Table Saw Blade for Splines

Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do" even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that it would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the right blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could anyone give me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the square cut. Many of the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for example ). When I ask for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

Reply to
JonH
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I use this one for cuts like that - has atb + raker

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bailey

Reply to
Jim Bailey

A Freud LM74R010 Glue Line Rip Blade will give you the flat-bottomed cuts you are looking for. $68 at Amazon. They also make the same blade without the red anti-stick coating for about $10 less.

This is a premium triple-chip blade that would be too expensive if all you wanted it for was splines. But once you buy it, you'll probably never take it off the saw. Rip cuts look like they've been sanded, and it gives great crosscuts too.

DonkeyHody "Even an old blind hog finds an acorn every now and then."

Reply to
DonkeyHody

I use one of the blades from my Freud Dado. perfectly flat bottomed cuts.

Dave

Reply to
David

Most ripping blades are square across the top. Might work.

When faced with the same problem, I decided to use a slot-cutter bit in the router table.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

THANKS!

I have some directions to go now.

Jon

Reply to
JonH

I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by "square bottomed"? I make boxes with mitred corners and use keys to spline them. I have been using a jig an a regular general purpose blade in my saw. Would I be better using my Freud Dado instead and why?

Thanks, Jim

Reply to
jtpr

A typical saw blade, for example a WWII, will NOT leave a squared bottom cut. When looks are important you need a dado blade or other blade that has some flat topped teeth (they don't ALL have to be flat topped).

Dave

Reply to
David

OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.

-jim

Reply to
jtpr

I guess flat-bottomed would be a better term than square-bottomed. ATB (Alternate Top Bevel) Ground blades produce a cut with a V-shaped ridge in the center. This ridge would prevent the splines from completely filling the slot. They would be unsightly when viewed from the end of the spline as well as somewhat weaker.

DonkeyHody "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas Carlyle

Reply to
DonkeyHody

If you look at the teeth on the Freud, you'll see some are flat bottomed. Now look at a rip blade or combo blade. They don't have ANY flat topped teeth and hence don't leave the bottom of any cut cleaned out neatly.

Dave

Reply to
David

They would be unsightly when viewed from

I'm not so sure I'd worry about the "weaker" part. When you make a M&T joint, do you fit the end of the tenon against it's mating part? NO! You make the tenon slightly shorter than the depth of the joint, to PREVENT it from bottoming out. Glueing that portion provides next to ZERO benefit (assuming your tenon met the bottom of the mortise exactly).

The SIDES of the spline provide the mechanical connection; not the bottom.

Dave

Reply to
David

With my current ATB blade, If I were to cut partially through a piece of wood and then sight down that groove that was just cut, I will see a "W" shape at the bottom of that groove. I don't want that "W." Right now, when I install a spline, there is a small gap where the spline hits that middle of the "W." I want the type of blade that will make a "U" shape channel ( but with straight sides, not round ) and not have that middle part of the "W." Then my splines will fit in with no gaps. Perhaps your blade cuts what I call a "square bottom" already.

So...did I completely confuse you?

BTW - If the blade I want has a raker tooth, is it called an "ATBR?"

Jon

Reply to
JonH

I know what you mean by the blades being poorly marked as to what the are. It seems most manufacturers put a label on that reads "smooth cutting in all woods" or something similiar to get you to buy their blade, instead of marking what type it is. DeWalt is the only ones I see marked as to what they are and, oddly enough, I don't care for their blades. In any case, you need an ATB+R blade. the ATB stands for alternate tooth bevel, and the R stands for raker, which is basically a flat topped tooth. --dave

Reply to
Dave Jackson

In some cases you can use a spline that isn't visible from the outside (edging on plywood, for instance). In that case a bit of extra space isn't an issue--it's just somewhere for glue squeeze-out to go.

I don't buy the strength argument. Any possible loss will be so tiny as to be irrelevent.

Now if you're using visible splines (on picture frame mitres, for instance) then a flat square slot is desirable for aesthetic reasons.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

You are right of course (both of you who challenged the strength issue). I recognize that any strength benefits are very small, and I started not to even mention it. Sort of damned if you do and damned if you don't (mention it, that is).

DonkeyHody "Even an old blind hog finds an acorn every now and then."

Reply to
DonkeyHody

I use a couple of blades that are ATB+R and they give an almost square bottom kerf but not completely square. The beveled teeth are slightly longer than the raker teeth and leave small "gutters" in the corners. This makes the blades cut a little better. They can be sharpened so as to make all the teeth even but this will sacrifice a bit of cut quality. The guy that does my sharpening took an old steel blade I had and sharpened it to make a square bottom cut. I am not familiar with all makes of blades so perhaps some new blades will cut flat bottomed kerfs but if you have trouble finding one just talk to your sharpening service they should be able to fix you up. Earl Creel

Reply to
Earl Creel

jtpr wrote: : OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the : difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a : stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.

Not quite. A Forrest WWII will cut a kerf which has "wings" on the outer edges, so if the center of the slot is 1/4", the two sides will be slightly over that. In crude ASCII:

| | | | | ________ | | \ / | | | | | | | | | | | | |

- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

Sorry, Andy, but that is impossible. What path do the "wing cutters" follow to get to the bottom of the cut?

I'm guessing that what you mean is this:

| | | | | | | |\___/| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Which is caused by the raker teeth being slightly shorter than the highest point on the ATB teeth.

Reply to
alexy

: Sorry, Andy, but that is impossible. What path do the "wing cutters" : follow to get to the bottom of the cut?

: I'm guessing that what you mean is this:

: | | : | | : | | : | |\___/| | : | | | | : | | | | : | | | |

: Which is caused by the raker teeth being slightly shorter than the : highest point on the ATB teeth.

Your ASCII skills sure are better than mine!

-- Andy

Reply to
Andrew Barss

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