Cutting thin plywood

[jrpeteo]

I have a smallish cheapo Craftsman table saw and need some insight on what kind of blades and technique to use for cutting 1/8" plywood. I have something called a plywood blade but it just shreds the edges. I'm looking to make a stock of 8" x 10" blanks, ready to scroll.

Thanks, Pete

[newfie]

i don't think it matters what kind of blade you use in an table saw to cut 1/8"plywood its going to splinter up anyway.but the finer the teeth on the blade the better.cutting with the grain is not so bad but against the grain you get a lot of tear out.you can also try taping along the cut line it helps some what.

[pieter]

I ussually use some scrap wood at the bottom for almost any 1/8" bb; essentially eliminates edge splintering and for me any ways makes it easier to control the cuts.

Pieter

[Billy in Va]

You might also over the cut line with some blue painters tap or some masking tape.  When I do that I usually do both sides of the board

[Rapid Roger]

If you have a reasonable saw and a fairly new and sharp plywood blade, I'm guessing that it is more the fault of the wood and not necessarily the saw, blade, or you.
1/8" wood can present some problems anyway but, are you sure that it is wood all the way through or do you maybe have some of that cheap stuff with foam core in it? The cheap plywood is only three layers thick and the center (thicker) layer is not wood even though to outsides look very nice. The outer skins of that cheaper "plywood" are very thin and can even be sanded through without much trouble.
I hate to say it again but, "you get what you pay for" and your quality depends on the materials used as well as your skill and finishing techniques.

Rog

[IBMer]

Band Saw may work better, but yeah, putting a scrap piece behind it might help reduce tearing.

[old wormy]

Use a good quality 40 to 60 tooth carbide tipped blade and a zero clearance insert to minimize splintering. A piece of scrap board underneath will help as well  as the masking tape.

[king310]

I use a DIABLO blade 40t and a 80t for plywood. I used them in that type of saw for a long time. I now use them in my Dewalt 744

[Rapid Roger]

Use a good quality 40 to 60 tooth carbide tipped blade and a zero clearance insert to minimize splintering. A piece of scrap board underneath will help as well  as the masking tape.

Thanks old wormy, for mentioning the ZCI. I did not think of that because I have been using one in my saw for so long that I don't think about anyone NOT knowing about them. I make my own and have several for dado blades and even one for 45 degree cuts. They sure do help with tear out on most any thickness of wood. Another thing that helps a lot is a miter sled with a zero clearance slot in it. A bottom "scrap" piece would help a lot also, as you mentioned.
As far as blades for plywood though (especially thinner stuff) I would recommend as many teeth as you can get. Right now, I'm using an 80 tooth blade since I wore out my 100 tooth "nibbler".

Rog

[julief]

Sharp blade and tape the line.  Seriously, taping the line will reduce the tear out significantly, especially on thin wood.

[Russ C]

Here is a technique that I use, take a straight edge and score the line with a razor knife. Edge comes out nice and clean. 

[Billy in Va]

Russ   That's a great tip THANKS~!!!!

[jrpeteo]

Wow, thanks for all the help!
I do use mostly Baltic Birch for portrait style stuff, so the wood is good. I shall start with getting a new, good quality blade, and then score the line with a razor knife, tape it off and throw a scrap piece underneath.
Pete

[dgman]

Wow, thanks for all the help!
I do use mostly Baltic Birch for portrait style stuff, so the wood is good. I shall start with getting a new, good quality blade, and then score the line with a razor knife, tape it off and throw a scrap piece underneath.
Pete

Don't forget a zero clearance insert on your table saw!