Expensive Blade with cheap Table Saw?

[RogerN]

I have a

[Bay Area Dave]

AS long as you don't have too much arbor runout, a nice blade will do wonders for any TS. A TS's job is to spin a blade with no runout, with enough power to make a cut, and provide a stable platform for the work piece. If your TS can do that, the blade will do the rest. No need for a WWII; lots of guys like the Freud's. I use a WWII, love it, but there are other cheaper alternatives. Be sure you get the type of blade for the particular type of work; ie ripping, crosscutting. I just got another blade today JUST for Melamine. My WWII, as good as it is, leaves the bottom side a bit chipped out, even though the top side is darned near perfect. On some projects, "good" isn't good enough.

dave

RogerN wrote:

[Leon]

Yes a good blade will always be better than a bad blade regardless of the saw you use it on.

[Dan]

On Mon 01 Dec 2003 05:44:36p, "Leon" wrote in news:EnQyb.282$ [e-mail]:

No argument with that statement, but the degree of improvement may not be enough. I put a good Freud blade on my used Craftsman table saw. The arbor still wobbled and the height adjustment still wandered wherever it wanted to go. The cuts were a much better grade of lousy. It DID point out to me that I needed a better saw.

But what the heck. If and when you do upgrade, you'll still have the saw blade. Can't go wrong there.

Dan

[nospam]

and when you pitch the POS saw you can keep the blade for whatever you move up to....

[George]

On a direct drive saw, you might want to look into a good, thin-kerf blade as that will require less power from the saw (you're removing less material). Also, use blade stiffeners and do your best tuning up your saw (alignment and vibration).

[Ron]

A pair of good blades (one used thin-kerf, one new carbide) along with some very good tips from this list really improved the performance on my >

significant

[Trent©]

Go to Sears and get a hollow ground planer blade. Its like night and day on the performance. Most of the cuts I get are ready for glue-up right from the saw. And I'm using an $89 table saw! lol

I think I paid about $12 for the blade. I coulda got the more expensive one...the carbide tipped. But I'm too cheap...and I sharpen my own blades on a scheduled basis.

You don't get sawdust with this blade...you get POWDER. Really a great blade.

Good luck.

Have a nice week...

Trent

Dyslexics of the world ... UNTIE !

[Groggy]

There is no simple answer really. If you are working on melamine or sheet goods and have significant arbor float, I'd say no, forget it. A better blade won't stop arbour float and the resultant chip-out that will occur.

Furthermore, if you are cutting wood and hoping for a finished edge, ready for glue up - forget it. Buy a plane and cut to close dimension only, then plane down to the finished size.

The basic idea is if you are getting rough wavy effects when cutting, the best you can hope for might be smooth wavy effects.

BTW, you did not specify why you thought it was a crappy blade in the first place - is it really? Or is it the culmination of a number of other problems being highlighted by the poor cut?

My 2c worth.

Greg

[Leon]

Umm...With the exception of sanding, I cannot think of any tool that you want powder as a result of the procedure being used. Getting powder instead of shavings or saw dust is usually a pretty good indicator that your edge is in need of sharpening.

[RogerN]

I saw an ad. for the Forrest Woodworker II, they showed the difference in wood cut on other saw blades and on theirs. My saw cuts look like their picture of how "other" saw blades cut. I would like for the surface of the wood to be fairly smooth without jointing, planing, or sanding.

[Silvan]

Never did say what kind of blade you have now, did you?

I didn't go for the WWII, since it would have cost twice what I paid for the saw, and about 10 times what the saw is actually worth. I picked up a Freud TK960 thin kerf 40-tooth (I think) combination blade for $35, and the difference between it and the factory blade I had on the saw was marked. I felt like that was a good way to go, considering what I was putting it on. I was afraid I might somehow damage a WWII by bolting it to this POS saw. :)

[Groggy]

"RogerN" wrote ..

Roger, to keep it brief, I would not waste too much money on a blade that is beyond the capability of the saw. Try Silvan's advice of"Freud TK960 thin kerf 40-tooth (I think) combination blade for $35" or Trent's suggestion of a hollow ground planer blade from Sears. Put the money saved towards a real saw for later.

My opinion only, others' mileage may vary.

good luck,

Greg