Ryobi 12inch compound miter saw

[guhar1]

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!

[Frank]

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.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Scott Lurndal]

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

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.

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

scott

>

[Leon]

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.

[guhar1]

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

Le> >I just bought the saw at Home Depot. I read carefully all instructions

[hylourgos]

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

[Leon]

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.

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.

[CW]

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.

[guhar1]

Well I guess I have to get a little more experience cutting wood with an electrical saw. I have been using an harm powered miter saw for 10 years.... I guess I should go thru the plastic first with a simple cut, to make the slot, before trying the full 45 angle tilting horizontal and vertical ? I dont like to idea to attack a plastic plate with my blade at 45 degree horizontal.

[CW]