DeWalt MBF radial arm saw blade?

[John Lanciani]

I just picked up a new to me toy at a fairly gloat worthy price (pics soon) and I need a recommendation for a good blade for it. I tried searching the regulars, but it seems that 9" blades are fairly rare. I'm going to replace my SCMS with this saw, so crosscuts and miters only. Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[CPeter James]

Make sure that you get a blade for a RS or SCMS that has a zero or better yet negative took hoo angle. A table saw blade will pull into the cut and also will throw short cutoffs. This is my favorite brand, but I also have Forrest, Freud and others. They aren't cheap, but the cut is worth the money. If you do get one, when it needs sharpening, send it back to them. It will come back better than new. They have big carbides and can be resharpened many times, but you won't need that unless you cut a lot or real dirty wood.

http://ridgecarbidetool.com/saws-and-dados/miter-saw-blades/9-rs1000.html

CPeter

[Roy Turbett]

I just picked up a new to me toy at a fairly gloat worthy price (pics soon) and I need a recommendation for a good blade for it. I tried searching the regulars, but it seems that 9" blades are fairly rare. I'm going to replace my SCMS with this saw, so crosscuts and miters only. Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

There is a Delphi forum that is dedicated to DeWalt RAS's and RAS's in general. The consensus is the Forrest WWI with the TCP (triple chip profile) is the best overall RAS blade and its available in 9". It is also the one that is recommended by Wally Kunkle, aka Mr. Sawdust, as the only blade you'll ever need. There is also a WWI ATB (alternate tooth bevel) that is OK but not preferred like the TCP. You may have trouble finding the TCP unless you contact Forrest directly. Ask for Charles and mention the Delphi forum and you can get a fair price.

The other blade that gets mentioned is the Freud RU83-008. This one is easy to find.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

John
There is a book out there to set up Dewalt RAS by Mr. Sawdust. Also there is a group for Dewalt RAS on delphi. (people.delphiforums.com/snotzalot/sawdust/‎) and what Cpeter's said about negative hook very impotent. Forrest can make up a 9" blade for you with negative hook. Tom

[Vince Shriver]

I just picked up a new to me toy at a fairly gloat worthy price (pics soon) and I need a recommendation for a good blade for it. I tried searching the regulars, but it seems that 9" blades are fairly rare. I'm going to replace my SCMS with this saw, so crosscuts and miters only. Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Forrest has what you need.

[david brum]

(OOps, looks like everybody else posted while I was typing.)

The guys over at the Dewalt RAS forum seem to like the 8" TCG WW1 blade from Forrest. It's made specifically for that saw. It isn't an advertised product, so you have to call Forrest to ask for the "Mr Sawdust" RAS blade.

The other preferred blade is the Freud LU84 which is also available in 8". It's a bit cheaper, although more of a general purpose blade.
They are available from Amazon, etc.

The reason the 8" blade is that it requires less power to cut and the MBF motors are easy to stall.

[HANK METZ]

The MBF was manufactured from 1955- 1959, and is called- colloquially- a "round arm", although "domed arm" would be a more accurate description as DeWalt did in fact make a true round arm saw in the 80's and was the type of tool that makes a great boat anchor. The MBF motor is rated a true 3/4 h.p., not the bloated "developed" rating that an unnamed devious catalog company made infamous. The amperage drawn is about 10 amps, and in the '40's, '50's, and through early '60's many of the average American home's fused load center was a mere 30 amp. service. Many aficionados use it as a shaper, where it performs well, but to get the most out of it, use a blade that is closely matched to the needs of the work at hand and no more, in most shops an 8" blade will fit that dictum from Mr. Sawdust himself. Finally, take some time and search the archives here as well, if you're serious about getting the most performance out of it, I assure you it can do everything a tablesaw can do plus more, in a footprint that is only 20% of what a tablesaw needs.

