# Blade ID



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

I bought an 80 tooth 10 inch saw blade for 2 bucks today at a thrift store. 
I figure people with routers have saws, so what a better place top ask a question. The blade has 4 expansion slots in it. I haven't seen this shape before. The slots are sorta like a funky elongated anchor. 
The teeth alternate between a flat face and a three angled shape. The blade feels fairly sharp and appears to be a high quality blade. The brazing on the teeth is very nice. It's a heavy blase not a thin kerf.

Anyway, I have two questions.
Who makes this blade? I figure the shape of the slots would tell.
What would be the ideal use for it?
I don't know how to measure the tooth angle or rake, but it's not aggressive.
My sketch shows just one of the 4 expansion slots.
I'm sure a blade like this would be a bit spendy to have sharpened. The only use I have for it is my chop saw.


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

what color is the blade???

.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

No color, just shiny metal, an almost polished look. There is a mat gray (not painted) metal color for 3/4" around the rim. The color is anodized or etched to give it that dull gray appearance.
HM 12 is stamped on the blade but the stamp may not be a factory marking, but it's a 10 inch blade, not 12.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

Good info Stick. Never used a radial arm saw. Dad had one but the way they cut always made me nervous. Blade descriptions for what NOT to use in a radial arm saw makes them seem a lot safer to me now.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

HM means - HEAVY DUTY METAL


Triple Chip Grind; -2° Hook see Saw Blade Codes in the last of Sticks pdf's. It is a metal cutting blade.
Herb

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...avy+Duty+10"+Metal+cutting+circular+saw+BLADE


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

It's not a negative. I'm gonna guess 12 to 15 degrees. I don't see what you saw in those PDF's Herb. I do see a reference to "hard materials" as far as the HM .....maybe 12 is the angle? 
It is stamped HM 12


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Don’t use it on a chop saw with that much positive rake. The positive rake wants to lift the board off the table. Chop saws should be at most plus two and better if they are negative.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

Why don't they put that info on blades? You, know one of those "good better and best" charts on the back of tha package. I'll bet very few contractors know that. My own chop saw logic always told me not to use a rip blade, so I just used blades with lots of teeth and labeled for fine cutting.
About that stamp in the blade, HM 12.
My brother told me years ago, the saw sharpening shop he went to used to stamp his blades with his account number. Could that be what the marking is, or do you think its a blade use and tooth angle> Looking again with the tools I have, it looks to be 10 to 12 degrees if I'm measuring correctly.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

My chop saw isn't a cross slide. It's an antique (1990's) Makita.


----------



## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

Randy, can you take a picture of the blade and post it? If you can, a shot of the whole blade and a close up, as best you can, of the teeth.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

ranman said:


> It's not a negative. I'm gonna guess 12 to 15 degrees. I don't see what you saw in those PDF's Herb. I do see a reference to "hard materials" as far as the HM .....maybe 12 is the angle?
> It is stamped HM 12


In page 1. of the last pdf. 
Click Saw Blade Index
under Saw Blade Information,click middle column #1., Saw Blade Codes
Scroll down to HM 

It would help if you showed a picture of the blade and the number of teeth count. This blade might have been resharpened to a positive rake angle at a later date. Or might be older than chop saws and used in the old saws that popped up through the table when you stepped on a pedal. We used carbide tooth saws in the late 50's and early 60's before chop saws.

Herb


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

I'll see what my flip phone can do............... sometimes my chalk drawings look more realistic. 
It'll be a while.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

Like I said, not very good. I figured the expansion slot design would be a dead ringer if anyone had seen this shape.
The HM 12 is more visible than the image shows.
I shot the teeth from the back view because the profile shows better.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

It looks like an 80t Aluminum cutting blade. Not sure of the brand. but only the better brands had the expansion slots cut in them. 

I have seen the glaziers us those type blades such as that to cut extruded aluminum window sash with a chop saw.
https://toolguyd.com/which-10-miter-saw-blade-works-best-for-cutting-aluminum/

Herb


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

I install floor coverings. We sometimes use different profiles of wood reducer trims when surface changes are made........ carpet to wood, or vinyl flooring to wood etc. I just cut a piece of 3/4 by 1 1/2" section of a pre-finished hardwood trim with the blade. If I put a dab of glue on the cut and put it back together, you wouldn't be able to tell where the cut was. This is one nice $2 blade.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

Good info in that link Herb. I especially liked the professional fabricators comments.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

ranman said:


> Good info in that link Herb. I especially liked the professional fabricators comments.


I was not surprised by the welders comment,as he works with steel. But these blades do a good job on aluminum and they have to be lubricated with Johnsons stick wax or some other paste type lubricant on the blade. If you are cutting any aluminum thresholds this blade would walk right through it. I use an 80t Freud on my TS for cutting and ripping wood,and on my Radial arm saw for cross cutting.
Herb


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

I used an 8 1/4" 40 tooth "fine cut" combination blade to make the aluminum router lift I showed here. Post 1097
https://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/17212-wanted-pictures-your-router-table-110.html
It was the strongest looking blade (lots of mass) I had for my old Makita table saw. 
Lubed with toilet ring wax and WD-40. Went super slow with the feed rate and the cut edges were really nice. A thin blade probably wouldn't have achieved the best results in the 1/4" plate.
Knowing more now, I wish I had an 8 1/4" blade for my table saw with the same tooth profile as this blade I found for cheap. ............ chances of that are slim to none. Next aluminum adventure on my table saw will be done with a different blade.


----------



## ranman (Oct 27, 2017)

Went back and spent $6 for 3 more blades. I noticed the same HM 12 stamped on some other blades, even a Diablo. The stamp must be a customer account or something, not a blade type. Oh well.
The three new blades are a Diablo D1080N 80 tooth blade for non ferrous metal.
A Tenryu 8 1/2" 80 tooth wood cutting blade and an unknown 48 tooth 8 1/2" blade. 
The diablo is in pretty good condition, the Tenryu cuts really nice and so does the 48 tooth blade even tho it's for metal. The 48 tooth blade is a TCG like the Diablo, but it has 3 chipped teeth.
I modified my old portable Makits tablesaw to accept 8 1/2" blades. Just took some minor shaving in two areas for adequate clearance. Why did they ever come up with this stupid 8 1/4" size? I just realized that an 8 1/4" blade is actually 7 15/16. The 8 1/2" blades are actually 8 7/16"

It will be interesting to see what it costs to sharpen these blades compared to a new blade.


----------

