hand saw work
A metal saw is well suited for working with plywood
Working with a hand saw involves a lot more labor compared to a circular saw. To properly cut a sheet of plywood, you need to consider the following rules:
- Make a vertical notch along the cut line. To do this, place the saw blade and stretch the blade to form a groove.
- Tilt the saw blade until an acute angle is formed with the plane of the sheet (from 30 to 40 0) and begin to make smooth movements.
- To maintain evenness of the cut, the forearm and shoulder should be located in the same plane. When deviating from a given direction, it is required to slightly bend the saw in the desired direction and continue working.
- To avoid the formation of a fracture, it is necessary to hold the part to be sawn off with an unoccupied hand.
- At the end of the cut, it is required to give the canvas a vertical position again and finish the work by making several movements perpendicular to the plywood sheet.
It's interesting: hard coating laminated plywood gives heterogeneity to the material, which causes the formation of chips during processing. Another reason for the appearance of such defects is determined by the speed of the cutting edge, the shape of its teeth and the forces applied. Often the jigsaw blade breaks out large pieces of plywood, which is due to the use of files with large teeth or punching through the upper part of the sheet.
How to get the perfect cut
A high-quality cut simplifies further work with the material
In order to get a perfect cut from the end side, you can use both hand saw and use power tools. There are several methods to help you achieve high-quality cut plywood. Here are some of them.
Zero clearance
The principle of this technique is to reduce the distance between the saw sole and the pressure pad to the minimum possible. This avoids breaking off the top layer of plywood. This effect can be achieved by attaching an overlay plate to the sole of the tool. The pad has a slot to keep the ability to cut along the intended line. Thanks to this, the teeth are guaranteed to cut small chips and do not break out the material.
It is important to exclude mechanical damage sheet surface overlay. The overlay should be replaced every 5 meters of cut. The use of overlays made of more durable materials (metal, plastic or fiberglass) eliminates the need to frequently change the overlays, the surface of which must first be polished.
Adhesive tapes
To protect the back side of the plywood, a tape is glued along the cut line. This method helps to prevent breaking off large pieces, which is especially effective if it is decided to use a manual or electric jigsaw. However, not every adhesive tape is suitable for these purposes. For example, masking tape in this case will be completely useless due to the small margin of safety.
Adhesive tapes - best defense from chips
Before you start sawing, a tape tape with fiberglass or aluminum reinforcement is glued onto the surface. The requirements for its width are as follows: there should be a margin of 1.5-2.0 cm on both sides of the cutting line. It is better to paste by pressing the tape with a dry cloth, preventing the formation of wrinkles and gluing.
After the saw blade or electric jigsaw has stopped working, you should remove the tool, after unplugging it from the mains. Then proceed to peel off the tape. In this case, great care should be taken so that sudden movements do not cause the separation of small fragments of the laminated surface, which are inevitably formed during cutting. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon the use of materials with a powerful adhesive base. When choosing such a tape, one should take into account its adhesiveness and ease of cleaning from a rough surface.
To cut the plywood sheet correctly, you must use suitable tool and follow some rules:
- before cutting, it is required to take all measurements and check yourself in order to avoid annoying mistakes;
- during operation, it is necessary to monitor the power cord;
- before using the tool, it is required to adjust the depth of cut is not the desired value;
- the saw blade must be suitable for cutting plywood;
- the use of the saw must be accompanied by the use of protective gloves and goggles;
- dull saw blades are more dangerous than sharp ones;
- when sawing plywood, it is necessary to observe safety not to bring your hands closer to the blade;
- do not start work without skills in working with power tools.
Conclusion
It is quite possible to achieve excellent plywood cutting quality at home if you use a guide rail in your work, correctly cut the material and follow safety precautions when working with cutting tools. Knowledge about the structure of the plywood sheet and the features of its processing will help to avoid annoying mistakes and avoid additional expenses for the purchase of new material to replace the damaged one.
