A jigsaw works well especially for intricate cuts in doorways or around floor vents.
Avoid splintering hardwood table saw.
For a circ saw this means placing the good side down and on a table saw the good side up.
This means that if you re going to avoid tearout and splintering you need to adjust how well the fibers are supported or how intense of an impact you make to the fibers.
If your circular saw blade causes tear out try the method shown.
The thin layers of plywood can often splinter and chip when cut with a power saw resulting in an ugly edge that looks like this.
Cut a piece of 1 4 hardboard to match the size of the shoe.
To prevent your cut line from tearing.
The best option to minimize splintering is to use what is called a zero clearance insert.
The veneer on oak plywood is usually very thin around 1 32 to 1 16 inch and it s prone to chipping or splintering when you cut it with most wood saws such as a circular saw or table saw.
Cut in another room to avoid dust.
Cut the flooring from the back side with a fine tooth blade to avoid splintering.
The blade that came with your saw whether you bought or rented it is likely inadequate.
Always use an appropriate blade for plywood and be sure that it s sharp.
Exit wounds can also be a problem when cutting plywood on the table saw.
No matter what tool you re using the best way to reduce tearout is to surround the blade or bit with a zero clearance surface.
Retract the blade lift the guard out of the way and attach the hardboard using double faced tape.
So any splintering or tear out is going to happen on the bottom of your workpiece.
First use a zero clearance insert on your tablesaw.
If you have a circular saw with the shoe set to maximum depth you will get more splintering than if you set it so that it will just barely cut through the wood because the angle that the teeth come out of the wood is lower to the wood when you are working on the outside of the curve of the blade.
This is equally important on the band saw drill press miter saw or table saw.
We strongly advise you against doing so because you are increasing a risk of kick back and making even more damage to the plywood and yourself.
A zero clearance insert fully supports the wood fibers right at the cut line which will dramatically improve your cut quality.
You can buy insert blanks specifically made for your saw or you can just make your own from plywood or mdf.
Some people even suggest raising your blade all the way up to avoid tear out.
Start the saw then slowly lower the blade to create a zero clearance blade opening.
The chipping is most pronounced when you cut across the grain and can be severe enough to require filling if you cut carelessly.
When using round saw blades the angle at which the blade comes out of the wood is important.
There is no trick that can save your plywood sheet if your blade isn t aligned.
Use a small table saw to rip pieces that lie against the end wall.
