Circular saw blade for SCMS

[Robbo1967]

Hi all, I need a new 10' blade for my SCMS and have heard somewhere that it needs to be a dedicated mitre saw blade. Does anyone know if this is the case or can I use a circular saw blade.

The mitre saw blades at bunnings are about $50 dearer than the circ saw blades and I cant see any difference.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Rob

[Glenn_M]

Probably price varies with number of teeth (and quality). Mitre saws should use cross cutting blades with 80-100 teeth being common on a 10" blade.

Circular saw blades usually have ripping or combination blade in the range of 20-40 teeth (for a 235mm).

More teeth = more cost.

That said there may be other differences between blades (angle of teeth? Kerf?) I'm not sure. The only thing I am sure of is that someone here will have an idea so stay tuned viewers:D

Cheers,

Glenn

[scooter]

I think dedicated mitre saw blades typically have a lower rake angle on each tooth than the corresponding size table saw blades.


Cheers.................Sean

[Iain]

SCMS blades, as Scooter has pointed out, have a negative rake, I think it is 9 degrees typically.
This is to help prevent kickback with the angle of approach to the timber being cut.
Have a look at Northwood Tools and see what he has on offer, I bought an Avenger blade off him two years ago and it has proved to be quite good.
Avenger are no longer made but I am sure Colin said something about this being a bit of badge engineering and he has now sourced the same blade.

[Robbo1967]

Thanks guys, I will be going for the dedicated mitre saw blade. Appreciate your responses

Rob

[Ticky]

Rob, check out Queenstown Sawworks.
Pay the extra for quatity, it will save you money in the long run.

Steve

[Robbo1967]

Thanks Steve, that is right near where I live. I will check them out

Rob

[markharrison]

Also look at the Makita blades. They are rebranded Systimatic blades and the cut is very, very clean and smooth.

[Joe Townsville]

Hello,
My first post, so be gentle!

I have recently had a variety of saw blades and saws (panel, tenon etc) sharpened. Some of the saws are very old. The circular saws include a Triton and a GMC SCMS.

The saw doctor (specialist, not hardware store, locksmith etc) suggested that I replace the GMC saw blade with a Koyou. He said it was far better than the GMC one. I followed his advice, and was impressed. The blade cost about $100 and did well, especially in fineness of cut and maintaining an edge.

I bought the blade from a tool specialist in Townsville, so it should be available in most regional centres.

Just a thought.

Joe

[E. maculata]

G'day Joe, welcome to the house of nuts:D , I'll back what you said up, can't beat quality in saws, however for the budget concious sometimes a cheaper sawblade can cut better than new if a good sharpener has a go at it.

[Bodgy]

Like Iain said, I just got a 10" SCMS blade, an 'Avenger', from Northwoods. $39.

Good guys to deal with.

[Iain]

Thanks Bodgy, I was a little dubious when I first bought the blades as I have always used CMT, I just thought I would try one of these and have been pleasantly surprised.
My intention was for not overly accurate slicing off pieces of treated pine, finess was not an issue, but when it came to cutting pieces of quality furniture timber it has performed beyond expectation.
Two years later and lots of treated pine and nice timbers later, it's still cutting smoothly and showing no signs of letting up.
Having said that it will now probably bugger up tommorow:rolleyes:

[Gaza]

G'day Joe, welcome to the house of nuts:D , I'll back what you said up, can't beat quality in saws, however for the budget concious sometimes a cheaper sawblade can cut better than new if a good sharpener has a go at it.

We have found that even new "good" blades cut better once the saw doctor has re-sharpened them.

[woodcutta]

A TEN FOOT blade for 39 bucks - what a deal :D

[Joe Townsville]

Following the thread, some of it is technical (tooth angle etc). That' beyond a simple soul like me. When I said the saw doctor recommended the different blade, I think it was because of the quality of the steel. I seem to recall similar information in books I've read about sharpening tools, and regular themes like price difference between router bits.

My understanding (as an amateur in both senses) is that the quality of a cutting tool is a function of the materials used and the quality of manufacture. The combination of both is usually reflected in the price. (however, we have to take into account the fact that "named" brands seem to be able to inflate their prices a bit.

Anyway, I digress. The saw doctor reckoned it was still possible (but increasingly difficult) to get saws (hand or circular) that take and keep an edge. It all depends what we want.

As some of the comments hve said, you can get blades that will do the job for relatively low prices. But, what happens when they start to wear? The choice is disposable or reusable. As in all things "you pays your money and takes your choice"!

I think I'll quit while I'm (maybe) ahead.

Joe

[Ticky]

Joe, & Others. You are not wrong in what your are saying.

While I stand by my earlier claim that it is cheaper in the longrun to buy quality over price, I would also not rule out the claims of those that have found Good Quality blades at Budget prices.

If you have found a blade for say $35, & it cuts as clean & holds its edge as well as a blade for say $85, there is probably a trade off somewhere.
If it has the same quality as a more expensive blade, then it may not have the same size T/C tip. While this means it can not be resharpened as many times, it does not mean it is of a lesser quality. If this is the case, you need to evaluate for yourself, which is likely to be cheaper in the long term.

If you are new to WW, & have outlaid a fortune to get a few basic tools to get started, it may be better to buy a cheaper blade for the short term, looking toward a better financial position by the time it needs replacing, but generaly speaking, Buy quality & it will save you money in the long term.

Steve