I am looking to purchase new saw blades for my SS, although i don't believe the blade is all that worn, I really have a difficult time ripping anything like a 2x6. I'm wondering what are some oppions on the ss blades? I seem to remember reading some negative stuff about them, but not sure where or if it was even a ss product. I would most likely by the deluxe package that comes with 3 blades (carbide tip combo blade, hollow ground and plywood blade.)
Thanks
Hagar
SS saw blades, good or bad?
Moderators: HopefulSSer, admin
I would not waste my money on a non-carbide blade unless you like sharpening steel blades. The SS carbide blades are good blades, in my opinion, but have opted for a couple of thin-kerf blades. One is the Forrest Woodworker II, which although expensive, is a excellent blade. My other blade is an Hitachi that I bought at Lowe's. I think it has about 60 teeth. I use it for my general purpose blade and the WWII for hardwood joinery. I had the WWII bored to 1 1/4" for the standard SS arbor. I bought a 5/8" arbor for the Hitachi blade.
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SS Saw Blades, Good or Bad
The SS saw blades are good. You get what you pay for. I have some that are not carbide but I don't remember when they were last mounted.
I use the SS carbide blades almost exclusively. I use thin kerf blades almost exclusively.
What is the best? That question will draw a wide variety of answers. I believe it will be very hard to find a blade better than top of the line Forrest. I have one that was given to me, it is a thin kerf that cost about $120. It is sweet but I hardly ever use it. I am saving it for the appropriate task.
I believe that if you are going to spend that kind of money on a blade then you should be spending a comparible amount of money on the wood that you are using.
If you buy your lumber at Lowes, Home Depot, Menards or the like then you don't need a Forrest. Incidently, we can have this same discussion about router bits and the answers will be just as diverse.
___________________
Making Sawdust Safely
I use the SS carbide blades almost exclusively. I use thin kerf blades almost exclusively.
What is the best? That question will draw a wide variety of answers. I believe it will be very hard to find a blade better than top of the line Forrest. I have one that was given to me, it is a thin kerf that cost about $120. It is sweet but I hardly ever use it. I am saving it for the appropriate task.
I believe that if you are going to spend that kind of money on a blade then you should be spending a comparible amount of money on the wood that you are using.
If you buy your lumber at Lowes, Home Depot, Menards or the like then you don't need a Forrest. Incidently, we can have this same discussion about router bits and the answers will be just as diverse.
___________________
Making Sawdust Safely
Instead of buying a new SS blade, you may want to consider getting it sharpened. That's a lot less expensive than a new blade. I've got a Shopsmith carbide combo and it performed excellent. I just need to get it sharpened one of these days. I use, almost exclusively, thin kerf combos. It may not seem like much of a difference, but there's a lot less strain on a motor as it's not trying to spin as much steel. Plus, with a thin kerf, you're not wasting as much wood. I use primarily cherry and walnut, occaisionally mahogany, and I hate seeing money going up in sawdust in the kerf. Stay away from steel blades. With the longevity of carbide, steel just isn't worth the effort or expense.
Eric
Rock Creek Designs
Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!
Rock Creek Designs
Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!
Shopsmith has a 24 tooth ripping blade which is probably a good investment if you are doing a lot of ripping of long boards (pn 555959).
Sometimes the grain of the wood is such that the gap/kerf wants to close up thus "squeezing" the blade. It is a good idea to have a helper on the outfeed of the saw with a short screwdriver or other type of wedge to insert in the kerf to keep it open.
Sometimes the grain of the wood is such that the gap/kerf wants to close up thus "squeezing" the blade. It is a good idea to have a helper on the outfeed of the saw with a short screwdriver or other type of wedge to insert in the kerf to keep it open.
Maybe a few short wedges would be better than a screwdriver if the splitter isn't enough.8iowa wrote:Shopsmith has a 24 tooth ripping blade which is probably a good investment if you are doing a lot of ripping of long boards (pn 555959).
Sometimes the grain of the wood is such that the gap/kerf wants to close up thus "squeezing" the blade. It is a good idea to have a helper on the outfeed of the saw with a short screwdriver or other type of wedge to insert in the kerf to keep it open.