# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  my circular saw making a mess of timber when cutting

## wozzzzza

i got a circular saw from bunnings, ryobi, it came with a blade, im wondering if thats the reason it makes a mess of timber when i cut it as it splinters badly, chips the crap out of melamine edges and looks crap.
do i need to get rid of this supplied blade and get a decent one with more teeth or something??

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## gpkennedy

Have you tried adjusting the depth setting so that the blade is JUST cutting through the timber rather than having a cut which is too deep? This can help.

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## johnc

You can't get a decent cut in melamine without a decent blade, the Ryobi is a cheapy blade. A decent blade will be worth more than the saw, Austsaw make some decent blades as do Freud, CMT, Carbitool to name four. If you want to do a lot of Melamine it is probably worth while getting a better blade, if not get it cut somewhere else. As for your ordinary blade, try the shallow cut but you might be better off upgrading to something like a basic Irwin blade with a few more teeth.

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## wozzzzza

i do shallow cuts as standard but no go, will look into a new blade with more teeth. i guess that cheap saw with a blade supplied must be a pretty @@@@@@ blade.

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## SilentButDeadly

> I guess that cheap saw with a blade supplied must be a pretty @@@@@@ blade.

  They make very good clock faces...that's about all. 
If you want a fine finish to the cut....60 teeth to the blade AND hope that the saw arbor is perfectly square.  Many of the cheap saws aren't stable enough to cut a neat pile of firewood let alone well finished joinery...

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## wozzzzza

oh, i just looked at my blade, the specs are 190mm, 5/8 arbor, 18 teeth.
i think i have problem worked out, need a few hundred more teeth. 
So how many teeth you reckon i would need for cutting stuff like ply wood, melamine, trimming doors and pine

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## SilentButDeadly

Lots...    Freud Tools - Thin Kerf Ultimate Plywood & Melamine  
OR!! 
Very few   Austsaw Polycrystalline Diamond Blade Circular Saw Cutting Blades

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## Uncle Bob

What type of blade would you folks recommend for cutting colourbond?

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## johnc

Austsaw also make a colourbond blade. Good blades but not cheap. If you get one of those blades spend a bit extra on a very good pair of earmuffs to go with it.

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## chrisp

> i got a circular saw from bunnings, ryobi, it came with a blade, im wondering if thats the reason it makes a mess of timber when i cut it as it splinters badly, chips the crap out of melamine edges and looks crap.
> do i need to get rid of this supplied blade and get a decent one with more teeth or something??

  I'd suggest that you do a few checks before investing in a new blade.  Are both sides of the board chipped?Are both sides of the cut chipped? 
 (i.e. look at the 4 edges of the cut, which ones are chipping?) 
What you might have is poor runout on the saw's arbour causing the blade to wobble sideways as it turns.  On some saws it is so bad that you can see if you look at the blade spinning (but be careful that you don't cut yourself).  If the saw has lots of run-out, I'd suggest a better saw and blade!  Chipping on both sides of the board and both sides of the cut could be signs of poor runout. 
If the chipping is on the top of the board and only one side of the cut on the underside, then it might just be a technique problem as you might be skewing the saw as it cuts (causing one side of the trailing edge of the blade to rub).  A better blade and better technique is in order. 
If the chipping is only on one side of the board, then the saw itself is probably okay and a better blade is in order.  It is very hard to get no chipping even with a good blade unless you rig up a zero-clearance plate of the saw as well.  For most part, a small amount of chipping can be tolerated if the chipped side is placed so that it can't be seen.

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## Uncle Bob

> If you get one of those blades spend a bit extra on a very good pair of earmuffs to go with it.

  I hear ya their, well for the time being anyhow :brava: 
Actually, I think for the neighbours sake I'll stick to the Whiss snips  :Censored2:

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## chrisp

> I hear ya their, well for the time being anyhow
> Actually, I think for the neighbours sake I'll stick to the Whiss snips

  Look up an electric nibbler - they aren't bad for cutting sheets.

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## Uncle Bob

Also to add to the great advice you're received already. Clamping wood to the sides (especially underneath) should help avoid chipping.

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## Master Splinter

Buy a Festool Tracksaw.  No chipping, no mess.

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## stevoh741

Another example of why buying cheap tools is a false economy. If you want a good job you need good tools. You don't see professional sports players shopping in amart allsports do you?

