# Need suggestions for a saw blade to cut 1/32" kerf and 3/4 inch depth of cut



## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

As the title says, I need a blade, preferably that will run on a 5/8 inch table saw arbor and cut a very narrow kerf. I tried searching online but have not found anything yet that can do the job. I can get a router blade that will do the job, but it would be an awkward way to make the cuts I need. A 6 inch diameter blade would be ideal though I could work with diameter as small as 4 inches. I could work with a blade that makes a 3/64" kerf if that is available and I could work with 1/2 inch depth of cut.

Is there anything available that fits this description?

edit to add: I found one source at http://www.totalsawsolutions.com/ who can custom make a blade 8 inches diameter, 32 carbide teeth, 42 thousandths kerf width, and 3/4 inch depth of cut for about $300.


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## yotebuster1200 (Jul 28, 2013)

I dont know how much you are willing to spend, and I dont know their price but these guys can make you a table saw blade that is 1/32"

http://www.totalsawsolutions.com/

Let us know what they cost after you get a hold of them


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Yote, I had found totalsawsolutions a bit before you posted and spoke with the owner as noted in my edit above. Thank you for looking. I am having a blade made as above at a cost of $300. I asked for 42 mil kerf because 42 is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. I'm still trying to figure out the ultimate question.


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## yotebuster1200 (Jul 28, 2013)

Fusion_power said:


> Yote, I had found totalsawsolutions a bit before you posted and spoke with the owner as noted in my edit above. Thank you for looking. I am having a blade made as above at a cost of $300. I asked for 42 mil kerf because 42 is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. I'm still trying to figure out the ultimate question.


I'm a little curious why you want/need a blade that thin?

You will have to let us know how it works.out for you. I have heard some.good things about them.


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

http://www.grizzly.com/slitting-saws

It's called a slitting saw, often run on an arbor on a machining center for making slots.

You would need to find or make a bushing for the table saw to go from 5/8 arbor to 1"
Edit: here's the bushing for it, courtesy of Harbor Fright: http://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-saw-blade-bushing-set-1444.html

These particular blades are for metal but other companies make them for wood as well. These may work adequately in wood if you spend a few minutes on them with a file


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I also am curious what you would need this for. seems like a lot of trouble.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Tank, you missed the point. This is a carbide tooth wood cutting flat tip blade that can easily be sharpened for a lifetime of use. It will be the highest quality blade steel with very low vibration and extra smooth cut. Why do I need it? Because I can change a single cut to this size and instead of throwing away a piece of wood that is too small to use, I will have a use-able strip of wood that I can sell.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Have you looked at Freud think kerf blades. I run a 7-1/2 in my tablesaw. If it isn't that fine it is dam close.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Freud's smallest thin kerf is 1/16. I have a 1/16 blade for my saw that is just not quite thin enough.


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## yotebuster1200 (Jul 28, 2013)

Fusion_power said:


> Freud's smallest thin kerf is 1/16. I have a 1/16 blade for my saw that is just not quite thin enough.


Sounds like it will pay for itself overtime.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Have we figured out what it is needed for yet?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

All I will say is that it will turn something I was throwing away into something I can sell. Yes, it will pay for itself over time, I estimate 3 year payback. I also like the ability it will provide of using more of the wood I am cutting.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Bandsaw?


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

Fusion_power said:


> Tank, you missed the point. This is a carbide tooth wood cutting flat tip blade that can easily be sharpened for a lifetime of use. It will be the highest quality blade steel with very low vibration and extra smooth cut. Why do I need it? Because I can change a single cut to this size and instead of throwing away a piece of wood that is too small to use, I will have a use-able strip of wood that I can sell.


Fusion, that is a great point. Always better to buy quality tooling that lasts. I look forward to seeing how this blade works out for you. Are you going to share with us what you are building?

Also, sorry for calling you a fool, but if you ever come to California I would be happy to buy you tacos and cheap beer to make up for it.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Wish I could Barry, but this is a lengthwise cut on a long piece of wood. That is why I commented above that I could get a router/shaper blade to do the job, but that it was not a good solution to the problem. I spent several hours researching this question before asking here. I know for sure that blades like this can be purchased, I just was not able to figure out where to get them. I even determined that I could convert one of my existing blades to do the job using a diamond grinding wheel but the result would not in the end fully meet the requirements of smooth cut and low vibration. I'm pretty good at rigging up a workable solution to most problems, but in this case, I want something that will last as long as I do.

Thanks Tank, tacos and cheap beer - along with bean burritos - produce lots of natural resources, I might take you up on it.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

We use a saw like this in cutouts. Oscillating saw. We use it because it makes a very narrow kerf that bees can't get thru. Get one cheap at Home Depot. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH1PLsjIsM4


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## No-sage (Mar 14, 2009)

You migh also check luthier suppliers. Saw blades for fret tangs might do the task.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Thank you no-sage, that is the best suggestion yet. A luthier saw would do the job, but there are two concerns. The first is that I am cutting soft wood so the blade would tend to heat during heavy use which would shorten blade life. Also, the blades are hardened steel which will not last as well as a carbide tipped blade. The added factor is that I want to cut at least 3/4 inch deep but the luthier saws all appear to max out at 1/2 inch. The prices I saw start at $100!


