Blade Choice for a RAS

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Hi All;

Going to pick up a 1955 Dewalt MBF RAS this weekend (pics and gloat to follow) :D.

I have a mid 70s Dewalt 7740, but it was used hard and is very sloppy so am replacing it, the MBF is very tight.

I have used a regular 10" TS blade on the 7740, but am wondering is that is the right blade to use, are there RAS specific blades out there, and are they worth it?

Thanks
Shawn

[Jeff Duncan]

The Forrest WW1 is a good blade for the RAS, that's what I use.
JeffD

[Basil Rathbone]

The blades of choice of the gurus at the Dewalt RAS forum at Delphi are the Forrest WW1 TCG and the Freud LU83R008 ATB. Check out the opinions on blades there as a starting point and go from there. Lots of good information.

No need to go over an 8" blade on an MBF.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check those out and also check out the Dewalt Ras forum.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

I second the suggestion for the Freud LU83R008, works great on the MBF.

[Peter Quinn]

I don't know the brand name of the blade i use, but its a 120 tooth 14" fine cross cut on my 1949 Dewalt GR RAS that I bought from Wolfe Machinery, the company that officially services and rebuilds the old DeWalt machines. They said many modern off the shelf blades weren't really designed with the RAS in mind, more often for SCMS or some tweaked version of a TS blade. They talked about tooth geometry, hook angles, and several other specifics i can neither remember nor understood particularly well at the time.

One thing I do remember is the guy telling me a blade made for a Dewalt RAS would be safer and less likely to climb, and mine has performed very well over the last 4 years.

Try checking in with Wolfe Machinery if your looking for a considered opinion for your exact saw from a pro machine shop or any parts you may need.

[Simon Dupay]

I second the blades from Wolfe quite, smooth cutting and not "grabby". Forrest blade is also nice too.

[Pete Simmons]

Something with a -5 degree hook angle. Reduces the blade from grabbing.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Hmm, I must be looking at the wrong company.

I went to http://www.wolfemachinery.com, but there is no listing or information at all about them producing blades. Where are you folks referring to?

[Peter Quinn]

Hmm, I must be looking at the wrong company.

I went to http://www.wolfemachinery.com, but there is no listing or information at all about them producing blades. Where are you folks referring to?

I believe you are in fact at the right site. They don't list saw blades on their site, nor do they sell anything online in my experience. In fact in the five years since I initially contacted them I don't think they have even updated their basically info only site. They are one of those good old fashion outfits you have to call during business hours! They definitely sell excellent blades tailored to the RAS though I'm not sure they are the manufacturer. Mine has the name POPULAR on it with the blade specifics engraved into the blade (has some special noise canceling feature that reduces whine at start up and wind down).

It is my understanding that when Black and Decker sold the RAS business, Original Saw bought the rights to the design and further production, and Wolfe bough the service business. They have original machine specs, wiring diagrams, blue prints and owners manuals for nearly every DeWalt RAS ever made. They are equipped to remill the ways, replace bearings, rebuild motors and they stock or make many essential parts for numerous machines. They put me on a list as I was looking for the H-Frame I did not get with my basket case saw and 9 months later they found one and shipped it to me along with every thing else they identified I was missing and a beautiful new maple table top drilled to fit my exact saw! They also provided me with essential motor winding diagrams to help my motor tech bypass the old capacitor start and install a modern electronic controlled magnetic starter.

If you call them you will be on the phone with a tech who knows the machine and can help you make informed decisions regarding blades and maintenance of your DeWalt RAS. You will not be speaking to a mindless phone jockey like some companies service hotlines offer. Its almost confusing in this day and age to speak to some one who knows what they are talking about on the phone, but such was my experience with Wolfe. Good luck.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Thanks Peter;

That is good to hear, I will give them a call.

[Jeff Bratt]

Either of these would also be a good choice:
http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1197
http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1201

[Jules Dominguez]

Something with a -5 degree hook angle. Reduces the blade from grabbing.

This is important, but some of the blade manufacturers don't mention it on their websites. Positive hook angle is probably the major cause of RAS blades trying to climb the workpiece and come back at you. I don't own a miter saw, but I believe they're supplied with negative hook angle blades, for that reason.