estesbubba Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 After some thinking and research on my burning wood post, I started to think about thin kerf blades. It seems they have come a long way in the past 10 years and more people are using them on their higher power saws. How many of you use thin kerf blades on your 3+HP saw and do you like them? If you use thin kerf, do you only use them or a mix with full kerf? Of course if you mix them then your fence crosshair will need adjusted. Just wondering if I get a new blade if I should consider the thin kerf path? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottacat Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I used to use thin kerf blades when I had a contractors saw. Now that I have a 3 HP cabinet saw I use full kerf blades. I would consider using a thin kerf rip blade but as you observed it requires re-adjusting of the fence crosshair. This would be even more of a PITA for me as I usually keep a full kerf combo blade on and I use it to rip shorter pieces of stock. Thus I'd have to go all thin kerf or none. I haven't had any issues with full kerf blades bogging down so I just don't see a reason to go thin at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 My question is why use thin kerf on a powerful saw? Use full kerf. Thin kerf helps the under power saw get through the material better. That would be like having a 1/2 collet router and using only 1/4" router bits? Wood saving for the hobby guy? Don't agree with that argument. Maybe thin kerf blades are cheaper than full kerf. But then why sweat expensive blades on an expensive saw? -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 First 3hp is not a powerful saw. You will benefit from owning a thin kerf blade on thick stock anything over 8/4 and many 8/4 woods. I don't use the fence indicator anyways so don't care its a general guide not a final setting tool. I have a 5hp saw and it does much better with a thin kerf with thick wood, I don't bother with a thin kerf on thinner stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I use thin kerf blades on my 1 1/2 hp 120 v UniSaw it makes a difference when ripping . There is a noticeable difference in the amount of pressure it takes to push stock with a thin kerf blade, especially if you have a lot of it to do. Occasionally,I use them on my 5 hp 240v UniSaw w the sliding crosscut table but the scale is very easy to adjust. But if you only have one 3 hp plus saw I don't see the need unless you plan to mass rip expensive or scarce wood. Saving 1/32 per rip adds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I have a 3HP... used a thin kerf in my old contractors saw, don't let them near my 3HP one. Haven't bogged it down yet. I use full kerf sharp rip and crosscut blades. One thing to keep in mind if you use thin kerf is that your standard riving knife will not allow a through cut. I think some manufacturers sell a thin kerf version though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I have some specialty joinery and custom grinds in 5/64th and 3/32nd… True to their name, these are for specific purposes and spend little time on the saw… I’ve got a fair stash of high-Janka stock out to 20/4 or so – including several hundred bf in 12/4. I tend to process full-kerf out to about 1800J (Rosewood), then switch to a #6 grind (ATBR) thin-kerf… Anything over 3500J is processed on the bandsaw… As an example, I just finished a project with 100+bf 12/4 QS Padauk – that was processed full-kerf and without issue… But that was newly sharpened blade… Other than those special cases (which are rare), I process full-kerf... The caveat being that I keep my blades sharp --- at the earliest sign of dulling, they are sent for sharpening… If you tend to postpone sharpening till the end of the project, you might benefit from a thin-kerf blade… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 My 5hp saw maxes out at 3" and complains about that. Even the 10hp northfields with 18" blades we used maxed out at 5". Even those saws would grunt with 3" hard woods. There is a big difference between feeding stock and pushing stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 There are pros and cons with each type. I had quite a few TK blades until I bought a 3hp cabinet saw, then started migrating to full kerf whenever I bought a new blade. There are two major incentives for using TK.... 1) A 1/8" full kerf blade is 33% wider than a 3/32" TK blade so a TK is easier to spin...it can be quite noticeable on smaller saws on thicker materials. 2) Less stock is consumed with a TK blade....not much of a concern until you get into higher volumes of expensive stock. WIth a 3hp saw there's less incentive to bother with the TK's. Since full kerf blades are inherently more stable and the math is easier, I usually just stick with full kerf now, but I could use a TK blade if I wanted to....one big concern when switching kerf widths is that the blade has to be wider than the riving knife or splitter blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 ==>5hp saw? several over the years... mostly 4.2kw and 5.5kw... around 4.x HP to 7.x HP give or take... