What am I doing wrong?

[Barefoot1]

I know someone here has the answer . . .

I am cutting 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 mahogany, compound cuts. The cut is not the same at the bottom as it is on the top. The bottom is larger, so I know the blade is flexing. I adjusted the pressure per the hawk guidelines #5 blade @ 11:00. If I do not apply pressure the blade just sits there and does not appear to be cutting. I apply pressure and the blade bows and I get crappy cuts. Blade speed? Lack of patience? The blade is a Univ. No5 DRG Double Tooth PGT Olson

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[lucky788scroller]

Thomas, it appears to me your table is not perfectly square to your blade. Check that. And, check to also be sure your stock that you are cutting is perfectly square, if its not, when you cut out the other side, it wil end up al out of whack. With your pattern wrapping partway around the bottomside of your piece, you are possibly tilting your block off the saw table at least the thickness of your pattern.Also, try to always cut 3D patterns in the same direction. Dale

[Barefoot1]

Table is square, perhaps the pattern tag end.

[lucky788scroller]

when the blade flexes from pushing to hard, generally you get a barrel cut, making it hard to remove the piece at all because it is usually fatter towards the center of the cut, but sometimes its opposite that, fatter on the outside (the waste piece I mean).Yes, try it without the extra pattern thickness under one side, and cut around each section keeping your waste wood to the left side of the blade. Also, if your using a reverse tooth blade you are probably trapping a lot of sawdust in the kerf, try a blade with wide teeth spacing, and no reverse teeth. I prefer the Flying D's polar blades for 3D's. Good luck with it. Dale

[Greenfield_Bob]

When first started making 3D cuts I tried to cut them to fast and they looked like the ones that you have cut out. Don't get in a hurry when cutting them.
Like Dale I use Mike's polar blades and I don't try to make them last a long time. I change blades often, they don't cost that much.

Bob

[Barefoot1]

I think you are correct, If I speed up the blade and push less I get a better cut. Not perfect yet, but I will keep trying. I'll look into ordering some of Mikes Polar Blades too.

[azbison]

Thomas,

with the chesspieces I've cut, I've probably made 6 or 8 that I have messed up this way. Here are the things I've found.

1) Dull Blade... they wander like a drunk sailor when they are dull.
2) Not enough tension
3) Not square table, or bumps on the wood surface that caused the piece to be not square
4) The goofball doing the cutting did so when he was tired and just screwed it up

Numbers 1-3 I screwed up one each, that goofball doing the cutting keeps doing so when he's tired....

[BobD]

The Hawk saws do a good job of being at the right tension when you use their scale, but for some projects, compound cutting included, I'll sometimes tighten the blades a tiny bit more than the scale says for easier cutting.

Bob

[Barefoot1]

I have to be honest, I was pretty sure it was the loose nut holding the wood down. So I have increased the tension and gone up to a #7 blade and so far they seem to be making good cuts. The pieces that are falling out are uniform in width. I also am running the hawk at full speed. However I am getting a bit of burning in the turns, that may be a number of things, wood, blade size and speed. Since I am supposed to be working today I am not sure how much I will get done (on the saw or at work?? the hazards of home office) but when I finish a piece I will post up some pics.
Also I gave a tune up on the saw per the manual and would add that one should check tension on all bolts.

Azbison - how long does a piece take you to cut, say the King?

[Greenfield_Bob]

I also wrap clear packaging tape around wood that thick.
All 4 sides.

Bob