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  1. #1
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    Default Cutting Small offcuts with Compound slide Mitre saw?

    Hi all,

    I can't seem to find any online demonstration or anything in the manual on how to cut small stuff like this:



    Wouldn't the blade hit the offcut piece as it's no mounted down or dropping to the floor? Do I only lift the blade when it's stops spinning?

    Thanks.

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  3. #2
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    Jun 2010
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    Default

    If all you are doing is chopping small bits off that length then what you are doing is fine, the blade shouldn't grab it. I would leave the blade down until it has stopped before raising it up and taking the piece away. If you're making lots of identical cuts try drawing a pencil line on the fence to line the edge of the timber up to prior to cutting.

    One thing I can't stress enough though is NEVER EVER TRY TO USE A STOP BLOCK, by which I mean clamping another piece of timber against the fence and sliding your workpiece up to it. This effectively traps the timber at each end and gives it nowhere to move to if the blade grabs. If you want repeatable cuts either do the pencil line thing or use a spacer before the stop block and remove it before making the cut.

  4. #3
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    Default

    I'd look at making a zero clearance fence
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    Perth W.A
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    Default

    Hi In my experience there is no problem, because the offcut piece is not trapped in anyway it tends to just get pushed to the right of the blade.Very occasionaly small pieces can get flicked off but this does seem to be very seldom.
    My SCMS has only one clamp and only ever needed one.
    It is rather like cutting on a table saw with the offcut piece passing to the left of the blade just gets brushed aside.if you trap it against the fence that is a different story and rather dangerous

  6. #5
    Join Date
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    melb
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    If all you are doing is chopping small bits off that length then what you are doing is fine, the blade shouldn't grab it. I would leave the blade down until it has stopped before raising it up and taking the piece away. If you're making lots of identical cuts try drawing a pencil line on the fence to line the edge of the timber up to prior to cutting.

    One thing I can't stress enough though is NEVER EVER TRY TO USE A STOP BLOCK, by which I mean clamping another piece of timber against the fence and sliding your workpiece up to it. This effectively traps the timber at each end and gives it nowhere to move to if the blade grabs. If you want repeatable cuts either do the pencil line thing or use a spacer before the stop block and remove it before making the cut.
    I used a bit of masking tape to hold the small piece in place & didn't lift the blade until stopped. Seems to work fine.

    I'm trying to imagine what you mean by a stop block? I'm blanking. Also is it required to clamp both left & right on the whole piece?
    edit: an issue with the stock clamps/vice is when tightened up they seem to move the wood piece slightly forward.I prefer small hand clamps clamping to metal body or fence I think its called. The stock vice look like the piece could move/rotate too easy.

  7. #6
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    A stop block is anything that can be fixed to the fence that prevents the workpiece from extending past the desired cutting distance. For instance if you wanted to cut twenty pieces of timber 30mm long you could individually mark out and cut each piece and end up with twenty almost identical pieces. By putting another piece of timber 30mm away from the right hand side of the blade and clamping it to the fence you end up with a method of making identical cuts; you just slide your workpiece along the fence until it hits the block, cut, repeat. Why this is dangerous is because the offcut is physically trapped between between the stop block and the blade; if the blade grabs it there is nowhere for it to go and it tends to get spat out at you. I've seen carbide teeth get ripped out of blades on two occasions from doing just that, the second time not two minutes after I told the d*ckhead not to use a stop block and why.

    There is a safe way to do it, you use a spacer between the block and the workpiece and remove the spacer before making the cut so there is a few mm between the offcut and the block. I use offcuts of 3mm MDF or similar.

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