TS Blade

[Sean Troy]

Hey all, what would be correct blade for cutting melamine/laminant on the TS. I don't see myself using the blade very often so top of the line probably isn't needed. Thanks for any help. Sean

[Lou Morrissette]

Sean,

I've had pretty good luck with the Freud LU96R010. As a matter of fact, most of all my blades are Freud. They are about the middle of the road cost wise and are very serviceable.

Lou

[frank shic]

sean, to minimize the chipout on a tablesaw, a hi-atb blade with a -5 or -6 degree hook as well as a zero clearance insert work great in combination. amana tools and fs tool sell blades that suits these criteria. you might be able to get six or seven sheets of clean cutting before the blade starts to dull which is why i finally installed a modulus scoring unit.

[Allen Bookout]

I just got this blade a couple of weeks ago and it is excellent.

http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1198

[Tim Sproul]

Hey all, what would be correct blade for cutting melamine/laminant on the TS.


sean, to minimize the chipout on a tablesaw, a hi-atb blade with a -5 or -6 degree hook as well as a zero clearance insert work great in combination. QUOTE]

Frank - a TCG (triple chip grind) is generally the recommendation for melamine and laminates. TCG tends to last longer than ATB. ATB is recommended for crosscuts on solid stock and veneered things like veneered sheetgoods.



[QUOTE=Sean Troy;673807]I don't see myself using the blade very often so top of the line probably isn't needed.

Sean,

IME, using a standard combo blade works fine on limited amounts of melamine. Use a slow feed rate to improve the cut quality (in terms of melamine chip out).

I will also add...IME, having the appropriate blades around is beneficial. Investment in carbide tipped saw blades for a hobbyist is largely a one-time expensive. Maybe you'll need to have them resharpened after a couple years...depending on the linear footage of cuts you make.

[Sean Troy]

Great info. Thanks so much. Sean

[frank shic]

tim, i've tried triple chip grind blades in the past on melamine and it just doesn't work out for me. at any rate, i am thoroughly convinced that the best method is to use an accessory scoring blade. i sold my fs tool melamine blade several months ago on ebay after i discovered how much better the modulus worked.

[scott spencer]

A Hi-ATB grind will give the cleanest possible cut due to it's slicing characteristics - (Ridge Carbide, Infinity 010-080, Freud LU80, Forrest Duraline, etc.), however they are prone to faster dulling than the TCG grind. TCG is a better choice if you have a large quantity to cut. Just about any blade will do a decent job if you score the cut first, but that shouldn't be necessary with a good hi tooth count Hi-ATB blade.

[Sean Troy]

A Hi-ATB grind will give the cleanest possible cut due to it's slicing characteristics - (Ridge Carbide, Infinity 010-080, Freud LU80, Forrest Duraline, etc.), however they are prone to faster dulling than the TCG grind. TCG is a better choice if you have a large quantity to cut. Just about any blade will do a decent job if you score the cut first, but that shouldn't be necessary with a good hi tooth count Hi-ATB blade.

OK, I don't want to sound to dumb, but could scoring be described? I know what scoring means, but how is it done for TS cutting? Thanks again, Sean

[Charles McCracken]

OK, I don't want to sound to dumb, but could scoring be described? I know what scoring means, but how is it done for TS cutting? Thanks again, Sean

Panel saws accomplish this by means of a separate blade that runs under the panel ahead of the main blade and just breaks the surface to reduce bottom side chipping.

[Gary Keedwell]

OK, I don't want to sound to dumb, but could scoring be described? I know what scoring means, but how is it done for TS cutting? Thanks again, Sean
I have only done it a few times but you have to run your stock through the blade twice. Before you saw the stock to size and without moving your fence, raise your blade to just about 1/8" above TS surface and flip your sheet stock over and run it across the blade. Now when you flip it back over to cut to length, it will nor splinter because there won't be any stock there because you scored it.
Hope you can follow my ramblings:o
Gary

[frank shic]

charles has described it correctly. i've tried gary's method in the past but it requires TWO passes which is a royal pain when you're doing large runs. sean, i use a modulus 2000 scoring unit which has a main blade which spins in the traditional direction with a much smaller blade towards the front which spins in reverse which breaks the surface first prior to the main blade's teeth blowing through it virtually eliminating chipout. it's a hefty investment if you're just starting out but since i use melamine in almost all my cabinets, it was worth the price and the time involved with installing it (not a completely brainless task BTW!).

[Sean Troy]

Now I got it. Thanks