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Ok... I will admit it, I am (nearly) a complete dufus with respect to tables saws. In all the time I have been building guitars I have not really had much need for one, but I finally broke down and bought one today (5hp, 10", Grizzly, right tilt).

I got a Forrest general purpose blade to go with it, but I am interested in finding out what other blades you recommend.

Primarly I am interested in ripping purflings, bindings, and other small parts, as well as a good plywood blade for jigs, etc.

Thanks!Brock Poling38927.0994791667

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Good for you! I love table saws! But I'm as dumb as an ice cube about blades! I use the table saw for everything, ripping, rabbeting, mitres, cutting chicken for the BBQ!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I use a Diablo 40 tooth thin kerf blad a lot (thin kerf = less waste). They are origianlly designed for hand held circular saws so they are small (7 1/2" ?), but plenty big enough for most guitar related tasks. They are carbide tipped, inexpensive, great blades. And you need a fret slotting blade, I got mine from Stewmac and it works well. I believe Sane Niefer got a bunch made a while back, perhaps he'll speak up about those. Other than that I use a Swedish 10" blade regular kerf blade for general woodworking, but the Diablo stays in the saw most of the time.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Tenryu....

I have owned lots and lots of blades over the years, I found one of these at the shop that sharpens my blades a few years ago and love it. Longest lasting blade I've ever used, I use the 50 tooth general cut. Cost me about $50 total, the local woodcraft had one and I've built 3 cabinets (ripping all my own maple stock mind you) with MDF and MDO and lots of other little projects on the shop and it's still going strong.

Some people like the Diablo's but I never had much luck with them lasting long, they are pretty cheap though. I also broke down this time and bought a good $200 amana stacked dado set for cabinet building, I had a $90 delta set before and there's just no comparison, the amana set is really super nice for doing dado's (I know most builders will never need a dado set but I was building cabinets so I'd thought I'd throw it in)...

Cheers

-Paul-Sprockett38927.1978587963

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

I like the Forrest blades the best for general purpose use.
Make sure you send them back to Forrest to resharpen them when it's time-they do an incredible job.

Where I live ( Rochester, NY0) there's a local shop that sharpens any kind of saw blade. For about $12, they sharpen my 10" carbide blades so they are better than new. See if you can find a place like that. I think Woodcraft stores usually have a sharpening service, too.

I usually don't realize how dull a blade is until I get it sharpened, and then it cuts like butter. One sign of a dull blade is that it makes more noise when you cut.

Also, I found that using blade stabilizers really helps to make smooth cuts. I got a pair of 5 inch diameter ones from Lee Valley to use with the fretting blade I got from Shawn, and now I use them on every blade ( at least when I don't need too deep a cut.) They are especially important on the thin kerf blades, which sometimes vibrate side to side during the cut without them.


Phil

Brock, I use the Diablo blades a lot too. They are very inexpensive, about 14 bucks at the BORG, and they do a nice job without wasting half your material to saw kerf. I usually keep a stack of them around so I can just pitch one and install another. They do seem to last a good long while though.

As far as dado blades, I don't know which are really good but I can tell you not to waste your money on the Delta sets. I got a set of those when I bought my saw and as far as I'm concerned they are useless. I would probably do what Paul did and buy the Amana set if I had it to do over again.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I also use Diablo blades for general work. I have a nice Forrest laminate blade for making ultra-smooth cuts in plywood, MDF, Melamine, etc. My dado set is a Systematic.

Brock: I've been looking at getting that same saw, let us know how it works out for you.

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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Diablo as well for all general purpose stuff. I don't have a good blade for cross cuts or other smooth cuts.

That's quite the entry level saw you got there Brock, sure you don't need something bigger You'll be able to cut through anything with that puppy.

Mark, you mention the systimatic dado blade, have you tried any of their other blades? Looks like good pricing and lots of options. Take a look, SystiMatic

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[QUOTE=Rod True] That's quite the entry level saw you got there Brock, sure you don't need something bigger You'll be able to cut through anything with that puppy.[/QUOTE]

I ** was ** thinking about the 14" cabinet saw, but I really didn't think I could fit it down my basement stairs.   