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Sounds like since I already have FK blades and fence and sleds are already setup to use us FK, there would be little benefit to using TK and also the PITA factor. For once, this site actually saved me money 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I use a think kerf ripping blade, because it's what I had when I upgraded to a 3HP saw. my normal 'go-to' blade is a full kerf, because I bought it when I already had the 3HP. As PB said, even a 3+HP saw will benefit from going to a TK blade, but only you can answer if it is worth it" to buy a whole different set of blades if you already have FK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I use thin kerf on my 1.5HP Craftsman zip code style saw and can mow through 8/4 wood fairly well with little to no burning. When I do get burning it is usually technique failure where the wood has come off the fence. My splitter is thinner than the blade but not by much and I think it has caused some issues in the past and I have been tempted to replace it with something inexpensive. I hope this helps.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I ripped some 9/4 Red Gum this morning on my 3HP using my WWII FK blade. It totally bogged down and I got quite a bit of burn. I had to pause mid cut and put a wedge in to keep the pinch to a minimum. This was the first time that a board pinched so tight that the knife didn't help. I should have switched out to my TK blade with this very hard and thick board, but i thought my new saw would cut the mustard, nope. So, yeah what Particle Board said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I had to pause mid cut and put a wedge in to keep the pinch to a minimum. This was the first time that a board pinched so tight that the knife didn't help. No table saw will rip it cleanly/well/etc if it's got that much tension...that board was a good candidate for ripping on the bandsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I ripped some 9/4 Red Gum this morning on my 3HP using my WWII FK blade. It totally bogged down and I got quite a bit of burn. I had to pause mid cut and put a wedge in to keep the pinch to a minimum. This was the first time that a board pinched so tight that the knife didn't help. I should have switched out to my TK blade with this very hard and thick board, but i thought my new saw would cut the mustard, nope. So, yeah what Particle Board said. The knife does not help keep the kerf open per se. The knife keeps the pinch from binding the saw blade with potentially disastrous result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I ripped some 9/4 Red Gum this morning on my 3HP using my WWII FK blade. It totally bogged down and I got quite a bit of burn. I had to pause mid cut and put a wedge in to keep the pinch to a minimum. This was the first time that a board pinched so tight that the knife didn't help. I should have switched out to my TK blade with this very hard and thick board, but i thought my new saw would cut the mustard, nope. So, yeah what Particle Board said. Sounds to me like a 20T - 24T rip blade was in order for that particular board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I rip most 8/4 and thicker on the bandsaw. If I need to I'll clean it up on the jointer or make a skim cut on the TS. Big sticks and table saws aren't all that friendly IMO. And much of the time a thick piece of wood will move enough after a rip that it needs to be jointed again anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Sounds to me like a 20T - 24T rip blade was in order for that particular board. Sounds more to me like its time to use the right tool for the job. These little saws may seem like powerful tools to some and they are compared to a circular saw but the reality is they do have limitations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I ripped some 9/4 Red Gum this morning on my 3HP using my WWII FK blade. It totally bogged down and I got quite a bit of burn. I had to pause mid cut and put a wedge in to keep the pinch to a minimum. This was the first time that a board pinched so tight that the knife didn't help. I should have switched out to my TK blade with this very hard and thick board, but i thought my new saw would cut the mustard, nope. So, yeah what Particle Board said. This is a material problem, not a blade thickness issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 ==>This is a material problem, not a blade thickness issue. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I rip most 8/4 and thicker on the bandsaw. If I need to I'll clean it up on the jointer or make a skim cut on the TS. Big sticks and table saws aren't all that friendly IMO. And much of the time a thick piece of wood will move enough after a rip that it needs to be jointed again anyway. I agree. I rip 90 maybe 95% of all HW stock on my bandsaw. Most of it will need some sort of edge treatment anyways. Even if Im just making a bunch of straight sticks all the same size Its bandsaw, jointer then shaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 If my table saw had the blade hight, I would rip all the thick stuff on my table saw. So much easier. Suck's ripping boards on the band saw. I mean you have that small saw deck to deal with. Rig an outfit table up and no SUBSTANCIAL fence to index from. Just a lot of work But thats just me. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 If my table saw had the blade hight, I would rip all the thick stuff on my table saw. So much easier. Suck's ripping boards on the band saw. I mean you have that small saw deck to deal with. Rig an outfit table up and no SUBSTANCIAL fence to index from. Just a lot of work But thats just me. -Ace- Boils back to right tool for the job. Little bandsaw is not going to do much good when it comes to ripping stock. Probably more of a pain than dealing with a little tablesaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Ace, How small of a bandsaw are we talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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