The first plywood for commercial use was produced on this day in 1905. While its layers of veneer wood and glue proved to be strong, it was trickier to cut than regular wood as saw blades tended to tear up the edges, especially power saws. The same goes for other veneers, as well as on some doors and some types of wall paneling. To prevent this problem, apply a 2-inch strip of masking tape centered over and all along your “cut” line. Then clamp a metal straight edge over that, and score deeply into the cut line with a razor knife. Then remove the straight edge, but not the tape. Clamp another piece of wood in position as a guide so that the saw blade sits just on the “waste” side of the scribe line. Now you’ll be able to saw that veneer without splits, splinters or fear. And that's the On The House tip for today.