Off and on I’ve had a ‘discussion’ with a neighbor over his tablesaw blade. He is of the opinion that a cheap steel blade will last nearly forever. For clean pieces of wood (no nails/staples/etc), I wouldn’t trade in my carbide blades, and I’ve told him its worth spending a few $$ to get a decent one (not expensive, just decent $40-80 range).
Last weekend I heard his saw whinning away and went over and watched him make some cuts for a bookshelf. His ts has plenty of power, but that dull steel blade is like using a butter knife to cut leather. He was having to physically apply a great deal of force just to get the thing to cut. In my book, that is WAAAy unsafe (it might not cut wood, but it will still take your fingers off).
So when he went to make a second cut on a plank, I told him I’d do it on my ts. The combination cut carbide blade on my saw has quite a bit of wear on it, but compared to his worn steel blade, it was a hot knife through butter.
I took a pic of each cut and merged them into one pic. See if you can tell which cut is which.
For what it was worth, I think he was planning on going out this week and picking up a Freud blade.
I think I’ll go post this in knots too and see what they think.
Replies
John,
When I was a lad, my father taught me a very important principle in a few words. He said that dull knives are unsafe, because you have to press too hard, and are no longer under control. It was the first thing I thought of when I read your post.
If your friend has any awareness at all, a whole new world will open up for him when he puts on the new blade. If he's really dull, sharp tools may not impress him as much. I hope for his sake that he gets the difference right away.
Bill
Steel can be sharpened sharper than carbide...
Steel dulls alot faster...
The burned cut was with a dull blade or an out of alingement saw or too fast of a feed rate or a stop the cut action...
The signs of a steel blade in poor health is the top one but I know yur gonna say the carbide did the top cut...
Either way the blade that did the top cut needs help...
No comparison...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
The burned cut was with a dull blade or an out of alingement saw or too fast of a feed rate or a stop the cut action...
VERY dull blade and a fairly hard plank.
The signs of a steel blade in poor health is the top one but I know yur gonna say the carbide did the top cut...
The burned one was the steel blade. Not only burned, but not a flat cut either. Run your hand along it and its grooved and bumpy. I don't know if his alignment is off as well as having a dull blade.
The REALLY funny thing is, this is the kind of guy that will go out and spend $1k for a table saw, and then puts a $10 blade on it. Something wrong there.
jt8
guess I was wrong..hmmm it musta been real dull to leave such a wide flat burn..that is normally a sign of a carbide side of the tooth kind of thing.
Help the poor schmuck b4 he kills someone with a kickback.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Well, maybe not - back in my moonlighting-to-pay-off-the-mortgage woodworking days, we used to buy HSS 'hollow-ground planer' blades from Sears a dozen at a time, touch them up regularly until they no longer delivered a cut that didn't require sanding, and then chuck them. In a rip configuration on pine, this was an economically sound plan.
It's similar with routers, a sharp HSS bit can product a much crisper cut (e.g. for door hardware, windows, fine veneered playwoods, etc).
.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Edited 11/3/2004 1:25 am ET by Phill Giles
I agree Imerc.
I really, really, really miss my steel blades. Before the advent of cheap carbide, all we had was steel. There isn't anything faster than a well sharpened steel blade.
I used to have to file my blades at least once per day. I'd "touch it up". A touch up was two light strokes...I always kept my file with me in my work bench. I could touch up any blade faster than I could change one.
But whoa is me if you hit a nail! Then, I'd have to do more than touch it up...I'd have to file it hard...usually three hits per tooth. Then I'd go looking for the rookie that put the nail in the wrong spot! In those days, we hand pouded every nail and you didn't dare put a nail where it didn't belong!
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, some of it is viewed as boogerin and not consistent with views of those who prefer to overbuild everything...including their own egos
Additionally, don't take any political advice from me. I'm just a parrot for the Republican talking points. I get all my news from Rush Limbaugh and Fox and Friends (they are funny...try them out)!
Thats a dull carbide burn, or a pizz poor job of feeding. Imerc is right, HSS gets a LOT sharper than Carbide, it just don't last as long.
Router bits will REALLY wake you up to that fact.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.