DeWalt MBF radial arm saw blade?

[HANK METZ]

Hank I hear you but I researched Freud blades and their blade for non-ferrous metal uses the exact same carbide as their other blades. Wouldn't a push cut try to lift the stock up off the table?

No Charles, the push cut won’t. In a typical woodworking scenario, the work is butted up to the fence, and with a proper blade- one with a 0- 10 degree POSITIVE hook, there isn’t any lift to speak of. I can’t stress this enough to both table saw and radial saw operators; always use the blade that is small enough to make a clear cut and nothing more, there is no advantage to swinging a 10” blade when an 8” will do the job, and there are good reasons not to think “bigger is better”. Now, back to the metal operation; when push cutting, I have stated that the work should be clamped, and the motor lowered incrementally during the operation. This prevents “grab”, and also keeps the operator’s hands well out of the process. I also beg to differ on your presumption that the carbide used is equal to the task. True, carbide comes in formulated grades depending on material to be cut. You have stated that you are cutting an extrusion, and any carbide tip abhors what is called an interrupted cut- that is one where the tips continuously engage, clear, and re- enter a workpiece such as channel, angle, tube/ pipe, etc. Even when cutting flats, there is a stock orientation that produces the best non- destructive cut. A high speed steel non- ferrous metal cutting blade design will give superior results, it is a mature technology and there is little that is not understood about it. I’ll leave this thread now by stating that blade manufacturers will try and sell their product to as broad a market as is possible, even to the point of classifying the item as being acceptable for uses outside of it’s original design intention. This is most blatant with SCMS blades touted as being good for radial arm saws, and while they may work to some limited degree they aren’t always the most appropriate choice.

[Charles Coolidge]

Thanks Hank, your advice on interrupted cuts jives with what my machinist brother told me e.g. carbide vs HSS. As I had one more piece of that extruded aluminum to cut...I hacked it off with the same RAS blade last night...you people better sit down an 80 tooth Forrest The teeth well they don't looks so good afterwards DOH! So I guess its off to be re-sharpened. I have a metal cutting horizontal bandsaw picked out so this is probably the last time I'll cut metal with the RAS.