# miter saw and round wood



## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

Mrs has been making crafts from disk shaped slices off some seasoned red maple limbs. I have been cutting the disks for her on my miter saw. The saw cuts nice smooth disks normally. And then all of a sudden, it grabs the wood and throws it across the room with some violence. I've been thinking about installing a clamping system on the stock side of the saw to hold down the piece and keep the saw from throwing it. Perhaps something bolted to the back of the fence with a handle that can be held down while making the cut. It would be easy to raise to reposition the limb and make the next cut.


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## subroc (Jan 3, 2015)

I expect the "normal" thing when cutting "limbs" is throwing it across the room. The lucky thing is a nice disc.


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## Cowpokey (Feb 10, 2017)

Might need to check the blade; could have a bur or just dull. A fresh new blade would probably be the easiest (not cheapest) fix.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Ya gotta get a grip ....*

I've been shorting firewood splits with my chop saw for a while now and I've never had one thrown anywhere. The blade may jamb if the split gets twisted during the cut. The slices off the end my get caught in the blade slot if they're just the right width ... ? Hold the piece as securely as possible. :|

As a general rule you shouldn't cut round stock with a round blade, better to use a bandsaw. If the piece rotates during the cut, it may kickback.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I cut round stock all the time on the radial arm saw.

for dowel type stuff I drill a hole in a 2x4 or 4x4 - diameter dependent.
the dowel goes thru the hole, the block is clamped to the fence, the cut is made so there is supporting block on each side.

push cut thru, push dowel forward to the end of the block (this 'ejects' the last cut pc), pull cut the next cut. the small cut off stay in the 'hole' until pushed out. with longer cut-off you can pass the saw blade over the opening without disturbing anything - making all cuts in either the pull direct or the push direction - whichever suits you best.

if there's nothing to contain / capture them, short length cut-offs get 'winded' into the blade and thrown everywhere - typically dinging up the cut off pc.

once I made about 300 pcs 3/8 thick slices of a 3/4" dowel for MIL's school project. not a problem. push cut thru dowel, advance dowel, pull cut thru dowel, advance dowel - there were 4 cut off pcs in the "exit tube" - the 5th one dropped out clear of the blade / windage area.

for larger branch type stuff you need a similar arrangement - two V-blocks to hold the stock and a big hole in stock on the other side to 'contain' the cut off. some imaginative solutions apply.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Cutting limbs on a Meter Saw is dangerous even when you are careful. I have done it a lot when cutting pecan for charcoal smoking wood, but an always very very careful. It is best to build a "devise" to hold the wood steady.

George


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Cutting something round increases the danger. This doesn't mean you can do it, it just means you have to be more careful and make the cuts slower. Don't cut any pieces that are so short it puts your hands close to the blade just in case it does grab.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Here's the physics of this operation*

If you press a round object against another round object that is spinning, the result will be they will both end up spinning. In this case the spinning object/blade has teeth that will grab the work piece and cause it to spin IF it's not well secured. This is why I recommend using a bandsaw where the teeth are moving downward into the table surface. A miter saw or any other circular saw will have the same effect on the work piece, it will tend to rotate.


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