Best blade for ripping zebrawood

[mark mcconachie]

Small project upcoming requires I rip some coveted zebrawood. Anybody have a recommendation for proper blade? TPI etc, not nec a brand.

Thanks in advance!

MarknPT

[Bill McNiel]

Are you using a bandsaw, track saw, table saw or....?

[mark mcconachie]

Ooops, tablesaw

[Bill Dindner]

I’ve got loads of Zebrawood that I was given by a retiring pro-woodworker a few years back, I’ve used it extensively. It’s not very hard to work, it’s somewhat prone to chipping out, depending on the grain orientation which can be challenging considering the grain can be all over the place. For example, when routing a 1/4” round over, I’ll take it in 3 progressive passes, instead of 1 like I would on many other species.

Additionally, it’s prone to burning, similar to cherry, make sure your blades are sharp and clean. If you want to be extra careful, use a dedicated rip-blade especially if you are cutting some 8 or 12/4 stock. I wouldn’t over think this though, just use whatever blade that you have gotten good results on other hardwoods.

I'm not really sure why you are referring to Zebrawood as precious, at least in NYC, it’s not much more expensive than Mahogany or other premium species, my local Hardwood dealer sells it for around $12 a BF, definitely not cheap, but not too expensive to be afraid to take a few test cuts to see what works best. No reason to buy a new blade before seeing how yours perform.

[Erik Loza]

Any good ripper. Probably in the 24-tooth range if a 12" blade. As Bill mentioned, working around the grain orientation will be the biggest issue. Best of luck.

Erik

[mark mcconachie]

I'm not really sure why you are referring to Zebrawood as precious, at least in NYC, .....

I didn't say precious, but coveted...matter of preference I suppose. Plus, I don't live in NYC!

Thanks for the reply, I did use a freshly sharpened 40t thin kerf and it went well.