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## matrout76 (Feb 2, 2013)

i would reconsider the bandsaw mentioned above. 

You can set it up with a fence and rip the board down just like a tablesaw. You may have to add some infeed and outfeed rollers or tables. Bandsaws have no problem ripping boards, thats what all the sawmills are switching to from a circular blade. 

Matt


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I got the new blade and the verdict is in. The blade cuts .042 inches thick. A dime is .053 inches thick so the kerf is 20% narrower than a dime. It cuts perfectly smooth and with much less drag on the motor than my other standard blades. It is designed for a maximum 1.5 inches depth of cut. This limits ability to make some types of rip cuts and some notch cuts.

I tested it making 25 top bars and got the exact cuts I expected. Would I advise others to buy one? Only if you cut a lot of small parts such as frames or small furniture pieces. The blade cuts exceptionally well and generates less than half as much sawdust as my other blades. It is the perfect blade to make many of the cuts on frame parts with more usable pieces cut from a board because the kerf is so narrow. Ripping a 12 inch wide piece of shelving board into 7/8 inch wide top bars yields 12 usable top bars. Most other blades would cut 11 top bars with a useless strip left over.

There are a few concerns to address with an ultra narrow kerf blade. The first is that it does not easily clear out debris left from cutting. Any small chunks of wood left on top of the table saw will stay there and eventually get picked up and flung at the operator. This is easily resolved by clearing the table regularly to ensure debris is removed as it is made. The second item is that removing the blade is a bit if a pain. It is so thin that putting a piece of metal in one of the notches could warp the blade. I made a block of wood specifically to engage multiple teeth so I could loosen the arbor nut. The blade is very susceptible to overheating. It requires a limited use cycle to cool down. I would not use it to rip down 20 foot long boards one right after another. It also comes with a caution about use with wet wood which tends to bind more generating more friction.

This is the first time I have owned a saw blade that cost more than the saw. I still like it, it is a superb tool!


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

Fusion_power said:


> I got the new blade and the verdict is in. The blade cuts .042 inches thick. A dime is .053 inches thick so the kerf is 20% narrower than a dime. It cuts perfectly smooth and with much less drag on the motor than my other standard blades. It is designed for a maximum 1.5 inches depth of cut. This limits ability to make some types of rip cuts and some notch cuts.
> 
> I tested it making 25 top bars and got the exact cuts I expected. Would I advise others to buy one? Only if you cut a lot of small parts such as frames or small furniture pieces. The blade cuts exceptionally well and generates less than half as much sawdust as my other blades. It is the perfect blade to make many of the cuts on frame parts with more usable pieces cut from a board because the kerf is so narrow. Ripping a 12 inch wide piece of shelving board into 7/8 inch wide top bars yields 12 usable top bars. Most other blades would cut 11 top bars with a useless strip left over.
> 
> ...


So how many top bars do you need to cut to pay for the $300 saw blade?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I need about 300 extra frames to pay the price. That comes to around 3,600 total frames I'd have to make to show a profit.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

The more I use this new blade, the more I like it. When cutting small parts such as frames, yield is 9% better than with my other blades. This adds up fast when you consider I was turning that 9% into sawdust. There would not be as much gain when cutting larger parts like hive bodies, but for cutting frame parts, this blade is amazing. I would rate smoothness of cut 8 out of 10 where 10 is glass smooth and 1 is rough with visible semicircles from misaligned teeth. The best blade I have currently would cut 8.5 on this scale. There are some cuts that need a thicker blade or a blade with greater depth of cut. Overall, I see a huge improvement in cutting frame parts. I can't advise anyone to purchase a blade like this given the cost unless they are like me doing a lot of wood work with small pieces that can be cut with an ultra thin kerf blade.


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

Barry said:


> Bandsaw?


I still don't understand why a bandsaw wouldn't work.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

I have not found my bandsaw blades will leave near as smooth a surface as a circular saw and if you push the cut rate they will wander more on any grain runout. Doing frames will be making a minimum of inch and a quarter thick cut. Undoubtedly there are better quality bands than what I am using and that may lessen the tendency to drift off one way or the other. I cut up a lot of strips for boat building and settled on circular saw blades even though they did waste a relative high percentage of waste to sawdust.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Consider how you would cut the wedge out of a top bar using a bandsaw. I can cut it with perfect precision on my table saw. More important, the piece I cut out is large enough that I can use it to hold the foundation. With my old blades, it was not thick enough and I was having to cut separate strips for the wedge.


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