John,

There shouldn't really be a difference in cutting 1/4 thick wood compared to thicker woods. A lot depends on what type of blade you use. Those blades with reverse teeth will require a little more downward presssure to keep in place and not jump around.

With proper tension on the blades you shouldn't have any problem controlling the cut.

Make sure you are using a sharp blade as a dull blade will tend to wander. If the wood is lifting up, make sure that the blade is inserted in the correct direction- as this has been known to happen to some people. DAMHIKT

 

Tom

John, I cut most of my portraits and scenic pictures out of 1/8" plywood and have no problems with it. I use blades that have 28 t.p.i. You didn't mention what kind of blade you were using. Give us more information as to what you mean by not being able to control the wood. Does it jump up and down? Too much tension is better than not enough. Tension the blade then pluck the back side of it like a guitar string, you should get a high pitched "ting" sound if the tension is right.

 

Mick,   Delta P-20

Hi,

  I am using a #3 & #5 blade.The wood doesn't jump,it's seems harder to keep the blade on the line in turns.When using 1/2 or 3/4  inch I have no problem.It seems like the 1/4 wood I cut,cuts so easy it flows out past my line before I can controll it.Maybe it's just me,and I need more time at the saw !.

Thanks for trying,

John

John, you can stack 3 or 4 pieces of 1/4". Place small nails in the waste area and cut them last or tape the stack together. Place the wood on a piece of metal if you use small nails to make a stack, this will bend the points of the nails over. Practice, practice, practice and soon it will become much easier.

Mick,    Delta P-20

Thanks,

 I think I'll try that stacking of the wood thing.It should work,I'll let you know later.

John 

John,

Those suggestions should be compiled into one larger paragraph addressing cutting control...

There is an inter-relationship between wood thickness, hardness, blade style, blade's teeth per inch, and saw speed and your rate of pushing the wood into the blade.

 

As you now know, there is such a thing as it being too easy to cut...which translates into loss of control... thus the range of advice aims to change that by increasing resistance: adding more layer (stack cutting), slowing down the saw speed, less aggressive blade style, slower feed rate into the blade, harder wood.

 

Once you've decided on the blade you want to use (based on pattern detail, fineness of the curves/angles, wood thickness, wood hardness, desired smoothness of cut) and it's installed in the blade holders, and you've decided on the wood and whether to stack or not, and you've starting working on your project, then lack of control has to be dealt with by decreasing your saw speed and/or your rate of feed into the blade.

 

Generally, you can't cut just one of 1/8" or 1/4" of anything... I've had some control trouble even in mahogany, maple and oak solid woods at those thicknesses.  Keep in mind that you can thicken a stack with scrapwood (cheapest plywood)... in that case, I'd keep my project piece somewhere in the middle so that all cuts are supported and there is least chance of fuzzies on the project piece.

 

Spence