# Blades for Table Saws



## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

I just aquired a free slightly used 10" portable table saw, and am looking to use it for both house projects and model train projects. Should I buy a finer tooth blade to cut styrene and small wood strips, or just go the cheap route and use the blade I got with it? 
Also any suggestions on what/how to make a close clearance cover for the blade so that above mentioned wood strips don't get lost. 
I'll be looking into my past articles in GR about table saw guides etc. 
Thanks, 
Craig


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

A good sharp blade will do better on most any material. I would say a fine tooth blade like for plywood will do a good job on styrene. On the wood strips for a smooth cut I go to a planer type blade that will leave a surface good enough for glue joints.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Dig thru my questions in the archives on Table saw purchasing and you'll find a few notes and more references to older posts about table saws a LOT of good info there. 

Chas


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## Marauderer (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By bnsfconductor on 05/27/2008 12:12 PM

Also any suggestions on what/how to make a close clearance cover for the blade so that above mentioned wood strips don't get lost. 
I'll be looking into my past articles in GR about table saw guides etc. 
Thanks, 
Craig 





I made one out of plywood the appropriate thickness for my saw. I ran the blade all the way down then attached the cover and bolted/scewred it to the table. Turned the saw on and raised the blade to cut through the plywood cover. Minimum clearance cover done.


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

I would say that there is more than the number of teeth. Some blades are specifically for cross cutting and some are for ripping and some do both (combination). This will be especially noticable when cutting hardwood. Ripping with the wrong type of blade will leave a poor surface and likely burn marks. 
Quality blades are expensive. But if its for carpentry and not cabinet work than a cheaper one may be the way to go. I would ussually change blades for the job at hand. My good blade would never touch used or dirty lumber. Nothing like cutting thu a nail with a new blade. I cut all my scale lumber on a 10 inch saw. 
Sometimes sawmarks add character.


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## CHscenic (Jan 2, 2008)

I cut all my scale lumber using my 10" table saw even down to a sixteenth by a sixteenth. I use a Freud 7 1/2" 40 tooth thin kerf saw blade (about $15) and a zero clearance insert. As others have said you can make the insert from plywood. You might also try 1/4" plexiglass if it doesn't flex too much. The other thing is to make a sacrificial fence to attach to the side of the rip fence so that your work doesn't slide under your fence. David Cozzens


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I myself me prefer individual blades for spcific jobs. Hence I have a Blad for Riping. A blad for Cross cutting and one for Play wood 
When I built my kitchen cabnets in my house in ILL. ( I'll never do that again) I had a blade called A HOLLOW GROUND PLANER. It was great for cross cuts as it left the end real smooth. I had both a 10 inch table saw and a 10 inch radial arm saw. Both Craftmen's 
There for all the blades fit everybody. 

Also Sharpness is important. Buy good blades and find a local blade sharpining dude and visit him often./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue2.gif


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## tbug (Feb 16, 2008)

Get a good quality blade, thin kerf, carbide-tipped. The higher the number of teeth the smoother the cut.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

The best overall blade I came across is a DeWalt 8 1/4 "Finishing" construction blade, 40 teeth. It has thin kerf and smooth cut. 10" blade for model work are way too aggresive 

Here is a blurb I did (Title: Cutting scale lumber; how I do it) on table saws back on the old forum: 

http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46385 

Bob


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## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for the info. Sorry about the delay in getting back to everyone. I ended up buying a new fine tooth blade that was designed for plywood. I'm hoping it will work out ok on plastic. I think/know I'll be building a guide to cut scale lumber in the future. Thanks again. 
Craig


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Craig, 

There are a number of things that need to be considered other than just the blade. Before the blade, you need to be sure the arbor for the saw is paralell to the table top and perpendicular to the 'T' square slot. If this is not done, the blade will ALWAYS leave a poor surface no matter what blade you purchase. That being said, after the saw has been 'accurized', for the styrene i would recommend a good quality hollow ground plywood blade. Keep the blade sharp, feed the material slow and keep the blade only high enough to just cut through the sheet. For the wood, I would recommend a high quality hollow ground planer blade, same rules as for the pluwood blade. 

Bob


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