Thread: 12" Table saw... what blades should I buy?

Use elcheapo blades if you work with recycled timber.

I have a 48 tooth 12" blade which came with the saw. It's fine for most jobs. Generally, for ripping you could go down to a 30 tooth and for finer crosscutting you could go up to a 60 or 80 tooth. I find the 48 more than adequate for both - it's a good all round blade. I did buy a Triton Triple cut blade from the Hills Clearance centre for $25. It's a 9 1/4 blade so you loose some depth of cut but I use it for very fine work like small boxes. At that price it's a bargain (and the Triton blades are good quality and fit any saw).

I use a CMT 8" dado set. The best around i think but they aren't cheap - over $300. I think there was a set for sale in the buy/sell forum recently.

ps. This forum should suit you admirably

Originally Posted by maxdangerous

G'day Guys,
I have just purchased a new 12" table saw along with a buzzer and thicknesser and I was wondering if someone could recommend what sort of blades I should purchase to use with the saw.

I agree with what Gumby said. You can get away with a single general purpose (GP) blade (40 - 48 teeth) if you are prepared to live with it's minor limitations. These are, it will be slower at ripping and not crosscut quite as finely as dedicated blades.

If you plan on buying a couple of blades straight off you could consider a dedicated ripping (fewer teeth, deeper gullets) blade, and a dedicated cross cutting blade (more teeth). This should serve you well for most cuts but you may still find a GP blade very useful because you don't want to be constantly changing blades.

Then you get into your specialities. Triple chip multiple tooth blades make super fine smooth cuts especially in ply and melamine and also in most other timbers. I have a 100 tooth 3-chip blade that produces very smooth cuts but it's way too slow for ripping. I also have a low-noise 96 tooth general purpose blade that I use at times (like at night or Sunday mornings) when I don't want the neighbors to complain.

I know everyone probably has their favourite brands when it comes to TS blades, but I might as well plug my favourite value for money brand: FREUD. I have used rippers, cross cutters, combinations, thin kerf and normal kerf varieties, and all my FREUD blades have lasted very well. For example (now I know I will get in trouble! ), I think FREUD outlasts CMT everytime (all in my humble opinion of course...)!

Well, when I do wear I out my CMT, I'll be able to tell you how long it lasted. Until then, you'll just have to wait.

I was going to post this in the safety forum but While we're talking blades, let me tell you about a potentially very nasty experience that happened last weekend.

I was 1/4 way thru ripping a ragged and cracked 2 ft long piece of redgum when a 4" long sliver broke off the bottom of the piece and partially wedged into the gap between the throat plate and the blade. There was a loud screeching sound and then a longish whir that did not sound right and the TS started to shake. I foolishly pulled the bit of redgum out BEFORE stopping the saw. When I pulled the wood out I was horrified to see the blade was flopping about and was clearly loose. I then hit STOP but although the motor stopped the blade kept spinning and wobbling more and more - it was like the nut had come completely off the arbor. I immediately pulled the guard down over the blade and I could clearly see the amount of wobble was increasing so that very soon the TC teeth were going to hit the throat guard so I ran outta the shed.

From the doorway of the shed I heard a couple of clangs and dongs as something hit something several times and then all was quiet. The blade nut had not come off, it had come loose by a couple of turns, just enough for the blade to slip off the arbor collar, The Damage: there were some small (sub mm) dents on either side of the throat plate when the TC teeth had clearly made contact but the TC teeth even under a hand lens did not appear to be damaged even though about 10 of them had streaks of red paint on them. I tightened the nut, did some trial cuts and carried on.

I've always been a light nut tightener but maybe I had not tightened the blade at all. I was changing many times during the day between ripping and cross cut blades - a good reason to use a GP blade.

This has been a good lesson. Make sure you tighten your nut!

good advice bob, i think that we all would be guilty of being compacent at some time, i know i have a lapse now and then.

anyway to the blade question, when i bought my mbs300 t/s, i bought 3 blades with it ,rip, comb., & crosscut. thinking i would be changing blades for each job at hand, but i have found that i leave the combination blade on for 99% of my work, could be me just being lazy, but it does the job well enough to not bother changing it

Originally Posted by Ironwood

good advice bob, i think that we all would be guilty of being compacent at some time, i know i have a lapse now and then.

anyway to the blade question, when i bought my mbs300 t/s, i bought 3 blades with it ,rip, comb., & crosscut. thinking i would be changing blades for each job at hand, but i have found that i leave the combination blade on for 99% of my work, could be me just being lazy, but it does the job well enough to not bother changing it

Combination blades are the way to go for normal cutting but did you notice they don't advertise them too often. Probably want you to by 3 blades instead of one?

If you are doing heavy ripping a proper ripping bladeis certainly worthwhile.
I have a 50 tooth and a 70 tooth (approx) and both are quite generaly usefull.
The 70 gives a better finish and less tearout/ chipping on board product.
As I work mostly on board product the 70 tooth is what is most commonly on the machine.

It depends on what you plan to do and what your expectations are.

Ripping blades are cheap enough ( because of less teeth) so I don't see any reason to do with out one.

A 50 tooth is probably best all round and a good place to start.

a 70 or greater is a good thing if you are going to work with laminated board products.

once you fet past those three blades there are all sorts of exotic stuff available but those are three good places to start and will do most things or most people.

I have to agree that it is important to know how tight to nip up all tool securing fasteners. The simple answer is firm...... how firm varies from tool to tool.
cheers

Thank you all very much for your help.
I think I'm off to buy some CMT merchandise.
Thanks again
Cheers
Max

Thanks very much for your help fellas.
It looks like I'm off to buy some CMT merchandise.
Thanks again
Cheers
Max

I'm grateful but I didn't mean to post the same message twice.:eek:
ah well
thanks again anyway guys

Max before you race out for CMT have a look at Dimar blades. They are a clear couple of levels better for the same money and I have both to be able to know.

The Dimar I have on my table saw is a 40 tooth Alternate Top Bevel. Angle might be 12º of course I could be thinking of the clearance which must be at least 12º either way a great all round blade which does rip decently (not as well as say a 26 tooth blade) and is great on cross cuts.

So far as the finish I get compared to my CMT blade well it is massive clearly on ripping and especially on crosscuts.

Call Moores Saw Sharpening in Adelaide and ask them they know their stuff.

Studley