I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions
for setting up and everything went fine. However, why is there no blade
slot in the red plastic plate where the saw is supposed to finish
cutting my piece of wood ? The plastic plate is rather thick.

Am I supposed to cut through this plastic plate the first time I cut
something?

Why not just provide a slot ?

Sounds awkards as a design and one could start thinking: what the hell
went in the designer mind. Sexual fixation?

Yerk!

I beleive they are effectively giving you a "zero clearance throat
plate". It allows you to put whatever blade you intend to use on the
saw and you will have a zero clearance plate so that your cuts will
have less tear out.

Yes. Put the blade you intend to use on and make a cut all the way
through the throat plate.


wrote:
I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions
for setting up and everything went fine. However, why is there no blade
slot in the red plastic plate where the saw is supposed to finish
cutting my piece of wood ? The plastic plate is rather thick.

Am I supposed to cut through this plastic plate the first time I cut
something?

Why not just provide a slot ?

Sounds awkards as a design and one could start thinking: what the hell
went in the designer mind. Sexual fixation?

Yerk!

writes:
I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions
for setting up and everything went fine. However, why is there no blade
slot in the red plastic plate where the saw is supposed to finish
cutting my piece of wood ? The plastic plate is rather thick.

Am I supposed to cut through this plastic plate the first time I cut
something?

Yes.


Why not just provide a slot ?

So that you can make your own, zero-clearance, insert.


Sounds awkards as a design and one could start thinking: what the hell
went in the designer mind. Sexual fixation?

No, actually you'll get better cuts if there is no clearance between
the blade and the slot in the plastic insert. There is no better way
to make a zero-clearance insert for a given blade than to use that
blade to make the slot.


Yerk!

Careful. In this case, the design engineer did well.

scott

wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions
for setting up and everything went fine. However, why is there no blade
slot in the red plastic plate where the saw is supposed to finish
cutting my piece of wood ? The plastic plate is rather thick.

Am I supposed to cut through this plastic plate the first time I cut
something?

Why not just provide a slot ?

Sounds awkards as a design and one could start thinking: what the hell
went in the designer mind. Sexual fixation?

Yerk!


What the first two posters indicated and with time you will look at new saws
with preformed slots and think, Sounds awkward as a design and one could
start thinking: what the hell went in the designer mind. ;~)

Do yourself a favor and make more inserts out of thin wood to replace the
original after the slot becomes too large.

Ok. I see the light now. Its a mecanical advantage. A zero clearance
plastic plate will provide maximum lateral support around the blade,
under the piece of wood, so it will cut a more firmly held piece, and
produce a better cut.

Designed to help cutting thin wood. Useless for thick wood. Need to be
replaced by a thin wood sheet after the slot gets to large from cutting
at all angles, if you still need to cut thin wood.

Thanks

Leon wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions
for setting up and everything went fine. However, why is there no blade
slot in the red plastic plate where the saw is supposed to finish
cutting my piece of wood ? The plastic plate is rather thick.

Am I supposed to cut through this plastic plate the first time I cut
something?

Why not just provide a slot ?

Sounds awkards as a design and one could start thinking: what the hell
went in the designer mind. Sexual fixation?

Yerk!


What the first two posters indicated and with time you will look at new saws
with preformed slots and think, Sounds awkward as a design and one could
start thinking: what the hell went in the designer mind. ;~)

Do yourself a favor and make more inserts out of thin wood to replace the
original after the slot becomes too large.

wrote:
Ok. I see the light now. Its a mecanical advantage. A zero clearance
plastic plate will provide maximum lateral support around the blade,
under the piece of wood, so it will cut a more firmly held piece, and
produce a better cut.

Designed to help cutting thin wood. Useless for thick wood.

Nope. A zero clearance throat plate (zctp) helps prevent tear-out,
which can happen to thin or thick pieces alike. It's handy to make
batches of them because they tend to wear out.

H

snip

wrote in message
ups.com...
Ok. I see the light now. Its a mecanical advantage. A zero clearance
plastic plate will provide maximum lateral support around the blade,
under the piece of wood, so it will cut a more firmly held piece, and
produce a better cut.

No actually it supports the bottom side of the wood where the blade comes
through. It helps prevent splintering on the bottom of the cut.


Designed to help cutting thin wood. Useless for thick wood. Need to be
replaced by a thin wood sheet after the slot gets to large from cutting
at all angles, if you still need to cut thin wood.

Helps prevent splintering on the bottom side on ANY thickness of wood.
Also it shows you exactly where the blade is going to cut. Put your mark in
the edge of the slot. It will gradually wear and that is why I suggested
making spares.

No, not useless for thick wood. The blade has to break threw at some point.
The exit edge can chip if it's not backed up. Some woods are worse than
others but they all do it. Some woods (liptus comes to mind), need an
additional backer board between the piece and the fence to prevent chipout.
Think scissors.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Ok. I see the light now. Its a mecanical advantage. A zero clearance
plastic plate will provide maximum lateral support around the blade,
under the piece of wood, so it will cut a more firmly held piece, and
produce a better cut.

Designed to help cutting thin wood. Useless for thick wood. Need to be
replaced by a thin wood sheet after the slot gets to large from cutting
at all angles, if you still need to cut thin wood.

It'll go right through it, regardless of angle. As soon as you have cut
through it at a couple different angle, the benefit of a zero clearance
insert is lost. That's why people have recommended making more of them.
wrote in message
oups.com...
I dont like to idea to attack a plastic plate with my
blade at 45 degree horizontal.