Miter saw Blade?

[Brian Knop]

My son decided to cut :( PVC with my miter saw, so now my blade is dull. I’m tired of paying 100.00 for one blade. Anyone have good experience with some thing cheaper then that? One can buy a new blade for what it cost to sharpen an 80 TP blade.

[Michael Peet]

There's no substitute for a good blade. Take it out of his allowance :D

[Jeff Willard]

Was the PVC full of sand?

I don't get it. Carbide blade? Should be able to handle PVC, even a lot of it.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Was the PVC full of sand?

I don't get it. Carbide blade? Should be able to handle PVC, even a lot of it.


+1. I cut PVC with my normal woodworking tools all the time, with no ill effects.

Are you sure the blade isn't just covered with a bunch of melted PVC? If so, just soak it in some acetone or MEK until clean.

[Joel Goodman]

I had the experience of having to clean plastic residue off a miter saw blade -- don't ask how it happened -- but it was sort of melted on. It came off in chips without apparent harm to the blade. Is it possible that there is a similar residue on your blade?
I just saw another "melted plastic" poster got there first!

[scott spencer]

Brian - If your original blade was a premium blade like a Forrest, Ridge Carbide, or Infinity, it'd be worth sharpening IMHO.

You didn't mention the blade size, but Holbren carries a fairly inexpensive line from Oshlun (http://www.holbren.com/oshlun-saw-blades/) that offers large C4 carbide teeth...the 10" 80T (http://www.holbren.com/oshlun-10-80t-atb-fine-crosscut-blade-5-8-arbor.html) is ~ $30 shipped if you use the "SMC10" discount code. The Oshlun 40T I tried was surprisingly well made for the price.....not quite to the level of Forrest, Ridge Carbide, or Infinity but was very good, and is far better than most of the low cost construction blades from the homecenters.

[glenn bradley]

PVC or not, if its time for new blade, forge ahead. I have used the 80T Freud Avanti that Lowe's sells with success. My local HD now has the 2-for-1 pack of Avanti 60T blades that others were mentioning a few months back; about $40 if 60T will do ya. Aside from the cheaper blades, an 80T blade sharpening is only about $40 around here in SoCal so if it is a blade you like, I'd do that.

[scott spencer]

PVC or not, if its time for new blade, forge ahead. I have used the 80T Freud Avanti that Lowe's sells with success. My local HD now has the 2-for-1 pack of Avanti 60T blades that others were mentioning a few months back; about $40 if 60T will do ya. Aside from the cheaper blades, an 80T blade sharpening is only about $40 around here in SoCal so if it is a blade you like, I'd do that.

Hey Glenn - Did those "Avanti" blades at HD come in a yellow package that look very much like the Oldham blade shown below? The ones at our local HD look nothing like the Freud Avanti, Freud Industrial, or Freud Diablo blades made in Italy...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515265XNE5L._SS500_.jpg

[glenn bradley]

Hey Glenn - Did those "Avanti" blades at HD come in a yellow package that look very much like the Oldham blade shown below?

No, this was a different animal although my HD has the Oldham's too . . . Called the Freud Avanti "Pro-Series" with the outer rim, including the teeth painted dark blue. Kinda like DeWalt paints theirs yellow but with obviously better milled teeth (even through the paint).

States on the shrink-wrapped cardboard-backed package "Lasts twice as long as standard Avanti". They have also added a "Standard(?)" Avanti 24T rip blade but, it has the cutest little carbide teeth, I don't know how well it would last.

The 60-T were mentioned in this post (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=116634) back in July but I hadn't seen them in my stores till today. As in that post, the "2 for 1" are on a free standing promo display box along with a 12" 2-pack ($44) "Avanti Pro" blade as a second offering.

[Tom Esh]

My son decided to cut :( PVC with my miter saw, so now my blade is dull. I’m tired of paying 100.00 for one blade. Anyone have good experience with some thing cheaper then that? One can buy a new blade for what it cost to sharpen an 80 TP blade.

+1 on giving it a good cleaning.
PVC won't harm it, but if cut too slowly it will soften and build up on the teeth - especially the sides.

[scott spencer]

No, this was a different animal although my HD has the Oldham's too . . . Called the Freud Avanti "Pro-Series" with the outer rim, including the teeth painted dark blue. Kinda like DeWalt paints theirs yellow but with obviously better milled teeth (even through the paint).

States on the shrink-wrapped cardboard-backed package "Lasts twice as long as standard Avanti". They have also added a "Standard(?)" Avanti 24T rip blade but, it has the cutest little carbide teeth, I don't know how well it would last.

The 60-T were mentioned in this post (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=116634) back in July but I hadn't seen them in my stores till today. As in that post, the "2 for 1" are on a free standing promo display box along with a 12" 2-pack ($44) "Avanti Pro" blade as a second offering.

The one's I saw were single packs, only said "Avanti", and looked remarkably mediocre...they almost looked as though they were using the Avanti name on the cheap Oldham contractor line, which AFAIK, hasn't been marketed since B&D bought Pentair. They also said made in China on the back...a "tremor in the force" for sure! My concern was less about the country of manufacture, and more about the departure from the previously very well respected Freud TK/Avanti line. Before I declare that the sky is falling, I'd better do a double check...my work weeks now includes two 12 hour night shifts and I occasionally walk among the living dead afterwards. :rolleyes:

[Robert Reece]

Do you have a slide miter? I recently put this blade on my saw (from amazon):

1 Freud LU91M010 10-Inch 60 ... $54.99
And it is truly amazing how much better it cuts than anything I have used before. Which includes some decent blades, though not top of the line.

Also, I cut PVC on my miter saw regularly and have no problems. You just have to clean the melted stuff off. Soak in simple green for a about 20 minutes, then it should practically peel right off the sides. Anything on the teeth comes off by "flossing" the teeth and gullets with some nylon cord.

If you have a $100 blade on your miter, it's probably worth sharpening.