Circular saw blade suggestion required.

[ashok]

I plan to cut some 1 inch thick "rubberwood" . These are made from bonded strips of rubber wood. What type of blade would give me a clean cut ?

This is for a Thorens TD124-AB turntable plinth. I'll be gluing two layers together . Will that be good enough ?
I had thought of a combination of 19 MDF and 19mm marine ply. Two layers each type . MDF-PLY-MDF-PLY .

Any suggestions ?
Thanks.

[jneutron]

I use a 10 inch dia blade with a honkin large quantity of cabide bits. I think it's 100 or 120 tooth.

It makes cuts in woods and plywoods that is so smooth that I can bypass 200 grit paper entirely, and start with 400.

Problem 1: It does tend to burn the wood if you dally in the cut or don't have the fence absolutely perfectly parallel to the blade. I tend to raise the blade enough so the teeth clear the top of the work, which is not your typical safety protocol....usually I have the teeth just break the top surface, that way the most I could do is cut my appendages the depth of the work... (use the guard of course!!!)

problem 2. Dey's expensive.. a hundred bucks for a good one is not out of line.

problem 3..tied to #2....if that blade even looks at a nail or staple, it's toast.

Cheers, John

[seventenths]

A Forrest WoodWorker II is the finest blade I have ever used. Period. Expensive, but worth every penny.
Have you ever made a saw cut that looked like a finished edge?



7/10

[Conrad Hoffman]

Rubberwood sounds a lot like maple according to Wikipedia. I'd avoid the high tooth counts, as they tend to burn unless razor sharp and just the right feed rate. Maybe stay with something more common like 40-60. I also keep my teeth full above the work, as that seems to reduce kickback. I use heavy Delta blades with high kerf loss that cost >$100 each. There are probably better choices :-)

[KP11520]

When you say Circular saw, do you mean hand-held circular saw? If yes, then I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a blade for imperfect cuts,

Table saws and quality Chop (mitre) saws will give you the precision you want with the proper blades.

If all you have is a circular saw and don't want to invest in the others, bring the wood to a Lumber Yard with a wood shop and let them cut it, that is if precision is needed!

I hope this is helpful.

Regards//Keith

[dfdye]

Yea, I was reading all of this talk about table saw blades and I thought I missed the boat! If you want a 7.25" CIRCULAR saw blade, then just get a 40 tooth carbide blade--any brand will really do since they are typically pretty cheap. You won't be able to do much precision cutting with a circular saw anyway, but the 40 tooth vs. the typical 24 tooth hogs makes a difference.

If you want a good cut, use a table saw at least, and not a circular saw!

As for cut quality, I'll chime in with the Forrest WWII being excellent, but I have also had much luck with mid-range Freud blades. The aren't quite as nice, but the cost savings is there. For laminated sheet products, the higher tooth count blades definitely help to avoid splintering. I'm assuming here that you are laminating before you cut. If not, then no blade will help you enough to avoid extensive belt sander usage.

Finally, whatever blade you use, the BEST thing you can do is to use a zero clearance insert on your table saw to avoid splintering of the sheet goods during cross cuts. Also, you can score the crosscuts first to further reduce tear out, but make sure your fence is up to staying rock steady or you will have a score mark on the edge of your work piece.

[Cal Weldon]

If you do decide on a table saw and you can't afford a good one, use a 7.25" thin kerf carbide blade in it rather than the 10". It works the motor less.

If you have to use a circular saw then make yourself a sawboard. Very handy in a pinch.

http://members.aol.com/woodmiser1/sawbd.htm

[dfdye]

No way you can even FIT a 10" blade on a circular saw!

Still, Cal, you are spot on with the "Saw Board." I use a clamp rail similar to this for cutting down sheet stock and would highly suggest using either a store bought or a home made version.

[dave_gerecke]

You can fit a 10" blade on a hand held circular saw, if you buy the correct one. I forget the brand(s), but I have seen a circular saw with a 10" blade before, and I saw a picture of one in a woodworking supply catalog that had a 14" blade. It looks like something out of a bad horror flick!

Peace,

Dave

[dfdye]

No way! You are thinking of specialty saws that are designed to take larger blades, and yes, I have seen the 14" hand held circular saws too (insane!).

Those are NOT available at your local Lowes/Home Depot/Sears and if you had one, you would NOT be asking this forum how to use it !

(Because you DARN SURE better know what you are doing before you drop the coin on those exotic bad boys--low production = high individual cost.)