How to Stop Wood from Splintering When Cutting and Why It Happens? Woodworkers of all skills have wondered how to stop wood from splintering when cutting.
Splintering is a common occurrence when cutting wood, especially when it’s not done properly.
Usually, when you cut your wood quickly, you have a large-teeth saw, or it’d dull and perpendicular to the wood, you will get more splintering.
It would be best to consider many factors when dealing with wood, especially to stop it from splintering.
Here is some information on how to stop your wood from splintering and ruining your next project!
Why Does Wood Splinter When Cutting It
Splintering is an unwanted thing that commonly happens when you’re cutting wood. Not only does it ruin your project, but a wood splinter is painful if it gets into your finger.
Wood contains lots of fibers in it, so when you cut it, it cuts the fibers in half. These fibers need to be supported.
Otherwise, they will start to splinter. It can be easily stressed, often like when we see a splinter!
When you support the wood, it cannot go in different directions, which means no splintering will occur.
Whether you are using your handsaw or hacksaw, make sure it is very sharp and go slowly with the cutting.
Even the angle at which you use your saw affects splintering. Usually, if the angle of the blade is too low, it will cause splintering.
You should always cut the wood slowly and only work with sharp blades.
(working with wood)
Best Ways to Prevent Wood Splitting and Cracked Wood
There are many good ways to keep your wood from getting splinters when you’re cutting it.
Put sealant or stabilizer
A sealant or stabilizer helps the wood keep its moisture, so it will not get too dry and crack. This is an easy way to avoid splintering and ruining your wood.
You probably have some sealant in your garage. Usually, you would see people using sealants with wood cutting boards.
When you want to put sealant or stabilizer on the wood, wear protective gloves, as the chemicals are too harsh for your hands.
Use an old paintbrush to put the sealant on the surface of the wood. Polyurethane sealants are best if you’re cutting wood for furniture and such. It is also waterproof.
(sanding wood)
Salt paste
A salt paste will help wood that has been too damp, as too much water makes the wood splinter and break. This is preferred over the use of chemicals.
Making the salt paste is fairly simple. You must mix salt in water and leave it for 4 hours.
Then add cornstarch to come to a paste consistency. From there, add 3 eggs and mix well until the eggs are all gone.
If you don’t mix well, the wood will have white flakes after drying.
Put the paste on the wood, and make sure every inch is covered. Don’t worry; the paste comes off easily after it gets dry!
Use varnish
Varnish is yet another thing you probably have lying around. It has special ingredients that help the wood’s fibers stay in place and keeps the right amount of wood in the wood.
The process is fairly easy. First, sand your wood with 220-grit sandpaper to open up the grain of the wood.
Dust away the sawdust and apply the varnish to the clean wood. Start doing thin coats so they can dry quickly.
You can then put a sealant on top when it is all dry,
(applying varnish)
Paintable wax
This is a cheap and easy way to stop your wood from cracking when you cut it. Smash up your old candles and melt them over the stove.
Be careful not to burn yourself! Mix your melted wax with paint thinner, and mix well in the can.
Use a paintbrush to put even, thin coats on the wood. Don’t forget to let it dry before continuing with your cutting.
Screws
Screws are way better than nails as they hold the wood together and completely prevent cracking and splitting.
Simply drill a pilot hole, which helps the screw into the wood. The threads of the screw hold the wood fibers together, which prevents breaking.
How to Stop Wood from Splintering When Cutting: Boiled linseed oil
This is a good way to prevent the splintering of your wood. It is also best for those who have not worked with wood before and don’t want to ruin their first woodworking project.
Before you put the boiled linseed oil, sand, and clean the wood properly. Put thin coats of the oil so it dries quickly.
Since this is oil, the wood will drink all of it up! So you have to do about 3 to 4 coats, so it is oiled properly.
You must leave the wood to dry completely before putting the next coat because you might get blotchy work otherwise!
How to Stop Wood from Splintering When Cutting: Epoxy
Epoxy is such a cool thing to use, as it just easily fills up the cracks like it wasn’t even there!
When the epoxy dries, it blends right in with the wood, so you can’t even tell.
Use a putty knife to easily put the epoxy on the wood. Apply it evenly until all the cracks are filled.
If you are dealing with a big piece of wood, use a paintbrush to easily put the epoxy.
How to Stop Wood from Splintering When Cutting: Store your wood properly.
You may think that the storage of your wood doesn’t even matter, but it really does matter and can even affect how your wood acts when you cut it.
You have to keep the bundles of wood above the ground, maybe on a pallet or rack.
It must be under a shelter away from rain and in a cool place with a good amount of airflow.
How to Repair and Fix Split or Cracked Wood?
Luckily if you catch the split or crack in time, it is fairly easy to repair. You can fill the cracks or splits with wood glue, filler, or epoxy and clamp it for a long time until it is all dry.
You can then sand the wood and paint it to match the rest of the wood surface.
(cracked wood)
There are also wood patches or wood putty that you can use to fix any damage on the wood.
But if the damage is too severe, then none of these options will work, and you’d have to get another piece of wood.
Preferably, it’s best to wait 24 hours when using wood glue, putty, filler, or epoxy. This will probably give you the best results.
Conclusion
With the above information, it is quite easy to understand splintering and why it happens.
What’s even easier is to avoid splintering altogether! Make sure always to be protected when cutting wood, and tell someone to help you with working with big pieces of wood.
If you get a wood splinter in your finger, tell someone to take it out immediately with a tweezer.