saw blade thought

[Steven Triggs]

This is just an idea I had, and I was wondering what you think of it...

I'm going to get a Forrest Duraline blade to be used for cutting plywood. I was looking at the 10", 80 tooth, .125" kerf version. I got to thinking though about that fact that since this blade will just be for cutting sheet goods, there is no need for full depth of cut capacity.

What do you think about using the 8", 80 tooth, .125" kerf version. I see two potential advantages:

1. Due to the smaller diameter with same tooth count, it should provide a smoother cut I think, just like going up in teeth when you keep the same diameter.

2. It should be less inclined to wander or flex.

Incidentally, as of right now, both are the same price at Amazon.

Anyway, what do you think?

[Greg Crawford]

Steven,

I seem to remember a post about 6" vs. 8" dado blades not too long ago. If you search for that, it may give you a lot to think about.

[Rafael Carias]

Steve.

if they are the same price right now the only advantage IMHO would be the theoretical horse power gain that the TS gains when using smaller diameter blades. I do recall in one the TS books that the author recommended the practice of using smaller blades. for some reason 10" blades seem to work better for me.

[David DeCristoforo]

To point #1: Theoretically you are correct.
To point #2: Correct assuming that the blade has the same plate thickness as the 10" blade you are comparing it to.

As to cost, you typically will not find more than a small diff between 8" and 10" blades.

[Jamie Baalmann]

The teeth on the 8" aren't going to be going as fast as the teeth on the 10". Larger circumference.

[scott spencer]

Your second point is true as a matter of physics, but I don't believe the 8" will cut cleaner for the reasons Jamie gave. The only time I'd buy the 8" is for a steep price break, or no 10" available.

An 8" won't have much resale value should you ever want to move it.

[Leo Graywacz]

The exit angle of the 8" blade will be steeper than the 10" blade and cause more tear out on the bottom side.

[Jules Dominguez]

Blade tip speed could be a consideration. An 8" blade might not cut as cleanly when run at the speed of a 10" saw. I would think it would certainly not cut as fast as a 10' blade.

[Scott Whiting]

I would go with the 10". For many of the reasons already stated.

[Jim Becker]

Tip speed on the smaller blade will be slower since your saw was designed for a larger diameter cutter. And now I see that others have already mentioned that...

[Tom Walz]

Typically an 8" blade is designed to run at a higher rpm than a 10" blade. A 10" saw will probably not spin it fast enough which is sort of another version of several comments above.

[Paul Canaris]

In my case I choose an 8" dado because I was concerned that a 10" could possibly burn out my electronic braking system on my slider.

[Jim Becker]

In my case I choose an 8" dado because I was concerned that a 10" could possibly burn out my electronic braking system on my slider.

Stacked dado sets are a little different animal and are fine with the slightly slower speed. For a regular blade, especially one designed for a purpose like the Duraline, the "correct" speed is likely to give better results overall, than a slower speed. Of course, one may or may not actually notice the difference...:o

[Steven Triggs]

Thanks for all the responses. Looks like I'll stick with 10".