Small gloat - big questions

[Marshall Harrison]

I bought a Craftsman benchtop tablesaw two weeks ago. Yesterday I saw it in their tool catalog and it stated that it cma with two blades. Mine only came wiht one.

So today I dropped by my Sears store and explained the errors of their ways hoping to get my extra blade. After a bunch of calls the salesman couldn't find out what blades were suppossed to be included so he gave a me a combo pack of carbide tipped blades. One is a 28 tooth and the other is a 40 tooth. I already have a 36 that came with the saw.

Now for the questions:

1. What is each blade best used for?
2. FOr wood working with oak and other hardwoods what blade should I have? A 60? A 80? Something else?

Thanks.

[Bruce Page]

Marshall,

Generally speaking, without knowing the tooth grind, the 40 tooth would be better suited for general all around cutting and the 28 tooth for ripping. I have a Forrest WWII with 40 tooth, ATB that is considered a good all around blade. My Freud LU72 24 tooth, FTG is used exclusively for ripping. Good crosscutting blades usually have 80 tooth, SATB.

If all these grind acronyms have you confused, the following might be helpful.

Alternate Top Bevel – ATB
Flat-faced teeth with alternating top bevels sever wood fibers first on one side, then the other. Designed for general across the grain, and undefined grain cut-off and trimming.

Alternate Top Bevel with Raker – ATBR
The addition of a raker tooth to the ATB blade transforms it into a combination blade capable of cross and rip cuts.

Triple Chip Grind – TCG
Two shapes of teeth are alternated to produce three chips within the kerf. One chip cuts a chip down the center while the next cut chips from both sides. This grind is used when the material is to hard or abrasive to use an FTG blade.

Flat Top Grind – FTG
Teeth with flat tops and faces separate wood fibers with a chipping action to lift out waste like tiny paddles. Designed for general ripping, they cut efficiently with the grain.

Steep Alternate Top Bevel – SATB
The steep grind of these blades results in very smooth, splinter free cross-cuts. The lower hook angle requires slightly more feed pressure.

[Gary Max]

Go with the 40 and save it as a spare. Always good to have a extra

[Marshall Harrison]

Thanks Gary and Bruce.

The 40 seems to be an ATB from looking at it but I don't see anything on the package that states that.

I think I'll put it on and use it for most of my croscutting and ripping. If I need to do alot of ripping then I'll switch to the 36 or 24.

In the near future I'll look at getting a 60 or 80. Possibly a Frued Woodworker II (?).