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+-- Thread: bridle joints on a table saw (/showthread.php?tid=7346690)
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bridle joints on a table saw - Cooler - 02-26-2019
I cut my first bridle joints on the table saw using a regular saw blade. It had alternating angle teeth and the bottom of the cut would not be perfectly flat when seen from this view:
![[Image: BridleJoint11.jpg?sha=28c50b5390d59b16]](https://woodcraft-production-weblinc.netdna-ssl.com/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTgvMDkvMTgvMTUvMjIvMTEvNTE1L0JyaWRsZUpvaW50MTEuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwib3B0aW0iXV0/BridleJoint11.jpg?sha=28c50b5390d59b16)
Since that time I've cut bridle joints using my flat bottom dado blades. But on the Internet all the instructionals show the cuts being made with a regular saw blade, and the examples of the joint do not show the bevel cut in the corners.
Is there some sort of trick to getting a saw blade to make a flat bottomed cut? Only my dado blades have a flat tipped blade. All my others have alternating bevels.
![[Image: TableSawBlades2.jpg?sha=b14e894c337d2cf0]](https://woodcraft-production-weblinc.netdna-ssl.com/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTgvMDkvMjAvMTQvNDYvMDIvNzQyL1RhYmxlU2F3QmxhZGVzMi5qcGciXSxbInAiLCJvcHRpbSJdXQ/TableSawBlades2.jpg?sha=b14e894c337d2cf0)
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - Phil Thien - 02-26-2019
Many rip blades are FTG.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - paarker - 02-26-2019
Try using a dedicated rip blade. My Freud gives a flat bottom cut.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - mound - 02-26-2019
or just clean the corners with a chisel once done cutting the joint with your normal blade?
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - Cooler - 02-26-2019
My dado blades are flat so it is no problem for me. But none of my other blades, the all purpose, the dedicated rip or the dedicated crosscut for both my table saw and my radial arm saw have a flat bottom. They all have alternating bevel teeth. I thought that was the standard.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - fredhargis - 02-27-2019
Even my dado sets have those pints on the end (outer blades), I though only the box joint sets have flat tips. But like they said above, rip blades generally always have flat tips.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - barryvabeach - 02-27-2019
I can't help with your question, but did want to point out that I commonly do bridle joints on the TS, and made a shim that is exactly the width of a saw kerf. The shim is the length of the jig that I sit the boards on to be cut. So I set the fence ( the jig rides on the fence) and make the first cut on one half of the joints - usually the right hand side of slot or mortise on the bridle, then add the shim, which makes the cut on the outer or tenon portion of the corresponding pieces ( remember to mark the face side of all the stock ). Then reset the fence the width of the tenon, and make the next cut with the shim in place on to cut the left hand edge of the tenon, then remove the shim and run the first half of the stock through, which cuts the left hand side of the mortise or slot, then reset the fence to nibble away the mortise portion. It goes pretty quick so long as you keep track of which parts are to be cut when.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - Cooler - 02-27-2019
(02-27-2019, 07:06 AM)barryvabeach Wrote: I can't help with your question, but did want to point out that I commonly do bridle joints on the TS, and made a shim that is exactly the width of a saw kerf. The shim is the length of the jig that I sit the boards on to be cut. So I set the fence ( the jig rides on the fence) and make the first cut on one half of the joints - usually the right hand side of slot or mortise on the bridle, then add the shim, which makes the cut on the outer or tenon portion of the corresponding pieces ( remember to mark the face side of all the stock ). Then reset the fence the width of the tenon, and make the next cut with the shim in place on to cut the left hand edge of the tenon, then remove the shim and run the first half of the stock through, which cuts the left hand side of the mortise or slot, then reset the fence to nibble away the mortise portion. It goes pretty quick so long as you keep track of which parts are to be cut when.
I use a tenoning jig. I will have to think how that would work for me. But I've found that the 3/4" stock is not 100% uniform in thickness (and I don't run the boards through a planer). So I wonder if that will always give a nice tight joint.
If I buy all the lumber at the same time I can make sure it is all the same thickness. But otherwise I have to pick and choose to make sure it is the same.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - retrdwoodwkr - 02-27-2019
Beside using a sharp chisel or a rip blade as mentioned in a previous response, you can cut a piece of scrap wood to fit the bridle, attach some sand paper, and smooth out the little ridges that remained.
RE: bridle joints on a table saw - rwe2156 - 02-27-2019
(02-26-2019, 04:57 PM)Cooler Wrote: My dado blades are flat so it is no problem for me. But none of my other blades, the all purpose, the dedicated rip or the dedicated crosscut for both my table saw and my radial arm saw have a flat bottom. They all have alternating bevel teeth. I thought that was the standard.
There are two types of rip blades, "glue line" (ATB) like you've got and FTG (flat top grind).
They really are quite handy for plowing narrow grooves, or any application where you need a clean corner.
Keeping the reference faces against the fence will cancel out any slight diff in thickness.