Good Table Saw Blade

[Huxleywood]

I just ripped some plastic exterior trim with the Fusion blade.  A beautiful cut.  But the edges of the board all look pink as the red coating rubbed off on the board.  Luckily the edges are hidden.  But it is something to consider if it is not.  I guess I could go at it with a palm sander to get rid of the pink.

An interesting result from an "off-label" cut.   When cutting wood the wood should never touch the blade plate as the kerf is "significantly" wider than the plate thickness so blade coatings are mainly there to prevent pitch build up.



On a wider note, there seems to be a little confusion between a combination blade and a general purpose blade though I agree it is a little pedantic.   A combination blade is designed mainly for ripping and crosscutting and will usually have a flat tooth followed by (usually 4) ATB teeth, there is usually a large gullet after every set of 5 teeth.  This is called a COMB or combination grind.  General Purpose blades (like the WWII, Fusion, Super general et al) not only work for crosscuts and rips but also are designed to handle sheet goods like melamine and plywood at an acceptable level.  There aren't any flat teeth and the teeth will have an ATB or Hi-ATB grind, the top bevel on the teeth will be much higher than a combo blade which gives the shearing action to cut sheet good cleanly.  

While by no means universal you often see 50t combo blades and 40t GP blades.    

[museumguy]

I have learned that working the bulk of my 35 career in a top notch exhibit shop that I have been spoiled. I had access to the best of the best, in our opinion anyway. I was taught in the very beginning " to use the appropriate blade for the task at hand". I put this in quotes because the statement is subjective to each individuals opinion. If you look at the picture that I posted, I have blades from 8 teeth to 96 teeth. Each blade is technically designed for a specific task. This includes combo and general purpose blades. I typically keep a 40 or 50 tooth blade on my saw. If I am crosscutting plywood, I switch to an 80 tooth blade. For ripping, I usually use a 24 tooth glue line rip blade. If I am roughing stock for jointing or planning, I'll switch to am 8 tooth blade. Cutting acrylic, I have blades designed for that. Cutting aluminum, yep, another blade. Cutting Melamine, a different blade.

I am not saying that everyone should do this, my fellow WoodNetters have already stated that they get great results by using a different approach altogether. All I am pointing out is the way that I have been taught and my methods.

[Stwood_]

Once you start collecting blades, you'll need a nice storage space for them,

Do you live in earthquake country?

[museumguy]

Do you live in earthquake country?

Nope, why?

[Stwood_]

Nope, why?

Can your blades roll out of the wall boxes?

[museumguy]

Can your blades roll out of the wall boxes?

Actually, the blades tend to roll back into the box. It's been hanging in my shop for almost 4 years, no problems.