How high should the blade be on my TS be?

[Arturo Villegas]

Great to be here!
My first post here, so take it easy on me.

I was just wondering how high should my blade on my table saw be from my material when cutting? Is 1" to high?

Thanks,

[Dick Bringhurst]

I don't think there is any set rule. I adjust mine so the bottom of the gullet is just exposed above the wood you are going to cut. Dick B.

[Mike Cutler]

I set mine to so that a full gullet is exposed. Doesn't make it right, just the way I was taught;

Welcome to Sawmill Creek Arturo. Nice to meet ya'

Mike

[Joe Chritz]

Just above the gullet is what I have always been told as well. Apparently on some difficult to cut things like melamine and with certain blades the height can make a difference on quality of cut.

Lower is always better from a safety stand point as long as it is cutting fully. Less blade out is less the possibly hit.

Joe

[Alan Turner]

Arturo,
Just barely expose the bottom of the gullet, as others above say. The reason for this is to reduce the number of teeth in the stock at one time. Give a count both ways and you will see a marked reduction by raising the blade just about 3/8" or so. With fewer teeth in the stock, the pushing is easier, there is less heat build up, and the cutting action is a bit more downward oriented, all of which is good.

[Steve Patrick]

Surely if the balde is raised fully say, will there not be less teeth in the stock? Two small arcs of teeth when the front and back of the blade is almost vertical will contain fewer teeth than two long ones when the blade is nearer horizontal. Am I missing something?

[Prashun Patel]

Steve-
I tend to agree with you. The lower the blade height, the more drag on the blade and also the more forward force on the stock.

I believe the traditional argument for keeping the blade height low is to minimize damage to a slipping hand. The argument AGAINST low blade height is to minimize the chance for kickbk. "Just below the blade gullet" is probably the optimal balance btn the two.

[Michael Weber]

May not be correct methodology but if you will raise the blade just high enough to barely cut through the stock you will really reduce the amount of wood dust and chips that is generated above the table and thrown at the operator.

[Curt Harms]

Forrest advocates running blades higher while Freud advocates running them lower. Difference the blade/tooth design? I suspect so the gullet clears is a pretty good compromise.

Curt

[Prashun Patel]

May not be correct methodology but if you will raise the blade just high enough to barely cut through the stock you will really reduce the amount of wood dust and chips that is generated above the table and thrown at the operator.

I wouldn't do this. I've had more binding and kickback threats and burning this way.

I think it's better to use the guard and a dc to reduce dust.

The blade cuts more efficiently when the front teeth can slice as close to perpendicular thru the wood as poss.

[Howard Acheson]

Here is the answer you will get from Freud. Blades are designed to cut best at the proper height.

QUOTE

When using the correct Freud blade for the application we recommend 1/2 of the carbide tip (1/8" to 1/4") above the material. They are designed for proper angle of attack and number of teeth working at that height. You should have 3 to 5 teeth working in the wood for ripping and 5 to 7 for crosscuts. For tricky materials like veneered plywood or laminate you may need to vary a little to get the best performance (raise the blade slightly if you get chipping on top and lower if there is chipping on bottom). Different manufacturers may have other recommendations for their blades.
__________________
Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

CLOSE QUOTE

[Nissim Avrahami]

I don't see any danger setting the blade high as long as you are using blade guard.....but, as Kelly Mehler said in his article that, only 5% of the woodworkers are using the guard....well....
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/ar...splay?id=14789

Also, please look at the pictures on that article and note the blade height that Kelly Mehler is setting...high...

In my opinion, high blade = less teeth in the wood = cooler blade = less blade deformation due to overheat = less motor power required = cooler motor = higher feed rate.

Just have a look on the Band saw, the teeth are going perpendicular to the wood and you can resaw 5" or more thick wood with a ¾~1HP motor...if it was a table saw, you would need much more Horses...

It's true that low blade is better for less chipping when working with plywood, melamine and plastic laminated man-made boards if you don't have scoring blade because of the low angle of attack of the "out" teeth.

Some people say that the cut will be cleaner with "low blade" - less tear-out at the "outlet side" of the teeth...ok...now, lets cut a 3" thick Oak and set the blade "low", i.e. 3¼"~3½" above the table top...look at the teeth angle of attack at the bottom..very high angle...now, don't change the blade height and cut 1" thick Oak...what is the difference...it's the same angle of attack...
To see it in "colors" please have a look here
http://www.waterfront-woods.com/Arti...w/tablesaw.htm

If we are talking about "clean cut with minimum chipping"...because there are so many "Hook angles", it looks to me that we would need a different "hook angle blade" for every thickness of wood...the hook angle for 1" thick wood will not be good for 2" or 3" thick wood....

If there is a blade or arbor "run-out" it will be better to set less "high blade" for vibrations as John Thompson suggested (I don't have any so I'm setting the blade to "full high" when cutting Oak).

Regards
niki

[Anthony Whitesell]

I raise my blade so the full tooth is showing at the center and change tooth count to vary the number of teeth in the wood. With that said, I also only have 40, 60, and 80, standard (not combo or anything fancy) blades.

[Mark Valsi]

a wise man once told me . . .

How high to raise the blade ?

How much of your fingers do you want to cut ??

[Ben Cadotte]

For years I was the "safety" type of ehight. About 1/8" over the top of stock. Then I read up on "propper" use of the blades and now raise so the gullet is clear.