Sawstop blade

[Ben Grunow]

I am starting to think that I dont really like the blade that came on my SS. THe worst thing about it is that it seems to be about 1/8" larger in diameter than my other blades (Amana 50T, Dewalt contractors and others) which creates the need to adjust the cartridge to maintain the recommended clearance between blade and cartridge when other blades are in. The riving knife is also set to the height of the SS blade and is too tall for non-thru cuts with others and must be adjusted or removed. I'm also not sure it really stays sharp all that long.

How long should a blade last (approx # of cuts, material type)?

Are all 10" blades a little different in diameter (never had to think about this before)?

For the record (and all you SS bashers), I still love the saw.

Any help would be great.

Ben

[Todd Solomon]

If I'm not mistaken, the Forrest WWII is a little larger in diameter than other 10" blades I've owned. I blew it and included my WWII on a saw I sold a couple of years ago, so I can't verify for you. Man, I still miss that blade.

The WWII can be re-sharpened by Forrest periodically, and I doubt it's diameter would change enough to matter. That is, if the WWII is compatible with the SS, at it's present diameter.

The SS is a really nice saw, it deserves a WWII. That'd be my blade of choice if I were in the market for another blade.

Todd

[Mark Singer]

The blade that comes with the SS is a cheapy! Just use it for rough stuff. The saw comes to life with a nice blade in it

[Bill Boehme]

If anything, I would guess that the DeWalt and Amana blades are undersized and meant for use on smaller portable tablesaws -- the type that contractors would throw in the back of their truck and haul to building sites. The good high quality blades are all essentially the same diameter and are what you should be using on a saw of that calibre. I don't know about the quality of the blade that came with your saw, but I can tell you that any blade that comes with a saw will not be anything to write home about. They are intended to enable you to start making sawdust if you happen to be someone who does not have another blade. I still have the blade that came with my Unisaw and it is still unused. When making the price as appealing as possible, manufacturers don't want to add something that would raise the price by $100.

[Ben Grunow]

Thanks for the replies. Suspicions confirmed.

The Amana is a nice blade. Will get WWII for Xmas hopefully.

[Charlie Plesums]

My riving knife was too tall for non-through cuts with a 10 inch blade (if I lowered it to the 10 inch blade level, I could make non-through cuts with the 12 inch blade). 10 minutes with the Dremel grinder lengthened the mounting slot and I am happy.

Some of the blades are metric size, and a tiny bit different than those built to english measure. If this is all the difference, you may only need a minute with the Dremel.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Quite often the manufacturer's supplied blades are pretty poorly sharpened and for a lousy $20.00 or so Forrest will make them oh so much better than they were brand new.

[Ben Grunow]

Charlie- did you elongate the holes on a Sawstop riving knife to allow it to be lowered? I only need 1/8" or so so this might work but Im not too excited about the idea.

I will certainly re-read my manual and find out if it can be adjusted down before doing that but it might have to be done.

Thanks

Ben

[Glen Blanchard]

My riving knife was too tall for non-through cuts with a 10 inch blade (if I lowered it to the 10 inch blade level, I could make non-through cuts with the 12 inch blade). 10 minutes with the Dremel grinder lengthened the mounting slot and I am happy.

Some of the blades are metric size, and a tiny bit different than those built to english measure. If this is all the difference, you may only need a minute with the Dremel.

Charlie - Unless I am wrong, page 63 of the SS manual explains how to adjust the vertical level of the riving knife. Had you tried this prior to your Dremel modification?

[Charlie Plesums]

Charlie - Unless I am wrong, page 63 of the SS manual explains how to adjust the vertical level of the riving knife. Had you tried this prior to your Dremel modification?

Charlie- did you elongate the holes on a Sawstop riving knife to allow it to be lowered? I only need 1/8" or so so this might work but Im not too excited about the idea.

I will certainly re-read my manual and find out if it can be adjusted down before doing that but it might have to be done.
Sorry for any confusion... I have a european slider, not a Saw Stop, but both have true riving knives. My riving knife is normally about 1 inch above the blade (European safety rules do not allow non-through cuts - which, incidentally, is why they don't allow dado blades). But since my saw supports both 10 and 12 inch blades, the height of the riving knife is even with the top of the 12 inch blade when it is mounted like it would be for the 10 inch blade. When I wanted to use my existing 10 inch blades with the riving knife in non-through cuts, I had to grind the mounting slot deeper. It was far easier to do than I expected. If the Saw Stop knife doesn't adjust far enough, I was suggesting that you might consider a modification like I did on mine.

[Mike Heidrick]

The WWII is the exact same size as the SawStop blade in case anyone was wondering. New Sawstop got a WWII straight from the crate. Maybe I will make a clock out of the Sawstop blade.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I have never understood why a manufacturer would sell a high dollar saw with a cheapo blade on it. Or, in the case of my Jet cabinet saw, no blade at all. Put a WW II on your saw and have a good time!