Stack cutting tips desired..

[Dustyknees]

Hi all..Ok,The garage is no longer a 130 degrees and the spinal fusion I had lets me sit again,so time to cut again! I want to make Christmas ornaments this season. I have never stack-cut anything. I have always felt that doing my projects one-at-at-a-time makes them original,even if of the same pattern,no two cuts alike,right? Profits from stack cutting is greater I know,but don't know how to do it. Any advice,tips,tricks and such would be greatly appreciated..Thanks..Jon

[Marcellarius]

just stack 4 or 5 1/8" plywood, add the pattern at the top one and wrap it in blank tape.
drill the holes and start cutting.
best use reverse blades so the bottom one is good as well.
I like FD-UR blades for stack plywood best.
they give the best clean edges!


look also at http://stevedgood.com/community/index.php?topic=5347.0

[dgman]

Hey John. First you need to decide how thick ornaments you want to cut. For 1/8" I would stack anywhere from three to five layers. For 1/4", I would go two or three layers all depending on type and hardness of the wood and complexity of the pattern.
Next you need to decide how to attach the layers.  there are many ways to do this, and you will get them all from others, but what works for me is one of two ways. Use a hot glue gun to make a bead of glue on the edges of the stack, or use blue painters tape on the edges of the stack. I use both methods.
I don't like to use the blue tape under the pattern especially if it is an intricate pattern because it seems to take forever to remove all the bits and pieces of tape off. Instead I apply clear packing tape over the pattern. Make sure the tape is tight against the pattern. Then I use either a heat gun or spritz on some mineral spirits to remove the pattern after cutting.
Use the type of blade you would usually use for the thickness of the stack.
Good luck!

[Bill Wilson]

Hi Jon,

As far as building the stack, my approach is very similar to Dan's.  I really like the hot glue method.

A couple other tips; Make all your blanks in the stack the same size.  This makes lining them all up a lot easier.  Once I have them lined up, I take spring clamps and place them around the edges to make sure the stack stays in place and that the layers are nice & tight together.  Then I apply the hot glue.  You don't need to completely cover the whole edge surface.  I usually run several strips of glue across the layers.  Just enough to hold it all together.  If the edge of the stack is also a finished edge, I use a little less, so I don't have as much to remove after I'm finished cutting.

Other methods of holding stacks together include using small brads in the waste area.  You will have to be careful that the points don't stick out the bottom, or you will scratch your table up.  I saw a tip someplace, where a fellow was using round toothpicks to hold the stack together.  He drilled holes to provide a nice tight fit with the toothpicks.  Then all he had to so was snip each end off flush with the surface. No worries about scratching or hitting a nail with the blade.  I thought it was clever, but I haven't tried it myself.

[Russ C]

I use the toothpick method to hold the stack together. It works great for me. Like Dan said, "for 1/8" I would stack anywhere from three to five layers. For 1/4", I would go two or three layers all depending on type and hardness of the wood and complexity of the pattern", that's the way I do it also. 

[jscott2]

I also use toothpicks.  We have a few boxes of flat toothpicks so I put two in a hole, large end down for one and the point down for the other.  Works for me.

I just did one of Steve's Christmas trees and found the inside pieces seemed to move a bit when I got near the end of the cut.  I think I'll try putting a few in the inner areas to be cut out, at least into the larger cut-outs.  Has anyone else tried that and how did it work?

Jim

[tux_linux]

I use tape to hold the stack together. You need to figure out how to cut the outsides without making the stack unstable. Taping over all 4 sides is most times a good solution.

[Dustyknees]

Thanks all! I used the hot-glue method and it works great! To be fair I will try the other suggestions also. Having so many knowledgeable people on one site is awesome,love it here! Have a great weekend all..Jon