# 5 Reasons to Make Friends with Your Saw Shop



## Router Forums (May 7, 2010)

> If you’re like many people, you probably think of saw blades as being something you just replace when they start to go dull or wear out. When your equipment isn’t cutting as well as it used to, it’s easy to buy a new blade and either toss or recycle the old one. After all, blades are cheap enough, right? *Saw Shop*


Read more *here*:
http://www.routerforums.com/articles/5-reasons-to-make-friends-with-your-saw-shop/


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Great points . I guess a person could add that a dull blade could be considered a safety concern also , as material may be more prone to kick back


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## SteveMI (May 29, 2011)

I have been having my router bits and table saw blades sharpened this past year. The place I go is principally for industry shops with pallets of blades arriving daily. The table saw blade sharpening is done on a Vollmer(?) Robotic CNC station. Sharpening is from $8 to $18 depending on number of teeth for 10" blades. Blades sound quieter after sharpening and cut awesome. 

Steve.


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## dhellyar (Oct 6, 2010)

WOW, Steve I'm a cabinet maker and I've been paying $30.00 a blade to get my blades sharpened through my local cabinet maker supply shop. I'd be thrilled if I could find a good saw blade sharpener that would sharpen a blade for the prices your quoting. Seems here in San Diego there aren't any local sharpeners so everything's being sent to La.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Danny at $30 the blade would have to be as sharp as brand new.


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## sawdustdreams (Dec 2, 2010)

*long term*

saw sharpening shops are getting to be harder and harder to find. in our disposable society most folk are to either to busy or lazy or stupid or cheap to bother. sharpening cheap blades, well, do I need to elaborate ? 
keep one thing in mind, if you don't support local sharpening shops then your future option just might be either ship out (like with forrest blades) or pissing away more money at retail. I can appreciate the shops need to keep the lights on but some are hoping to send their kids to college on you ; like everything, shop around.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Just by looking at the picture who ever wrote this thread wasn't a woodworker. The most important thing is to use the right blade for the right task and the picture shows a crosscut blade on a table saw ripping a board. Even shows the burn marks from a blade that has too many teeth making a rip cut.
And to top it off the article doesn't even mention that the blade has to match the cut.

Just shaking my head every time I sign on and see that picture.
Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Good point Herb. I ruined a blade like that before I took the time to learn about the right blade for the right application. I do have a tendency to get lazy about changing blades sometimes but I leave my rip blade on to do multi tasking with the TS, not one of my finish blades or crosscut blades. I also keep some blades that are too crappy for nice jobs and switch to them if I have to cut something that's questionable (as in dirt, grit, or hidden metal).


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

_ but I leave my rip blade on to do multi tasking with the TS, not one of my finish blades_

I hope you mean a combination blade, I do too. One time I left a straight rip blade on to do a quick crosscut and it grabbed my piece with a BANG and scared the dickens out of me,destroyed the wooden piece. The blade was one of those 24 big teeth with the long gullets.

I have Some generic combos I use for the junk cuts,mostly crosscuts, like cutting up scraps for fire wood.
Herb


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## Chris Hachet (Dec 25, 2016)

SteveMI said:


> I have been having my router bits and table saw blades sharpened this past year. The place I go is principally for industry shops with pallets of blades arriving daily. The table saw blade sharpening is done on a Vollmer(?) Robotic CNC station. Sharpening is from $8 to $18 depending on number of teeth for 10" blades. Blades sound quieter after sharpening and cut awesome.
> 
> Steve.


I get excellent service out of a local sharpener and boy do they work well when they come back.


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## Chris Hachet (Dec 25, 2016)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Good point Herb. I ruined a blade like that before I took the time to learn about the right blade for the right application. I do have a tendency to get lazy about changing blades sometimes but I leave my rip blade on to do multi tasking with the TS, not one of my finish blades or crosscut blades. I also keep some blades that are too crappy for nice jobs and switch to them if I have to cut something that's questionable (as in dirt, grit, or hidden metal).


I clean everything up with hand tools before it ever sees the TS...

And yes, having a number of blades is excellent advice!:smile:


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Here's a pretty good chart explaining which grinds are best for various jobs. https://vermontamerican.com/circular-saw-blade-anatomy-grind-types/

You should have a ripping blade and a finish blade at least. If you use a miter saw you should have a miter saw blade which is usually a tooth with zero* or negative degree hook. I have some goods ones and I tried one on some melamine on my table saw and it cut beautifully. I was afraid the negative 6* hook might try and lift the small piece I tried it on but it wasn't a problem. On a miter saw the negative hook will help keep the board on the miter table.

If you are going to need to crosscut boards wider than a miter saw then you'll need a crosscutting blade although a fine finish blade will probably be okay for that. Most of those are ATB style grinds.

For cutting plywood or melamine a dedicated melamine/plywood blade is a better idea and they are usually a Hi ATB or a Triple Chip Grind or a combination of those. The Hi ATB will have an approximately 30* bevel on the teeth from side to side and the pointy tips shear the fiber at the sides of the cut first but the downside is that those pointy tips wear faster.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> Just by looking at the picture who ever wrote this thread wasn't a woodworker. The most important thing is to use the right blade for the right task and the picture shows a crosscut blade on a table saw ripping a board. Even shows the burn marks from a blade that has too many teeth making a rip cut.
> *And to top it off the article doesn't even mention that the blade has to match the cut.
> *
> Just shaking my head every time I sign on and see that picture.
> Herb


good catch Herb...
and where is the comprehensive information on selecting the right blade for the job/saw and why.....


