Hello All - Newbie here! I need some guidance on table saw blades please?

[WannabeeCarpenter]

I was hopeless at woodwork at school but have always loved wood in its various forms. I've bitten the bullet and bought a table saw with plans to make wall-mounted box shelf units, panel the walls of my garage and once I'm a little more confident, build a room in said garage for my wife to use for her business.

The saw I've purchased (it's arriving this week) has a 315mm blade with 24 teeth which to this ignoramus doesn't seem like many. The saw will be used primarily for cutting reclaimed pallet wood and I'd prefer a finer finish which leads me to my questions:

• Would I be right is assuming that the greater the number of teeth, the neater the cut?
• Is there a 'universal' blade that would give a neat finish to pallet wood but also be suitable for cutting plywood panels for the walls?
• Is there a huge difference in quality between manufacturers?

I don't really want to spend silly money but would rather buy something decent than just make do, so any & all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.....

 

[TheTiddles]

In a nutshell... no I’m afraid.

There’s a sticky post somewhere about selecting blades, if you want consistent good results, pallet wood will not give you this.

Unless you use a tablesaw for just one thing, you probably need several blades and the one it comes with gets kept for firewood

Aidan

 

[WannabeeCarpenter]

In a nutshell... no I’m afraid.

There’s a sticky post somewhere about selecting blades, if you want consistent good results, pallet wood will not give you this.

Unless you use a tablesaw for just one thing, you probably need several blades and the one it comes with gets kept for firewood

Aidan

Thanks Aidan. I did a quick search but evidently missed the sticky!

 

[Ollie78]

Generally speaking, More teeth is for crosscutting or materials like mdf or plywood, a rip cutting blade has less teeth.
Your blade will probably be a universal blade for a bit of everything.

A fine tooth crosscut blade will hate ripping and burn while straining the motor.

Just try the blade thats in it first but if you are doing a lot of ripping its worth getting a specific blade.

Ollie

 

[TheTiddles]

Well, I can’t find it either!

Remember to match the riving knife to the blade in case they are different widths

Aidan

 

[Trevanion]

What's the best way to make everyone in the room cringe?

Mention Pallet Wood

• Would I be right is assuming that the greater the number of teeth, the neater the cut?

Yes and No. Blades are rather specific to the task they're going to undertake, More teeth does equal a finer cut but with it can come cut inefficiency especially when ripping which in turn causes burning, heightened risk of kickback and lower blade life, fewer teeth does equal a rougher cut but on higher-quality blades the cut can be very satisfactory with very few teeth. It's a fine balance between getting the desired level of quality from the cut and doing it efficiently Tooth design and geometry also plays a big part in the quality of the cut. Generally, with a table saw using raw timber you'll be using an alternating top bevel (ATB) ground blade with a positive hook/rake angle, usually a higher rake (About 15-20 degrees) for ripping cuts and a rake closer to negative (5 to 10 degrees) for cross-cutting and dealing with sheets.

• Is there a 'universal' blade that would give a neat finish to pallet wood but also be suitable for cutting plywood panels for the walls?

A good quality ATB blade will cut both reasonably well but a higher tooth-count blade with a lower rake would be preferential for plywood for splinter-free cutting. There's no real "do-it-all" blade, if there was it would be the worst of all worlds. It's best practice to have two or three blades that are designed specifically for their task and swap them out when needed.

• Is there a huge difference in quality between manufacturers?

Yes, cheap blades are just plain bad, they're usually badly tensioned, unbalanced, noisier, have much less carbide which means they can't be sharpened too many times, and of course, not that sharp anyway. I buy CMT blades as they're top quality at an affordable price but other brands like Freud, Swedex, OMAS, Felder SilentPower, Atkinson Walker and Leitz are also good. For what makes a good blade, I've got this photo of three blades, the top blade is a blade that came with a Metabo saw with very small carbides and not the best tooth geometry, the middle one is a Freud which is good quality and the bottom one is a CMT which I consider to be the best quality.

