8" thin kerf blades...

[Timbo]

I've been making foot long segmented spindles which are about 2" square. I cut these into 1/8" slices which I glue together to make wine stopper blanks. After spending time carefully making the spindles, I want to use the thinnest blade possible when cutting the slices in order to minimize waste.

Using a band saw is not an option because it does not leave a smooth enough surface. I'm currently using a 7-1/4 Freud Diablo D0740R thin kerf blade, which leaves a very smooth glue ready surface, but the diameter is not great enough to give me the height to cut completely through a 2" spindle. I could get a 10" thin kerf blade, but I was wondering if there was a good option that would give a thinner kerf than the 10" blade, but would also give me a little more height than the 7-1/4" I'm currently using. I was thinking the Freud LU83R008 8-Inch 40 Tooth ATB Thin Kerf Combination Saw Blade might be a good option. Has anyone used this blade or something similar and can offer a recommendation. Thanks.

 

[jttheclockman]

I've been making foot long segmented spindles which are about 2" square. I cut these into 1/8" slices which I glue together to make wine stopper blanks. After spending time carefully making the spindles, I want to use the thinnest blade possible when cutting the slices in order to minimize waste.

Using a band saw is not an option because it does not leave a smooth enough surface. I'm currently using a 7-1/4 Freud Diablo D0740R thin kerf blade, which leaves a very smooth glue ready surface, but the diameter is not great enough to give me the height to cut completely through a 2" spindle. I could get a 10" thin kerf blade, but I was wondering if there was a good option that would give a thinner kerf than the 10" blade, but would also give me a little more height than the 7-1/4" I'm currently using. I was thinking the Freud LU83R008 8-Inch 40 Tooth ATB Thin Kerf Combination Saw Blade might be a good option. Has anyone used this blade or something similar and can offer a recommendation. Thanks.

Frued saw blades are some of the best on the market and resonably priced so you can not go wrong there. My question is why 8" You can get 9" and even 10" blades that cut the same kerf or damn close. You are talking .083 for the 8" and .090 (9") to .091(10") difference. If you do go for the 8" make sure it is made for what ever tool you are using it for. A tablesaw blade is not made for miter saws and vice versa. We had this discussion on a previous post somewhere here just recently.

Not sure what type blanks these are but if you are making segmented round blanks the best way is to make them stave constructed so that the pattern is consistent all around it.

 

[Timbo]

I've been making foot long segmented spindles which are about 2" square. I cut these into 1/8" slices which I glue together to make wine stopper blanks. After spending time carefully making the spindles, I want to use the thinnest blade possible when cutting the slices in order to minimize waste.

Using a band saw is not an option because it does not leave a smooth enough surface. I'm currently using a 7-1/4 Freud Diablo D0740R thin kerf blade, which leaves a very smooth glue ready surface, but the diameter is not great enough to give me the height to cut completely through a 2" spindle. I could get a 10" thin kerf blade, but I was wondering if there was a good option that would give a thinner kerf than the 10" blade, but would also give me a little more height than the 7-1/4" I'm currently using. I was thinking the Freud LU83R008 8-Inch 40 Tooth ATB Thin Kerf Combination Saw Blade might be a good option. Has anyone used this blade or something similar and can offer a recommendation. Thanks.

Frued saw blades are some of the best on the market and resonably priced so you can not go wrong there. My question is why 8" You can get 9" and even 10" blades that cut the same kerf or damn close. You are talking .083 for the 8" and .090 (9") to .091(10") difference. If you do go for the 8" make sure it is made for what ever tool you are using it for. A tablesaw blade is not made for miter saws and vice versa. We had this discussion on a previous post somewhere here just recently.

Not sure what type blanks these are but if you are making segmented round blanks the best way is to make them stave constructed so that the pattern is consistent all around it.

Thanks. The Diablo blade I currently own is great, and the Freud reviews on Amazon were very good, so I have to agree with you about the quality.

I don't need a 9" blade to cut a 2" square spindle, which is about as big as I make them. The difference between .083 and .090 may not seem that great, but its the difference between getting enough slices out of a 12" spindle to complete 4 segmented stopper blanks instead of only 3.


I'm gluing up four 1" perfectly square spindles of different species to make one 2" square spindle. I not really having any problems with alignment. However, the advice is appreciated.

I've been using the diablo 7-1/4" blades in my table saw for several years now for projects where I need a thin kerf, or for when I don't want to use my good 10" blade...like for cutting Corian. I have not had any problems but if you locate that post I'd be interested in reading it.

 

[skiprat]

John, Yes I tried the damned search funtion...:wink::biggrin private joke )but please post a link to that thread. I really had no idea that there was a difference either. Is it safety or technically non-interchangeable?

 

[redneckmedic]

Tag for reference

 

[GaryMGg]

TAC:
I have no thread reference AND might not have seen the discussion referenced, however:
The rake on a blade made for a chop saw is different than one made for a table saw and vice-versa. Using them in the wrong machine may cause a kickback.
On a chopsaw, it can lift the workpiece off the base and may cause unnecessary injury.
Note the use of May (or can)--one might do these things incorrectly/unsafely/luckily for years and never know or get hurt
OR one might get bit because of the improper use of equipment.

