Table saw blade teeth recommendation!

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bsshog40

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So I use my table saw for all of my cutting right now. I have an old bandsaw but I prefer my tablesaw. I'm building a sled for it, just waiting on the miter rods to come in. Right now I have a 60 tooth blade on it, but before I cut my sled, was wondering if anyone here thinks a larger tooth count blade would be better. I'm not sure if the blade thickness changes also, is why I'm waiting to cut sled. I'm making the sled mainly for my pen blanks and plan on ripping them. Thanks for any input!

Bobby
 
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jttheclockman

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Don't know what a miter rod is so no comment there. If you are talking a miter bar used for a miter gauge, why not make your own out of hard wood. I make mine all out of red oak Being this is just a pen blank sled so a 60 tooth crosscut blade is fine for both ripping and cutting. If you were doing heavy ripping I would suggest a ripping blade 32 teeth or even 24. Thin kerf blade 3/32" is a good thickness blade. You can always use a thinner blade if you choose depending on your work. Getting into 80 and 100 tooth blades will not change thickness but again these are specialty blades and a waste of big money for a pen blank. My opinion.:)
 

bsshog40

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Don't know what a miter rod is so no comment there. If you are talking a miter bar used for a miter gauge, why not make your own out of hard wood. I make mine all out of red oak Being this is just a pen blank sled so a 60 tooth crosscut blade is fine for both ripping and cutting. If you were doing heavy ripping I would suggest a ripping blade 32 teeth or even 24. Thin kerf blade 3/32" is a good thickness blade. You can always use a thinner blade if you choose depending on your work. Getting into 80 and 100 tooth blades will not change thickness but again these are specialty blades and a waste of big money for a pen blank. My opinion.:)
Thanks John. I didn't want to use wood as I can't guantee I would get them perfectly straight and even. I bought a couple aluminum bars, lol, for the sled. I have a 40 tooth that I use for heavy ripping but really haven't done any heavy stuff in a while. I bought the 60 a while back for some craft projects I was doing and just left it on the saw. I crosscut my pen blanks with my 60 tooth right now but I was thinking of ripping some pre-cut (bought) pen blanks and try my luck at some mediocre segmenting. I was just wondering if the 60 would rip the little 3/4" blocks ok or if a higher tooth blade would be better. Not really sure if I could use a kerf blade on my 3hp tablesaw. I've read they can be a little flimsy at high speeds. ???
 

jttheclockman

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Thin kerf blades are made for tablesaws. HP does not mean anything related to speed. full size 60 tooth blade is just fine for ripping and crosscutting. I thought you would want a thin kerf if you were doing celtic knots and cuts like that. You can always incorporate a removable throat plate set up on the jig. Swap it out any time you change thickness blades. So many other factors come into play if doing specific segmenting work and selecting a blade. That is why they make so many variety of blades.
 

bsshog40

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Thin kerf blades are made for tablesaws. HP does not mean anything related to speed. full size 60 tooth blade is just fine for ripping and crosscutting. I thought you would want a thin kerf if you were doing celtic knots and cuts like that. You can always incorporate a removable throat plate set up on the jig. Swap it out any time you change thickness blades. So many other factors come into play if doing specific segmenting work and selecting a blade. That is why they make so many variety of blades.
Yea I'm far from celtic knots. Lol I think I'll keep with the 60 tooth and see how that works for me. What I meant on the kerf blade was I read that a 220v 3hp tablesaw may be too powerful for a kerf blade as it is flimsy and may have a wandering cut. I have a pretty good size tablesaw and don't need a non-accurate cut. Thanks for the help John!
 

jttheclockman

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Thin kerf blades are made for tablesaws. HP does not mean anything related to speed. full size 60 tooth blade is just fine for ripping and crosscutting. I thought you would want a thin kerf if you were doing celtic knots and cuts like that. You can always incorporate a removable throat plate set up on the jig. Swap it out any time you change thickness blades. So many other factors come into play if doing specific segmenting work and selecting a blade. That is why they make so many variety of blades.
Yea I'm far from celtic knots. Lol I think I'll keep with the 60 tooth and see how that works for me. What I meant on the kerf blade was I read that a 220v 3hp tablesaw may be too powerful for a kerf blade as it is flimsy and may have a wandering cut. I have a pretty good size tablesaw and don't need a non-accurate cut. Thanks for the help John!


Not true!!!
A 220v 3HP saw is no faster than a 120 1-3/4HP saw What makes it heavier duty is that it won't bog down when doing heavy cuts. You can always buy a stabiliser plate for the thin kerf blade. This will cut down on height that can be cut but will take any flex out of it. You are cutting simple pen blanks which can be cut with a hand saw. You are not taxing any blades or saw HP for sure.
 
