Using Table Saw Blade in Circular Saw?

[keeplookingup]

Hi folks,

i've seen some forum posts for doing the opposite (using cheap circular saw blades for thinner kerf possibilities in a table saw), but i've got a situation that has me thinking of trying something i've never heard of before... but i want to see who has thoughts about it first.

I've got some 8/4 maple butcherblock that's too huge and unwieldy to push cleanly through a table saw. I've got six 30" x 108" slabs that each need to be mated to make three 5' x 9' table tops.  I did a test run with my guys and it's just too damn hard to keep that much wood perfectly flush against the relatively short fence. if the project were completely up to me, i might've opted to built a sled, but that's not an option. It seems now like the simplest solution is to move the blade through the material instead of moving the material through the blade.

I've got a nice & new Freud Heavy Duty Rip blade (10", 5/8" arbor) that says it'll make flawless glue line joints. 

Any reason to not do this?

[Tpt life]

Don't try it. The blade guard won't fit. It is a stupid idea to try it without guard. This seems like a project to take to someone with better tooling. 

[gee-dub]

Rent a beam saw?

8/4 is not that thick however, the quality of your cut is not all about the blade (well mostly).  The feed path has to be pretty perfect as well.  The Glue-line Rip will do an outstanding job on a well tuned tablesaw ripping properly milled stock.  By hand you will need some sort of guide.

[Tpt life]

Ok, reflection has cleared my head. Circular saws cut plenty deep enough for 8/4" material. You don't want a table saw blade. You are just looking for a quality 7.25" blade. Festool makes a great track saw. You are looking to home engineer a similar setup? I cannot help very much. I am a fan of Irwin Marathon, but never trust them for perfect cuts as my saw is not up to that task. My comment about better tooling might not be far off. A cool beverage and a little coin for blade wear might get you some time in a shop where they have a track saw. 

[Pwk5017]

Is this a rip cut to joint an edge or crosscut to square a glue up? I don't know if a homemade solution will be good enough to joint an edge. Maybe if you have a no7-8 to clean up the edge. I'm not convinced a track saw is a good straight line solution. You need a jointer. If you are in Pittsburgh, I'll fix your tables up no problem. $100/HR  

[TerryMcK]

Tracksaw will do this as Carus has already said - the saw is its own sled on a track. When the workpiece is too big to take to the tool then take the tool to the workpiece.

[..Kev]

Yep..  This is exactly where a track saw shines!

[bleedinblue]

For a project that big, buy a track saw.  If you don't want the track saw when the project is done, you can sell it and recoup 95% of the price.

[Pwk5017]

for 1.75" cut depth he needs the TS75. For 108" cut length, he needs another track. If you do this often, buy the tool. If this is a one time project, sub out to a shop. TS75 and added track will be close to a grand. used 8" jointer to joint that edge is close to a grand. 

[bleedinblue]

The TS55 can't cut 8/4?  I thought the 55 was for 55 mm of cutting depth.  That's a tad more than two inches.

[Tpt life]

In a cabinet shop, I would not be looking for a jointer. I'd be looking for an edge sander. 108" is a long piece. 

[Pwk5017]

8 minutes ago, bleedinblue said:

The TS55 can't cut 8/4?  I thought the 55 was for 55 mm of cutting depth.  That's a tad more than two inches.

Yeah, i think in theory it should, but i thought the cut capacity on the regular track saws was 1.5" or something. You lose 1/8" or more to the track. I will look it up, but it's less than 2". However, milled 8/4 is also less than 2", so he might be ok.

[bleedinblue]

I don't have one so you may be right, I don't know.  It does seem that more people would go for the 75 over the 55 if it can't cut 8/4 though.  That's a big limitation.

[Pwk5017]

Ok, im a dummy and trashed the TS55 for cut capacity. It will cut 1 15/16" on the track at 90° and 1 7/16" at 45°. That should work for milled 8/4, unless your mill is extremely generous. 

 

I have the TS75, and it is kind of lame on thick hardwood. If the OP will do this with any regularity(I crosscut butcher block several times a week), then he needs/wants the 75. If its a one time deal, then the ts55 would be cheaper. 

 

[Llama]

If you were close to me, I'd help you for a six pack.

If you knew a guy with a sliding tablesaw, you'd be done in about 5 minutes.

[wdwerker]

I've got a sliding tablesaw but it'll cost you an hour of sweeping or sanding !

<evil grin >

[bleedinblue]

I'm not sure which is worse...sweeping or sanding.

[mat60]

Sanding

[wtnhighlander]

Sweeping AFTER sanding.

[Chestnut]

11 hours ago, bleedinblue said:

I'm not sure which is worse...sweeping or sanding.

Sanding by far. I enjoy sweeping. Moping is even better.