I have recently purchased a table saw and wondered if anyone could give me any recommendations regarding a good general purpose blade for luthiery work.
The blade that is on the saw is OK for cutting panels, making jigs etc, but I suspect it is probably not fine enough for much of the required work. The table saw is one of the Taiwanese models, that come under many different brand names ( in NZ they may be Macma, Cammac, Amac etc ). It has a 16mm arbor ( 5/8 " ) and 254 mm blade ( 10 " ). I will likely buy one of the speicialty StuMac blades for cutting fret slots - when I get that far - but need something for general purpose work such as cutting fingerboards, braces etc.
Info required - how many teeth, thin kerf or wider kerf, tipped or non-tipped etc.
( Apologies if this question is a bit on the vague side )
Thanks
Dave.
Table saw blade advice
You need to asses what sort of work you want to do with each blade you are considering. For most things related to luthier, you don't require a 10" blade. Go with an 8" or even 7 1/4" one. They have the benefit of usually being less expensive than the larger diameter. Take less horsepower to run efficiently, and will have a thinner kerf.
You can look for suitable blades in these sizes for machines like drop saws or even contractors circular saws, besides for table saws.
My most used blade is an 8" blade made by Freud for a drop miter saw, that I've had for years. It's 60 tooth carbide tip, designed for very fine cross cut work. It also works very well for ripping thin stock, though I wouldn't go ripping anything deeper than 1/2" with this blade.
I've also got a 10" Woodworkers II blade by Forest in the US. It's 40 tooth carbide tip, and cross cuts and rips like a dream. Edges ready for glueing. It however has a much larger kerf, so you don't use it to slice up binding stock.
If your saw can handle a dado set, then consider these as well. They're just so handy for so many tasks, that I couldn't imagine a table saw without them.
It's not hard to change blades on a table saw, so you should get into the habit of using the appropriate blade for the task at hand. Don't think of them as install one and forget for years, until it's so dull it won't cut through 1/8" spruce.
If you don't have a good saw shop locally, give Henry Brothers in Sydney a call. They're the go to guys with anything to do with saw blades. Very efficient mail order service, and they have great advice and products.
You can look for suitable blades in these sizes for machines like drop saws or even contractors circular saws, besides for table saws.
My most used blade is an 8" blade made by Freud for a drop miter saw, that I've had for years. It's 60 tooth carbide tip, designed for very fine cross cut work. It also works very well for ripping thin stock, though I wouldn't go ripping anything deeper than 1/2" with this blade.
I've also got a 10" Woodworkers II blade by Forest in the US. It's 40 tooth carbide tip, and cross cuts and rips like a dream. Edges ready for glueing. It however has a much larger kerf, so you don't use it to slice up binding stock.
If your saw can handle a dado set, then consider these as well. They're just so handy for so many tasks, that I couldn't imagine a table saw without them.
It's not hard to change blades on a table saw, so you should get into the habit of using the appropriate blade for the task at hand. Don't think of them as install one and forget for years, until it's so dull it won't cut through 1/8" spruce.
If you don't have a good saw shop locally, give Henry Brothers in Sydney a call. They're the go to guys with anything to do with saw blades. Very efficient mail order service, and they have great advice and products.
Thanks very much Allen - just the sort of info I was after.
I expect I will need a number of blades as different jobs come up, but a reasonably fine 8 " blade sounds like a good place to start. I have a number of outlets close to me so will do some homework and see what they have available.
This forum is a GREAT resource for a newby luthier like myself - I really appreciate how everyone gives freely of their time and knowledge.
Thanks again
Dave
I expect I will need a number of blades as different jobs come up, but a reasonably fine 8 " blade sounds like a good place to start. I have a number of outlets close to me so will do some homework and see what they have available.
This forum is a GREAT resource for a newby luthier like myself - I really appreciate how everyone gives freely of their time and knowledge.
Thanks again
Dave
What Allen said about the blade size and brand.
I just added a table saw to my shop too and all the folks on the OLF told me to get this blade for the value that it represents, very thin kerf, and they are very easy to find around town too.
In addition folks advised me to make a zero-clearance insert which I promptly did too.
Now if someone would just come on over and teach me a few things about safety and table saw use because I am terrified of the thing......
I just added a table saw to my shop too and all the folks on the OLF told me to get this blade for the value that it represents, very thin kerf, and they are very easy to find around town too.
In addition folks advised me to make a zero-clearance insert which I promptly did too.
Now if someone would just come on over and teach me a few things about safety and table saw use because I am terrified of the thing......
Those blades are rather difficult to find in this part of the world. Far more common in the US / Canada. I called Henry Brothers to enquire about them, and was told that they could supply them but there are far better blades available for less money in this part of the world. Freud has a great reputation, but over here the price is very steep for any of their products. I'm not sure which brand it was specifically, but we did get talking about some of the Makita blades that they felt were very good indeed for what I was enquiring about.
Zero clearance inserts are the number one safety device for a table saw. I make one for each size of blade that I have, as well as for the bevel cuts that I commonly do. Plus have a spare on the shelf incase something odd comes up, and I'm tempted to do a cut that needs a different insert. I make a batch of them out of 12 mm MDF. Cost almost nothing instead of buying the posh OEM ones. In Jet's case I was quoted $65 each.
This also goes for push sticks. You should make some for narrow sizes like you may need if you're slicing up brace stock.
Feather boards will go a long way in the user safety department. These are easy to make as well.
And I alway try to stand just a little bit to the side of anything that may potentially come flying back at me from the blade.
Zero clearance inserts are the number one safety device for a table saw. I make one for each size of blade that I have, as well as for the bevel cuts that I commonly do. Plus have a spare on the shelf incase something odd comes up, and I'm tempted to do a cut that needs a different insert. I make a batch of them out of 12 mm MDF. Cost almost nothing instead of buying the posh OEM ones. In Jet's case I was quoted $65 each.
This also goes for push sticks. You should make some for narrow sizes like you may need if you're slicing up brace stock.
Feather boards will go a long way in the user safety department. These are easy to make as well.
And I alway try to stand just a little bit to the side of anything that may potentially come flying back at me from the blade.
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