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Thin kerf blades are made for tablesaws. HP does not mean anything related to speed. full size 60 tooth blade is just fine for ripping and crosscutting. I thought you would want a thin kerf if you were doing celtic knots and cuts like that. You can always incorporate a removable throat plate set up on the jig. Swap it out any time you change thickness blades. So many other factors come into play if doing specific segmenting work and selecting a blade. That is why they make so many variety of blades.
Yea I'm far from celtic knots. Lol I think I'll keep with the 60 tooth and see how that works for me. What I meant on the kerf blade was I read that a 220v 3hp tablesaw may be too powerful for a kerf blade as it is flimsy and may have a wandering cut. I have a pretty good size tablesaw and don't need a non-accurate cut. Thanks for the help John!


Not true!!!
A 220v 3HP saw is no faster than a 120 1-3/4HP saw What makes it heavier duty is that it won't bog down when doing heavy cuts. You can always buy a stabiliser plate for the thin kerf blade. This will cut down on height that can be cut but will take any flex out of it. You are cutting simple pen blanks which can be cut with a hand saw. You are not taxing any blades or saw HP for sure.

Johns right on the TS 110 vs. 220. I owned a Jet cabinet saw with a 3hp motor and was 220v. The thing would cut through any thing as long as I had the right blade on it. After to moving off grid I had to switch to a 110v saw that is an old Craftsman from probably the mid 60's. I have probably close to 12 different blades with different tooth count etc. Believe it or not, I now use almost daily a DeWalt combo blade that I got from Amazon. Very thin kerf and it gives nice clean edges. I think it came in a two pack and was under $20.00, for both. At that price I don't resharpen them like my $80.00+ blades but give them to other people that want them. I use my table saw for almost 100% of my blank cutting and use my band saw for re sawing and cut out shaping for my knives.
 

bsshog40

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Well I went ahead and bought me a 90 tooth kerf blade. Looks like it will work just fine. Thanks y'all! Actually just put it on. Makes a very nice smooth cut!
 
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jttheclockman

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bsshog40

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Well I went ahead and bought me a 90 tooth kerf blade. Looks like it will work just fine. Thanks y'all! Actually just put it on. Makes a very nice smooth cut!

When you say kerf blade do mean thin kerf blade?? what blade is that?? Freud or some other company??
Here is Freud's

www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-10-in-x-90-Teeth-Ultimate-Polished-Finish-Saw-Blade-D1090X/202786851
Thats the one I bought. The web picture doesn't show all the writing that is on the blade package. Maybe that's why you don't understand what I am typing. The packaging also says it is a kerf blade that cuts at 220 finish. Is there a reason that you question everything that I write? I'm 59 yrs old my friend, I don't need someone to check my grammar. If you are unable to understand what I am typing, please pass by my threads. I appreciate your input John, but I'm tired of your always wanting to correct me. Have a nice day!
 
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Sylvanite

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Maybe that's why you don't understand what I am typing. ... Is there a reason that you question everything that I write? ... I don't need someone to check my grammar. If you are unable to understand what I am typing, please pass by my threads. ... I'm tired of your always wanting to correct me.
For tablesaw blades, "Kerf" simply means "width of cut". There are blades that produce a wider cut, and ones that yield a thinner cut. When you write "I bought a kerf blade", it is like you wrote "I bought a width blade".

When John asked if you meant "thin kerf", he was asking for clarification, not correcting your grammar. Lashing out at him for your own miscommunication does not serve you. John graciously gave a significant amount of his time and effort to answer your questions. If you wish people to help you out tomorrow, I suggest you treat them better today.

Sincerely,
Eric
 
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jttheclockman

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Well I went ahead and bought me a 90 tooth kerf blade. Looks like it will work just fine. Thanks y'all! Actually just put it on. Makes a very nice smooth cut!

When you say kerf blade do mean thin kerf blade?? what blade is that?? Freud or some other company??
Here is Freud's

www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-10-in-x-90-Teeth-Ultimate-Polished-Finish-Saw-Blade-D1090X/202786851
Thats the one I bought. The web picture doesn't show all the writing that is on the blade package. Maybe that's why you don't understand what I am typing. The packaging also says it is a kerf blade that cuts at 220 finish. Is there a reason that you question everything that I write? I'm 59 yrs old my friend, I don't need someone to check my grammar. If you are unable to understand what I am typing, please pass by my threads. I appreciate your input John, but I'm tired of your always wanting to correct me. Have a nice day!

Well Bobby, I guess this conversation went into the toilet. From you very first post in this thread it seems you were not up to speed on blades for a tablesaw. I tried to share some of my knowledge with you. Wanted to let you know there are so many different blades out there and yes there is different thickness blades or as they are referred to in the field different Kerf blades. This designates the thickness of the cut. A full size blade is 1/8" and if you bought the one I showed you that is a thin kerf 3/32" thickness blade and you said you have info that they wobble on your size saw. That is all where that question was going. I was not correcting your grammar. Sorry for the misunderstanding and wish you well with your venture. I am through in this topic.
 

