Want to cut blanks lenghthwise - very thin kerf

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TonyL

TonyL

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What is the "best" tool (in your humble opinions :-) ) with the thinnest kerf to cut blanks lengthwise. My goals is to take a 3/4 or greater blank and cut it in half while removing as little material as possible (hence the need for the thin kerf). I have a decent budget. I know their are some decent model making tools (Burns, Proxxon, etc.)

Thank you.
 
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You can buy a small benchtop table saw (Byrnes brand is the best, IMHO) with a 3" blade that has a 0.020" or 0.023" kerf.

That small kerf blade, which is only 3" diameter may not be large enough to cut all the way through a 3/4" pen blank, but you could to it in two passes, one pass from each of the opposing faces of the blank.

I have an older Byrnes saw with a 4" Thurston carbide-tipped blade which has a kerf close to 0.060". It will cut through a 1 1/4" blank.
It is the most useful tool I have, after my lathe. . Highly recommend it.
 
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Oh to be in Japan! When I was in Toyota City, I lived close to a tool store in Nagakute (west Nagoya) that had to 1mm kerf carbide blades and even .9mm kerf carbide blades. These blades were available in 125mm (1mm) and 100mm (.9mm) (5 inch and 4 inch respectively) at that tool store. I have one of each somewhere in my tools here in the USA.

That said, I did some internet searches 7 or 8 years ago while still in Japan and found a couple of places here in the USA that you could purchase blades that thin and that big. I don't know where those links are or even if the companies are still in existence. I looked for them a couple of years ago but could not find them. I did a quick search at the time (2 years ago) but could not come up with what I was looking for. I will admit that 7 or 8 years ago, I spent several hours and different words in googling to come up with 2 companies that made them.

I agree that you can get bandsaw blades real thin but they are not the smoothest of cuts and you will have to sand with a thickness sander to get the scratches out.

1.5mm blade on a 150mm (close to 6 inch) blade. But I have used the 1mmx125mm on this saw:
http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/940/1_Precision_Jig_1.jpg
 
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A slitting saw blade on a metal lathe with a holder for the blank. Personally I think I would use a Sherline or a Taig lathe with a milling attachment. Or depending what you plan on doing maybe the Sherline mill.
 
There are a selection of fairly thin kerf, decent quality saw blades in the 7" or 8" size at Home Depot (and probably Lowes) that fit a standard table saw and produce a good quality cut. If you have a table saw already, this is a good answer. If you do a calculation of the yield using a much more expensive, dedicated small-work table saw vs. simply using the moderately thin kerf I suggest, you may find that the more expensive solution does not yield much in the end result. (If understand correctly that you are wanting to rip a 3/4" blank in half, possibly for segmenting work.)

If this idea has merit for you, why not test it: try working with a moderately undersized blank to see if that will be workable for your purpose.
 
I ow a Proxxon, with two blades, and I use a lot, .5 and 1.5 mm kerf. Deflection is of course an issue with both, more on crosscut, rip sawing is decent. Not really a high precision saw, but it helps a lot. Segmenting is a snap with a little sanding.
 
If you are patient and reallly good at it a scrollsaw will give you a really thin kerf depending on the blade you mount on it. Cutting a straight accurate cut is more art than science though.
 
I have the Byrnes Table Saw with the .02" blade.

I LOVE the machine. Not able to cut pen blanks/material over 15/16" thick, but I can manage that. Excellent for segmenting.

Not a cheap machine, but from your previous posts, the extra cost may be worth it to you. Food for thought.
 
Thank you all very much; I read every post and explored the micro-tool manufactured that you identified. I do own a portable table saw and built a cool segmenting jig (I also have a super thin Freud blade). I was looking for something even thinner like the firm mentioned above sells. I first called my friend who is into scroll sawing and asked him about a jig that will allow me to cut a straight line along the center of a blank. As much as I want to buy a new toy. I may just try a super thin blade from the retailer above. Interestingly, I have a friend with a phd in physics, lasers, etc. (who works with laser and optics). I called him to ask about cutting one inch hardwood with a laser (which I am sure is not the route I want to go) and where to but a decent 1000mw laser head. He hasn't called me back yet. Tomorrow, I will call the thin kerf blade dealer above. Thank you all very much! As always, you (plural) are a selfless and valuable source of information. If I learn anything and you can to know it, I will share with all.
 
I have the Byrnes table saw and it is fantastic for doing stuff like this. Very thin kerf and one of my favorite tools in the shop.

Jim Smith
 
TonyL said:
Thank you all very much; . . . Thank you all very much! As always, you (plural) are a selfless and valuable source of information. If I learn anything and you can to know it, I will share with all.
Click to expand...

Can't wait to see what you are going to create! :good:
 
Hi Hank. I am laughing (not at anyone) because I don't have anything creative planned (quite the opposite, you guys should know me by now :-) ). I am just looking to cut a 7/8 or 1" blank in half so I can use each half to make a pen that takes a 8mm or 3/8 tube. I would prefer not to "waste" so much wood. I am also pretty sure I have the Freud blade that was recommended above already on my table saw. I forgot that I had it! Sorry to disappoint. :-)
 
saws

Band saw is my main saw I use or I believe when you add a fence to a band saw it is called a re saw .

On my taig lathes with a live cutter I have one blade the that is .018 thinkness.
but a thick cut would burn the wood .............................

If you are looking to cut wood to be used as inlay material I would buy the saw Mark james has ..
 
You have a table saw and should have a sled set up for it. If correct I would glue on a large waste block. Buy the thinnest saw blade you can for the saw, the split the blank, and then cut off the waste block part. Safe and the cost would be the saw blade.

The waste block can be about anything from a scrap of 2x4 pine to scrap of plywood.
 
TonyL said:
Hi Hank. I am laughing (not at anyone) because I don't have anything creative planned (quite the opposite, you guys should know me by now :-) ). I am just looking to cut a 7/8 or 1" blank in half so I can use each half to make a pen that takes a 8mm or 3/8 tube. I would prefer not to "waste" so much wood. I am also pretty sure I have the Freud blade that was recommended above already on my table saw. I forgot that I had it! Sorry to disappoint. :-)
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Sheesh !!! . I was looking forward to seeing some novel segmentation !!!!!!!!
 
Gary Beasley said:
If you are patient and reallly good at it a scrollsaw will give you a really thin kerf depending on the blade you mount on it. Cutting a straight accurate cut is more art than science though.
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Couldn't you clamp a piece of angle iron or a straightedge to the table to use as a fence? Shouldn't be much sideways pressure on the blade to flex it, but I haven't tried it...
 
Thank you. I made a really neat sled for segmenting (modeled after another's member's), bought the extra fine kerf blade, an Incra miter jog (that I still haven't opened the box for close to a year now), and a large roll of double-sided tape to catch the segment after it is cut. I used the sled, blade, and tape about 4 times to make 90 degree cuts (segments). How is that for creativity?! :-) . Then I lost interest, but I never really got started. I should give what I already own a try.
 
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