My DeWalt MBF Restoration (http://people.delphiforums.com/perristalsis/MBF_%20Saw_Restoration/DeWalt_MBF_Saw_Restoration.htm)

[John Lanciani]

Thanks for all the leads guys, I just wasn't looking in the right places it seems.

Nice work on your resto, Hank. Fortunately mine only needs a light cleaning and motor bearings; paint is in great shape and it's 100% complete.

[Charles Coolidge]

I recently purchased a Forrest Chopmaster for my RAS, its 12" I don't know if Forrest makes a 9".

[Don Jarvie]

Forrest makes a 9 inch chop master. That's what you want.

[Steve Mellott]

Hank - Great restoration and great documentation. Thanks for posting.

[John Lanciani]

283282

Just a quick pic, all put back together and ready to go. The saw needed motor bearings and a new cord, now its ready for the next 50 years. Thanks to everyone for the help and advice.

[Charles Coolidge]

Did you get a negative hook blade? Mine is 10 degree negative and it still tried to climb cut on me the other day when I was cutting a 1x.375 piece of aluminum extrusion with an 80 tooth blade.

[HANK METZ]

Did you get a negative hook blade? Mine is 10 degree negative and it still tried to climb cut on me the other day when I was cutting a 1x.375 piece of aluminum extrusion with an 80 tooth blade.

Charles, the proper blade to use when cutting non- ferrous metals is a H.S.S. type, even then take a skim cut on the first pass, then lower the saw in increments of about 1/16"- that's 1/2 turn, and clamp it in a vise secured to the fence- now use a push cut, not a pull- through to do the work..

Here I'm cutting a section of steel with an abrasive blade, but the technique is still the same as outlined above:

283313

[Charles Coolidge]

Hank I hear you but I researched Freud blades and their blade for non-ferrous metal uses the exact same carbide as their other blades. Wouldn't a push cut try to lift the stock up off the table?

[HANK METZ]

Hank I hear you but I researched Freud blades and their blade for non-ferrous metal uses the exact same carbide as their other blades. Wouldn't a push cut try to lift the stock up off the table?

No Charles, the push cut won’t. In a typical woodworking scenario, the work is butted up to the fence, and with a proper blade- one with a 0- 10 degree POSITIVE hook, there isn’t any lift to speak of. I can’t stress this enough to both table saw and radial saw operators; always use the blade that is small enough to make a clear cut and nothing more, there is no advantage to swinging a 10” blade when an 8” will do the job, and there are good reasons not to think “bigger is better”. Now, back to the metal operation; when push cutting, I have stated that the work should be clamped, and the motor lowered incrementally during the operation. This prevents “grab”, and also keeps the operator’s hands well out of the process. I also beg to differ on your presumption that the carbide used is equal to the task. True, carbide comes in formulated grades depending on material to be cut. You have stated that you are cutting an extrusion, and any carbide tip abhors what is called an interrupted cut- that is one where the tips continuously engage, clear, and re- enter a workpiece such as channel, angle, tube/ pipe, etc. Even when cutting flats, there is a stock orientation that produces the best non- destructive cut. A high speed steel non- ferrous metal cutting blade design will give superior results, it is a mature technology and there is little that is not understood about it. I’ll leave this thread now by stating that blade manufacturers will try and sell their product to as broad a market as is possible, even to the point of classifying the item as being acceptable for uses outside of it’s original design intention. This is most blatant with SCMS blades touted as being good for radial arm saws, and while they may work to some limited degree they aren’t always the most appropriate choice.

[Charles Coolidge]

Thanks Hank, your advice on interrupted cuts jives with what my machinist brother told me e.g. carbide vs HSS. As I had one more piece of that extruded aluminum to cut...I hacked it off with the same RAS blade last night...you people better sit down an 80 tooth Forrest :eek: The teeth well they don't looks so good afterwards DOH! So I guess its off to be re-sharpened. I have a metal cutting horizontal bandsaw picked out so this is probably the last time I'll cut metal with the RAS.