MRDucks2

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The packaging reads awkwardly, "ultra-thin" and "kerf-blade" do not read as one line, so what Bobby is relaying is what he is reading.

You bought a good blade for what you want to achieve, Bobby. I really like mine. It will do fine cutting 3/4 blanks on a 220v 3HP saw. On a 110v lower HP saw like mine, I simply slow the feed rate very slightly on harder wood.

I suspect your info on thin kerf blade issues on higher HP saw s may reference problems with very thin kerf, high tooth count blades (ie. melamine blades) being used on thicker wood and fed too fast, basically "jamming" things up, which can cause those blades to deflect.

Just remember as you shoot for better cutting methods to suit your needs, that if that you see smoke or smell wood burning while using the table saw, back out and check your set-up. Something is wrong just like if a saw bogs down during a cut.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 

bsshog40

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Ok, so l just felt attacked when I say miter rod instead of bar or kerf instead of thin kerf. I like to talk casual and may not always use the correct terminology for a specific item, but I figure most would know what I'm saying instead of responding with "I don't know what you're talking about", and then correct me. It was explained that what I read about kerf blades seems to be wrong. Not everything on the web is correct and is why I asked here. I have a couple blades for my tablesaw but they are just basic ripping blades. My initial post was just asking opinions for any specific blades that people used for cutting pen blanks. I would like to rip a 3/4" blank and was looking for a better blade than my 1/8" rip blade to get a good cut for such small wood. The blade I bought works great. I'll just leave it at that.
Btw, MRDucks2, thank you for your response also!
If the mods would like to close this thread, please do.
 

Dieseldoc

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Table saw/saw blades

Bobby:

My suggestion would for you to check in on You Tube under Table Saw Tune [/COLOR]up, which will give you lot of great information on how to insure your table saw is in good alignment which makes use of the saw much better. As you will find out it's not only the type of blade you use.
With all of our shop equipment it's take time and effort to get max safe use from them. One thing about you tube there are several good video's to help all of us.

Cheers

Charlie
 

gtriever

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Terminology is important, no matter what you do. Case in point: We had a very good parts manager at work, but if you said "gimme some red butt connectors" you might get connectors for a #22 wire or connectors for a #8 wire. Both of them are red, but they're not the same.

This also goes for saw blades - A" kerf blade" has no meaning, but if you say "standard or 1/8 kerf" or "thin kerf" we know exactly what you mean. By the way, I get very good segmenting cuts with a Diablo 40 tooth Combination Blade.

Hope this helps.
 

bsshog40

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Bobby:

My suggestion would for you to check in on You Tube under Table Saw Tune [/COLOR]up, which will give you lot of great information on how to insure your table saw is in good alignment which makes use of the saw much better. As you will find out it's not only the type of blade you use.
With all of our shop equipment it's take time and effort to get max safe use from them. One thing about you tube there are several good video's to help all of us.

Cheers

Charlie


Thanks Charlie! I've had my tablesaw for about 10 years and I have it setup fine and it works great. Just looking outside the box of what I normally cut and use it for. I'm even building me a sled for it that I have never had a need for. Lol
 

bsshog40

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Terminology is important, no matter what you do. Case in point: We had a very good parts manager at work, but if you said "gimme some red butt connectors" you might get connectors for a #22 wire or connectors for a #8 wire. Both of them are red, but they're not the same.

This also goes for saw blades - A" kerf blade" has no meaning, but if you say "standard or 1/8 kerf" or "thin kerf" we know exactly what you mean. By the way, I get very good segmenting cuts with a Diablo 40 tooth Combination Blade.

Hope this helps.

Point taken! My Diablo 60 tooth also cuts great for me but I have already seen where this 90 tooth has a much better cut. So the Diablo Standard 1/8" kerf 90 tooth wheel is what I bought because I actually wanted a "thin Kerf" 3/32" blade but home depot did not carry them. The standard 1/8" kerf is working just fine though.
 

leehljp

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I did not see this earlier and it could be a repeat: You got a 90 tooth blade; 90 tooth is primarily a "cross-cut" blade. You "can" use it for ripping, but it will be slower and have a tendency to leave burn marks. At least that is my experience.
 
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bsshog40

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I did not see this earlier and it could be a repeat: You got a 90 tooth blade; 90 tooth is primarily a "cross-cut" blade. You "can" use it for ripping, but it will be slower and have a tendency to leave burn marks. At least that is my experience.
I already used it to cut a pen blank Hank. It made a very smooth cut. I'm only ripping a 5" piece of small wood. When I get back to my normal wood cutting, I will be taking the sled off and changing back to my regular ripping blade.
 
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