Choosing the right blades

[Marcel in Longueuil]

In regards to blades, you need to try different brands and see which ones you like best.

The most popular brands, in no order, are Pégas, Olson and Flying Dutchmen

And you will find different models inside each brand. Which makes it a little intimidating even for some that have been scrolling for a little while. Some blades are targeted at specific tasks (puzzles, metal, Corian) others have different teeth configurations ( skip tooth, reverse teeth, crown teeth). You can easily find blade charts on the web (Olson has a nice one) describing the different blades and suggested usage.

Some of the Rules are:

• You should always have 3 teeth touching your material when cutting (at least, that's what I heard )
• The more teeth on the blade, the smoother the cut
• The more teeth on the blade, the more heat gets generated
• The more teeth on the blade, the harder it is for the sawdust to get expelled.
• Reverse teeth help prevent "fuzzies" on the bottom
• Reverse teeth are more aggressive
• The smaller the blade, the finer the cut
• The smaller the blade, the tighter the radius you can turn
• The smaller the blade, the harder it is to see against your black pattern lines
• The smaller the blade, the easier it is to insert upside down
• The smaller the blade, the easier it is for it to want to follow the grain on some woods
• Keeping the blade tensioned tight helps cut straighter, too tight and it breaks
• And let us not forget that the density (type) of wood used will call for different blade types also

I guess we could make an equation of it:
Type of wood + Thickness of wood + type of blade + size of blade + speed of blade(saw) = Nicest cut

So my point is that there is good and bad to every type of blades and you have to adapt yourself to them, as well as make the best compromising choice.

Lots of good advice can be found in the posts, and we are here if you have further questions.

Good luck with your new hobby, kiss any family lovingly, cause once that saw comes in and you get bit, they'll be wanting for your presence. It's addictive, be warned.

Regards,
Marcel