Cabinet saw w/ scoring blade?

[andrew whicker]

Is there such a thing as a cabinet saw with a scoring blade or are scoring blades only on sliding saws?

[johnny means]

Laguna used to make one.

[Dan Barber]

So did Delta, I had one 30+ years ago. RT31 IIIRC. It was a beast! Loved that saw.

[andrew whicker]

nice. The Delta looks pretty rad.

The Laguna is a T5S

Must not have made many of either of these machines. They seem to be impossible to find. There is a Canadian company selling a Delta Rt31 for $1700 for what it's worth. No Lagunas seem to even exist.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I just did a retrofit of some 32 mm laminate cabinets that were made around 1988 in a shop with the Delta. It was very tricky to reproduce perfect cuts on pre laminated 2 side component panels. I used a 8 1/4 inch triple chip blade in the old Unisaw and cut very slowly. It worked OK.

[mike stenson]

There was at least one scoring blade attachment made for cabinet saws. Aftermarket, smaller blade height, etc.

[Jim Becker]

Adding to previous commentary, with the limited depth available in line with the cutting blade on a cabinet saw, it's a lot harder to have that feature. If it's a requirement, a short stroke slider can provide the feature while still allowing one to rip in a traditional position if that's the preference.

[Erik Loza]

Agree with Jim on this: If there is a need for scoring on a consistent basis, a true slider would be the best bet. I do recall some scoring “add-on” for cabinet saws years ago (Modulus???) but never actually saw one in any shop. Andrew, it might make more sense to invest in a really good triple-chip blade and just use it ONLY for laminate work. Just my thoughts.

Erik

[andrew whicker]

I'm about to get a laminate cab job for a coffee shop..

I'll get most of the cabs (if not all) cnc'd but I'm guessing I'll have to do some cutting.

Just got me back down the rabbit hole of what I want to do longer term tool wise. I see some decent short stroke sliders come up around me time to time. But hardly ever see a full size one for sale.

Did see a f92 (no ability to angle the blade) come recently

[Jim Becker]

Yea, the triple chip blade and a fresh zero clearance table insert can do a nice job for occasional cutting of chip-prone materials for sure.

[Erik Loza]

Andrew, build the TCT blade cost into your bid. Shouldn’t cost more than $150. Presto: The client bought you a fresh blade and it didn’t have to come put of your pocket.

Erik

[Paul F Franklin]

FWIW, if you won't be doing a lot of this in the future, Festool recently introduced a track saw with a scoring blade. More $$ than a new blade, but a lot less than a slider. Haven't used one or even seen any hands on reviews, but given the source, it probably works pretty well.

[eta:] for that matter, the trick of doing a really shallow pass *backwards* with a track saw works pretty well too. I have used that method.

[andrew whicker]

Andrew, build the TCT blade cost into your bid. Shouldn’t cost more than $150. Presto: The client bought you a fresh blade and it didn’t have to come put of your pocket.

Erik

Yeah, that's obviously my very immediate fix. Just got me thinking about the future.

I was going to go with the fs 4000 blade for laminate

[andrew whicker]

FWIW, if you won't be doing a lot of this in the future, Festool recently introduced a track saw with a scoring blade. More $$ than a new blade, but a lot less than a slider. Haven't used one or even seen any hands on reviews, but given the source, it probably works pretty well.

[eta:] for that matter, the trick of doing a really shallow pass *backwards* with a track saw works pretty well too. I have used that method.

To be honest, I dream of the day I never have to pick up a tracksaw unless I'm on site ever again.

[Warren Lake]

carpenter here made kitchens and never had a scoring blade. He told me how many sheets he cut before he changed blades dont remember. You can can also run on a shaper right after set up like a jointer. The small slider is different for sure than a cabinet saw. Bigger blade is a still cleaner cut. Im used to the reach of a cabinet saw. Havent got to love the extra reach needed on the small slider, needs yet. At least I can stand behind it and use it like a cabinet saw, as they get larger the carriages are in the way.

[Bruce Wrenn]

When running melamine, and other laminates, I make a scoring pass (about 1/8" deep) first, and then cut thru on next pass.

[Larry Edgerton]

MiniMax SC10. They come up on the used market at times.

[Warren Lake]

ive seen the SCM SI 15 and 16SF come up here from time to time. Usually at auctions they were about 2k Can dinaros. There are two different slider tracks on them ive got the simpler one of the two. Might be harder to rip like a cab saw on the other carriage system now sure.

[Dave Sabo]

There was at least one scoring blade attachment made for cabinet saws. Aftermarket, smaller blade height, etc.

Long since deceased , Modulus did have some add on scoring mechanisms for various saws. They come up from time to time on the secondary market.

Sometimes new in the box.

They did not have a good reputation. I believe the overall consensus was you’re better off buying a couple of quality dedicated melamine blades to have on hand and rotate in out from your sharpener.

[Jeff Bartley]

Andrew,

One thing is for sure: if you get a slider with a scoring blade you won’t regret it! Just keep looking. I just did some cabs with prefinished interiors and I didn’t even think about the cuts, just perfect every time.

And that’s just one benefit of a slider!

Jeff