tperson Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 Had some sawblade weirdness over the weekend while I was working on chairs…the TS wouldn’t/couldn’t rip a straight line. Thought it was the lumber at first, figured I must have neglected to joint the edge after the previous rip so I grabbed a new piece and started over. Same result, about 3/16” narrower at one end than the other. Huh…maybe I didn’t keep it pushed against the fence (out came the featherboard). Nope, same result. Go slow, pay attention. Same result. Check squareness of the fence. Nope, hasn’t moved. (lots of headscratching and mumbling to myself) Swapped out the blade and all was good…unfortunately I’m low on lumber and this “learning experience" sucked up my surplus and sucked the momentum out of the build. Anyone had something similar? No teeth were missing, no obvious signs damage…just fine one cut, cutting circles the next. Not that it should matter, but I run a Freud 7.25 high-tooth-count (40-60, depending) circular saw blade 99% of the time. Blades are cheap (~$16), will cut through 1.75” and allow you to cut quicker since the saw doesn’t have to work as hard to spin a smaller blade. 1 Quote
Popular Post Tpt life Posted January 22 Popular Post Report Posted January 22 High tooth count blades struggle to rip. It introduces a lot of heat, which can lead to an accumulation of pitch or lignin on the blade. Clean and sharp are both areas, that when neglected, can lead to that result. Also, smaller blades tend to be thinner plate. Heat makes them misbehave faster. 3 Quote
tperson Posted January 22 Author Report Posted January 22 understood and agreed, I've experienced warp caused by heat before...but this was different...the time between the "good" cut and the "bad" cut was probably 15 minutes, plenty of time to cool down (unless it was permanent deformation). When I turned the saw on with the bad blade, I didn't notice any runout...nor did I see anything strange when it was removed and placed on the saw. On 1/22/2025 at 2:45 PM, Tpt life said: Also, smaller blades tend to be thinner plate. Heat makes them misbehave faster. Also agreed. The thin kerf it part of my attraction and, given my workpace, is an acceptable tradeoff with heating. Quote
Coop Posted January 23 Report Posted January 23 I’d give the bad blade another try on some scrap lumber. Given all that you’ve said, it sounds like the blade wasn’t running true, like maybe it was hung up on the last thread of the arbor or something similar. 1 Quote
Mark J Posted January 23 Report Posted January 23 You can use a straight edge to confirm the suspect blade is still flat. By the way, did the rip cut get wider on the leading end of the board, or at the trailing edge? How thick was the board you were cutting? Quote
roughsawn Posted January 24 Report Posted January 24 Check the runout on the blade, while on the saw. Frued makes a 10" rip blade, that has a thin kerf. I bought one for re-sawing 2" lumber. It is amazing, and cuts like a hot knife thru butter. If you are worried about power, look into it and maybe try one. 1 Quote
tperson Posted January 24 Author Report Posted January 24 On 1/23/2025 at 9:47 AM, Mark J said: You can use a straight edge to confirm the suspect blade is still flat. By the way, did the rip cut get wider on the leading end of the board, or at the trailing edge? How thick was the board you were cutting? * I laid the blade on the table of the saw and didnt notice anything * Leading edge was proper width, trailing edge ~3/16 narrow over 30" * 3/4" On 1/23/2025 at 7:18 PM, roughsawn said: Check the runout on the blade, while on the saw. Frued makes a 10" rip blade, that has a thin kerf. I bought one for re-sawing 2" lumber. It is amazing, and cuts like a hot knife thru butter. If you are worried about power, look into it and maybe try one. * Good thought, I might do that tonight. * good to know, I'll check into it. I'm not worried about umph, it's a 3Hp saw...but a 7.25" blade makes it feel unstoppable! 1 Quote
danbell78 Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 What advantage are you trying to get by running a 7.25in blade on a 3Hp table saw? I think a 3Hp table saw has plenty of umph for 2" lumber if feed rate is reasonable. A 7.25in blade may struggle to get the gullets cleaned out on a 2in board. Quote
wtnhighlander Posted January 30 Report Posted January 30 Such blades are great for cutting high-wear materials (sheet goods) and lumber that may have embedded foreign material. 1 Quote
tperson Posted January 30 Author Report Posted January 30 On 1/29/2025 at 6:45 PM, wtnhighlander said: ...and lumber that may have embedded foreign material. I think this is where it originated, I went through a "barn-wood" phase and found all kinds of things (nails, screws, fencing staples, bullets, etc.). 1 Quote
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