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27th December 2014, 08:52 PM #1Intermediate Member
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Circular Saw Base Grips the Timber
I recently bought a Renegade 1800W 185mm circular saw in Australia from Trade Tools.
I plan to use the saw for constructing stage speaker boxes from 12mm pine ply.
I was attracted to the saw because it was relatively cheap, but mainly because it had a magnesium cast base.
Before I started building my speakers, I used the saw to cut some Shadowclad, which is also 12mm pine, but is treated and has rough saw faces.
Right from the start, the saw needed considerable effort to push it through the ply sheet - as if the blade was blunt.
As I wasn't familiar with the saw, I didn't take too much notice. All up I probably did about 8 metres of cutting through 12mm ply.
When I went to start my main project (speakers), I changed the blade from a 24 tooth to a 40 tooth.
It was then that I noticed that the undersurface of the magnesium base was very rough (finely pitted).
This I now believe was why the saw appeared so hard to cut through the 12mm ply sheets.
What can I do to fix the problem?
I was thinking of coating the surface of the base with a silicone product - say car polish? Or maybe some sort of dry lubricant?
But should I try to smoothen the surface first?
I am a newbie to woodworking, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
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27th December 2014, 09:33 PM #2Awaiting Email Confirmation
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Silicon is a no..no. Once on timber no finish will adhere to it.
Try with some wet & dry and smooth the surface.
If that doesn't give you the desired result use a wood working wax on the plate.
This is easly removed from timber using wax & grease remover.
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27th December 2014, 09:37 PM #3
Steer yourself away from anything with silicone as it will transfer to the timber and greatly affect whatever finish you put on.
Perhaps a simple waxing from a candle or UBeaut Traditional Wax (personal fave) will be enough get you out of strife. Just rub it on the sole, wait 10 minutes and buff it off...then hopefully you will dislocate your arm with the new found speed and ease of running your saw through a panel
Edit: Dammit. Bleeder beat me to it
If you want to make a more permanent solution, it might not hurt to lap the sole of the plate up through the grits (to at least 1200), but that's probably a bit of a purist's solution and may be somewhat extreme for a circy *shrug*Every time you make a typo, the errorists win.
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27th December 2014, 09:52 PM #4Intermediate Member
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Thanks Guys.
Without your timely intervention I would have stuffed up my first decent job before I had even started.
I think I have some fine wet & dry somewhere, so I might try and take some of the roughness out of it before I treat it with some wax.
Would ear wax work?
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27th December 2014, 10:18 PM #5
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27th December 2014, 10:45 PM #6
Realistically, there shouldn't be too much friction even with what appears to be a rough finish on the base. Metal on wood doesn't exactly have a high coefficient of friction to start with.
The only times I have encountered a hard to push saw is when:
The leading edge of the base is digging in/against rough sawn timber,
The retractable blade cover isn't retracting properly and is jamming at the last bit of its travel meaning it drags on the timber,
The saw is being pushed at a slight angle to the direction of travel,
I'm cutting a 4 inch thick old, hard, hardwood railway sleeper, or
My foot is trapping the power cord.
I'd suggest making a saw guide (which will help with both stickiness and making nice straight cuts):
http://www.wwgoa.com/shop-made-circu...-easy-awesome/
And remember to push the saw along, letting its weight hold it down.
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28th December 2014, 09:45 AM #7Awaiting Email Confirmation
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28th December 2014, 12:24 PM #8Intermediate Member
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Hi MS.
Thanks for all the experienced advice (I need it)
Yes, I am definitely going to make some saw guides just like the video.
My first cuts will be full length rips of the 2400 long sheets. But the cross cuts and trimming will be no longer than 620mm. So I will have two basic guides.
Then some cuts will be angled at various angles, so I will need a guide for each angle.
I have an old 200mm saw with a pressed steel base. It is nearly 30 years old, but still pushes through smoothly and easily.
I can't remember what the base plate looked like when I first bought the new 185mm saw, but it is very rough now and I doubt would even glide over butter!
With the 185mm, pushing your fingers along the base is like pushing your fingers along a very grippy surface - almost as bad as sand paper!!!
The speakers project is exclusively using standard 12mm c/d pine ply with normal dressed faces. And future projects should be similar.
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28th December 2014, 03:19 PM #9
Without having seen any images, I just wonder if a- the blade has been correctly fitted and b- is it sharp without any gum on it?
Hope you sort out your problems.
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28th December 2014, 03:27 PM #10
When doing your cuts are you using some sort of straight edge to guide the saw, or are you just trying to follow a line freehand?
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28th December 2014, 03:37 PM #11GOLD MEMBER
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Whilst I realise that cost is a factor, if possible, I would take it back and get a different brand.
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28th December 2014, 04:53 PM #12Intermediate Member
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28th December 2014, 04:56 PM #13Intermediate Member
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28th December 2014, 04:59 PM #14Intermediate Member
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28th December 2014, 06:00 PM #15Member
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Hi Nordo, Apologies to state the obvious but is the blade the right way round? If yes you may have to go the sandpaper route if you are unable to return it?
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