Did I make a $130 mistake?

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I bought a regular kerf 80 tooth Freud blade for my 12" miter saw. The stock blade was a thin kerf 60 tooth blade and is much lighter than the new blade. The new blade cuts much better, but will the extra weight burn out the motor?

[Myk Rian]

How often do you use it?

[Dennis McDonaugh]

A lot.....sometimes a whole lot. I thought the reg kerf would deflect less than a thin kerf but didn't realize how much heavier it'd be.

[Charles Coolidge]

Its not something I would worry about. I almost purchased that Freud and talked myself into the Forrest instead with the negative hook.

[John McClanahan]

I would think any name brand saw would be able to handle a regular kerf blade without motor damage.

John

[Mike Henderson]

I would think any name brand saw would be able to handle a regular kerf blade without motor damage.

John
I agree with that. It'd be a sorry saw if it failed because you used a regular kerf blade in it.

Mike

[Cary Falk]

I find that a 10" TK blade deflects too much for critical compound miters so I wouldn't want anything but a full kerf blade for a 12" saw. It's a sad day if a 12" miter saw can't handle one.

[Frederick Skelly]

Id be surprised to see that damage your saw Dennis. But you could call the manufacturer and ask, if its worrying you.
Fred

[Dennis McDonaugh]

The reason I thought about it was because a few years back I had a small weed wacker and didn't have the correct size string and used a larger size. It burned the motor up pretty fast. It's a Delta saw and it doesn't seem like it's laboring and it cuts a whole lot better with the thicker blade with more teeth.

[Art Mann]

The only reason I know of to use a thin kerf blade is to improve the performance of a low powered saw. If your saw cuts fast enough to satisfy you, then that is all that matters. I used a Craftsman 10 inch, 1-1/2 horsepower contractor saw for 30 years and it never had anything but normal kerf blades on it. Thin kerf blades are a fairly recent innovation.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have a 12" Dewalt,nothing wrong with it till my father-inlaw gave me a brand new 12" Vermont blade.I install the blade,pull the trigger and it took alittle to get up to rpm.Saw act like it was a strain so I took it off that was bout 10yrs ago----Carroll

[Erik Christensen]

the weight of the blade is only an issue when starting the saw - I find it hard to believe any reputable saw lacks the starting torque to bring a regular blade up to speed - after you get it running a heavier blade will have more angular momentum and be less likely to stall if hits a knot

[Brian Kincaid]

If your saw is having trouble with the full kerf blade check your power (outlets). I am running mine on a dedicated circuit and it jumps up to speed with a full kerf blade. Before it would struggle just a little.

-Brian

[Kent A Bathurst]

I agree with that. It'd be a sorry saw if it failed because you used a regular kerf blade in it.

Mike

Dead nuts once again - Mike's M.O.

[John TenEyck]

My Bosch 12" CMS came with a thin kerf (about 0.100") blade with 60 teeth. I thought for sure I would replace it due to poor cut quality and blade deflection when making trimming cuts. Wrong. The thing cuts beautifully.

281061

This changed my opinion about the suitability of TK blades. My opinion at this point is TK blades work about as well as FK blades, as long as they are sharp. It's when they start to dull that deflection becomes an issue. Also, keep in mind that more teeth requires more power.

John

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I'm going to keep using it. It won't be the first tool I've buggered up if it burns out the motor.

[Andy Pratt]

I would have absolutely no worry about using a full kerf blade, and I've been using one on my makita 12" scms for over a year now. I have cut 12" 8/4 jatoba with it in one pass and, although it is about all it wants, it works fine. Making sure it is the right tooth geometry for the type of material you are using is far more important than the tk/fk debate.