10” Table Saw Blade Recommendations

[Dave Rathert]

Hello all,
I need to cut some ¾” walnut plywood into 14” squares so I’ll be cutting both along and cross grain. I have the Ridged portable contractor saw (the one that folds up and has wheels). I believe it has a 15 amp motor. My goal is to cut six 14” squares and place them in two rows of three with the grain in alternating directions (checkerboard pattern) to make a table top. Therefore, I need a blade that will give me zero chip-out. I’m most worried about the cross grain cuts. Any blade recommendations or tips/tricks will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
-Dave

[Kent A Bathurst]

you can get any blade to tearout - the trick is to not encourage them, that's all........

1. remember - good side up
2. for crosscuts, use a waste board on the trailing edge - there is no gap after the target, so it won' tear out there - it might tearout, but only after the waste piece
3. sharp blade
4. edit - just read "ply"...missed it 1st time, so.......last - put down famous blue tape where the blade will be cutting.......

brand - i'll leave to others .... i don't think you need to spend anywhere near what i do for this one project, on that ts

[scott spencer]

In addition to Kent's "blue tape" trick, pre-scoring the cut can help too.

There are some really nice plywood blades....most are 60T and 80T, and the cleanest cutting of them will have a Hi-ATB grind. Freud LU79/LU80, Infinity 010-080, CMT 210.080.10, Forrest Ply or Duraline blades. All are excellent and on the expensive side. Since this is mainly for one project, I'd also think any of the better Freud Diablo or Irwin Marples 60T to 80T blades would be quite respectable from HD or Lowes. Cripe also has a good 80T Oldham Pro (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330499916721?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649&rmvSB=true) series for ~ $30 shipped.

Edit: The Infinity 60T Hi-ATB that Brett mentioned was one of my favorites. It's super in plywood, and is very versatile for a lot of other functions. < $60.

[Bruce Page]

This Freud blade does a very good job of cutting plywood on my Unisaw. A medium & steady feed rate will give good results.

Freud LU80R010 10-Inch 80 Tooth Hi-ATB (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CD0QFjAAahUKEwjzu4nyhYjGAhUT8IAKHXolACM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFreud-LU80R010-10-Inch-Ultimate-Melamine%2Fdp%2FB0007WKBEQ&ei=RbV5VbOFOZPggwT6yoCYAg&usg=AFQjCNFtYZsBU_hLTrudHYs2NFsE8zmHxA&sig2=gXFiK8O2qpwI7mdO10Ns1w&bvm=bv.95277229,d.eXY&cad=rja)

[Brett Luna]

I don't have broad experience with a variety of saw blades but I'm happy with my Infinity 60T crosscut blade. I don't think of it as a very expensive blade but rather mid-range, especially considering the price of Forrest blades. I've been thinking about picking up the 80T model for more persnickety materials.

ETA: I just saw that the 60T is on sale at the moment.

[Edward Oleen]

My vote goes for the Ridge Carbide Tool TS-2000 blade. I've got one and use it for just about everything.

And yes, if chopping up plywood use the blue tape - on both sides, and in both directions, and follow up the work piece with a scrap piece to prevent trailing edge chip-out problems.

[John Hubbs]

Dave,
Before you make any cuts, dial in your table saw fence to saw blade parallel settings. Having the fence/blade set correctly will really minimize any tear-out issues.
My experience with portable saws has been they are very difficult to keep parallel. Measure twice or more, then cut once. LOL
Regards, John...

[Dave Rathert]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone.

-D

[Jeff Ramsey]

Also, besides blade selection make sure you have a zero-clearance insert. I replaced my Unisaw stock insert with a ZCI and it makes a positive difference with tear-out. You can either buy one or make one out of HDF.

[Dave Rathert]

I'll be cutting the squares on a shop built sled that I'm fairly confident in. Therefore I shouldn't need an insert or scrap for the trailing edge. I'm mainly worried about blade quality.

Thanks again.

-D

[Jeff Ramsey]

I use the Freud LU80R blade for plywood.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I'll be cutting the squares on a shop built sled that I'm fairly confident in. Therefore I shouldn't need an insert or scrap for the trailing edge. I'm mainly worried about blade quality.

Thanks again.

-D


Well, yeah, maybe......

the kerf on my sled has opened a bit over the years.......it is not a perfectly tight fit for the blade.

I would still use a backer/sacrifice stick, since it is a critical cut for you. But - it's your call.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Well, yeah, maybe......

the kerf on my sled has opened a bit over the years.......it is not a perfectly tight fit for the blade.

I would still use a backer/sacrifice stick, since it is a critical cut for you. But - it's your call.

So has mine and I thought the same thing. A backer stick in the sled kerf would guarantee ZC.

[Kent A Bathurst]

So has mine and I thought the same thing. A backer stick in the sled kerf would guarantee ZC.

odd-ball drops are the most prevalent wood species in my shop - not like I have a shortage of scrap to use.......:D

[Dave Rathert]

Thanks again guys. Would the Forrest WWII 40t give me a good cut on the Walnut Ply? Or should I look a more specialized Plywood blade?

-D

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks again guys. Would the Forrest WWII 40t give me a good cut on the Walnut Ply? Or should I look a more specialized Plywood blade?

-D
I'd get a plywood blade, hi atb, lots of good brands. For a table it's mainly the top you are concerned about. I'd rip the blocks at least 1" wider than you need, then cross cut, so any tear out on be trailing edge gets cut off later on the resize, at which point it's a rip cut again and won't normally tear out. The hardest part will be creating dead square blanks of exactly the same size on a contractor saw, the chip out is manageable. The 1" over sized thing is critical, you want wood on both sides of the blade on all cuts, skimming a piece of plywood is a great way to splintert the edge, so be generous and leave some extra. Much easier to size and square smaller blanks than large pieces.

if you want to minimize tear out on the bottom face you can raise your blade into a fresh zci, and you can raise the blade 1/16", run your wood backwards over the blade, then raise blade and run forward. This will act as a climb cut and score the bottom without having enough blade in play to kick it back. Please remember to always lower the blade before running backwards. I have done this on difficult species where both sides were visable on AA ply.