Makita track saw blades

[johnnyb]

Can anyone point me towards decent replacement blades for the Makita track saw. I believe Freud make replacements across the pond. I'd like one with fewer teeth as well. I don't really rate the Makita ones very highly.

 

[Hot stuff]

Freud are good blades, I've got them on all my saws except the track saw but only because it's never needed replacing yet.
They're readily available here, shop around for prices though, they tend to vary quite a bit.
The only difference with them is that they're 1.7mm thick instead of the 1.6mm of the Makita. Just means your splinter strip will be trimmed a bit more.

 

[johnnyb]

Are they the ones that are available from screwfix? I'm just worried about comapatability tbh. But I've used trend blades for the festool and they have been fine. But Freud are better i guess.
I found the trend more durable than Makita.
I just think the teeth are not as pointed.

 

[johnnyb]

Srewfix no's 5505j

 

[johnnyb]

Has anyone actually used these in a Makita track saw? Because I'm seeing that the Makita blade has a 2.2 kerf not a 1.7. 1.6 is the kerf for the cordless blades. Confused!

 

[Hot stuff]

Just checked my track saw and it's 2.2mm right enough, well spotted. The thinner ones would make sense for the cordless tools I suppose.
FFX list a 2.2mm Freud but it's only 160mm, that's with a quick search though so it may be possible to get the proper size elsewhere.

 

[johnnyb]

Cheers hot stuff .

 

[Eric The Viking]

1. The official Makita blades are 165mm diameter, BUT the Festol TS55 blades are only 160mm. Thus there are more third-party alternatives available at 160mm than 165. I use both sizes in my SP6000k, but they have, so far, all been Makita ones (yes, Makita make the smaller size too, so be careful when purchasing - I wasn't!).

2. Thin kerf blades may not work well. They reduce the power needed for battery saws but in every other respect are a bad idea (more flexible saw plate == not-so-clean finish, increased risk of kickback, etc.). They will also, probably, muck up your zero-clearance splinter strip (discussed elsewhere - You'll see why if you draw yourself some diagrams).

There is a good reason for plunge saws having a much thicker saw plate than is common otherwise: it's to get a good finish. It makes the blade more rigid, and remember that the plunge saw blade cuts at both the front and back of its rotation (few people know this, I suspect). Correctly set up, the saw has a tiny amount of toe-in at the front, meaning the back of the blade DOES contact the work and cut into it.

3. These saw systems are intended to do a few things well only, and they are not general-purpose handheld circular saws (no matter what the adverts say). They are for cross-cutting wood fibres, glues, and man-made materials, in unstressed, dimensionally-stable stuff. THEY RIP CUT BADLY and, in the Makita case, not very safely (it has no riving knife, but the Festool does). Putting a blade on with a low tooth count, IMHO is a bad idea and won't give a good finish, no matter what you try to improve matters.

I have caused kickback on a few occasions with mine, by being stupid. I have a 1/2"deep, 3/8" wide gouge in my workbench that proves three things: 1. kickback can easily cause the saw to leave the rail, 2. the plunge system is no substitute for a proper blade guard, 3. I can behave like a total idiot on occasions, usually when I am in a hurry (which is potentially career-limiting).

You could use Festool blades in the Makita - IIRC they have the same kerf and plate widths.

Personally I have had excellent results from sharp Makita blades intended for the saw. The blades are not intended to be disposable: depending on wear and damage they can be resharpened several times, which cuts down the cost of ownership quite a bit, and makes much more sense.

The OP doesn't say much about intended use, nor why he dislikes Makita blades. Are they simply blunted now? Is there a saw doctor they could be sent to? In my experience, having a blade done professionally is transformational. I use Leitz tooling by choice (they have branches across the country), and I've had stuff come back sharper than when it was new.

So, a few disorganised thoughts above, but in my limited experience, the Makita blades are good, and there are many reasons for staying away from cheaper substitutes in this context, even Freud ones (usually brilliant, in my experience).

E.

 

[johnnyb]

That's a great response many thanks. I had a nasty kickback plunging a sink cutout a month ago. This was in solid oak. Not advisable even with non trapped cuts it's a bit much those things are really hard.
I've always felt the Makita blades are a bit sub par I'm convinced the top angle is too sharp and blunts quickly. Trend blades have been ok and last.
It's interesting you disagree on the role of the track saw and feel ripping blades are a bit dicey. I'm certain freud make suitable track saw blades but probably only available stateside.
I'll just buy the Makita i think.
Thanks for the help!

 

[petermillard]

Treat this as FWIW, but I standardised on the Festool 28-tooth ‘universal’ blade in my tracksaws long ago, and haven’t seen any difference in the quality of cut vs the ‘standard’ 48t. Much better general-purpose blade though, and esp. for ripping e.g. sink cut-outs. Anti-kickback stop might be handy to have, though not sure if it would fit the Makita rails due to the ‘anti-tip-lip’ that have.

HTH P

 

[johnnyb]

I'll either get a Makita 28 tooth or just buy a festool and try it.the kick was because the material was under loads of tension. And it was pre oiled.