Do circular saw blades "Bed in" ?

[BKF Admin]

After about 18months I treated my table saw to a new blade.

I noticed the first 50-100 metres of cutting Cedar that the blade was not over happy,it felt like cutting oak.

Today its like a knife through butter.
Do circular blades (TCT) need to bed first ?

 

[VEG]

Depends on if it was sharpened properly and what the blade was designed to cut.

 

[oliver90owner]

Not usually, I would say .....but might depend on finish quality.

If a couple of teeth were 'not quite' right, one to one side and one to the other, the kerf could have been increased marginally and that last fraction of kerf being removed by the one tooth on each side.

Result is those two teeth would wear greatly more than the rest and slow the saw in two ways - wider kerf and only the one cutting tooth on each side. When worn the saw blade would lose those two teeth, effectively, but improve in cutting with an apparent loss of two teeth on the ideal cutting efficiency, which would be unlikely noticable - and the improvement would swamp the efficiency loss anyway.

I might think one rough tooth might be enough to notice an improvement, but have no real idea.

Same might happen if one tooth (start and finish of final sharpening?) might likewise need to have it's edge knocked off.

I am just putting forward a couple of possible scenarios. You may need a microscope to check either out.

Regards, RAB

 

[Adam]

After about 18months I treated my table saw to a new blade.

I noticed the first 50-100 metres of cutting Cedar that the blade was not over happy,it felt like cutting oak.

Today its like a knife through butter.
Do circular blades (TCT) need to bed first ?

That doesn't sound right. If it was HSS having been resharpened I'd think possibly. Have you been checked the blade, tip by tip?

Also, have you checked the actual width vs your riving knife (if you're using one). Sometimes thinner replacement blades leave the wood binding through the riving knife. Even a fractionally thinner blade can cause issues.

Also worth checking is that it hasn't gone out of alignment with the riving knife if you've been levering things up and down during the change over.

Adam

 

[BKF Admin]

I dont use a riving knife.

I will check each tooth in the morning.
The blades came in a 3 pack with different teeth pitch,made by silverline,not the best make by far but then not the worst either.

 

[Poly Hive]

Not doing one upmanship but I bought the best I could afford to avoid just these issues.

Might one tooth or two be slightly out?

I found that a new blade made life much easier in general on the cutting of wood front... didn't aid anything else mind you........ *grin*

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

I think your right PH in that it could be a tooth.
What would be better Dewalt ? are they the best ?

 

[Hombre]

From your recent experience Admin, I would think that the best blades are probably . . .second hand ones

It must have been a very despiriting experience to have a new blade apparently perform less well than the blade it was replacing . . . if that was actually the case?

 

[MODNOD]

CMT blades from axminster are good and are on special offer at the moment.

 

[Tom Bick]

Not really although I have always thought that a new blade cuts better for me after a few cuts and its not that the new sharp blade cuts bad its just that I like to feel a slight resistance from the blade to the timber when cutting.

I am assuming it’s the same blade if it was me and if you are using a sliding table take a look at this they can get blocked with sawdust and slow the table just when you don’t want to

Also and perhaps less likely although Cedar and it is soft two trees are quite different and you can get batches that don’t like certain things.

Failing all this then perhaps the blade as others have mentioned

As with modnod Axminster are good to deal with and do good reasonable priced products

One final thing Mark put the riving knife back on and the crown fence if it attaches to the knife if not you can fit the riving knife just bellow the top of the blade so you can still cut rebates. Either way put it on and the guard back on if both are removed.

 

[rowbow]

Not seeing your set up I would suggest that some of the timber could be very resinous, so use some turps to clean it off, use the riving knife but make shore it is thinner than the teeth, check the fence has not gone out of line.
Regards
John

 

[666bees]

Isn't cedar soft any way? The band saw I using flys through and it is only a cheap one.

 

[johna]

Sounds to me as tho' you're cutting damp or wet timber.The improvement could be that the timber has dried out.

 

[rae]

CMT blades from axminster are good and are on special offer at the moment.

+1 - these are very good and not expensive. I used to wonder why my table saw made the most god awful howling noise, then I replaced the er, not very good, blade that came with it. The saw was transformed.

I wouldn't use a Silverline spanner unless I absolutely had to, let alone a saw blade.

 

[BKF Admin]

I changed the blade and things are ok now.

I am thinking of buying a Kitty 419,Axy TS200 or an Fox F36-527.

Anyone used any of these 3 machines ?

 

[rae]

For knocking up hives and the like, they will be fine. Table saws have two big problems:

1) The fence. Cheap saws have crap fences, and with a crap fence your set up will be tortuous and your cuts will be pants. I have an old Electra-Beckum table saw, nothing special, but a good motor, and crap fence. So I binned the fence, and put on an Incra TS-LS - got it shipped from the US when it was $2 to £1. When I was doing the supers this evening, I just dialled in 5 7/8, did some cuts, then 4 15/16, did some cuts etc - very simple and quick.

2) The table, and blade alignment. Decent table saws have cast iron tables, weigh a ton, and the motor is properly mounted. Cheap saws have pressed tin or ally tables and the motor wanders.

I'd get a proper second hand saw off the bay - an old startrite or wadkin. There is a nice Kity 619 on there at the moment. Also a Wadkin that probably won't go for a lot - but you'd need 3-phase converter (which is why it won't go for a lot). Of course, this supposes that you have a garage that can swallow a piece of 1 tonne machinery that needs bolting to the floor.....

Of your list, I'd take the Kity any day. Then the Axminster (got a cast iron table), then the Fox (ally + pressed steel). Take time to set up properly - making sure the blade is parallel to the fence is a good investment.

 

[Adam]

I changed the blade and things are ok now.

I am thinking of buying a Kitty 419,Axy TS200 or an Fox F36-527.

Anyone used any of these 3 machines ?

Don't forget with the small blade diameter you are always going to have a limited cut depth. The 419 is an 8" machine, and the Fox is a 10".

Kity 419 always gets a good write up. It's well established.

The Charnwood W618 is effectively the same as the TS200

Fox F36 527 (10")

The Axminster part is nice as it has an induction motor. I'd probably choose it over the Kity.

The above idea of buying second hand is good, although watch out for A) Three phase and B) a hard and long life in a pro woodwork shop and C) difficult in transportation. Wadkin etc are seriously heavy. Three Phase converters are relatively simply to purchase, but it all adds money to the overall purchase.

Scheppach might also be worth a look.

Adam

 

[BKF Admin]

2 cracking reviews above,thank you..

 

[Black Comb]

I have a Scheppach and it's been fine. One of the amateur ones with an ali table and fence. I'm not making hives but doing all the other bits.
I would choose one with the best fence as if they don't work properly it's a pain.

Also it's on wheel so can store it in the corner.

 

[merylvingien]

CMT blades are good or freud

But depends on what you are using them for, no point in spending out on a really good blade just for ripping.

Bandsaw is better anyway!

Back to the problem, i would say that your wood is warping inwards as your cutting, ie the riving knife missing would make this much worse. In essence the wood is pinching the back of the saw blade. This can lead to kick back, where the timber is picked up by the back of the blade and forced up and back at ya.

Having blurted that out, i have to admit that i dont use a riving knife on mine either, it just wouldnt stay on long enough to be of use.

If your after just ripping loads of timber to size, look at a decent bandsaw, if possible one that will take a resaw blade with tct teeth, they are the mutts nutts for quick cutting.