Official Luthiers Forum!

I am just getting ready to start building #1 and I would like to know what people suggest for a good clean cutting table saw blade for tasks like cutting the scarf joint, tapering the fingerboard, trimming the neck block etc.

Also what type of bandsaw blade for general building tasks (NOT resawing as this is only a 3/4hp delta 14")

And lastly, for block and jack plane replacement blades, the Hock or the new Pinnacle/IBC from Woodcraft.

Thanks in advance.

Dustin Ellis

Dustin-
Welcome to the addiction of guitar building!
A smaller thin kerf Diablo 40 tooth blade is good for trimming fingerboards, and other fine-cutting work. (Pretty frequent recommendation around here...)
I don't cut neck scarfs on the tablesaw, but you'd need a bigger blade for that, obviously. (I use the bandsaw for scarfs, when I do one, since I'll have to plane anyway.)

Something like a 1/4" 4tpi or 6tpi is good. If you aren't cutting out molds and other thick stuff, the 6 tpi is better/smoother. Consider a 'sacrificial' table insert to fit closer to the blade to minimize chipping on finer cuts.

Are the blades in your planes really unusable? I've got one or two Hock blades in planes and they seem OK.
My two cents worth:If you already have a very good set of sharpening tools (stones, honing guide, etc) then go for the new blades. Otherwise, spend the $$ on sharpening tools and get lots of practice keeping the old irons sharp!

Cheers
John

John,

Thanks for the quick reply.

Last Christmas I got a 1920's #5 Stanley Bailey and the blade there is not horrible, but I also got a 60's era Stanley block plane, and the blade is simply to short to sharpen anymore. The adjustment wheel is pushed all the way in, so that one will need a new blade to even be serviceable.
Other than that I have had luck getting the irons pretty sharp using Todd Stock's scary sharp video tutorial. I am able to easily shave hair off my arm, BUT after just a little use they don't stay sharp. I wondered which one of these new thicker replacements would be better.

Once again thanks for the great advice.

Dustin Ellis

I agree the diablo thin kerf is a nice blade but it is too small to cut the scarf joint.

For bigger blades I like the Forest Wooworker II.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

What Brock said on TS blades, my compliment exactly... and I (and you too) can resaw lots of stuff on my 14 inch Delta 3/4 HP with riser ... 1/2-3tpi industrial hardened balde from R&D bandsaws .. my general blade is a 3/16-10 tpi ...

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Just to clarify, the Diablo so many will praise is 7 1/4". Less dust, waste, easier on the motor, nice finish, $15.

I have an older Craftsman contractor's saw - 1 hp. I got one of the Forrest WWII blades ($100) but had lots of burning even in .75" stock. Forrest said the problem was not uncommon on lower powered saws, and recommended I run it at full height - I said no thanks, never raise the blade higher out of the work than a finger, thank you very much.

I use a 10" Freud combo blade ($45) when I must have the extra depth. It leaves a nice finish, and doesn't burn like the WWII did. Still, I've never cut a scarf I didn't have to clean up afterwards, but I've only done a few.

_________________
Gabriel Regalbuto
Carlsbad, California
Freedom 35!

Forest blades are not cheap but they are the chump!
I second the idea of getting the riser block. If you get a good blade and set it up well that Delta will resaw allot of stuff and really expand what you can do. Especially if you only have a 10" table saw.
A bench plane that old has lived much of it’s life in the bench grinder era. Many blades were over heated that way.
Any after market blade will be a big improvement. Most of my bench planes have Hock blades. They sharpen quickly. I think that is an often overlooked quality.

Thanks for the great feed back!! Honestly I had never even thought of using a smaller diameter blade on what I considered a 10" saw. I don't know why that never crossed my mind as my dado cutter is much smaller in diameter.

Dustin Ellis

Dustin-
That 40T Diablo is a great (&cheap) blade - equivalent to a 60T-or-so 10" blade, so it is a nice fine-cutting blade.
It will be worth your while to make a (new) zero-clearance insert for your saw if you start cutting thinner/narrower material. I've found that I can 'renew' the wood insert in my saw with filling the slot with leftover epoxy when I have some available. Once the epoxy is cured and sanded flush, put the insert back on the saw, clamp down (with the fence?) and slowly raise the blade through the insert.

BTW, for a 10" blade I use a thin kerf (red-coated) Freud rip blade. I find that rip blades do a better job cross-cutting, than combo blades do ripping, but I haven't used a lot of different ones.

If you have the space, an older (iron) 8" tablesaw with the Diablo blade (spinning at higher rpm) is a nice luxury.

Cheers
John

Just wanted to report that I was able to get over to the local Homey Depot and pick up a thin kerf Diablo 40t blade. I have to say that it is pretty great to use a smaller thinner blade on the TS. Cuts like butter!! Smooth and clean.

Thanks a ton for the great advice!!

Dustin Ellis