ZCTP for MS??

[jussi]

For the acronym challenged, that's zero clearance throat plate for miter saws Anyone ever build or buy one? I'm getting tons of tear out when cutting small pieces (mostly dowels) and am wondering if a zctp would help. I have Dewalt DW708.

[poolhound]

I have a standard 10" DW CMS and I made a ZCTP for it and it does help (with flat stock).

Tearout is rather a different issue with a CMS than a TS as the blade attacks from a different angle so you can only really get support underneath the workpiece which wont eliminate tearout elsewhere.

For dowels I doubt a lower ZCTP will make as much difference as its only touching the base at one small point. You could make a rounded base for the dowel to sit in while you cut it. That would help support the fibers better than a ZCTP.

[LarryG]

A ZCTP does help on a CMS, as Jon says; but it's equally important, maybe even more important, to make a zero-clearance auxiliary face for the vertical fence. As with a table saw, however, you can only use one blade and make one kind of cut with any given plate. If you make a beveled cut, your ZCTP will be toast for vertical cuts.

I have found that a top-quality blade and a slow, deliberate cutting stroke will help more than ZC devices. I have an 80-tooth Forrest Chopmaster on my Delta 36-255L and get virtually zero tearout if I take my time with the cut.

[LinuxRandal]

How about a V block?

[RodKirby]

Once you have a pattern - make several

I use this ONLY for 90° cuts in aluminum...

[Bill in Buena Park]

If you can spare some cut depth - try a zero clearance table: join a sacrificial fence to a sacrificial table surface, place up against the CMS fence, and fasten. Its simulates the table on a RAS. I think you could get away with 1/2in MDF for this.

But do you have a bandsaw? I prefer cutting dowels on the bandsaw, seems to have less tearout, not sure why.

P.S. Very nice ZCTP's Rod. Too nice to cut into.

[Pappy]

I haven't tried yet but need to. I have a PC 10" SCMS and parts throat plates are not available for it. If they prove too complicated to be easily reproduced, Bill's option with a replaceable insert might be an option for me.

[DustyandLefty]

I keep a nice old hand powered non-electric miter saw around for cutting dowel rods and composite plastic/wood trim pieces. My electric miter saw grabs the little pieces of dowel rod and shoots them across the shop for the cats to find, and melts the plastic trim in unusable ways.
Less Dusty (but always lefty) that way

[L. D. Jeffries]

I agree totally! A bandsaw cut dowels of any length (or shortness) without any tearout 99.9 % of the time. Especially if you use a sliding miter fixture.

[jussi]

Thanks for the help guys. I would use a BS but the ends of the dowels will be showing so I need to be as square as possible. I'm making one of those wheels you spin to win a prize.

It may be my blade. It's been a while since I cleaned it.

DustyandLefty,
I know what you mean about spitting out dowels from the MS. My dog thinks I'm playing fetch with her. I think I still have an old miter box somewhere in the garage. May have to give 'er a try.


LinuxRandal,
How do you make your v block? TS, Router Table ...???

[LinuxRandal]

How it gets made, generally depends on how big the round object your using is. I have seen large ones made with two pieces of wood, that were chamfered, and placed close together (nailed/glued to backer board). I have seen small ones done with a v groove bit: Example on this page http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...-Groove_Anchor

Found a method I never dreamt of: http://www.benchnotes.com/Vee%20Block/vee_block.htm Bottom of the page, using scraps.

So you can use several different methods (whatever you feel most comfortable with).

[tkarlmann]

Why not make a simple fixture?

For the acronym challenged, that's zero clearance throat plate for miter saws Anyone ever build or buy one? I'm getting tons of tear out when cutting small pieces (mostly dowels) and am wondering if a zctp would help. I have Dewalt DW708.

Take a block of wood larger than your dowel -- then cut it in half. Then joint or plane both halves. Clamp them together and drill a hole in the middle to fit your dowel. Then cut the thing in half -- one for infeed the other for outfeed. No tearout -- once you fasten everything down.

Also, it's not really safe to cut round stock in a miter saw without a fixture of some sort.

[JoeyGee]

This might be what Thom had suggested, or close to it. Why not get a 2x4, drill a hole that matches the diameter of the dowel through it vertically (from end to end). Clamp this board on the MS (straddling the cut line), insert the dowel in the hole and cut. The dowel will be supported on all sides.

[SARGE..g-47]

"but it's equally important, maybe even more important, to make a zero-clearance auxiliary face for the vertical fence"... Larry G.

Ditto that...

As Thom K. says.. not the safest decision to cut a dowel on a miter saw. So... I use the LinuxRandal suggestion of a V block with a cross-cut line as he shows in the link he posted. After the dowel is inserted to get the lenght.. I cut it with a small, fine toothed Japanese pull saw. You can make several sized V blocks from scrap to accomodate various dowels.

I also use a U block (actually a vertical side and flat bottom or dado-trench) to cut small.. flat ebony accent pieces. I have one for 1/4".. 3/8".. and 1/2" wide. The very thin kerf on the pull saw (opposed to wider on a CMS) saves ebony in the long haul as the price of Gaboon ebony is outrageous and ever bit saved is invaluable to us old retired folks. And the bottom line is no tearout.. no chasing flying off-cuts around the shop and about as safe as you can get.