Thick or thin

[Bob Levy]

I need to get a new table saw blade. I've always used the Forrest WW2 thin kerf on a DeWalt 746 Hybrid saw (1 3/4 hp). I'm wondering I should get another thin kerf or buy the regular 1/8th WW2 blade?

Thanks,
Bob

[Peter Quinn]

I have not used that saw, so my thinking may not be appropriate to your needs. On small portable jobsite saws I use thin kerf exclusively. On more powerful intermediate saws like yours I would be inclined to use a full kerf blade 'when ever possible' which would be judged by the user given the material being processed. For stock 1 1/4" or less of average hardness (ripping or cross cut) I would guess the stiffness of a full kerf would give give a performance advantage without over capacitating the motor. On thicker material or for faster feed rates I think a thin kerf would reduce stress on the motor and improve performance. For stock in the 8/4 to 10/4 range I think a thin kerf would be all but required for any success.

In fact I would be inclined to get a full kerf combo blade for processing material in the 3/4" to 5/4 range and add a thin kerf ripping blade for any hard wood beyond that thickness. No combo blade regardless of kerf will perform like a dedicated rip blade in thick hard wood.

[glenn bradley]

I wouldn't consider a full kerf blade under 3HP. Your saw could push it but why make him work hard? That being said, I do run a FTG full kerf for miter key slots and I run a dado stack. Both make my 1-3/4HP saw sit up and notice but these are special and occasional cuts. I have 6 TK blades in the rack, 1 each of rip, crosscut and general and a second of each to use when their mate is being sharpened.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Bob, I really do like the extra stiffness of the full kerf, personally. FWW did a comparison of amp draw using thin kerf vs full kerf. Thin kerf did reduce power demand, but really not by enough that most motors would care. Yours is on the lower end of the hp ratings scale though, so if you have issues with tripped breakers, or overloads ever, stick with the thin kerf. I had a 1 1/2 hp Delta contractor saw for a while, and I tried thin kerf with it, but the increase in cut quality given by the full kerf outweighed any power gains, IMHO.

One thing that FWW did not look at, was the difference that a dull blade makes on amperage draw. That easily creates far more draw then that extra 1/16" of kerf.

You have a good blade already, isn't it fixable? Why a new one?

[Bob Levy]

Great feedback guys. I am really appreciative. I think I might try to see if Forrest could straighten the blade. Some how I bent the blade so it doesn't run true. It's not that bad so I'll send it back to them and see if that's something that they can fix.

Many Thanks!
Bob

[Tom Veatch]

I have a 10" 3HP cabinet saw and can't really give you any comparative feedback between "regular" and "thin" kerf saw blades since I've never used anything on this saw but thin kerf blades with no addon stabilizers. I've never seen anything in any of the cuts that leads me to think thicker blades would give better results. I mean, how do you improve cuts that are already glue line quality?

Get whatever thickness blade you're most comfortable with, make sure your saw is as close to perfectly aligned as you can get it, and go make sawdust.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a 2HP table saw and use full kerf - and have never had any problems with the saw bogging down.

Mike

[John Jendro]

Another thing to consider, at least for me anyway.
I use a Biesemeyer splitter and it's wider than a thin kerf blade and makes it hard to push the wood through, so I use full kerf all the time.

[scott spencer]

Anytime I've compared either identical thin kerf to full kerf or comparable thin kerf to full kerf using a saw of 2hp or less, the TK was noticeably easier to feed with less motor strain especially in thick materials, and had comparable cut quality. If you're splitter is compatible with TK blades, I'd go for a good thin kerf.

A recent FWW article concluded that there are significant benefits from using thin kerf blades with smaller saws:

"On any tablesaw, ripping with a thin-kerf blade
is quicker than ripping with a standard-kerf
one. It’s also quieter, because the motor isn’t
working as hard. But the biggest benefit of
thin-kerf blades is that they increase a small
or midsize saw’s height capacity. Resawing
3-in.-thick stock with a standard-kerf blade will
just about kill the motor of many saws, but a
thin-kerf blade makes the job manageable.

Improve your small saw. With a thin-kerf blade, this (Ryobi) portable tablesaw, bought at a local home center for $250, was able to cut 2-in.-thick maple at a reasonable feed rate without bogging down or burning, something it couldn’t do with a standard blade installed.

On the whole, the thin-kerf blades required less power than standard-
kerf blades to make the same cut. All of them ripped through
10/4 hard maple with relative ease. So if you use one, you can
expect that thick hardwoods won’t slow your motor as much But I was surprised to learn that on both ripcuts and crosscuts,
these thin-kerf blades cut a very good edge. I chalk that up to
improvements in blade technology since carbide became the material
of choice for teeth. Today’s thin-kerf blades are balanced
better, their rake angels and top bevels have been optimized, and
laser cuts in the blade body reduce vibration.

Here’s something else I learned. The smaller the saw, the more
important it is to use a thin-kerf blade. On the smallest tablesaw,
it was difficult to cut 8/4 hard maple with a standard-kerf
blade. The motor bogged down terribly and screamed loudly,
and the saw vibrated wildly. But with a thin-kerf blade,
the saw cut the same wood more quickly and with far less
protest. So if you have an underpowered saw, buy thin-kerf blades.
But even if you have a big cabinet saw, there’s no reason not
to use one. You’ll get clean cuts, put less stress on your motor,
save some lumber, and have an easier time feeding stock. I have
a 3-hp cabinet saw that can easily power a standard-kerf blade
through any plank, but I’m switching to thin-kerf blades from here
on out."

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[Von Bickley]

Everybody has their own opinion on sawblades. I like a full kerf blade on a TS.