TS Blade Stiffeners

[BOB OLINGER]

I'm just starting to use thinner kerf blades and noticed blade stiffeners in one of the catalogs. Can anyone provide comment and advice on these? Are they a good addition or gimmick? Thanks.

[Dewey Torres]

My vote... gimmick.

Most folks I have talked to and posted here say they can't tell the difference. A good quality blade has all the rigidity needed for a good cut without the use of a blade stiffener.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I use these only for thin kerf blades which I still spin from the old day. For full kerf, I don't think they matter. I'm not sure if they even matter for thin kerf.

However, I use only one as a replacement for the standard arbor washer.

-Jeff :)

[Wade Lippman]

I have always used thin kerf. A few months ago Amazon had a "great price" on a stabilizer, so I bit.
I can't tell the difference.
Er, no; they are great! Would you like to buy a barely used Forrest?

[Russ Kay]

I've used two different types of blade stabilizers, with both thin and full-kerf blades. Couldn't tell the difference anywhere.

[Jason Beam]

They are useless on good saws. If your saw's got no runout and no vibration they're pointless.

If your saw is crap and vibrates like crazy they work VERY well and have an undeniable impact. I'll bet most of the folks that can't tell the difference have used them on decent saws. Put one on a crappy saw and the difference is impressive.

[Tom Veatch]

Bob,

I must confess that I've never used anything but thin kerf blades on my Jet 10" cabinet saw (which passes the nickel test, BTW). I have to also say that I've never used blade stabilizers so I can't testify as to what effect they might have.

I can say that I've never seen anything about the cuts made with good quality blades that I felt could be improved with stabilizers. From that perspective, I'll vote with Dewey - gimmick.

[scott spencer]

Here's my sig line on another forum:
"In my small mind I want it to make a difference because I paid 24 dollars for it .... "wick1438" on blade stabilizers" :D

I've never noticed a difference with or without stabilizers/stiffeners on either full or thin kerf. I won't say that they're gimmicks because from a theoretical perspective they're more right than wrong, but they're also not necessary for a good full or thin kerf blade on a saw that has low vibration and low runout.

They might have some benefit if you run a saw that has excessive arbor runout, or an improperly balanced blade. Unless you have this type of problem, save your money towards another blade or lunch. They tend to be more beneficial for the seller than the buyer...profit pucks? ;)

[David DeCristoforo]

I have some Japanese thin kerf blades I got in the mid 80's that are really thin... much thinner than what passes for a "thin kerf" blade today. Those blades really benefit from the stiffeners. "Modern" thin kerf blades are engineered to minimize vibration and deflection so the stiffeners will not be as effective and, in some cases, will be useless. Even if they did help reduce vibration, they will not do much to reduce edge deflection which is the biggest issue with thin kerf blades. Your thin kerf blade will still "wander" if you try "nibbling" cuts unless the stiffening plates reach so close to the edge that you would no longer have enough cutting depth to be of much use.

[Chip Lindley]

My Freud stiffener has been a part of the ol' Rockwell CS regardless of blade. I trust the trueness of the machined stiffener more than I trust the *stamped* washer which came under the arbor nut!

These stiffeners do have a positive effect on certain blades which mysteriously WHINE when up to speed. I am sure the stiffener/damper is much more cost effective at shushing up an ear splitting blade, than dialing in a VFD to 59 or 58 cycles as related in another tablesaw thread.

[Howard Acheson]

My Freud stiffener has been a part of the ol' Rockwell CS regardless of blade. I trust the trueness of the machined stiffener more than I trust the *stamped* washer which came under the arbor nut!

These stiffeners do have a positive effect on certain blades which mysteriously WHINE when up to speed. I am sure the stiffener/damper is much more cost effective at shushing up an ear splitting blade, than dialing in a VFD to 59 or 58 cycles as related in another tablesaw thread.

Aren't two stiffeners required if you are using the Freud type stiffener?

[Ken Milhinch]

My Freud stiffener has been a part of the ol' Rockwell CS regardless of blade. I trust the trueness of the machined stiffener more than I trust the *stamped* washer which came under the arbor nut!

These stiffeners do have a positive effect on certain blades which mysteriously WHINE when up to speed. I am sure the stiffener/damper is much more cost effective at shushing up an ear splitting blade, than dialing in a VFD to 59 or 58 cycles as related in another tablesaw thread.
I agree. Many have said they can't tell the difference, but if your blade had enough wobble for you to be able to "tell the diference" you would need more than a stabiliser.
In any event, a machined stiffener has got to be better than a blade washer.

[Joe Spear]

The only thing a blade stiffener (Forrest) ever did for my cut quality was to reduce the depth of the cut since it takes up some of the diameter of the blade and won't fit through a zero-clearance throat slot.

[Doug Shepard]

Absolutely indespensible IMHO. Every time a gust blows into the shop my combination blade stiffener/paper weight keeps stuff from blowing about. Gotta use it for sumthin:o

[Bill White]

(2) on the RAS. Have for years. Don't on the TS. I use Freud blades. Habit I guess.
Bill

[Chris Padilla]

I bought a pair years ago and I believe they are still in the original packaging. I run across every couple of years wondering what I bought 'em for.... :D

[Bruce Wrenn]

The main purpose of a stiffener is to relieve pressure - on your wallet. Remove about $25-$40 and your wallet will feel better, but you won't. Add the same money to a blade purchase and buy a better blade, IMHO. Quality blades don't benefit from a stiffener, and cheap blades will always be cheap blades.

[Lee Schierer]

I have to agree with all of the preceeding regarding the uselessness of stiffeners. I have two sets,that I inheritted and neither have seen much use on my saw. One set is probably worse than the stamped washer, which on my saw has ground faces. The cheap set is die cast and not exactly flat on the blade side. The other set is a precision set which has concave ground surfaces that are to be placed toward the blade so the disks actually place pressure on the blade near the rim of the stabilizer. Neither the cheap set nor the precision set make any difference on the quality of cut that I can detect even with a magnifier. I own an older Craftsman contractor type saw.

Most stiffeners also add thickness to the inside flange and offset the blade so that none of your zero clearance inserts will fit and some will actually place the blade extremely close to the side of the slot in the factory metal insert.

If it makes you feel better, send SMC the $25 you would pay for a good set and you will avoid the trouble of looking for them every time you change the blades. Spend an hour tuning your saw and your cut quality will be better.

[BOB OLINGER]

Thanks to the many responders - that's what is so great about this site. I think the tone has been set; we'll move on to other things. Thanks, again.