Who has the thinnest kerf??

[Jim Mackell]

For a project I'm working on, I need to make a large number of pieces with a kerf no larger than .030 (the thickness of a quarter). The smallest kerf I've been able to turn up in my google searches is .060. Has anyone seen or used one smaller than that? The blade is for a 10 inch table saw but since the kerf depth is only half an inch, any size circular blade should do the trick. Thanks for any input you have.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

No clue what you're doing.. But here.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Saws_and_slots/Fret_Slotting_Table_Saw_Blade.html

Pretty sure that is the thinnest kerf I'd come across.

[glenn bradley]

A kerf hinge blade may be you answer. Although I am not clear on just what you are doing, it sounds like you need to do it alot. Rockler's item 29590 is .032" BUT, is designed to be used on a drill press. This looks like a pricey solution even if it will work. By the time you get the arbor and the blade, you could by a fret blade ;-(

[Mort Stevens]

The thinest circular saw blades I have are for battery powered saws (6-1/2" diameter) and their about 1/16" at the tip, you could very likely have it ground down to the size you need. Another possibility is to use a band saw, getting a 0.030" kerf on a bandsaw blade shouldn't be an issue.

[Tom Adger]

I suggest that you first take a dial caliper and measure the thickness of the splitter on your saw. I have a Ridgid 3660, and I had to go to a .125 thickness WWII blade to have a comfortable clearance for the splitter.

[Cary Falk]

No clue what you're doing.. But here.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Saws_and_slots/Fret_Slotting_Table_Saw_Blade.html

Pretty sure that is the thinnest kerf I'd come across.

I was thinking this too, but it is only ground down 1/4". The OP said he wants a cut 1/2" deep.

[Jim Mackell]

Scott, that fret saw blade is almost perfect. I'll have to double check the minimum depth required and see if I can make it do. Tom, the TS I'm using is not equipped with a splitter. Glenn, while the kerf produced by Rockler's item is smaller, I can't maneuver my work pieces with a drill press. The work pieces are 30 inches long and the kerf is for insertion of a piece of flat spring steel that is the bottom of a padded seat. Reproduction work on century old trolley cars. Thanks for all the possible leads.

[Jamie Buxton]

This isn't going to be much help, but some time in the past few years, somebody else asked the same question on SMC. We all putzed around with the usual woodworking-supply answers, until somebody came up with a blade that looked very much like that Stew-Mac one, but IIRC the thin part was a little deeper. I remember it came from a saw company that sells to industry, not us small-shop folks. I've used SMC's Search function to try to find that thread, but have not been able to conjure it up.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

you can order what is called slitting saws in pretty much any thickness.
If course running them on a table saw would be a dicey proposition. The shaft prolly has enough run out that the saw blade would be flopping around like a sail in a hurricane.

[george wilson]

I made my own fret blade that cuts 1/2" deep. Mine is bevel ground on both sides.The Stew-Mac is only ground on 1. Years ago Woodcraft,or someone,sold a 6" veneer blade that was thin like a fret blade,cut 1/2" deep,about .020 kerf.

[Jamie Buxton]

Cliff gets a gold star. "Slitting" found this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=79066

[Harry Niemann]

Be aware that thin kerf blades can bend and can cause irregular cuts.

[george wilson]

You can buy thin metal slitting saws 6" in diameter,and down to 1/32" thick from MSC Co.. These will have larger arbor holes,like 1",7/8",or maybe 3/4". They are HSS,and are ground hollow usually all the way down to the arbor hole.

I think it would be dangerous to cut material of much thickness with any thin saw. Maybe 1/4" would be pushing it. You'd have to use LARGE saw stabilizers,and make a special arbor bushing.

I'd be afraid a blade of this type could get too hot,flutter,and fly apart if used on wood of more than 1/4". As metal saws,they are run with coolant at MUCH lower RPM's. I used to use them on steel 1 1/2" thick.But the setup was entirely different,and the part was clamped. I had more than 1 of them seize up and shatter if the steel closed up on them. That would be very dangerous at high speeds.

The Stew Mac blades are probably ground to 1/4" max cut depth to prevent their improper use. I've only ever used mine to cut 1/8" deep fret slots.