Am I the only one who...

[scrimper]

Am I the only one here who really hates it when the blade breaks! I have been doing some fine work today using some FD Ultra reverse blades and the damn things keep breaking. every time it happens I almost jump out of my seat! The blades do cut well but I reckon they are too brittle or something as I seem to get so many that just snap.

I find the Niqua blades are much less likely to break but I can't seem to get the finer grades in the reverse teeth variety, Niqua only seem to go down to grade 3 in the reverse blades but I really need grade 1 for very fine cutting.

If you are lucky I might post a picture of what I have been making lol

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi John. About a week ago I was having a big tidy up in the workshop and I found some number 5 FD-UR blades, about 25 of them. I decided I would use them up. Today I was cutting out a name sign, Amelia. I snapped 3 blades and that was just on the first A. They never seem to snap at the top, they snap either immediately above the bottom clamp or where the teeth start at the bottom of the blade, it is so annoying when you spend more time changing blades than cutting. Twice I re-used the blade by adjusting the tension so the blade would go back in the clamp. It's true what I said, FD blades never wear out, they snap long before that stage.

 

[scrimper]

Indeed mine broke at the bottom clamp too and I do what you do that is reinsert and use the shorter blade, however sometimes they get all bent up when they snap, the worse thing is that sometimes when doing very fine cutting a snapped blade can damage the work which is really annoying.

How are you getting on with the Olson blades?

 

[Walney Col]

I've used FD two way cut blades exclusively for months now. The get dull eventually, but rarely slip out of the clamp, and I've yet to have one break.

Col.

 

[bodgerbaz]

You may be lucky enough to be using old stock Col as most of the recent ones seem to snap really easily as described by others above.

Last summer when I needed to replace my blades I tried FD as lots of people raved about them. The ones I got kept snapping just above the clamp so I naturally thought it was me until others also said they were having similar problems. It transpired that there were several people who all suddenly had problems with snapping blades. It was put down to a 'bad batch' but who wants to risk buying a load more only to find the same problem.

 

[Chippygeoff]

John. I am getting on very well with the Olsen blades, very happy with them, this may sound strange but they cut very similar to the FD blades. With other makes of blade I have had to increase the angle I push the wood at, sometimes quite considerabley, a typical example was the Pegas double toothed blade, as often happens it could have been a bad batch. I have nearly run out of the Olsen blades but expecting an order fromm America any day now. I basically only use 5s and 7s and now and again a 3 for the finer details.

 

[martinka]

To answer your original question, John, I am on edge all the time I am using the saw, and when a blade breaks I jump a mile, even though I have been waiting for it.

 

[bodgerbaz]

Whoah Martin, that's a horrible feeling and one you could well do without. I've experienced a smaller version of that with the FD blades but mine was a slight jump and "Oh bother . . . not another breakage" . . . . or words to that effect :shock:

Seriously Martin, you need to change blades ASAP matey otherwise you'll develop a twitch and after all, this is supposed to be a hobby . . . . your's is more like a persecution.

Barry