Thank You Mr. Freud

[Bas]

Ripped some 8/4 hard maple on my 1 3/4HP ProShop this evening. First time ripping hard maple, first time ripping 8/4 stock. Put on a 24T Freud ripping blade, pushed the wood through. It wasn't exactly like slicing butter...it was more like...Cheesecake...or maybe Apple Crisp...no Baked Alaska....

Whatever it was, the saw never objected, no burning, and a super smooth cut. Gotta love that. ccasion1

 

[Trent Mason]

NICE! :icon_thum

 

[LeftyTom]

Freud says, "Sometimes a saw blade is just a saw blade." :wink_smil

 

[woodArtz]

I just knew Freud could help Bas. Dr. Phil might help as well.

 

[Travis Porter]

I just knew Freud could help Bas. Dr. Phil might help as well.

Definitely could use some Dr. Phil. :wink_smil

On a serious note, cleaning the blade of pitch and resin occassionally will help too. A clean blade (teeth and body) is a happy blade!

I believe it has an easier time dissipating heat which reduces the risk of burning and improves blade life.

 

[Bas]

I just knew Freud could help Bas. Dr. Phil might help as well.

I'm pretty much beyond help....but I wouldn't mind lying on a couch for a few hours! zzzzzzzz......

 

[JimD]

I use a Ryobi BT3100 - a not very powerful saw. I find that a ripping blade cuts substantially easier than any of my thin kerf blades (all of which have at least 32 teeth). My ripping blade is also the Freud 24 tooth with full kerf thickness. I cut glued up blanks of oak and other hardwoods that are 3+ inches thick and my little saw will do it. With the ripping blade, no burning and a decent feed rate. With any of my other blades it is real slow going and usually some burning. Clean helps but a ripping blade is also important when you don't have much power.

Jim

 

[erasmussen]

A text book cut :icon_thum

 

[Bas]

I actually have a 24T thin kerf ripping blade. Before I bought this saw, I had a 1HP-universal-motor-poor-excuse-for-a-table-saw. Thin kerf was definitely needed, _anything_ to squeeze some power out of it. I've never tried a full kerf ripping blade, but I suspect it won't make too much of a difference with a decent saw.

 

[NCPete]

Bas, the big difference with a full kerf blade, is the blade will deflect less than the thin kerf models, tending to give a more accurate cut in thicker materials.

 

[Bas]

Bas, the big difference with a full kerf blade, is the blade will deflect less than the thin kerf models, tending to give a more accurate cut in thicker materials.

I've heard that, and it is certainly logical that a thinner blade would flex more, but I've never experienced it. Whatever the deflection is, it's so little it's not significant compared to the normal saw runout, operator mishandling etc. But, I only have a handful of situations where I was able to directly compare FK performance to TK.

 

[mlzettl]

I have both the thin and regular kerf Freud rip blades. On my 3 HP Unisaw there is a distinct difference between the effort required to move stock through the blade, with the thin kerf obviously being easier. But, as others have already noted, the quality of cut is better with the thicker blade due to less deflection.

I also strongly concur with the suggestion to clean the blade frequently in order to keep it free of pitch, resin, etc. Clean blade = clean cuts. The question is what to clean it with. That's a whole discussion in and of itself with widely varying opinions and practices.

Matt

 

[rick7938]

Believe it or not, I have found that the best way to clean the blades is with baking soda in water and a brass bristle brush. It works great and is fast to boot. I think Michael Garner is the one who first posted this info. It works great.

 

[mlzettl]

That's one I've never tried. How much baking soda and how much water? I know that Freud recommends not using anything that is a strong base (lye, or oven cleaner) or a strong acid (muriatic, hydrochloric, etc.) What constitutes "strong" I don't know. Seems to me that the length of exposure to whatever solution one uses would also be a factor.

 

[Bas]

I use Orange Blast (citrus cleaner). Comes in a spray bottle. I spray the blade (both sides) and let it soak for 5 minutes. Then use a dishwashing brush to clean off the gunk. Works great. $2 oil pan from Harbor Freight is great to put the blade while it's soaking.

 

[JimD]

I use CMT's blade cleaner and a brass brush from walmart. It works about as fast as the oven cleaner I used to use and has less odor and chance of damaging the blade. I just put the blade or blades on a tray made of melamine with oak edges (from my old island, they were a sliding shelf), spray with the cleaner, immediately brush both sides and then let soak before wiping off. Takes 5-10 minutes, most of it soaking.

I noticed that by the end of ripping up the wood for 4 table legs and then ripping to final size the four legs my ripping blade it starting to take a bit more effort. It surprised me it got a little dirty this fast. With a bigger saw you probably would not notice but when your motor is only 15A, you need every advantage you can get in 3 inch thick material. On the other hand, when everything is set up right, it goes through this stuff surprisingly easily.

Jim

 

[rick7938]

As far as the baking soda, I use about 1/4-cup dissolved in whatever amount of water it takes to cover the blade in your container. Then very little brushing with the brass bristle brush from HF brings the pitch right off. I wipe the blades dry and spray with WD-40. Sure works for me on blades and router bits.