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Here's a pretty good chart explaining which grinds are best for various jobs. https://vermontamerican.com/circular-saw-blade-anatomy-grind-types/


too bad that article/chart didn't cover rakes/hook angles and really delve into application......
for the new guy it's woefully incomplete....


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Agreed it could do more but it's a starting point and it does show the tooth pattern and describe what it's best used for. I didn't see an article that covered all of it.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> good catch Herb...
> and where is the comprehensive information on selecting the right blade for the job/saw and why.....


That picture reminds me of when Black & Decker came out with their wormdrive saws to compete with the Skilsaw, they ran full page ads in all the trade magazines. 
It showed the saw from the blade side, and the big B&D logo on the blade,..............but the blade was on backwards.

The reason being is that the logos were printed on the opposite sides of the blades in those days because most of the circular saws had the blade on the other side of the saw.

Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Agreed it could do more but it's a starting point and it does show the tooth pattern and describe what it's best used for. .


a new body will read that and believe that is all there is to know...



> I didn't see an article that covered all of it


I know it it can be a long shot but just do a search here for that information...
it's been covered many times in the past.. in hyper detail... by many... that nobody ever read...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Too many hits for saw blade or just blade for something quick. I had to go with google. Maybe one of us should put together a sticky thread that stays at the top of a category? That, glues, and maybe some others when there is time. I see too many people say they use T3 for everything and it isn't always the best choice or sometimes even a good choice.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Too many hits for saw blade or just blade for something quick. I had to go with google. Maybe one of us should put together a sticky thread that stays at the top of a category? That, glues, and maybe some others when there is time. I see too many people say they use T3 for everything and it isn't always the best choice or sometimes even a good choice.


the search function here sure leaves a lot to be desired... 
search - try > hook angle.... or > blade criteria...

stickies... that's been asked for for a long time....

Chuck... I have seen you write volumes on these subjects...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Too many hits for saw blade or just blade for something quick. I had to go with google. Maybe one of us should put together a sticky thread that stays at the top of a category? That, glues, and maybe some others when there is time. I see too many people say they use T3 for everything and it isn't always the best choice or sometimes even a good choice.


Router Forums - Search Results


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Too many hits for saw blade or just blade for something quick. I had to go with google. Maybe one of us should put together a sticky thread that stays at the top of a category? That, glues, and maybe some others when there is time. I see too many people say they use T3 for everything and it isn't always the best choice or sometimes even a good choice.


Not sure what T3 is Chuck?
I am a little neglect sometimes for using the same blade "to make just one cut" over and over and over again, instead of changing to another blade.
Guess that is why they invented a combination blade for guys like me.
So to solve my problem I have a RA saw set up with a 60t, and one table saw set up with a 50 t combo , and the other table saw set up with the box cutter blade for rabbets and dadoes.
Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> Not sure what T3 is Chuck?


TightBond III glue...

here's the PR release...
Titebond III: Ultimate Wood Glue

but it does have it's limits and IS NOT the answer for everything...
do an experiment...
let you TB (any flavor) glue brush dry...
now go and run some hot water over the brush...
amazing!!!
the glue plasticizes and washes away...
and people wonder why their glue joints fail...
especially the projects that get a lot of sun...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

A combination blade is the one I don't have one of Herb. To me it's a case of compromising in exchange for versatility. It's not as good at ripping than a rip blade or crosscutting as a crosscut blade. I know that there is some economics involved for many people but my opinion is that if you can manage it, you will be better off in the long run if you buy one of each and get blades that are the best for what you want to do. The buying "one size fits all" is a case of short term gain but long term pain to my thinking.

Stick covered the other question better than I could have.


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## Gr8trim4u (Jan 5, 2017)

I have had good luck with my local ace hardware. 6 kapex blades and 3 ts55 blades for $90.00. They send them out to a local guy but they are best i have found in my area.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Closest sharpener is about 35 miles away. We had one south of town but the sign has been gone for several years now.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Knothead47 said:


> Closest sharpener is about 35 miles away. We had one south of town but the sign has been gone for several years now.


A lot of the small shops went out of bussiness when everyone went to carbide tip blades. Also the throw away blades hurt them too. Most lumber yards still are a drop off point for saw blade sharpeners.

Herb


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## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

Just finished assembling my contractor SS. Everything went great until I had to assemble the switch to the saw. Found out that aligning the aluminum wing caused the hole to mount the electrical box were now out of align. So I enlarged the mount holes on the wing and remounted it 180. That worked but than the holes on the electrical bracket are very difficult to get the screws started, so I modified the bracket and was able to get it mounted, "what a pain". Yes a pain because the reason I bought the saw was I cut the tip off of my thumb with my General International TS. One more reason I bought this saw was because I had two TS accidents in two years. The first was my index finger and now my thumb.


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## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

Sorry I misread this post to be Saw-Stop.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Did you mean to print TS instead of SS Bob?


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## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Did you mean to print TS instead of SS Bob?



SS is Saw-Stop. Just got off on the wrong tangent.


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## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

One positive note with my SS experience is their blade is excellent. They don't just give you a generic blade but something first class. Even for plywood I got a crisp clean cut without fraying or chipping the wood on a cross cut across the grain.


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