Saw Burn Marks? See How to Get Clean Saw Cuts in Wood

The first thing I look for when I notice my blades aren’t cutting right is to see how sharp they are. Carefully feel a tooth on the blade to feel how sharp the leading edge is. When you’re experienced, this is intuitive to know what sharp feels like. If this is new to you, compare a sharp blade with he one you’re testing so you can feel if there’s a difference. The more you do this, the easier it is to understand.

When inspecting my blade, I also look at how dirty it is. When blades heat up from cutting, they melt the pitch or sap in the wood. This will then get stuck on the blade. When the pitch builds up on the blade, it is harder for the sawdust to clear the cut and then creates more friction. This in turn can leave burn marks and create smoke. Pine and spruce have a lot of sap, so if you work a lot with these woods, make blade cleaning a part of your maintenance routine.

Another potential problem when you're getting burn marks on your wood cuts is cutting too slowly. There’s a balancing act you need to learn, especially when cutting hardwood such as maple or cherry. You want to move through the wood quickly enough that you don’t leave burn marks, but slowly enough you’re not overtaxing your saw’s power. This is a skill learned only from experience. Listen to the sound of your saw to understand how hard it is working.

When ripping boards on a table saw, there also might be a problem with the alignment of the saw blade and the fence. If the fence isn’t parallel with the saw blade, you could be pushing the wood through on a slight angle, which would cause friction on the blade, and therefore burn marks. Take time to align the fence properly by measuring from the front of the blade body, not the tooth, and the back of the blade body.

#sawblade

[lionelspencer-ward]

So nice to hear someone speaking calmly and clearly for a change.

[randymarcell]

This video was exactly what I needed to see. The explanations were crystal clear and made a lot of sense. It's 3:58 AM, and I can hardly wait for 8:00 AM so I can get some cleaner and clean the blade on my miter saw. THANKS.

[itsacrazyworld]

I agree with Lionel. The first thing I noticed was your calm, soothing voice. That's actually why I continued watching. And you helped me with my problem. Thank you!!

[kombinezon]

Thanks! I struggle with some burned edges and a smoke from time to time. Now I'm gonna brush the teeth ;-)

[MidwestCombatServicesLLC]

Thank you for the tip. Very short and comprehensive which is how these videos should be. I'm rough cutting new frame for my 100 year old house. This is my 1st big project and the 1st thing I encountered after my 14th or 15th OSB board rip was a binding blade. Now I know, can't wait to get back to it

[dotdattie]

Thank you so much! this was a very helpful video, I'm going to go clean my miter saw blade right now!

[luisarevalo]

This was very helpful and I tried cleaning the blade but that did not help. Then I realized the one thing you did not mentioned (and may have been said in a comment but didn't read any of them) was that all novice like me should remember to replace the blade with the teeth going in the right direction. Wow shows how much learning there is in life! TU for a great video!!!

[manouchehrmokhlesi]

Thanks for your comments . They were very useful

[adamblack]

Well explained in a calm no nonsense manner thanks for the tips

[mdwsolutions-video]

Thanks Scott - very useful information on importance of checking circular saw blades often!

[aljundating]

Thanks Bro. I am a new woodworker and I got a problem with saw burn marks. Your video provides a real solution.

[thomasdeneuville]

What a wonderful video, Scott. I'm so glad I've found your channel! Thank you.

[leestringer]

2 tips I’ve used in one day! Keep up the great work

[Warrf]

Hi Scott your video came up on my YouTube recommendation. I give it a thumbs up 👍

[nigelstanley]

Thanks for this, really useful as I have been getting scorch marks on kitchen cornice and plinth trims.

[subatomicdig]

Mucky blade. Thanks buddy I wouldn’t of thought that pitch build up would do that but now I know. Thank you.

[davidbradley]

This makes so much sense why the wood is scorching. I will try cleaning the blade first. Are there certain types of wood to avoid using a circular saw blade on a mitre stand? I’ve witnessed scorching on maple and regular 2x4. Thanks so much.

[bnzbmw]

Very well explained. Presentation perfect. This video helped me thank you so much . Cheers from New Zealand

[squarelevelplumb]

Burn is also caused by a blade that is not aligned, front to back, or tilt is not quite 90 degrees. Blade and mitre alignment should be done using the miter slots. In the method shown, if the blade is misaligned, you will misalign the fence with the blade. Align the fence and the blade using the miter slots.

[kennyc]

Simple and to the point with minimal yapping and stupid music. Great video, especially for the novice.