Rip Blade

[Jerry Thompson]

I took my CMT rip blade to the local sharpening service and it is a mere shadow of it's former self. I thought it was me not adjusting the rip fence or running the lumber through too fast. No it is the job they did on the blade. One can see saw marks all up and down the cut. I tried a neighbors and it did okay. I am done with the local service and I am going to buy a new blade. I don't want a thin kerf.
I will be sawing 8/4 hard maple for a good while to come. Any suggestions on a blade and where to get one sharpened when I need it? I have heard not so good things about Forrest. I used them once and they did a great job but that was a couple of years ago.
Thanks.

[steve reeves]

Have you contacted the "local guy" who messed it up? I'd ask him to "fix it" first.... many of these "local" shops have 2 or 3 quality levels of service for the same price... if a "pro" like a cabinet shop sends them a blade they spend x amount of time on it whereas if joe homeowner brings one by they hit it a lick and send it out the door...

99% of the time joe homeowner never knows the difference, the sharpening service gets the same money for spending half the time on the blade...

I had this happen several years ago and simply went back by the guys shop with the blade and a sample piece it cut.... told him he could either fix it and maybe we'd continue to do business or I wanted a refund for the shoddy workmanship. He said "gee can't figure out how I let that one get by me"....

I still use the guy and haven't had the first problem since.

[Jerry Thompson]

I am not going back. This is not the first issue I have had with them. It takes them forever to get the job done. The commercial shops come first. I would get faster service sending them to England than with them.
I just want an excellent rip blade and a good service I can send off to. The shop I was using was 25 miles one way through city traffic.
Thanks

[glenn bradley]

Yeah, for that drive and the frustration, shipping a blade would be worthwhile. I just ordered a Freud LU87R010 from Amazon for under $40. That's not much more than a couple sharpenings around here, I've been running a Lietz 24T and it is still great. I just don't want to be down when the Lietz finally goes in for a touch up.

The thin kerf blades work great for me and the cutting is a bit quicker with them on my saw. If I had 3hp I would probably go full kerf for the heavier plate. The Freud's have always done well for me. Scott Spencer took the time to do a pretty nice blade review. If you search his posts for 'blade' I would suspect you'll find it here. He was very thorough.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Send your blade to Scott Whiting, a member here.

http://sawmillcreek.org/member.php?u=42

[Scott Whiting]

Have you contacted the "local guy" who messed it up? I'd ask him to "fix it" first.... many of these "local" shops have 2 or 3 quality levels of service for the same price... if a "pro" like a cabinet shop sends them a blade they spend x amount of time on it whereas if joe homeowner brings one by they hit it a lick and send it out the door...

99% of the time joe homeowner never knows the difference, the sharpening service gets the same money for spending half the time on the blade...

I had this happen several years ago and simply went back by the guys shop with the blade and a sample piece it cut.... told him he could either fix it and maybe we'd continue to do business or I wanted a refund for the shoddy workmanship. He said "gee can't figure out how I let that one get by me"....

I still use the guy and haven't had the first problem since.

Being a local guy, at least in the Phoenix area, I am not sure I agree with your multiple levels of service concept. Every tool goes through this shop in the same manner. If it is worth sharpening then it is worth doing properly, if it isn't it gets handed back. None of the reputable sharpeners I know have differing quality levels.

Now the parts of this thread I do agree with are: Everybody makes mistakes sometimes and something gets through the system also, there are folks out there that after seeing their work I wouldn't let them sharpen my pencil. :D

As for a new blade there are several excellent makes of 24t rip blades out there. If you have a 3hp saw and stay under 6/4 material a 30t glue line blade is also an option offered by many manufactures and leaves a really nice cut.

[Tony Bilello]

When I bought my Delta table saw, it came with a thin kerf blade. The blade cuts fine but I'm used to a standard kerf which is 1/8". The reason I want the standard kerf is because I sometimes have occasion to make several narrow pieces the same size. Its much easier for me to get accurate cuts by moving my fence over on the rule by the amount I want minus 1/8". The narrow kerf is less than 1/8" and I have to guess at the size I want.
My blade will also have to sharpened soon, but while I send it out for sharpening, I will need another blade.

My saw motor is I think 1 1/2HP. Will the 1/8" blade make much of a difference in cutting power?

I fully understand Jerry's problem. I have seen others also that have their $100 blade turned into $10 blade, in a flash. As for bringing it back, some of you may have been lucky, but I have found from experience that I dont want the guy that butchered something to try and fix it.

Also, many years ago, I used to send my saw blades to Memphis Machinery. I was always happy with them. Are they still in business?

Tony B

[Scott Whiting]

My saw motor is I think 1 1/2HP. Will the 1/8" blade make much of a difference in cutting power?


Tony B

If it is a hybrid or contractors saw and you match the number of teeth with the task you should be fine. Stay away from the glue line rip because it is .135 rather than .125. I still run full kerf blades on my Delta contractors saw. Back when I started woodworking and I had a Craftsman contractors saw thin kerf was not even an option and I had no problems as long as I kept the blade sharp and didn't try to over burden the saw.

[Tony Bilello]

I'm new here and since you poked your head up, I would like to ask you a question. I will be needing a new table saw blade soon.
I normally use a combination blade and get a fairly nice cut. I would like a 1/8" thick blade.
I am not home now, but I have a Delta Contractor's Saw with a 1/1/2 HP motor...I think.

I have been out of woodworking for a good while. When I had my old shop, I bought nothing but Systematic blades and was very happy with them. Are they still in business and are they still king of the hill?. Also what manufacturer would you recommend ?

I make mostly furniture and use mainly 3/4" and 7/8" stock. Rarely, but sometimes use 1 1/2 or 2 " thick stock. Usually that would be mahogany or white oak.

If you could recommend something, I would appreciate it.
Also, do you sell 10" blades and for how much including shipping and handling to the Houston, Tx. area.

Thanks in advance

Tony B

[scott spencer]

Jerry - My Forrest blades have been great, but I've never tried their sharpening service....I typically hear good things. Scott Whiting comes highly recommended and is a member here. Ridge Carbide is another blade manufacture who makes great blades and offers a sharpening service that gets good marks.

Having a second ripper available makes sense if you're going to be cutting alot of 8/4" hard maple. I'd definitely go with a low tooth count, high hook angle FTG ripper. Any of the full kerf rippers like the Freud LM72, Infinity 010-024, Amana, Ridge Carbide, DeWalt 7642 or CMT should do fine...I think Forrest might make a 20T ripper but it's not listed on the site. If your saw is under 3hp, I'd suggest a TK as Glenn suggested. Find a deal that makes sense to you.