Chipped carbide tip on blade

eldyfig · Post by **eldyfig** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:39 am

I have a Forrest Woodworker II Thin Kerf blade that I just removed off my SS. I was switching to drill press mode and decided to clean the blade. That's when I noticed that half of one of the carbide tips had broken off. Don't know when it happened. Haven't noticed any differences in my cuts.

Would this be a problem that I should correct immediately?
Can it be fixed or should I be ordering a new blade?

I almost feel like I should know the answer to these questions, but figured I would ask anyway. First time experience for me.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:49 am

Hi Tony! Contact Forrest to see if warranty will cover this breakage. Order up a new blade, but you could continue using this one. You should probably take care to stand clear of this blade while sawing with it just in case another piece flys off.

Buy a Shopsmith matching thin kerf blade and see if it holds up any better.

I had a carbide separation in a biscuit cutting saw, from a Shopsmith unit. They replaced the blade with no questions.

chiroindixon · Post by **chiroindixon** » Wed May 28, 2008 7:26 am

I'm sure that Forrest or another good sharpening service can replace that carbide tip. I've had it done here for one of my Shopsmith blades.

Carbide tools are great for cutting and hold edges well.....But...they can be fragile. Drop a good carbide router bit on concrete and watch it chip or worse, shatter....

Blades and other cutting tools deserve care and safe storage. While this may seem obvious, oft times bits and blades are just tossed about. It doesn't take much abuse to ruin an expensive tool. And no, abuse is normally not covered under any warranties.

Having learned the hard way, my bits and blades now have their covers/cases/rack. And boy, am I ever careful when changing bits in "drill press" mode. One SS bit dropped straight through to the floor and shattered like glass. "Jan" was sympathetic....but I paid for the new bit.

BTW....a good metal detector is another tool saver.

Doc

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Wed May 28, 2008 11:28 am

Chipped tooth on a carbide saw blade is fairly common. I think all quality sharpening services also offer tooth replacement. Depending on the age of the blade the manufacture may replace/repair it for you. I would contact the manufacture if the blade is fairly new otherwise seek out a good sharpening service in your community that can not only sharpen but will make such repairs.

I think the fact you found a broken tooth should make you cautious in the future where you place your body in relation to the spinning blade. Now that you know a chipped tooth happened once be assured it will probably happen again. The thing you want to be sure is you body is never in the line of fire.

Ed

eldyfig · Post by **eldyfig** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:17 pm

I called Forrest. They said send it on in.

Doc, what do you do with the metal detector?

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:22 pm

eldyfig wrote:I called Forrest. They said send it on in.

Doc, what do you do with the metal detector?

Check for metal in wood before you cut it, one of the causes of chipped teeth is hitting something in the wood.

I hit a screw it made a frightening sound but in my case the screw was soft and disintegrated without damage to the blade.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:10 pm

You were lucky. I hit a hard drawn wire nail. It was sort of like putting on the brakes. The blade was immediate history. The nail probably had an interesting history too. I think my grand dad called it a "pulled nail" but I might be mistaken.

This happened a number of years ago and I believe I was working with wood that I had purchased from a mill site in the Spokane, Washington area.

I think I learned that as a minimum, all rough cut lumber purchased from anyone other than a distributor should be checked with a metal detector.

dickg1 · Post by **dickg1** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:09 pm

"When we added on to our home here in NW New Jersey, I had to take down seven white oaks - several were quite large. Although I could use the wood in my fireplace, I decided to have the larger trunks lumbered. Called in a fellow with a portable saw mill and we went to work on a snowy morning. He told me that if he hit a nail and lost his saw blade it was $25.00. I bought five saw blades that morning.

A few years have past, and I m now picking some pieces off of my lumber stack. You can bet I will not run any piece through my SS saw, planer or jointer without checking for metal.

On Norm Abram's site I noticed he had the Wizard for sale. Checking Google I found the best price on Amazon and bought it (Wizard III). This is an invaluable tool. It is so sensitive to just about anything metallic that the best way to check a board is to hold it vertically and pass the wand over each side, otherwise it may pick up a metal object under the board.

If you use lumber (any lumber) you should use this tool."

I posted the above several months ago. I continue to use the Wizard III on every piece of lumber I put thru my saw, bandsaw, jointer, etc. no matter where I get it.

Subsequent to my post, Nick and Drew related how they hit hit a metal blade embedded in a sheet of Chinese plywood.

A metal detector is an essential component of my woodworking equipment.

Dick

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:22 pm

Dick,
Amazon is out of stock on the Wizard III. Rockler has it for $103.99. Do you know what you paid for it?

Bruce

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Wed May 28, 2008 10:53 pm

dickg1 wrote:"..............A few years have past, and I m now picking some pieces off of my lumber stack. You can bet I will not run any piece through my SS saw, planer or jointer without checking for metal.........................."

I posted the above several months ago. I continue to use the Wizard III on every piece of lumber I put thru my saw, bandsaw, jointer, etc. no matter where I get it.

Subsequent to my post, Nick and Drew related how they hit hit a metal blade embedded in a sheet of Chinese plywood.

A metal detector is an essential component of my woodworking equipment.

Dick

I think that is a smart move, Dick, but I am curious as to how often you actually find somethng. Do you mind telling us?