Need recommendation on thin kerf blade

[Mike Henderson]

I need to rip some material and I want to lose the minimum amount to the saw kerf - so I'll use a thin kerf blade. I'd like a blade that leaves a good surface to minimize sanding.

What blade do you recommend?

Mike

[Peter Quinn]

I like the Freud glue line rip blade. Works well for me.

[Mike Henderson]

I like the Freud glue line rip blade. Works well for me.

Thanks, Peter. How many teeth? I need to get a very smooth cut.

Mike

[It looks like there's only the 30 tooth in the thin kerf glue line rip. Is that the one you're recommending?]

[johnny means]

My recommendation is no. Really, how much material does a thin kerf blade save? Will you actually gain any usable material? You would need to make something like thirty-two rips from the same board to gain one extra inch.

[Andrew Joiner]

The Dewalt DW3106. I get them from the orange borg. It does everything well except full 3" thick rips. It's an amazing $30 blade . I like them as well as my $ 100 blades. I slice 2"x1/16" southern yellow pine veneer with this blade and a quick pass with 120grit from a RO sander removes the saw marks. The saw marks are so minimal I have to look real close to tell the veneers that have been sanded and those that need sanding.

[Mike Henderson]

The Dewalt DW3106. I get them from the orange borg. It does everything well except full 3" thick rips. It's an amazing $30 blade . I like them as well as my $ 100 blades. I slice 2"x1/16" southern yellow pine veneer with this blade and a quick pass with 120grit from a RO sander removes the saw marks. The saw marks are so minimal I have to look real close to tell the veneers that have been sanded and those that need sanding.

Thanks, Andrew. Are you sure you have that number correct. When I looked it up, it's a 60 tooth blade - not something I'd think of for ripping.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

My recommendation is no. Really, how much material does a thin kerf blade save? Will you actually gain any usable material? You would need to make something like thirty-two rips from the same board to gain one extra inch.

I appreciate your recommendation, Johnny, but I have a special need for cutting the boards with a thin kerf blade.

Mike

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My first response is same as Johny's, thin kerf means inconsistent, and the saved 32nd was far outweighed by the pain of extra prep work. It's been three years since I tried my last Freud thin kerf though, is there new technology out there since?

[Mike Henderson]

My first response is same as Johny's, thin kerf means inconsistent, and the saved 32nd was far outweighed by the pain of extra prep work. It's been three years since I tried my last Freud thin kerf though, is there new technology out there since?

I appreciate your recommendation, Steve, but I want to try a thin kerf blade in the situation I have. I'd like to hear what thin kerf blades have worked the best for others.

Mike

[David Kumm]

I've used a Forrest WWII TK and been happy on a Bosch portable. There are ultra TK made as well but I've no experience with them. Dave

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Mike, sorry to hijack, I'm curious what you stir up. I've been out of the loop a bit, will surely learn something.

[Jim Tobias]

Mike,
I have a Forrest WWII thin kerf that I use if I want to cut grooves for thin splines to reinforce/decorate mitered corners in boxes. It has performed well in that use. I have not tried to do any thin kerf ripping wiht it. You might check out these http://www.totalsawsolutions.com/. I received info about these through email but never pursued one as I don't need thin kerf that often.

Jim

[Sam Layton]

Mike,

In situations like you are talking about, I have used a skill saw blade, 7 1/4". I think they have the thinest kerf. As far as quality of cut, just purchase the best one you can find.

Sam

[George Gyulatyan]

Mike,

I have the full kerf Freud GlueLine Rip which is also 30T. In general it does leave smooth cuts, although on my 1 3/4hp Saw it does struggle with 8/4 hard maple and leaves burn marks. Have not tried the think kerf version so cannot comment how much of a difference it would make. Freud's recommendation for the thickest cuts for these blades is up to 1". So if you're going to be ripping thicker stock it might not work all that great. My full kerf version works OK with softer 8/4 material such as mahogany though.

Both Tenryu and Infinity have 1/16" kerf blades, although Infinity has a built-in stabilizer and they claim glass-smooth/sand free surface. I have experience with neither.

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks, Peter. How many teeth? I need to get a very smooth cut.

Mike

[It looks like there's only the 30 tooth in the thin kerf glue line rip. Is that the one you're recommending?]

Mike, the one ihave is the LM75R, 30Z Freud glue line rip blade. They say it's good up to 1", I've gone way past that with no I'll effects. If you are ripping something with lots of tension in it it may push it around a bit more than a full kerf, but real tense wood is going to move any blade. Otherwise it's about stock control, push the wood in straight and feed smooth, good things come out. It leaves a smoother cut than say my heavy duty 24z rip blades, but I wouldn't way its a surface ready for finish. I would rip off edging and glue it right down in most cases.

I bought this for a specific purpose where I needed smooth cuts and minimal waste simultaneously, it was not thin kerf for power reasons, it's on a 5hp cabinet saw. When I really need to save material I pull the 1/16" blade off my 8" portable TS, I think that's a freud diablo. At 8" you get some thickness limitations, and a 1/16" blade with no stabilizers can wander if the wood moves as you cut it, but it's another option and cheap too IIR.