Be smart, be safe and use good judgement. Buy the blade made for the machine it's intended to be used in.

 

[jttheclockman]

Hello Tim

I understand you dilemma and if the blade is what you need then go ahead and buy it. Like i said i use Freud blades all the time as my regular everyday blades and they are a very good quality blade and they stand behind them. I look forward to seeing the blanks you made because I am all over the segmenting thing.

The thread I was referring to was when someone asked about how they cut their blanks. Here is the link ( my responses are on pages 3 and 4)and on the 4th page I give a link to an article that explains differences in saw blades. Gary touched on it a bit in his response. Good luck.

How do you cut your blanks? (

1 2 3 ... Last Page)

 

[GaryMGg]

And here'a some advice from a leading manufacturer:
The Right Blade
Other manfacturers offer similar technical advice.

 

[Timbo]

Thanks guys...I read both links provided. Good info!

 

[skiprat]

Thanks gents....( and John too..:biggrin

 

[Timbo]

Hello Tim

I understand you dilemma and if the blade is what you need then go ahead and buy it. Like i said i use Freud blades all the time as my regular everyday blades and they are a very good quality blade and they stand behind them. I look forward to seeing the blanks you made because I am all over the segmenting thing.

The thread I was referring to was when someone asked about how they cut their blanks. Here is the link ( my responses are on pages 3 and 4)and on the 4th page I give a link to an article that explains differences in saw blades. Gary touched on it a bit in his response. Good luck.

How do you cut your blanks? (

1 2 3 ... Last Page)

There's nothing to fancy about the spindles I put together to cut into slices. The only trick is to make sure the pieces I use for the glue-up are perfectly square so that there will be no gaps at the seams.

View in Gallery

I don't have any photos of the blanks produced from gluing up the slices from the spindles, but I'm sure you can figure it out by looking at the patterns in the completed stoppers.

View in Gallery

 

[jfoh]

One trick I learned with ultra thin blades is that they need to cut all the way through the wood and have about a half inch of the blade above the wood. This reduces heat buildup and prolongs the blade life. Also only carbide tipped blades last very long. The one I use cuts a perfect 1/16" kerf for segmenting work and had built in/on blade stiffeners. This make the max. cut about 2 1/2" but give a vibration free and perfectly smooth finished surface.

The local Rockler had a very nice ultra thin blade on their bargain table for about 40% off. I got the feeling they were not going to be a in store stock item and was just being discounted to free up space. If you have a local Rockler it might be worth a look.

 

[Timbo]

One trick I learned with ultra thin blades is that they need to cut all the way through the wood and have about a half inch of the blade above the wood. This reduces heat buildup and prolongs the blade life. Also only carbide tipped blades last very long. The one I use cuts a perfect 1/16" kerf for segmenting work and had built in/on blade stiffeners. This make the max. cut about 2 1/2" but give a vibration free and perfectly smooth finished surface.

The local Rockler had a very nice ultra thin blade on their bargain table for about 40% off. I got the feeling they were not going to be a in store stock item and was just being discounted to free up space. If you have a local Rockler it might be worth a look.

Thanks Jon! I don't have a Rockler near me...its a good thing for my wallet that I don't. I have pretty much decided on getting the 8" Freud blade.

I'm on my 4th Freud 7-1/4" blade. The most important thing I've found with this very thin blade is that it needs to be very sharp if you want a glass smooth cut. As soon as I see a slightly rougher surface I know the blade had dulled to the point where I don't want to use it for segmenting anymore. However, it's still good enough for cutting wood or corian pen blanks to length.

 

[jttheclockman]

Hello Tim

I understand you dilemma and if the blade is what you need then go ahead and buy it. Like i said i use Freud blades all the time as my regular everyday blades and they are a very good quality blade and they stand behind them. I look forward to seeing the blanks you made because I am all over the segmenting thing.

The thread I was referring to was when someone asked about how they cut their blanks. Here is the link ( my responses are on pages 3 and 4)and on the 4th page I give a link to an article that explains differences in saw blades. Gary touched on it a bit in his response. Good luck.

How do you cut your blanks? (

1 2 3 ... Last Page)

There's nothing to fancy about the spindles I put together to cut into slices. The only trick is to make sure the pieces I use for the glue-up are perfectly square so that there will be no gaps at the seams.

View in gallery

I don't have any photos of the blanks produced from gluing up the slices from the spindles, but I'm sure you can figure it out by looking at the patterns in the completed stoppers.

View in gallery

Tim very nicely done. I figured you were doing something like that. You can stagger the pattern 45 degrees with each layer and make all kinds of nice patterns too. What I am surprised at though is why you don't alternate the grain directions. By doing that you have a better glue joint and less wood movement, even though with those small pieces you won't have much. With segmenting there is a world of ideas out there. With that simple pattern you can change rotation of the colors, change wood species., add a black veneer strip between all the pieces, Add a solid band between layers and so on and so on. Endless. Thanks for showing.

 

[Timbo]

I'll definitely be experimenting some more. CSUSA had a selection of spindles on sale before Christmas at a pretty good discount, they were offering $5 shipping also, so I picked up a bunch.