mindzipper Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Hi there, Newbie here, but I've got a question most likely everyone will know.I've been using tools all my life but I recently needed to purchase a sliding compound mitre saw.. ok well, honestly, i found an excuse to buy a sliding compound mitre saw Here's what I'm doing. I have several thin boards. they're basswood. i use them for chip carving practice. I have about 40. What I'd like to do with the practice boards is cut them in half. I usually do this if I decide to keep something after carving it since mosdt of my work are things like rosettes and about 5 inches. So i want to cut about 20 of my boards in half. The saw came with a GP blade. it's not a finishing blade. but i don't want to rush out and spend 50 bucks on a new one. Since it's a gp blade, upon testing, it frayed the under side of the board a little. not horribly, but bad enough to be annoying. The boards are 1/2x6x12. My question is, how many would you feel comfy stacking to cut at the same time? The saw has a max cut height of 4 inches. it's a 10 inch 500rmp 15a saw. I am clearly not going to stack 8 together and cut them, especialy since they're 6 inches wide, so i have to use the slide too. I think i'd be safe if I cut 3 at a time. I do have dual clamps on the saw, so i can secure the wood. what do you think I should try? shouldn't i be ok at 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 I would go with smaller bunches. It can get a little crazy trying to line up too many boards for one cut. I was cutting 4 2x4's on my 12" Bosch slider that was maxing it out cut wise. To be honest you would have to be cutting some very dense wood to give any of the modern miters any trouble. Getting back to your original question cutting 3 at a time seems like a reasonable amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindzipper Posted August 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Hello and thanks a bucnh for the response!That is kind of my thinking too. I mean IN reality I could tape the boards together at the ends to keep them lined up, but i think that's overkill. three sounds like the right number too. i'll use two real boards and one scrap to avoid the chips. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfwjr Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 On my SCMS I took the base plate out and made a wood zero clearance plate so that I do not get tear out on the bottom. I have not had a problem cutting a few boards stacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tool Whore Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 I'm an electrician so you should take what I say with a grain of salt. I was doing base, chair rail and crown molding in my house and after the first few cuts I had had to quit ( OCD kicked in ), the chipping drove me nuts because I try to limit imperfection as much as possible, and in my sometimes distorted mind I decided this was something I could control. I went on eBay and found a good used blade and it did the trick, no more chipping. Or at least very minor at worst when I cut too quick. Here is a blade that would be good for you:http://www.ebay.com/itm/IRWIN-MARATHON-80T-10-TRIM-FINISH-TABLE-SAW-BLADE-GOOD-CONDITION-CARBIDE-/151415376010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23410f488aAs for the other question; I will max it out if need be, if it fits I'll stack them. As far as clamps go, I just freehand the boards but if you want to use clamps you could use some speed clamps or Irwin's Quick-Grip bar clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 I cut 1x's 2 or high all the time without issue. You can also use scrap underneath to avoid fraying on your usable blanks.The sooner you bite the bullet and get yourself a Diablo or even an Avanti finish blade, the happier you'll be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfwjr Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 I cut 1x's 2 or high all the time without issue. You can also use scrap underneath to avoid fraying on your usable blanks.The sooner you bite the bullet and get yourself a Diablo or even an Avanti finish blade, the happier you'll be.Solid advice, a good blade makes a lot of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Bite the bullet And spend the cash. Wood can be really expensive and for any finish work I'd go with a high tooth ratio blade! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 You can find some pretty good deals on 10" miter saw blades fairly often. They are a lot cheaper than 12" blades it sucks to have to replace a blade on my 12" Bosch saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadlanthier Posted September 26, 2014 Report Share Posted September 26, 2014 As others have already said, a good blade will pay fors itself over and over. U just need to find a good excuse to buy it. I hate those good excuses, they always get me in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfwjr Posted September 26, 2014 Report Share Posted September 26, 2014 I bought a new blade and slipped it on the table saw. The wife never even noticed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 I bought a new blade and slipped it on the table saw. The wife never even noticed.That's the key to a happy marriage. She can't get pissed about the tools she doesn't know you bought. Conductor has a limited disclosure policy when it comes to tools and It's served me well over the last decade 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 if you can't slip a donor board on bottom wrap some masking tape so tape is in middle of cut line ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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