Stack cutting plywood

[Magpie]

I'm stack-cutting 4 pieces of 1/4 inch red oak plywood with Flying Dutchman FD-TC #5 blades, and I'm having a bit of trouble with the backs being fuzzy--hence my previous question about sanders. Sanding inside all the cuts is really a pain. Right now I'm using sandpaper wrapped around a popsicle stick This is my first attempt at stack cutting plywood so I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. (I'm doing the lanterns on the front of this month's issue.) It's not just the bottom sheets; it is all four of them that have wood fibers hanging off of them around the cuts.

This wood is new to me so maybe it's just the wood, since I'm also having an amazing amount of tearing around the drill holes, which I did not have before. Any words of wisdom would be deeply appreciated, as always

[Gill]

I'm wondering if your boards are stacked tightly enough against each other. How have you fastened them together? And are you certain they're flat?

Gill

[Jediscroller]

The only reason I can think of for all 4 to have tear out is as Gill said, the stack is just not tight enough. That being said, all Oak plywood is not created equally. The type of stuff that Home Depot or Lowes carries will tear out terribly no matter how cautious you are. The TC's will also contribute to tear-out as well as the reverse teeth are coming up through the boards in all areas. I haven't tried these on plywood myself for this reason (they are great for solid hardwoods though).

[cowboywayne]

what I do to avoid the tear out from the drill bit is to use a "sacrificial board" underneath when I drill the holes, this seems to eliminate the tear out as I have not yet tried to stack cut I can't help much there. I Love working with oak as I think just about everyone here knows by now (As all my pieces have been cut from oak), and I haven't had this problem with it yet, but as I said I havn't tried to stack cut it yet. Wish I could be of more help.

Wayne

[Magpie]

Ehh, my son did buy it for me at Lowe's; that might be the problem. I didn't spring for the best wood because I'm painting them.

I have them taped together with blue painter tape, because that's what I had handy . I didn't have any mineral spirits on hand for removing my new spray glue, (I'm moving up from the glue stick!) so I taped all the way around and glued the pattern on top. They are good and flat that way, but maybe they move too much up and down when I cut.

This blade worked well on the Baltic Birch I used for Christmas ornaments, but I'll try one without the reverse teeth on it and see if that helps. Thanks again!

Edit: My blade choices are from Mike's beginner's pack--FD-SR #3 and 5, FD-TC #5, PSR #5, Polar #5.

[bearfretworks]

I'm big on using a few finishing nails inside a few internal frets. Make sure you blunt the tips if they make it thru your stack to avoid damage to the table top. I cut the nailed frets out last.

Good luck with your stack cutting! I stack cut pretty much everything - fills the house, garage, and shed up that much quicker!!!

[Jediscroller]

Magpie,
You secured the stack in the same manner as I always do so I feel safe in saying that's not your problem. You might want to give the PSR #5's a shot at it. FWIW, I typically stack about 5/8" (5 pieces of 1/8 material) and use a FD-SR #3 and have never had a problem with the reverse teeth coming up through the top of the boards. My first choice for your thickness would probably be the FD-SR #5 but the PSR's should work nearly as well.

[Magpie]

The SR-5 did cut a lot smoother but it's a lot more aggressive and I couldn't do sharp corners like before, but the PSR was slower and cornered well for me, and also miraculously cured my inability to cut straight lines. I thought I was deficient and it was only the wrong blade choice--a good lesson for me! Thanks!

[Bill Wilson]

Originally Posted by Magpie

Right now I'm using sandpaper wrapped around a popsicle stick Any words of wisdom would be deeply appreciated, as always

I don't have anything to add regarding material and blade selection, but I have found that emory boards work really well for removing those pesky burrs.

[Mick Walker]

Magpie, there must be space between the layers if you are getting fuzzies on all the layers. I use the brad method and only get the fuzzies on the bottom one. Mick.