OT -Table Saw and Chop Saw Blades

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I am getting ready to build some cabinets and need some advice on blades. I will be using veneered plywood and splintering the veneer is my concern.

I went to a woodworking supply store today and they suggested carbide blades with at least 60 teeth. Then the guy said that cheap steel blades with a lot of teeth will be better at not splintering the wood.

Which way do I go? The cheap steel blades (HOme Depot stuff) are about the same price as a resharpening of a good blade. My guess is that the carbide blades will last longer in between sharpenings.

I need 3 blades. One for a table saw, one for a chopsaw and one for a circular saw.

What do you guys think?

[woodsman]

If you want the best go with Forrest. I use the woodworker II in my tablesaw. They have others for different applications. Send them back to the company for re-sharpening. When you get it back it's like a new blade all over again. Well worth the money and depending on how often you use it, it may be the last one's you buy.

Jeff

[Coytee]

Don't recall brand...(RED blade at HD), Foster? good blade, EXPENSIVE, but when I made some cuts with it, made them SMOOTh as baby's butt

[Guest " "]

The red blade is the "diablo" blade. It is expensive, but it cuts 3/4 inch oak, birch ply like it was butter.

The teeth count will vary depending on the size of the blade. For a 10 inch blade 80T, for a 8 1/4 blade 60T.

What ever you do, do not get one of those 100T plwood blades. They are made for 1/2 or less. If you cut 3/4 inch ply with them, the end cut will be wider than the start of the cut due to the blade warping as it gets hot. It will warp 3/4th the way thru a 4 ft cut.

Also keep in mind the direction of the blade relative to the good side of the wood. Most hardwood plywood has a very good grain on one side, and a fair one on the other. Decide which you want to show on the out side of the project.....some considerations. On a table saw.....the good grain side should be on top, showing to you.....however...on a wall mounted panel saw...the good grain side would be against the wall and not visable to you. This is due to the blade rotation and the way it slightly splinters the exit side of the cut. You don't want those mirco splinters showing on the outside of your project.

[Fish]

I have a Porter Cable"Razor"blade on my chop saw,it's 12" and has 70 teeth(I'm pretty sure).The teeth are closer and further apart as they round the blade,does nice on oak,maple etc.I'd go with carbide whatever you get,60 to 80 teeth should do fine,80's just a little slower,but a hair smoother.On the skilsaw any decent carbide blade should do,it should only be cutting rough sizes?

[Guest " "]

Here is a good 90T blade.

[Guest " "]

Here is a good 80T blade. HD sells this as the "Diablo"

[tigerwoodKhorns]

OK,

I'll be more specific. I need to buy two 10" blades (one for a table saw and one for a chopsaw) and one 7 1/4" blasde for a circular saw. The circular saw will be used to rough size, but I still want a good cut.

Looks like I need 60T for the 10" blades and maybe 45 teeth for the 7 1/4"

I also take it I need to go with Carbide (I'll be building cabinets for four bathrooms - one really large, plus false corners and offcie furniture). Especially because teh thin steel blades heat up.

Let me know if thsi is correct.

Chris

PS - I love this forum. It's one stop shopping.

[Guest " "]

TigerwoodKhorns

The Rigid 10" 90T blade or the DIablo 10" 80T blade are both high end blades. You can get the Rgid 10" 90T blade on ebay right now for 40 bucks each as a buy it now. The Diablo blade will cost considerably more than that.

Diablo also makes 7 1/4 inch blades.

I own the DIablo in 10", 8 1/4 ", and 7 1/2" size as well as the rigid in the 10" 90T size.

[PrestonTom]

At the risk of sounding condescending, and I don't mean to be, part of the solution is the blade (sharpness & number of teeth).

However .....

Two other factors are in the technique: 1) is the finish side is facing the blade's rotation or not and 2) the height of the blade from the table (or bottom of the circular saw). IOW are the teeth coming at small angle to the wood or at tangent to the wood. If you were already aware of this, fine (and I did not mean to suggest you were a novice). Many folks do not know about this difference however.

Good Luck,

-Tom

[Groomlakearea51]

Agree with SF; Diablo, Freud, etc. Woodtec is very good; Dewalt's are not too bad. Woodmen's recommended blade is very, very good. I'm considering a pro blade for my TS that can be sent back for sharpening. Currently, I use an 80T on my 10" Dewalt miter/chop, and a Freud 80T on the 10" TS;

Also, you can use blue painter's tape, or masking tape on the "good" side to reduce potential splintering. Always saw as slow as possible with the table saw to keep the blade from getting too hot. They will warp if not careful.

