Thread: Newb's confusion Re: Table Saw blades

Originally Posted by Dibbers

2. I know i need a 10" blade for this saw. After consulting the manual (downloaded it) it says it has a "16mm centre hole to fit on the arbor". Is that the same as the bore or Arbor bore? all the blades i've seen are 20mm+

Many blades come with a set of bushes that fill the gap. Bunnings also sell these bushes separately. If there's no bush size that fits you may need to get a friendly metal worker to turn one up for you.

3. I want to do a bit of rabbeting and dadoing (probably not real words but anyway) with the saw. I know it'll be fiddly, but i figure i set the blade depth and use the micro adjuster on the fence till i get a dado at my desired width... so what type of blade would suit this in lieu of a dado stack? (don't have a router or router table yet, will default to using those for this purpose once acquired).

Any blade can be used to cut slots of some kind or other but if you want a flat bottom slot you need to get a blade that had has some teeth that are square to the bottom.

4. If i buy a new blade, do they usually have a matching riving knife to suit (i'd imagine a separate purchase)? or do i just buy a couple of knives of different widths and run with the one that suits?

I have never seen one that comes with a riving knife probably because the knife fittings are different on each saw. You don't need a knife specific to every blade it just needs to be slightly thinner than the kerf. Most folks I know that use a knife get away with a thick knife and a thin one.

1) yep circular saw blades are what you're after, find a blade that is what you're going to be using most often. Some people have just gone with a general purpose blade rather than a dedicated rip/cross cutting blades. Since you're just starting out I'd recommend going with with the general purpose blade as it'll do almost everything your after.

2) Don't worry too much about arbor, depending on where you get your blades they typically come with a bunch of washers that would suit your saw. eg most blades at Bunnings will come with a bunch of bushes to suit. If you head to a specialist blade supplier eg place that sharpens them they'll quite happily sell you one that so its not an issue.

3) If you plan on doing this often I'd suggest getting a router, have done in the past with just a blade and its time consuming, but doable, any blade should suit if you really after they do make flat top blades but they are pricey. Timbecon has one going for around $180. An ATB blade will generate a flat enough surface for you do do dados/rabbets, either way its good to go back and tidy up the cut a chisel or plane. Hence a router is a better choice as it'll give you a nearly perfect cut with minimal effort.

4) Since you're starting out I'd suggest going with the one blade that matches the stock kerf blade. However if you really want to get multiple blades with different kerfs you'll need to change the riving knife. If Dewalt doesn't sell ones of varying thickness you'll need to seek the help of a metal fabricator to make one for you (if you're not handy with metal). You can cut without a riving knife, but its not recommended as kickback isn't as fun as it sounds.

Thank you both for your replies. That clears everything up! Google seems to fail me whenever i'm seeking answers to woodworking questions.

I'll likely stick with the out of the box blade for at least the first little while, but that information is very helpful when i inevitably look to buy a new blade... I'd say most likely in January... damn boxing day sales...

@tonzeyd, I likely wont be using the table saw to cut dado's rabbets for long. I just have a project i want to get done over the holidays so that SWMBO will realise that spending copious amounts of money on power tools actually has some benefit...

One of my next projects is to buy a router and build my own router table (had a thread going on this a few days ago). I haven't done it yet because I want it to be part of a series of interlocking stands/tables for various machines all of the same height so they can each be used as in/outfeed tables for each other. I also want them to be able to be attached to my workbench. Once i get around to actually putting my thought bubble (or brain fart, jury's still out) on paper, I'll share it with the forum.

Hi Dibbers
I have the Nth American (15A, 115V) version of the DW745.
The saw uses thin-kerf blades and is fitted with a thin kerf riving knife which also carries the blade guard.
Standard kerf is 1/8" (or 3.2 mm), thin kerf is 3/32" (2.4 mm).

The supplied mitre gauge is not much chop -- which is usual for this sort of saw. I was lucky enough to pick up an Incra mitre gauge for $5 at a local garage sale, so in that respect I'm sorted.
I also built a small stand for the saw sized so I can use a table I already have as an out-feed table. I just used pine scraps and ply off cuts held together with #8 screws, and the whole job took less than an afternoon.

Dust collection on the saw is best described as an attempt. My neighbour across the road only uses his job site saw outside. I use an industrial vacuum with my saw and depending on the type of cut collect around 90-95% of the large stuff and probably less than 50% of the fine dust. If you use the saw inside your garage without BOTH a vac and a room air filter you will be breathing dust for days.

I am fortunate in that I can source Freud Industrial and Freud Diablo blades at a reasonable price.
The blade that comes with the saw (at least in Canada) is a general purpose one with very little carbide on the teeth. The saw struggles when making full depth cuts in softwood. On the other hand, when fitted with a 24 tooth ripping blade, the saw has no problems ripping full depth in softwood.
I've taken advantage of sales events at one of my local tool suppliers to purchase
a 24 tooth ripping blade -- Freud TK206
a 80 tooth cross cut blade -- Freud TK806
a 30 tooth glue line rip blade -- Freud LM75R010
a 50 tooth general purpose blade -- Diablo D1050X

I should add ...
when the project requires it, I intend buying a box joint blade -- which depending on which one I buy will allow me to create trenches up about 8 mm wide.

Got the same saw and recommend it, the fence is great.

Ian, which box joint blade do you intend to fit and where will you be buying it from ?

Originally Posted by Sam

Ian, which box joint blade do you intend to fit and where will you be buying it from ?

Either the Forrest or the Freud.
The blades cut 4 sizes of box joint (each blade set cuts 2) and I don't recall which manufacturer -- Freud or Forrest -- makes the 2nd size set.

Note that I will be buying retail in Canada.

Dibbers, my understanding is the big brother to the 745, the DWE7491, can take a dado stack. Do your own research, though. If you can afford the jump in price from $840 to $1000, this might be an option for you.

I have this saw for a year. If you plan to use it inside your garage or a workshop - do not buy it as it doesn't have a dust port. I bought a similar dust port from another Dewalt table saw but it requires some modification. It is not too hard to adjust it on a grinder but first I contacted Dewalt and asked them to help me with this. They promised to help and I haven't heard from them anymore.