Woodstock W1711, W1677 owner manual Blade Selection, Blade Material, Blade Types

W1677/W1711 10" Table Saw

Blade Selection

OPERATIONS

With all the various kinds of blades available, it would be beyond the scope of this manual to name every type of blade and tooth design. However, some basics are impor- tant to know.

Blade Material

There are two major materials used in circular saw blades—Carbideand Steel.

Most woodworkers these days prefer carbide-tipped blades because they can last much longer than steel blades before they need to be resharpened. Carbide- tipped blades are also a lot more expensive than steel blades and require expensive honing equipment to be sharpened.

Steel blades can be sharper than carbide-tipped blades and create less friction during a cut. Since they wear out so quickly, they are often only used if heat will be a fore- seeable problem when cutting thick stock. Steel blades are easy to resharpen and are not as expensive as their carbide-tipped counterparts.

Blade Types

•Rip blades (Figure 33) typically have between 30-40 teeth and provide fast feed rates when making long cuts along the grain. Rip blades have large teeth for excellent chip clearance and minimal binding. The main drawback for rip blades are the rough cuts left in the stock.

•Crosscutting blades (Figure 34) are designed for quick, smooth action when making cuts across the grain. Drawbacks of this type of blade are buildup of heat, slower feed rates and premature wear of the blade because the greater number of teeth creates more friction.

•Combination blades (Figure 35) perform both rip- ping and crosscutting duties well. The blades carry enough teeth to perform the smooth cutting of a crosscutting blade and the large gullets of a rip blade to clear sawdust quickly. Drawbacks of this type of blade are that they do not perform either function as well as a dedicated rip or crosscut blade.

Figure 33. Rip blade.

Figure 34. Crosscutting blade.

Figure 35. Combination blade.

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