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Rant: My miter saw blade bound up cutting a 4x4 pressure-treated post for a deck in Spokane
Honestly, I was rushing to finish before dark and didn't check for a warped board, so when the blade pinched, I had to cut the power, wedge the kerf open with a chisel, and finish the cut with my handsaw, which took an extra 45 minutes. Anyone have a better trick for dealing with a bind on wet lumber?
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matthewbarnes1mo ago
Just cut from both sides next time.
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perez.cole1mo ago
Last summer I was cutting some old wet cedar for a raised bed and had the same thing happen. My neighbor, who's been a carpenter for like 30 years, saw me struggling and just shook his head. He told me to always put a scrap piece of wood under the board to lift it off the saw table, which helps the cut stay open. It's a simple trick but it works. I guess @matthewbarnes has the right idea about cutting from both sides too, but sometimes you're already in the middle of it and just need to get unstuck.
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Yeah I actually read somewhere that wet wood binds because the moisture makes the fibers swell and grab the blade. That scrap piece trick makes a lot of sense now that you mention it, keeps the kerf open so the wood doesn't pinch. I tried cutting from both ends once on a really damp piece of pine and it still started closing up before I could finish. The neighbor tip about lifting the board sounds WAY simpler than trying to plan a perfect two-sided cut mid-project.
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