Which tablesaw blade to cut Plywood and pegboard

[Greg L. Brown]

Hello all,
I have two related questions:

1. Do I need a special table saw blade to cut pegboard? I have a Ridgid TS3650 (10" Contractor table saw) table saw that comes with a decent combination blade.

2. I'll be cutting some plywood in the near future. Is it worth getting a special plywood blade for that? I was also going to make a zero clearance insert plate to go along with my new blade.

Since I most likely need to buy a plywood blade (and make a zero clearance insert), should I use that plywood blade to cut the pegboard?

Or, is there a nice "all around combination" blade I should get that could handle ripping, some crosscuts, plywood and pegboard? I have a nice SCMS so most crosscuts won't be done on the table saw.

Any suggestions on a decent plywood blade? I don't want top of the line because it's too much money. Also I have very limited Woodworkin' time so it won't get used all the much.

If it's not obvious, I'm new to woodworking, so my questions tend to be a bit on the basic side!

Thanks,
Greg

[scott spencer]

...Or, is there a nice "all around combination" blade I should get that could handle ripping, some crosscuts, plywood and pegboard? I have a nice SCMS so most crosscuts won't be done on the table saw.



Hi Greg - The cleanest cutting plywood blades use a grind known as a "Hi-ATB" with steep 30° to 40° bevels on the teeth that slices fibers very cleanly. The more teeth, the cleaner the cut, but you reach a point where you get diminishing returns... plus the more teeth requires more feed pressure and more power to prevent burning. Infinity makes a 60T Hi-ATB blade (http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1197) that has a slightly positive hook angle....that combination makes it excellent for plywood, but also offers a lot of versatility for general purpose ripping and crosscutting of other woods. It's the cleanest cutting blade capable of general purpose work I know of, excels at ply and fine crosscuts, and will rip hardwoods to ~ 5/4" with your saw fairly easily....much beyond that and you're likely to want a lower tooth ripping blade anyway.

My suggestion is to buy two blades...the Infinity 010-060 (http://www.epinions.com/review/Infinity_10_60_Tooth_General_Purpose_Saw_Blade_010 _060_epi/content_422331125380) for ply and general work (~ $70), and the Forrest 9" 30T WWII TK (http://www.amazon.com/Forrest-WW09307100-Woodworker-Tooth-Circular/dp/B000ON4BAS/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1234756533&sr=1-15) that's on sale for $55 shipped. The 9" 30T WWII (http://www.epinions.com/review/Forrest_WW10307100_Woodworker_Ii_10_30_Tooth_5_8_A rbor_3_32_Kerf_Circular_Saw_Blade/content_411771899524) will rip nicely to ~ 2-1/2", leaves glue ready edges, and will even crosscut respectably. Those two blades are a terrific compliment to each other and should cover the vast majority of tasks you'll encounter, and both will cut cleanly enough to leave on the saw for general purpose work without requiring a blade change....outstanding performance in a broad cutting range for the price of one top shelf blade. (The suggestion for the 9" WWII is largely due to the steal of a price, and you'll give up very little relative to the 10" version currently selling for $96.).

The stock blade isn't likely to cut anywhere near as well as either of these blade, but keep it for high risk wood and non critical cuts on framing lumber.

[Chip Lindley]

If you are trying for *finished edges* on plywood, you can't beat a specialty blade! But, if you are on a budget, you can get good results with your 50T combo blade IF it is new and sharp! Otherwise, don't bother.

Raise the blade 1/4" and make a scoring cut on the bottom. Then raise the blade and make a full cut. Surprising what a difference that makes! Melamine particle board can be cut cleanly this way also.

But if you are in a hurry, spend the bucks for a specialized *plywood* blade for decent results in a single pass.