For just "ripping" or reducing full sheets down to slightly larger than the final cuts, you can use a good 40 or 60T blade on your circular. I've got a 25 year old 8" craftsman which works fine for that sort of stuff.

Check out www.woodworker.com ; excellent tools, also a great source for watco products. Nothing but walmart here, HD or Lowes for me is 90+ miles round trip, and with the price of fuel, internet sources can be of great assistance.

[oldenough]

Another tip that i can offer is to score the veneer prior to sawing. You do need to first check that the saw is set up accurately, and that your straight edge is true.

[J.4knee]

My advise go with the Freud dude! 90 T for you Table and Chop.

[fini]

Advice from a Journeyman Carpenter:

I agree with woodsman, Forrest blades are the best out there, especially when used with their stabilizer. Higher end Freud's are good, too. For "rough cuts" with 7-1/4" blades, I'd go with 24 tooth Marathons. There's a lot to consider when looking for blades. If I were you, I'd get at least 2 blades for the table saw. A fine-tooth blade for plywood (maybe a tripple-chip or an alternating top bevel grind, 80-100 tooth), and (very important) a RIP (or flat-grind) blade (24-tooth) for ripping solid stock.

http://www.forrestsawblades.com/

[Speedball]

I suggest thin kerf carbide for the ability to resharpen them and they get up to speed quicker. Those thin steel non-carbide blades do heat up quickly and distort in shape with any heavy wood. Hopefully you will be able to find a good re-sharpening service who does a good job.

I own and use the above mentioned blades except for the high dollar Forrest. My circular saw I think is now running a 40 or so tooth blade and does well. Sort of a trade off, the more teeth you go with the smoother cut but also slows the cut. I also usually look for a lot of zig-zag laser cuts to keep the blade from screaming.

I've been curious to know how that Razor by Porter Cable does mentioned by someone else.

[JBryan]

I'm another Diablo semi-fan - its a pretty good blade for the $. I cut a lot of cherry (raw and finished) when I built a bar and installed my kitchen cabinets and it was "Butter" from the 1st to the last cut with no splintering. I didn't intend to buy Diablo but HD had a 2'fer deal and I caved.

If I'm cutting finished wood, I like to run a piece of drafting or thin masking tape on the finished side at the cut. I don't know if it is why the cut is clean but I feel better about it.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I'm another Diablo semi-fan - its a pretty good blade for the $. I cut a lot of cherry (raw and finished) when I built a bar and installed my kitchen cabinets and it was "Butter" from the 1st to the last cut with no splintering. I didn't intend to buy Diablo but HD had a 2'fer deal and I caved.

If I'm cutting finished wood, I like to run a piece of drafting or thin masking tape on the finished side at the cut. I don't know if it is why the cut is clean but I feel better about it.

I bought a Freud Diablo 80T 10" and a 40T 7.25". I'll try them this weekend and let everyone know how they work.

I now need a small brad gun. I heard electric is the way to go.

Any opinions?

[Guest " "]

I bought one at sears. It uses 3/4, 1", and 1 1/4 brads. Its electric. I 've had it for years. The aluminum brads are square shanked and once shot, don't loose their grip.

[Speedball]

Mmmmm, never used a good electric if there is one. If you already have a capable compressor and hose maybe an air nailer, I like my Bostich.

{...edited...} Mine is an 18 ga. too and my silicone-less wax is Johnson paste wax from Lowes @ $6.00 per can...(this stuff was hard to find locally)

[Tom Mobley]

I also have the red Freud Diablo 10" 80 tooth thin kerf on the table saw and a similar smaller one on my circular saw. That Freud cuts 3/4" 13 ply birch and oak plywood like butter. Edges are almost polished.

I tried a couple electric brad nailers and ended up with a Porter-Cable air gun. It shoots 3/4" to 2" 18ga. brads and has been perfect. I buy the genuine P-C brads. Probably helps that I already has a 5 horse 60 gallon compressor left over from when I was a mechanic.

Ditto to what the guys said about set-up of the table saw. I made a little sled that holds my .001 dial indicatior and set up the blade dead nuts to the t-slots, then turned it around and used it again to square up the fence. I spent a couple hours on it when I first got it and another hour recently. Also wax the table and fence with a 100% carnuba car wax. No wax that contains silicones should be used. The time and blades are worth every minute and penny.