table saw blade advice?PROBLEM SOLVED

[Lee Barner]

I need a new ripping blade to rip oak. the blade I have now is a 24 tooth and it seems to not rip as well as it used to. it's been in two different saws now. I need a thin kerf blade for this project i'm starting and Lowe's has both 80 tooth and 24 tooth thin kerf blades. which would you recommend strictly for ripping oak? thanks in advance. lee

 

[Bkreutz]

An 80 tooth blade will do nothing but smoke when trying to rip oak (or anything for that matter). The tooth count is secondary to the tooth grind. My advise: Go to a woodworking store (or online) and get a Forrest Woodworker II rip blade, it will have a ATB tooth grind that will work well. Make sure your rip fence is parallel to the blade on your table saw (I'm assuming you're using a table saw). Oak had a lot of resin in it and if you are ripping a lot of material, you may have to clean the blade during the process. Have fun.

 

[427mach1]

If you want a good blade, stay away from the blades sold at most home improvement stores. I would recommend either the Forrest blade mentioned above or the Freud glue-line rip blade, available at most woodworking stores. I've got the Freud, standard kerf version. Why do you think you need a thin kerf blade? The standard kerf will give you a smoother cut due to less vibrations.

 

[Drm50]

I have the 24 tooth thin kerf from Lowes and it does ok on oak
trim. Cutting in 3/4" range and thinner. Trim is usually pretty
well kilned out and doesn't stack those little pimples of resin on
blade. I bought some incomplete oak stair spindle sets that are
square 13/4" X 42". I have used them for everything except
spindles. The 24 T Blade doesn't like them on my light duty
saw, I think because of power of the motor. If you get a blade
hot and loose the set you are out of business.

 

[Lee Barner]

I was thinking a thin kerf would create less waste. I am cutting 3/4" pieces into 1/2 X 1/2 for miniature "logs" for a cabin. I've always built them with pine and one years ago with walnut but I was given these old oak pieces so I decided I "needed" to make an oak cabin. thanks to all. lee

 

[jtcarm]

As someone said, a home center blade isn’t going to cut it (no pun intended), and less teeth is better.

A consumer-grade saw running off a 110 circuit is going to need all the help it can get. If possible, run it on a dedicated circuit with nothing else on it. If you have to run an extension cord, make it as short and heavy (gauge) as possible.

If you don’t mind spending the money, they don’t get any better than this:

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Forrest-WWII-Blade-Raker-125/dp/B003378P1I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525028421&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=forrest+rip+blade&dpPl=1&dpID=51r4K-l3aQL&ref=plSrch[/ame]

Go with a dedicated rip and not a combo blade.

However, no blade is going to prevent burning if your rip fence is not aligned to your blade. This is not only essential for clean cuts, but also to help prevent kickbacks. Google alignment, techniques and read the manual on your saw to find out how to do it, it will vary by saw. The importance of blade/fence alignment cannot be over-emphasized.

Also make sure you’re using a splitter or riving knife and it’s aligned to the blade. All newer saws should have a riving knife, which is generally better than a splitter.

Technique is critical. You must have control of the stock as you feed it. If your saw has an iron or steel table, Home Depot sells some cool magnetic feather boards that keep the stock pressed to the fence (however, DO NOT place a feather board farther back than the front of the blade.). If your table is short or your dealing with long stock, use some type of indeed/outfeed support.

Burning could also be a sign that your feeding too slowly.

Most of all, BE SAFE. Table saws love fingers[emoji50]

 

[Lee Barner]

went back out to the shop and there hung the original Bosch blade. installed it and it does a whole lot better than my old blade. it's a 42 tooth that came with the saw last year and I don't know why I put my old one in. I think age has something to do with it. thanks to all. lee

 

[erics]

Saw blades get dull with use. A good blade can be sharpened numerous times. I've run miles of stock through my table saw (Rigid 10") using a wide assortment of blades suited to the job in hand. Proper setup of the saw is paramount. Best investment is a good pushstick.

 

[Step N. Mud]

I have given away push sticks to folks with purple hearts painted on them.
My son has a fancy push gadget thing from Ridgid that he always uses.
I forget how many times I tell my son about a heart surgeon that I was building a deck for and the nice doctor was using his personal table saw of 25 years and proceeded to chop off 4 fingers on his strong hand. Doctor knew better but it happens.

 

[chief38]

As a few of the Gent's above have stated..... STAY AWAY form the Big Box Store blades. Forest manufacturing (NJ) not only sells excellent quality blades, but when it comes to resharpening them, they do a great job as well. Certainly not cheap - but as the saying goes, "ya gets whats ya pay fer"! The Big Box Store blades are fine for cutting 2X4's and small projects, but if you want a good blade that will last years and cut really well, get a good one.

 

[meaneyedcatz]

As others have stated stay away from box store blades.
I use Freud blades and like the results.

Good blades produce good results. Cheap blades produce cheap results which you have to fix.