Please, for the love of God, ignore any American advice you see pertaining to tablesaw blades and general usage, it's all mostly unfounded nonsense gizmo selling (IE, Glue-Line-Rip blades which are just expensive TCG blades).

Well, I can’t find it either!

And you won't

 

[Cabinetman]

What Trevanian said, and you won’t go far wrong, my blades are about a similar size to yours, they have 48 teeth (Gomex) they give a very decent cut across the grain, and rip cut through 4 inch oak, only under extreme circumstances do I ever have a hint of burning, occasionally when the timber closes on the blade. A lot of this can be over thought you shouldn’t have a problem as long as you stick to good quality as above. Ian

 

[WannabeeCarpenter]

What's the best way to make everyone in the room cringe?

Mention Pallet Wood

Hahahahaha!!! Whoops, I didn't realise that pallet wood was the scourge of carpenters! It's being used for cladding a room in my garage.........and it's my wife's choice so I remain pure & blameless!

Can't thank you enough for taking the time to reply so comprehensively - it's beyond useful

James

 

[WannabeeCarpenter]

Generally speaking, More teeth is for crosscutting or materials like mdf or plywood, a rip cutting blade has less teeth.
Your blade will probably be a universal blade for a bit of everything.

A fine tooth crosscut blade will hate ripping and burn while straining the motor.

Just try the blade thats in it first but if you are doing a lot of ripping its worth getting a specific blade.

Ollie

Thank you, Sir!

 

[craigs]

j

What's the best way to make everyone in the room cringe?

Mention Pallet Wood

Yes and No. Blades are rather specific to the task they're going to undertake, More teeth does equal a finer cut but with it can come cut inefficiency especially when ripping which in turn causes burning, heightened risk of kickback and lower blade life, fewer teeth does equal a rougher cut but on higher-quality blades the cut can be very satisfactory with very few teeth. It's a fine balance between getting the desired level of quality from the cut and doing it efficiently Tooth design and geometry also plays a big part in the quality of the cut. Generally, with a table saw using raw timber you'll be using an alternating top bevel (ATB) ground blade with a positive hook/rake angle, usually a higher rake (About 15-20 degrees) for ripping cuts and a rake closer to negative (5 to 10 degrees) for cross-cutting and dealing with sheets.



A good quality ATB blade will cut both reasonably well but a higher tooth-count blade with a lower rake would be preferential for plywood for splinter-free cutting. There's no real "do-it-all" blade, if there was it would be the worst of all worlds. It's best practice to have two or three blades that are designed specifically for their task and swap them out when needed.



Yes, cheap blades are just plain bad, they're usually badly tensioned, unbalanced, noisier, have much less carbide which means they can't be sharpened too many times, and of course, not that sharp anyway. I buy CMT blades as they're top quality at an affordable price but other brands like Freud, Swedex, OMAS, Felder SilentPower, Atkinson Walker and Leitz are also good. For what makes a good blade, I've got this photo of three blades, the top blade is a blade that came with a Metabo saw with very small carbides and not the best tooth geometry, the middle one is a Freud which is good quality and the bottom one is a CMT which I consider to be the best quality.

Please, for the love of God, ignore any American advice you see pertaining to tablesaw blades and general usage, it's all mostly unfounded nonsense gizmo selling (IE, Glue-Line-Rip blades which are just expensive TCG blades).



And you won't

Just out of interest, where do you get your cmt blades from?

 

[Trevanion]

Just out of interest, where do you get your cmt blades from?

Scott and Sargeant, but I think Appleby Turnings also sell them.

 

[Boozer]

I've swapped my table saw blade to Freud and it made huge difference in comparison with stock resulting in less effort to push the wood through and quality of the cut.

Can anyone recommend any Flat top blades that do not cost hundreds of pounds? They not easy to find, even the more expensive ones or am I looking in the wrong places.

 

[Trevanion]

Can anyone recommend any Flat top blades that do not cost hundreds of pounds? They not easy to find, even the more expensive ones or am I looking in the wrong places.

Doug at Cutting Solutions will sort you out, alternatively you could buy a standard blade and have it ground flat by a saw doctor.