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## wozzzzza

well the bottom of the board where the blade is ont he up stroke is not bad but not good, the top is simply written off its that bad, i normally have to plain around 3-4mm off to get a reasonable edge with all the break out occuring.
ive com to the conclusion that my blade is no good, its a 18 teeth rip blade by the looks of it, i just went out to get a new blade, a bosch 60 teeth blade, a cross cut sorta blade with better angled teeth that will hopefully give a smoother cut when i give it a go later on today.
my technique is not brilliant but i always run the saw along a straight edge clamped down to keep my cut straight.  *EDITED POST*

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## SilentButDeadly

> Buy a Festool Tracksaw.  No chipping, no mess.

  Used one the other day...and I loved it to its little green heart....then it primly showed me the price tag...and my heart was broken.  I stepped back into the shadows, crestfallen.  :Saddest:

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## The Bleeder

Wozzzza, 
Tablesaws that cut melamine have a scribing blade underneath. This stops the chip out. 
When I had to make a cabinet for my kitchen (replaced one that got a little wet) I used a straight edge and a pointed router bit to score through the melamine on both sides. 
Then the circular saw again using a straight edge to make the through cut. 
Painfully slow in making one cut but it worked and minimul signs of chip out.

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## Master Splinter

> Used one the other day...and I loved it to its little green heart....then it primly showed me the price tag...and my heart was broken.  I stepped back into the shadows, crestfallen.

  I should have added "No bank balance" to my list of its features.  Makita make one that is about $250 cheaper, if that helps.....

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## Handyjack

> Used one the other day...and I loved it to its little green heart....then it primly showed me the price tag...and my heart was broken.  I stepped back into the shadows, crestfallen.

  With regards to a Festool circular saw.
No regrets about buying one. Also bought dust extractor for it. Now when I cut melamine I have minimal if any chipping and very accurate cutting and little mess to clean up.  :Smilie:  
Cannot remember how much I paid, but enjoy using it every time. Yes it did cost many times that of the Ryobi but the quality is many times better and the time saved to get accuracy and clean up afterwards cannot be measured. 
People are imprest when I trim 3mm off the edge of a door with the saw and they have a sliver of wood, about 1mm thick but 2 metres long!

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## sundancewfs

On my table saw (which doesn't have a scribing blade) I have a 96 tooth blade. If I want to cut melamine with my circular saw I have used a 60 tooth Irwin blade. BUT I also use a zero-clearance plate I made on the base of the saw. This supports the edges of the cut and helps stop the teeth from pushing the surface apart as the teeth exit the surface (the top side is the exit side)

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## SilentButDeadly

> I should have added "No bank balance" to my list of its features.  Makita make one that is about $250 cheaper, if that helps.....

  No. Not really <sob>  :Cry:   :Weeping:   :Tears:   :Bawl:

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## nads

I'm building my kitchen cabinets now. I'm using the slow way to cut the boards but i'm getting a perfect edge.
I cut them with a 60 tooth Irwin blade with my makita saw 3mm over size. Then trim the edges with a flush trim bit from CMT.
It takes longer but the end result is very nice.

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## r3nov8or

> O...BUT I also use a zero-clearance plate I made on the base of the saw...

  That's a great idea. Can you buy these, or make them yourself?

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## Lawriet

> Wozzzza, 
> Tablesaws that cut melamine have a scribing blade underneath. This stops the chip out. 
> When I had to make a cabinet for my kitchen (replaced one that got a little wet) I used a straight edge and a pointed router bit to score through the melamine on both sides. 
> Then the circular saw again using a straight edge to make the through cut. 
> Painfully slow in making one cut but it worked and minimul signs of chip out.

  
Found a little trick on my table saw - drop the blade down so you only have less then 1mm poking up, then start at the back of the blade - no writhing knife - cut it through backwards, then lift the blade and cut it full thickness.   :Smilie:

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## wozzzzza

just put that 60tooth bosch 185mm blade on my saw this afternoon to cut down this last door im fitting and it cut perfect, hardly any imperfection on the up stroke on the top of the board and a perfect cut on the other stroke on the bottom of the board and edge of the board was perfect also, so these damn blades that these saws come with as standard are not worth the metal they are made out of.

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## Bloss

> Found a little trick on my table saw - drop the blade down so you only have less then 1mm poking up, then start at the back of the blade - _no writhing knife_ - cut it through backwards, then lift the blade and cut it full thickness.

  Love the imagery, but you no doubt mean a riving knife  . . .  :Redface:

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## jatt

[QUOTE]Buy a Festool Tracksaw.  No chipping, no mess[QUOTE]
Yeah the pocket pain was considerable, but no regrets.  Even get a good result with lamipanel.  The speed control can be a handy feature at times.
Another thing one can try with a std circular is taping where u r gonna cut, or my favourite and score thru the laminate first.  Have a handheld tungsten tip laminate cutter for really critical stuff like cutting thru benchtops.

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