How to cut plywood, despite the fact that its sheets have minimum size 12.2x12.2 cm. After all, during construction and repair work fragments of smaller parameters are needed and various forms sometimes even curvilinear. cutting this material cannot be avoided as it has become a necessity for most cases.
Hand tool
Who does not know how to cut plywood at home, you should look at the information below. Allocate the main tools for cutting plywood:
- hand saw;
- band or circular saw;
- jigsaw.
Plywood is considered a fairly dense material, so you have to apply physical strength while cutting it with a hacksaw by hand. The device is usually used to divide sheets into equal fragments. The teeth should be small to avoid damaging the structure of the material.
- From a plywood sheet, elements of various shapes are also created with band or circular saws. Due to the high speed of rotation of the cutting wheels, it is difficult to get a neatly perfect cut. Therefore, in the work it is advised to use cutting wheels, which are equipped with small teeth, are intended for work processes exclusively with wood.
- Any plywood can be easily sawn with a jigsaw with a fine saw blade. To do this, you just need to press the tool against the tile and guide it with care, without jerking. Upon completion of the cutting process, the edges of the sheets are advised to be processed with sandpaper.
The better to cut plywood and in what quantity. Hand jigsaw consider perfect tool if you need to produce a small quantity complex elements. With some skill, it can allow you to get neat cuts. Manual way cutting cannot be called productive, especially since it is very tiring.
- When creating straight cut shapes, use circular saw with fine cutting wheels. Cutting wheels for chipboard can quickly cope with the task of cutting plywood sheets. In this case, the saw is driven with a small amount of pressure at a slow speed.
- If there are no jigsaws and power tools among the available tools, it is worth trying to cut the material with a conventional saw manually. The tool should be with small teeth and good sharpening. During the cutting process, the blade is guided under acute angle to the surface of the plywood. Movements should be smooth with great pressure, and without jerks. Accurate work should be especially at the end of cutting, because the slightest wrong movement can lead to the formation of a large chip, thus rejecting an already finished element.
Attention! The saw makes a rough cut, therefore, 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 up to a thickness of 8-10 mm. This process may depend on the types of wood, type of glue and processing option. It is better to cut resin-free sheets of plywood from wood softwood. Birch plywood is not recommended for cutting, and material with formaldehyde resin is even harder to cut. The upper part of the cut is always a dark shade. The mode and level of cutting quality for all grades of plywood is determined by experiment.
The laser cutting process will make it possible to produce parts without exerting mechanical influence on the sheets. Thanks to this, chips and pile will not appear at the edges. The laser beam has such a small diameter that it will allow cutting out elements with parameters of several millimeters and complex geometric shapes.
The maximum material thickness 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! The cut upon completion of work with the laser is able to change color due to the burning of the material. However, this can be both a positive and a negative result of the work, depending on the desired result and the intended purpose of the parts received.
The principle of operation needs a level of training. After all, wood is a fairly flammable material, so it must be constantly cooled. To do this, the tool blows on the cutting part, which is manually adjusted. This way you can achieve maximum cleanliness of processing without the formation of carbon deposits. At the same time, technical elements are processed, which can last longer.
Laser - best option for those interested, how to figuratively cut plywood.
How to cut plywood without chips, it will become clear after reading Basic workflow guidelines:
- Cutting sheets of plywood is carried out on the flooring with absolute support;
- It is necessary to adjust the depth of cut, which can affect the level of cut quality;
- In the longitudinal direction of the cut, a long straight 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;
- A transverse incision is advised to be made with adhesive tape.
Milling
How to cut 10mm plywood with a hand routerthick, suggest the following recommendations:
- The cutter is fixed in the collet.
- The number of engine revolutions suitable for this working process is set.
- Customizable required depth milling using a plunge limiter when working with plunge cutters or a specific value of the cutter overhang relative to the sole is fixed - when working with edge cutters).
