Thin kerf TS blades revisited

[Swingman]

Strictly my opinion, but I would say you've arrived at valid conclusion for the stated circumstances.

[Pop Rivet]

I can see your point, but in my case, I find the thin kerfs cut smoother and longer, and either have less runout (the opposite of what I'd expect, actually) for whatever reason, and except for ripping jobs, cut faster. I also thought they'd dull faster but that doesn't seem to be the case. They crash through knots with less noise than the thicker cousins too. I have a feeling I'm going to be going against the current with my comments here, but well, it's just how this amateur feels. They also generate noticeably less sawdust in my vacuum collector. Also have the feeling opinions will vary depending on the types of wood cut. No special reason other than personal prefs but I cut almost exclusively pine, fir, and Oak or Walnet; don't seem to have a yen for any other types. Oh yeah, at least around here, thin kerfs are also cheaper (apple/apple comparison from same vendors), maybe because of shipping. We're pretty much out in the toolies here (pun intended). OK, out in the sticks. Hmm, that's a pun too. Ummm, out in the niddle of nowhere? There, that works!! Oh yeah: I have had miserable results with thin kerf in green woods or where they might want to overheat - forgot that. No, I never blow a fuse or trip a breaker.

Just my penny's worth

Pop

[Hoyt Weathers]

I have thin and regular 1/8" kerf TS blades and have used both for several years on my General 350 TS. My shop is not a production shop and I do not cut very expensive wood. My TS has ample power on 220 volts to cut whatever I want with it. I have about come to the conclusion that I will use regular kerf blades from now on. With respect to expensive woods, I think I can make the case that the kerf size does not amount to any significant savings in costs per board foot cut with with thin kerf blades. Can anyone make a valid case for using thin kerf blades in a hobby workshop with a good TS? It is not my intention to start a food fight over this.

Regards, Hoyt Weathers Trinity, Alabama

[Tom Watson]

I agree with Swingman on this ( but, I almost always do, 'cause the guy is a mechanic).

It doesn't really matter whether or not you are a production shop, the damned thin kerfs don't work right.

In order not to get plate deformation, you have to feed way too slow in order to get a decent cut out of the thin kerf.

I've tried them on the Unisaw and on the Dewalt 708 that I use for shortish crosscut work.

The amount of material saved is inconsequential compared to the reduced feed rate and the chattered cuts that you can get from these blades, when fed at normal feed rates.

These sorts of blades are not marketed to pro shops for the simple reason that they do not work.

I use a Leuco 10" blade on melamine, that is full kerf, has a hollow ground, and a negative 5 degree rake - the back side does not blow out at all.

I use the same blade for ply rips and crosscuts and it does a fine job.

The plate on this blade is prolly half again as heavy as a regular blade. but it's riveted and stress relieved to work like a die when it spins up.

I experimented with thin kerfs - but I'll never buy another one.

Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker (ret) Real Email is: tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet Website:

[Bernard Randall]

I have had this discussion before, I switched to Diablo thin kerf because I was having problems with an expensive regular blade and because I had not long aquired this saw I wanted to check saw or blade. I've never looked back, I'm using a general purpose 44 tooth use it for ripping, jointing and all the usual shop cutting jobs, no sign of flutter or any horrors. One thing I find a bit crazy is that the 12" I use is cheaper, < $30 from the BORG, than the 10". Others have talked about stabalizers etc, I just put mine on and ran.

On the question of DCs, I run a Grizzly 2HP with a cyclone. I'm not as fanatical about it as some as apart from the big producers, like planers and jointers though there it's more a question of the machine clogging up without one, and table routers . I find the major dust and shaving producers are scrapers, routers, when doing any edge work, and hand sanding machines. I can't do much about the TS as it is designed as a sliding table, but in practice I find with the blade set to the correct height the majority finds it way into the base.

I bought the DC pre wired for 220V and would recommend that configuration, the big impeller has a lot of inertia to overcome and draws a lot of starting current during the run up phase, so the higher voltage is a big bonus there.

Bernard R

[Rodney Myrvaagnes]

I had a thin-kerf (1/32") blade made just for cutting apart the visible parts of keyboards for harpsichords and organs. It worked beautifully with a sled I made for it. It left the sides smooth with no need for planing.

This was a hollow-ground blade with a thick center and less than an inch depth of cut. I am not sure if this is what you are asking about.

But, I have no table saw now, and I can cut keyboards apart with a bandsaw or by hand with a backsaw.

So, I think of a thin-kerf blade as a special tool for a specific job, not a way to save lumber.

Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Wanting to meet a writer because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pate." Margaret Atwood

[Hoyt Weathers]

Hi Pop,

You present several good points which are well worth considering. I had not thought about the difference in the amount of dust from a t. k. blade. I mostly cut SYP. I am considering the purchase of a dust collector and I am leaning toward a PSI 2 H.P. unit of some type. I am getting my Jockeys in a knot in deciding between a normal cyclone or just using a trash can as a first stage collector before the D.C. itself. Since you have a dust collector, I would appreciate a reply as to what brand and type you are running and why. You may reply here or to my valid address above. Thank you for your comments on the thin kerf blades. Regards, Hoyt W.

[Leon]

If you saw handles the regular kerf use it. The savings of wood from a thinner cut is a sales gimmick. How many times do you use every bit if a board? The thin kerf savings may mean that one of your "too small to use scraps" left over from a board will be perhaps be 1/2" longer when cross cutting, but still too short to be of any use.

[Bernard Randall]

We seem to have gone over this several times in the past month or so.

Do any of you think it would be helpful to try and find a bit more about it? Things I'm thinking about are specific brands, type of cuts that cause problems, any thing else that may consider.

For my part I've had two Freud Diablos, 12" 44 tooth general purpose, mounted in a Wadkin sliding table saw, probably about late '60s vintage. The only reason for the second blade was I cut some aluminum that had a steel screw insert in it and I lost a tooth.

I am in the final stages of completing a largish kitchen project in all maple and have made 20 doors and 15 drawers as well as 2 4' x 2' x 2" end grain butcher block. In all cases jointing has been done on the TS with perfect joints. Panels up to 20" have been Xcut and one piece flipped over and still align perfectly.

I have no additional stabalizers on the blade, I feed the wood as with any other blade. The butcher blocks were ripped from 8/4 hard maple, again no problems.

Hopefully if others contribute some pattern might emerge which can help us all.

Bernard R

[The Good Bohemian]

I have found the 10" Freud Diablo to be an excellent blade. I am currently using it for ripping as well as crosscutting 6/4 and 8/4 european beech (this stuff is very hard). Although I don't use stabilizers, I do have custom machined flanges that may also act as stabilizers (they're maybe 3" in diameter made of stainless steel). My rational for using the thin kerf blades has nothing to do with saving wood and everything to do with getting the most output from my 11/2hp motor. If I had a 3 or 5hp Unisaw, maybe I'd stick to full kerf. My saw is a 1960s Beaver and it seems a treat with these diablos. As an aside, the blade runout is under 2/1000" (my arbor was ground dead flat by a machine shop). Your experiences my differ but so far, happy sawdust over this way.

Andrew.

[Bernard Randall]

I have started a new thread for this : Thin Kerf Survey. Thank you

Bernard R