6 ways to prevent tear out on a table saw
Here are 6 solutions showing you how to prevent tear out on a table saw. Whether you’re using a table saw, miter saw, chop saw, circular saw, or any other saw, these tips will work for you.
- Score the cut line
- Use masking tape for added wood fiber support
- Make the cut slower, but not too slow
- Use a zero clearance insert
- Check your blade type and make sure it’s sharp
- Use a sacrificial board on top of your work piece
When we put these methods to the test, using a sharp blade, zero clearance insert, and scoring the cut line proved to be the most effective in reducing or eliminating tear out on a table saw blade. More details on our testing can be found at the end of this article.
Score the cut line
One of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent tear out is to pre-cut the wood fibers and score your cut line with a utility knife or razor blade.
With a sharp pencil, clearly mark your intended cut line. Then, using a straightedge, run your knife along where the cut line is. Make sure your knife is going into the wood and severing the outer fibers. You may need to do multiple passes for harder woods.
When aligning the cut on your saw, ensure that the blade aligns exactly with the score mark.
Use masking tape for added wood fiber support
Another easy method is to use blue painter’s tape or another masking tape next to the cut line. Apply the tape precisely next to where you intend to make the cut so that the tape is the remaining wood and not the cutoff piece. The piece of tape should extend far enough up the sides of the workpiece so that it has enough support on the ends.
The tape helps to support the wood fibers next to one another and provides lateral support. We recommend combining this method with other the other methods mentioned in this article.
When purchasing a masking tape, you’ll want to buy the thicker and wider tapes that cost a little more. These provide greater support and stick to the workpiece better.
Cut slower, but not too slow
If you are moving through the cut quickly, this can be a cause of blowout. Experiment with slowing down the rate at which the workpiece is moved through the table saw or the rate at which you move the blade across the workpiece.
This is more of an art than a science, as you don’t want to move so slow that you create burn marks.
For thicker boards or dense hardwoods, you should experiment with making multiple passes. For example, your first pass through the work piece may only cut to 50% of the depth of the wood. On the following pass, you’ll finish the cut that separates the cut off from the remaining piece.
Use a zero clearance plate
A zero clearance insert, in principle, works the same as masking tape - it provides support underneath the cut to prevent the fibers from blowing out on the bottom. On your table saw you likely have a standard throat plate, which is the cover around the saw blade preventing smaller pieces of wood from falling into the exhaust.
This throat plate can be removed and changed out for a custom plate that provides support for the work piece right next to the blade.
Some woodworkers prefer to have these zero clearance inserts on their saw at all times since it provides good support and typically results in a cleaner cut.
Check your blade type. Sharpen the blade if necessary
If you’ve been using the stock blade since you bought your table saw, it may be time to upgrade it or sharpen it if possible. Additionally, if you’re using a ripping blade while performing crosscuts, this is a big contributor to the tear out. For a crosscut, you generally want a higher tooth-count blade, as this will make for a smoother and cleaner cut.
General purpose blades can be used to do either, but you’ll want to use one of the methods already mentioned above to help prevent tear out.
Not all blades can be sharpened, and it’s not always possible for your DIY-er to do the sharpening. If it’s the stock blade that came with your table saw, you’re generally better off purchasing a new blade. The stock blade is generally a cheaper combination blade.
Upgrading to a high quality Forrest, Freud, or CMT blade will make a significant and noticeable difference to the quality of your cuts.
If you already have a high-quality aftermarket blade on your saw, you’ll want to look into having a professional do the sharpening.
Use a sacrificial board
Clamping a secondary board to the top of your workpiece will help prevent tear out from the upper side of the board by providing downward pressure on those fibers. A sacrificial board, as the name suggests, is meant to be sacrificed for a successful cut.
What causes tear out on a saw?
Tear out on a table saw occurs when the interconnected wood fibers are not fully severed by the saw blade. Tear out most commonly occurs on a crosscut where the fibers run perpendicular to the cut line. This means you are cutting against the grain.
In the example below, we had a ¾” Baltic birch plywood sheet cut against the grain at Lowe’s. From our observations, the saw’s blade sounded and appeared to be dull, thus worsening the tear out.
The most significant tear out is seen where the wood was cut at the home improvement store with a dull saw blade. The rear side of this test piece was the side cut at Lowe's.
Our Test Results Showed…
Our test results showed that scoring the wood, along with a zero clearance insert and a sharp blade, proved the most effective in preventing table saw tear out.
In our tests, we made 6 different cuts, with all but one using the zero clearance insert. We cut 2” strips on ¾” Baltic birch plywood. The cuts were done on a Dewalt DWE7491RS job site table saw.
We used a 10” CMT Orange Tools General Purpose 40-tooth HIATB blade. This blade has CMT’s Orange Chrome coating.
In the photos below, we show both the front and back of the test pieces. Pieces that had tape or scoring on them only had the treatment done to the top. The top is indicated by the writing shown on it.
Control board - No zero clearance insert
The most significant tear out is seen on the bottom side of the cut piece.
Scored Line with Zero Clearance Insert
This is by far the cleanest upper cut of all the other pieces. Virtually no tear out is seen.
Board support + zero clearance insert
Another excellent result. Stacking a board on top of the cut piece helped to reduce the effect of any tear out.
Zero clearance only
Most of the damage is seen on the underside of the board. Minimal damage is on the top.
Note that the tear out on the rear closest to the blade is not from this test.