- A guide bearing or edge cutter ring or other equipment is installed to help ensure the required path of the cutter.
Note such basic safety measures when using a router when cutting plywood sheets:
- The cutter must be fastened and adjusted with the power cord unplugged from the socket.
- Exploitation manual router requires attention and concentration. During milling, you need to clearly stand on your feet and firmly hold the router with your hands. It is not allowed to work in a state of fatigue or distraction to avoid injury.
- The processing element must be firmly fixed, otherwise it may break off the cutter from its place and rush from great strength and speed.
- It is necessary to be wary of possible impacts when the tool touches the material. To avoid impact, you need to firmly hold the router, firmly pressing it to the base and move it with smooth movements. Clothing should be chosen for work without loose parts that can grab the tool.
- It is better to avoid inhaling the fine dust that occurs during the milling process. It is sucked off with a vacuum cleaner. You can use a respirator.
Thus, it turned out how plywood can be cut and the main recommendations with the principles of work when cutting.
2minkusha:> > > Plywood?
Birch plywood FSF Sveza.
Format, mm:1220x2440
The variety is quite decent, I don’t remember, 2 or 3, polished on both sides.
http://www.sveza.ru/catalog.asp?m2id=3455&m3id=3486#m3494
quoted1 > > > And the thickness?
12 mm
quoted1 > > > Probably mark out, and then with a ruler
Quite right. Quoting my first post:
Remont_Forever> > > The ideal straight line was drawn using laser level, ruler and ballpoint pen.
Remont_Forever> > > sawed along the drawn straight line
> > > How long is the cut? 2400mm?
2440mm
quoted1 > > > What is the accuracy-a fraction of a mm?
The line has been drawn ballpoint pen. The line width is about half a millimeter. The jigsaw was guided exactly along the line (so that the line was approximately in the middle of the file). But not in a hurry. After cutting, no traces of the ink line could be seen from either side. Visually, the final cut was absolutely straight, the waves are not visible.
By the way, the factory edge of the plywood turned out to be crooked (a wave of 2-3 millimeters at the indicated length), I had to saw it off too.
In a couple of weeks we will take care of the floor, that's when we have to cut the plywood. So you intrigued me that I would take the jigsaw from my husband and try to saw it myself. Moreover, there is no need for super quality.
> > > technology for drawing lines using a laser level
We take the level of UL-S (see VDSiR 36-2004, pp. 135-136). Enable vertical layout. UL-S draws a vertical line on the wall, respectively, on a sheet of plywood that lies in front of the wall - just a straight line.
We place the UL-S and plywood relative to each other so that this line passes where we need it. In the center of the laser line, we put dashes with a ballpoint pen or a sharpened pencil every 20-30 cm. We connect the outlined dashes with a single thin line using a thin metal ruler. Turn off UL-S. Sawing.
It is especially convenient to mark UL-Som on curves brick walls vertical lines for lighthouses for subsequent plastering. This, of course, without a ruler, I just draw a pencil along the laser line, and that's it.
quoted1 > > > Or are you on the laser beam and led the cutting tool?
No. At first they tried, but it's inconvenient. File reflects laser beams in all directions, the laser hits the eyes, etc.
quoted1 > > > Or do you have a laser marking the surface?
Unfortunately no. If I came across one that marks ANY surface, and beats off 2 planes, and for 2700 rubles ... I would immediately buy it. I'm afraid, however, that these have not yet been invented.
Dear masters and experts!
To be honest, I do not see any deep professionalism in sawing plywood. You need a firm hand, accuracy, patience + some experience. I do not understand what, in general, the market.
This is still not ventilation, for example, to count.
I think about what was the goal of the initiator of the topic. Get some tricky trick that allows you to quickly cut smoothly without showing patience and accuracy?
Or find out about a tool like a magic wand, which itself will make a neat cut, in the absence of a firm hand from the owner?
Or what...?
