The plastic or foam dams are just fine, no need to cut plywood. Plus they install with a stapler, not nails.

They don't do anything except keep the insulation off the open/ventilated/perforated soffit. That is why they come up a ways, in case more insulation is blown in.

What you really need is a little person, say around 12 years old. Its tight work. Pull all the insulation back from the interior soffit and install the dam. Repeat as needed and then replace the insulation over the whole perimeter of the roof.

Whoever does it will be hot, bruised and sore. Watch out for roofing nails that have penetrated! Make certain the dam is snug to the soffit, you don't want to go to all that effort and have the airflow stop because of stuff creeping in and plugging it up.

Be sure there is a continuous ridge vent or the eave vent is unlikely to adequately remove moisture from the attic or meet the minimum building code ventilation requirement.

An adjustable size garden rake works well to pull back the insulation.

Set it a little smaller than needed.

After you pull the insulation back, staple in the baffle and then use the rake to push the insulation back into position.

It lets you stay closer to the middle of the attic.

You also need a hard hat since there are often nails sticking through the roof deck.

Hey guys, what would happen if I don't install the baffles, I don't plan on having additional insulation added.
If I just push back the insulation a bit from the vent, do you think the insulation will in the vents by itself again? and this is an technically an intake so it does not blow towards the vent.

Depending on how the wind is blowing at any time the attic vents can be inlets or outlets, including the soffit vents.

In a cold climate, pushing the insulation back could cause ice dams in freeze-thaw conditions. In a warm climate pushing the insulation back would only waste energy at the eave.

Is there a ridge vent or another way for air to escape the attic? If not, adding eave vents might not be a good idea. What provides the required attic ventilation now? What are you hoping to achieve with this work?

I got to do this soon, I can see the insulation through the vents..
where did you buy the adjustable garden rake?

After removing insulation from soffit area do I install baffle and then leave the soffit area clear of insulation? Very confused on step by step procedures. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Soffit shouldnt have insulation, needs to allow airflow. Insulation should be pushed up against the baffle to the edge of the ceiling.