If you’ve ever noticed the edge of your board splintering while you’re cutting, you’re dealing with one of the most common woodworking problems: splintering. A splinter can be caused by using the wrong type of blade, a dull blade, or improperly positioned wood. But sometimes you can do all of these things correctly and still have a splinter problem. Sanding can help if your splintering is minimal, but here are some other methods to prevent splintering from occurring.

One of the most common ways to prevent splintering when using a crosscut saw or miter saw is to use a backer board. This is a simple way to support the grain of your wood on the backside as you cut. Because the blade on a crosscut saw rotates 90 degrees to the grain, the blade can tend to pull splinters out of the backside of your board. Place a scrap piece of wood against the fence of the saw – the part that you push your wood against to make your cut – before positioning your board. Then, place your board against the rest and make your cut through both the board and your rest. The backer board will support the wood you are cutting, reducing the risk of tearing.

You can also use a backer board on a table saw, but you will need a board that is at least as wide as the cut you are making in order for this to work, making this method impractical in some circumstances. To use this method, place the board you are cutting on another piece of wood before cutting on the table saw. This can help with the ripping on the underside of your piece.

Tape is another good solution to prevent tearing. If you are cutting on a table saw, you can use a strip of masking tape or blue tape on the top of your board, above where the blade will be, and cut with the right side facing down to prevent tearing. On a circular saw, you can use tape on the bottom of your board, and cut with the right side facing up. Keep in mind that using tape will likely dull your blade faster, but it may be worth it depending on how precise you want the edges of your cut to be.