When the cutting starts, that’s when things start to get serious. The talk and the planning are over, and you are now committing to your project. There’s nothing like having designed something, planned out the build, measured everything (twice), and then, finally, beginning to fabricate the parts that you need. Knowing how to cut, knowing tricks and workarounds, and knowing how to work safely can make all the difference in the world in achieving project success. And always remember the first tip of cutting, as counterintuitive as it might be, that the sharper the cutting instrument is, the safer it is. Dull is dangerous (in cutting and in life in general).

Straightedge Table Saw

Lacking a proper table saw? You can improvise one with a circular saw; a straightedge, such as a metal level; and some clamps. Just make sure the straightedge is firmly fastened to the material you are cutting.

Rip and Flip

If you’re ripping a lot of thin stock on a table saw, say for making furring strips, and you are worried about making a lot of repetitive cuts where your hands are repeatedly close to the blade, rip the stock halfway down, flip it over, and then rip the other half. Just make sure to keep the same side of the stock against the fence for both cuts. [JD]

Hand Sawing with an Orbital Stroke

By way of Popular Woodworking comes this tip about adopting a handsawing stroke that greatly limits the amount of sawdust obscuring your cutline. Basically, you stroke down to cut into the workpiece and then lift the teeth of the saw out of the cut just a bit for the return stroke, and then stroke down again on the next forward stroke. By using this orbital sawing motion, you are pushing all of the sawdust away rather than pulling it up onto the top surface of the board on the return stroke.

Tightening a Table Saw Blade

It’s easy to loosen and retighten the nut on the mandrel of a table saw blade by bottoming out an adjustable wrench on the far edge of the open throat of the saw and then pushing the blade away from you to loosen the nut. To tighten the nut once the blade is replaced, bottom the wrench out on the edge of the throat closest to you and then pull the blade toward you to tighten. [JD]

Working with a Dull Blade

If you’re working with a dull blade on your table saw (why are you working with a dull blade?), or are otherwise concerned that your stock might ride up while it’s being cut, you can attach a wooden screw clamp to your fence right above the top of the stock. If the stock tries to ride up, the bottom wooden edge of the clamp will act as a stop. (And if it happens, time to sharpen your blade.) [JD]

Cut a Bendable Join in Wood

By making a series of angled cuts on one side of a piece of stock (at about 5 to 7 degrees) and then flipping it over and spacing another series of cuts between the cuts on the other side, you can make the wood bendable. [JD]

Create a Retractable Pocket Saw Blade

You can create a retractable pocket saw blade by removing the blade of a retractable utility knife and using it as a template to snap off the same length of hacksaw blade. Then drill a hole in the blade where the thumb-handle mounts and place it into the utility knife housing. You now have a retractable pocket saw.

Build a Simple Plastic Bottle String Cutting Jig

You can build a simple cutting jig for breaking down plastic bottles into plastic string using six washers, two screws, a piece of wood, and the blade from a plastic, school box pencil sharpener. Make two columns of three washers spaced far enough apart to hold the blade. Screw the columns into a piece of a wood with the blade sandwiched in between the first and second washer in the stacks—make sure to tighten the blade in place. Now, to break down a bottle, cut the bottom off with a utility knife and begin twisting the bottle through the blade to cut strips of the plastic. The resulting plastic string is surprisingly strong and can be used in all sorts of lashing and tying applications.

Making a Hobby-Knife Compass-Cutter

If you have a compass that’s designed to accept different markers and pens, you can also slot a hobby knife into it and turn your compass into a circle cutter.

Remember Router Protection

Routers are very noisy and messy. Make sure you have eye and ear protection so the dust and noise don’t impair you.

Use a Climbing Cut

Use a climbing cut—moving the router in the direction of the bit rotation—for sections that are susceptible to tear out (splintering). But be aware of the likelihood of the router pulling away fast. [JD]

Listen to Your Tool

Know the wood you are cutting into. Listen to your tool, and pay attention to how it looks, smells, sounds, and is behaving. When routing properly, the router should be stable and steady, with no howling, jumping, or burning smells.

Checking the Square of Your Saw

If you want to check to see if your chop saw is square, cut two pieces of wood on it at a 90-degree angle and then flip one of the cut pieces edge over edge and match the cut lines of the two pieces. If your saw is square, the cut should match perfectly with no space. If it’s not a perfect match, you know that your saw needs to be adjusted. [JD]

Need to Get a Hacksaw in a Tight Space?

If you have to cut something in a confined space that will not allow you to use a conventional hacksaw with a handle, take a hacksaw blade and thickly wrap one end with electrical, masking, duct, or other tape to create a handle. Hack away!

Use a Sharpie for Clear Metal Scribing

You can get a clear scribe mark on metal by coloring the area first using a Sharpie. It’s easier to find a Sharpie than to find engineer’s blue! [AL]

Shorten a Bolt with a Drill

From Family Handyman comes this tip: “If you need to shorten a bolt, let your drill do the hard work. Spin two nuts onto the bolt, tightening them against each other. Then, chuck the bolt into the drill and hold a hacksaw blade against the spinning bolt. The nuts help to steady the blade and clean off burrs when you unscrew them.”

Cut Pipe with a String

This gem about cutting pipe with a string also comes from The Family Handyman: “It’s almost as fast as a saw and fits into tight spots where saws won’t. To give the string a starting point, cut a shallow notch with a file or hacksaw blade. Then, simply pull the string back and forth to slice through PVC or ABS pipe.” This is also a trick used in scale modeling to cut plastic pieces with a string that you can’t otherwise reach with a hobby saw.

Use Tape to Prevent Tear-Out

If you want a clean cut when using a circular or table saw, put some masking tape along the cutting edge (on the side where the blade will break through). It prevents chips and splinters (known as tear-out).

Holding Up Your Cut Piece

Before you get to the end when you’re cutting a big piece of wood, place something (a ruler, square, another piece of wood) underneath the beginning of the cut, so that end stays up as you cut through on the other end. [JD]

Score and Break Foamboard

If you have a lot of foamboard to cut down, rather than having to saw all the way through the board, simply score one side, place a piece of wood beneath the cut line, and then cleanly break the board. [JD]

Cut Polyurethane Foam with an Electric Knife

Make: author Charles Platt suggests buying a cheap, electric carving knife for cutting polyurethane foam. He had previously tried other methods and was dissatisfied with the results. Then, he walked into a Jo-Ann Fabrics and saw them cutting big slabs of foam with an electric carving knife. He went right out and bought himself one (for about US$25), and Charles lived happily ever after. [CP]