: OK, how do you cut Okoume without ripping the crap out of the surface?
: I got out my brand new cheap Black and Decker one speed jig saw last night,
: put in a new blade, and cut about an inch off one end of a sheet of
: plywood to get a water stain off. First thing I noticed is how hard it is
: to cut in a straight line as it vibrates a lot. The top surface looked
: fine, although it did rip out a small piece of the veneer in one spot. The
: bottom, however, looked bad. About an eighth of an inch of shattered
: veneer all along the cut.
: Not a problem if I'm going to scarf it there, but a definite problem if I'm
: not.

: I changed from a wood cutting blade to a metal cutting blade, thinking the
: smaller teeth would rip less. It cut a straighter line, but the tearing
: was actually worse on the bottom as well as on the top.

: I'm thinking it has to do with the vibration. I was cutting an inch off with
: the board just hanging over the edge of the table. This was a very
: discouraging start, I must say, but I'm confident you all will give me
: lifesaving advice.

: Thanks,

: Patsy

Unfortunately problems like this are common with most "cheap" tools.
One speed can't deal with much variety in cutting problems.
A quality saw will have multiple speeds and multiple stroke orbits to
handle cutting in a variety of woods and metals.

I remember the first jig/saber saw I used which was awful. My dad's
cheap Skill brand saw. The wood shook like hell, the wood got ripped
up and I didn't want to use the dam thing.

Years later when I worked for a contractor I used his Bosch jig/saber
saw and I couldn't believe what a difference. The Bosch jig saw is the
standard other saw makers aspire to.

You may be able to rent a Bosch saw at a local rental center.

In any case part of the problem IS the blade. You were on the
right track with the metal cutting blade. To make a smooth cut
you need to have a blade that has at least three teeth in the wood
at all times so a fine/high tooth blade is called for when cutting
thin plywood. However the teeth and set of the teeth need to be
specifically designed for cutting wood to work well.

I'd suggest going to a hardware store and asking for a blade that's
designed for cutting thin plywood. If you can get one for your saw try that.

Applying tape to the tear-out side of the cut will help reduce tear-out as will
scoring with a utility knife. If you can mark the cut line on both sides of your wood
score a line with the knife blade then cut outside of it.

If you combine the tape and scored lines with the right saw blade you should see
great improvement in the cleanness of your cut even with the cheap saw.

Good Luck!

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com