Black & Decker Pirhana saw blades -- old vs. new style?

B&D replaced my old Pirhana circular saw blade after one of its carbide teeth flew off, but the new blade looks very different. The original one was Teflon coated, and each carbide tooth was curved concave on the front, but the new blade is plain or chromed steel, the teeth have flat faces, and there are more teeth.

Why did B&D changed from curved to flat carbide teeth? The curved ones seemed to give smoother cross cuts than other carbide blades having the same number of teeth.

Should I get one of the Mr. Sawdust or Oldham blades? I want smooth cross cuts but reasonable cutting speed.

Reply to
larrymoencurly
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I can't speak to the B&D, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the Oldham Combo (10"- 40T) blade I picked up at HD for less than $20. I find myself using it more than many of the 6 or 8 specialty blades I have accumulated.

And, I have successfully sharpened it myself with those cheap diamond sharpeners & about an hour of my time.

Lou

Reply to
loutent

What type of saw? What are you cutting? There are many good blades out there and B & D is not one of the best. I like Freud, Ridge Carbide, Forrest.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com (larrymoencurly) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

The curved carbides were more prone to chipping,I suspect. Also may have been harder to resharpen.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

There are many more people that know about saw blades over on rec.crafts.woodworking. Might try there if you haven't already done so.

Wayne

Reply to
NoOne N Particular

Boys, When you say circular saw, do you mean a 7 1/2" Skilsaw type?

What is you application? Carpentry, framing, finish, funiture. This info will help determine the best blade for your application.

Dave

Reply to
TeamCasa

This is an old Sears Craftsman table saw, apparently the cheapest one they sold with a 10" blade, and I'm using it for cabinetry that will be painted. I just want cuts that are smooth enough so I don't need to use so much filler for the splinters. :(

Reply to
larrymoencurly

If you get a good blade like a Freud Diablo, Forrest WW II, or Ridge Carbide, you won't have splinters and you won't need filler. Intended as a cross cut blade, I've used a Diablo 80 tooth blade for almost everything and it give a smooth cut. While not intended for ripping, it will rib soft wood and even 1" hardwood, but not as fast at a good combo blade. Home Depot has them for about $45.

Cheap blades will require much more finishing time. No savings there.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I agree in part with Ed's recommendations with the following caveat.

If you use it for cross (grain) cutting an 60 - 80 tooth blade will be fine. If however, you rip (with the grain) occasionally, then maybe a 40-60 tooth combination blade is a better choice. Lastly, if you mostly (and more commonly) rip, then a 40 tooth ripping blade is the answer.

Avoid all cheap blades. They will cause you more work and time than they are worth. Do not get sucked into the thin-kerf blades either. They IMHO are dangerous as they are more prone to kickback and they can overheat easily, warp and can make for unpredictable cuts.

Dave

Reply to
TeamCasa

if the saw is chronically underpowered you'll get piss poor performance ripping with a crosscut blade.

Reply to
bridger

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