Seriously though, I always try to overbuy a little on "big" tools. I have never been disappointed by doing that.

Thanks for the tips on the blades.

What do you guys think about plywood blades (thinking about jigs)? Forrest? Or is something else out there I should know about?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I use their laminate blade. I'm probably over extending it cutting 3/4 in Baltic, as the say it is for "low pressure" laminates and veneer plywood. But so far, it's worked great. It truth though with the tablesaw set up right, the one your getting with it should serve you well. Which blade did you get Brock?

Rod:

Thanks for the link. I'll check them out - the dado set is of the highest quality, I'd imagine their regular blades are too!

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
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I got a 60 tooth, All purpose blade

http://www.grizzly.com/products/H4742

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I use my for some very straight and clean cuts so I use a frued 80 tooth
blade. Very clean!!!!
I also use it with Tracy's brace maker and it is perfectazimmer138927.6319444444

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Brock, the August issue of Woodworkers Journal has a review of table saw blades. You might see if you can pick it up for all the specifics but they picked the Dewalt DW7640 and the Rigid R1050C as their best buys.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Here is also a review of a new blade company Pacific Saw Blades

Sounds pretty good and the prices are pretty good as well.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

The Forrest is a great general purpose blade. I have one. It makes cuts that are smooth and may not need jointing. Use it for plywood, cross cuts, and even ripping where you don't mind losing the kerf. But ever since Mario turned me on to the 7-1/2" 40 tooth Freud Diablo blades, that's the one that normally sits in my saw, because it takes a small kerf and is easy for my low powered saw (Jet contractor's, 1-1/2 hp [or so]) to drive. I use it with a set of 5"stabilizers and a zero clearance insert, so it will only cut a little over an inch thick, but it is the way to go for ripping bindings, or making guide cuts before resawing on a bandsaw because you lose only about 1/16" to the kerf. I also rip braces with it.

For slotting for 1/8" carbon fiber rods I use a Freud blade that is ATB plus a raker. The Forrest is ATB with no raker, so it doesn't cut a flat bottom slot (actually, the Freud doesn't either--the raker isn't quite as deep as the ATB teeth, but it's close).

I use my table saw a lot more since I put those Diablo blades in it. Thanks Mario!

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I go the rout of Mario & Howard. I use a 7 1/4" blade in my 10" table saw 90% of the time. They are cheap enough that I can buy a stack of them at HD and always have a fresh one. I keep my 10" fine tooth blade hanging on the wall nice and sharp when I need it, which is not very often. Brock, I don't know how you've gotten by without a tablesaw, it is the most used tool in my shop.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

[QUOTE=John How] I go the rout of Mario & Howard. I use a 7 1/4" blade in my 10" table saw 90% of the time. They are cheap enough that I can buy a stack of them at HD and always have a fresh one. I keep my 10" fine tooth blade hanging on the wall nice and sharp when I need it, which is not very often. Brock, I don't know how you've gotten by without a tablesaw, it is the most used tool in my shop.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. It is good to hear advice like this before I go out and spend a bunch of bucks on blades.

Regarding the table saw, yeah, I know everyone works differently, but I really haven't ran into too many places where I have ** had ** to have one -- even though it would have been simpler with a good table saw. I rigged up a small fret slotting jig out of a tile saw which works great. That has probably prolonged the purchse.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Another vote for the Diablo blades.
They come in 2 or 3 different tpi. I like to have one for ripping and one for crosscutting, but in general, the crosscut blade stays on my saw 95% of the time anyway. I agree that they dull rather quickly, but for the price you can throw them out and get another. When I first started using them, I could buy them for around $8 each, but they've double in price in the last few years.Don Williams38928.4970717593

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

See Mario, we listen

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Billy T] I use the table saw for everything, , cutting chicken for the BBQ! [/QUOTE]

Not much chance for your chicken to POKAK