damonrpayne Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Newbie question: I have done some woodworking before, bookshelves, that sort of thing. I got a blade for my Milwaukee saw specifically for things like MDF. Tried to start making my cuts last night and had issues. It seems like the MDF squeezes back in behind the saw blad or something? Or does the resin/glue in the board get hot and gum up and make it hard to cut? I would get so far on any cut and it would just start kicking back? Can anyone tell me what my issue is here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Well I personally don't like MDF but maybe a carbide blade with wider tooth spacing would help clean things out. There are many kinds of MDF but I like the cabinet grade 3/4" plywood with oak, walnut, mahogany finish. Save the sawdust and mix with the glue for proper coloring for filling and gluing like the big guy's do in the pattern shops. Miter the edges at 46 degrees and clamp the crap out of it or finish the exposed edges with 3/4" x 1/32" trim or fancy trim. When gluing use the same blocking that Klipsch uses. Your handheld Milwaukee saw is not the way to go for straight cuts. Use a table saw, for long cuts, radial arm saw for short cuts, then finish the cuts with an edger or plainer for a perfect fit. If you want perfect looking cabinets you have the have the right tools. And keep in mind that even with the really good tools they must be in perfect alignment with no dings on the blades. That's why a professional cabinet maker will not even let you enter his work area. I he sees you leaning on his 20 ft radial arm saw bench that he spent many hours calibrating for perfect 90 degree cuts he will make some cuts on you. Anyway, good luck on your project. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Damon- DUDE- you gotta use a table saw for those long cuts. Even with a guide your circ saw will not give you the kind of cuts you need for a proper cabinet. Or have a cabinet shop cut to your specs and save the hassle. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Yep - to all the above. If you must use a circular saw you will have to make sure both pieces are stable and supported, especially near the cut, so there will not be any binding. MDF can be very nasty stuff on two levels - the weight causes binds and the dust is extraordinarily fine and makes its way in to every body orifice imaginable. If at all possible cut the stuff outdoors (on a windy day is best) and always wear a mask of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom3 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I have a Makita 10 inch table saw. Among the other lawyer-installed features, it has a "riving knife" between the anti-kick back pawls. This trio is behind the blade and the riving knife holds the cut open after it passes the blade. I thought it was silly but it really does seem to hold the cut open pretty well. It may be possible to retrofit a riving knife on to an existing saw. I second the comments about calibration. If I am doing anything of precision, I re-level and resquare the saw (it's on a base with wheels on two legs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 My original plan was the cabinet shop option and then do the cut-outs with a rotozip and jigsaw, but I called many and no one wants to do the cuts for me. I'm not in a position to buy a table saw right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 It would be nice to have a friend in a pattern shop. But they still wouldn't let you use the machinery, the friend would have to do it. on his own time and maybe you would have to tell him don't worry about the mistakes or he won't be friendly anymore. With the circular saw you will wind up with a whole bunch of useless lumber on the floor and probably shoot your wife. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I am going to disagree here. If you are careful, you can make some very good cuts with a circular saw. But you DO have to take your time and be careful. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 There's more table saws in the world than people who are using them. I'm sure you can borrow one from somebody. I could probably look in Uncle Henry's right now and find a couple to buy for less than $100 locally. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 ---------------- On 4/11/2005 8:58:29 AM damonrpayne wrote: It seems like the MDF squeezes back in behind the saw blad or something? Or does the resin/glue in the board get hot and gum up and make it hard to cut? I would get so far on any cut and it would just start kicking back? ---------------- I might be completely off base but it sounds like the blade is set to far out... and the MDF is pulling the centre (the toothless part) of the blade around. If this is the case, lower the saw base so that the teeth barely make it through the material (MDF) you want to cut... and try again. With a proper blade (which you have), MDF is quite easy to cut... and you should be able to get pretty good results with a straight edge and some patients. Good luck... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted April 12, 2005 Author Share Posted April 12, 2005 Thanks everyone, I'll try the advice and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Hey Damon - Not sure this would be an option, but I know that my local Home Depot rents table saws. Some of the ones they have are those little cheapie table top things, but they also have a couple of the big Rigid models. Might be worth a look if you have a HD store that does rentals. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 ---------------- On 4/12/2005 4:14:56 PM Tom Adams wrote: Hey Damon - Not sure this would be an option, but I know that my local Home Depot rents table saws. Some of the ones they have are those little cheapie table top things, but they also have a couple of the big Rigid models. Might be worth a look if you have a HD store that does rentals. Tom ---------------- $$$ I believe that for renting it for about eight hours it becomes cheaper to buy one for the long run. Also yah what formica said, put the blade depth to say 1/4 more then the actual cut. I did that what sounds like what you are doing and set the depth to 3 inches for a 1.5 inch cut. It was not straight, or was it good for the saw. It stressed the motor and the cut was wavy is the best i can describe as you can run your fingers on the edge and you can actually feel the mdf waves. Also it burnt and gummed up the blade. reset to 1.75 inch depth and everything is fine, no stress to motor, to burning or gumming and the blade runs through like butter. Oh yeah measure twice (in my case do it until your absoluteky sure) and cut once. I say this since I cursed half my way building something when my cuts were 1/4 inch too much.......****!!! And also I am using a circular saw for straight long cuts. I brought a straight edge from www.mlcswoodworking.com called the boomer red 50 inch for 36.95 free shipping. It works well but you need to have a measuring tape and a square to make sure the cut is at 90 degrees. also when cutting long pieces make sure to have support for both sides. I am cutting 1.5 inch mdf and know i will probably break my foot if it falls on my foot or damage the mdf when it falls since i cut rather big pieces. I use 4 sawhorses and weight the piece down with about 4 - 6 cinder blocks so about 300 pounds of weight to make sure the object does not shift while cutting to prevent bad cuts or loose of limbs hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey j Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 ---------------- On 4/11/2005 12:27:54 PM damonrpayne wrote: My original plan was the cabinet shop option and then do the cut-outs with a rotozip and jigsaw, but I called many and no one wants to do the cuts for me. I'm not in a position to buy a table saw right now ---------------- Try a home builder that has a shop. I have a neighbor that does just that, and has a shop set up to do trim and other cabinet work. He calls me his rainy day customer and I get a great deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 What is it you're building here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted April 14, 2005 Author Share Posted April 14, 2005 Vertical cornwall, to serve as a heritage center. I won't have time to get back at it till Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Did you have that in your signature when I asked that? Geeze, I must be blind... Yeah, crosscuts on a home tablesaw (especially miters) are a PITA. Watch edge-nailing MDF, too. Even the smallest brads tend to blow it apart. I'd be tempted to use some type of plywood, if just for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 That's why good cabinetmakers cut the miters at 45.5 0r 46 degrees and clamp the crap out of it when gluing. They also finish off the edges on a jointer for perfect fit. Their equipment is set up to perfection, and nothing else will suffice. It's impossible to do a great job with a circular saw as the slop in the blades, bearings, and mountings, and even with a clamped guide you will be at least +- .060" form one end to the other. And that doesn't allow for human hiccups during the cut. The circular saw blade will actually bend back and forth during the cut no matter how good the guide is. You have to go super duper slow to prevent the blade from creeping and if the cord gets caught it's all over. So you have to have the cord wrapped around your shoulder and a perfectly sharp blade that doesn't bias the cut in one direction. The work has to be clamped to something that does not move or jiggle. And make sure you have safety glasses and you can't stop in the middle of the cut to clean them. Good luck, you will need it real bad. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Yeah, and you better not breathe, either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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