Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | May 23, 2003 11:51pm | #1

   CC -- My Ballew Saw and Tools catalog shows the 12" LU85R at $99.90US which is $30 (less than 50%) more than the 10".  You might want to call them and ask if they can ship to Canada:

   1-800-288-7483    http://www.ballewtools.com

   Actually, I'm noticing they list the 407 12" as a 72-tooth blade $68.81US

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   
   

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   Edited 5/23/2003 4:56:18 PM ET by forestgirl

   
   

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   Edited 5/23/2003 4:57:50 PM ET by forestgirl

2. 
   RANGERP75R | May 24, 2003 05:42am | #2

   CC

      I love TK blades on my TS, but would be hesitant to use on the MS. I always use a 5" stiffner when I mount on the TS when cutting hardwoods to reduce the flex. I think that would cause problems with the MS, especially if you cut crown mouldings. IMO, I would go with a full 1/8" blade for the stiffness.

   sarge..jt 

3. 
   forestgirl | May 24, 2003 07:12am | #3

   I'll drop a line to Charles M. from Freud, Inc. and see what kind of info he has.  Was very, very helpful to me last fall when I was in a quandry about "which blade."

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 24, 2003 10:36pm | #4

   Jamie

      If possible, ask Charles what width the main portion of the blade is on the 12" TK. I choose a Hitachi 10" SCMS over a 12" because of the limited blades for the 12". I don't need the extra cut afforded by a 12" as the Hitachi will cross-cut about 13" and handles crown moulding with no problem.

      Just curious. I would think the TK would be fine for thin moulding, but hesitate when I would cut thick hardwood with it without a stiffner. I could be wrong as I have not personally seen a 12" TK used on anything on a MS.

   Happy Retail Week-end...

   sarge..jt

1. 
   forestgirl | May 25, 2003 11:13pm | #5

   Hi Sarge, just sent the note to Charles -- spaced out and didn't get it done yesterday!  I'd think we'll hear from him in the next couple of days.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   charlesm | May 26, 2003 09:38pm | #9

   Sarge,

   The thin kerf blades we make today are laser cut from extremely hard, stiff steel and don't flex like the TK blades made years ago when they were stamped from mild steel. A 12" blade is certainly mre susceptible to flex than a smaller diameter so correct blade choice is necessary to avoid problems in the cut. The key is to opt for the correct number of teeth and the correct grind for the application. If you try to use a TKR407 to cut 3" thick hardwood you're asking for problems. We offer a TK307 with 44 teeth for thick stock or fast cuts in thinner stock.

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 27, 2003 03:16am | #10

   Charles

      Thanks for the imput. I was not very familar with the TK in the 12" series. I have the 10" blades mastered with my 24 tooth rip, 60 crosscut and 80 fine cut-off.

      My company bought me one of the corian, melamite blades for a 40' parts counter I built them. I purchased the 60 tooth compound mitre for my new Hitachi SCMS. Both are excellent. Especially the mitre saw blade. The 5* degree negative hook gives an extremely smooth cut and keeps the stock hugging the fence.

   Ya'll keep digging...

   sarge..jt

4. 
   vineyrdbuilt | May 26, 2003 04:25am | #6

   CC,

   I have cut thousands and thousands of feet of trim with  twelve inch freud blades.  When cutting hard wood witha twleve inch blade there are several tricks I use that I believe are not only safer but also provide a much better product ot cut that is straight and true.

   I use both a 12 inch makita and also two dewalt double compound slide saws. 

   I always cut the wood with the blade going away from me or to my right( when the angle and orientation of the wood and saw allows).  I when cutting any wood whether it is soft or hardwood cut it on a bevel or compound angle cut it just 1/8" long.  As there may be blade deflection going through the initial cut there isn't on the second cut and I am sure when cutting any board to length to make sure that the board being cut has pressure applied evenly across the length or width of the board. 

   To answer your question though the eighty tooth (80) freud fine finish cutting blade is an excellent blade.  The ultimate cut of bllade is exceptional too.  they both are exceptional and you can expect to pay around $80-120/blade for fine finish blades.  I always had extra blades on hand for cutting different materials and spare blades for whent he others were being sharpened. Good Luck.....oven cleaner.....and a hi quality bike lub with synthetic polymers will keep the blades running smooth and pitch free too.

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 26, 2003 09:00am | #7

   viney

      Thanks for the input. I was very curious as to how a TK would react to thicker hardwood. Clever idea using two cuts to eliminate deflection. Makes sense.

      I think you just sold a 12" saw to CC. ha..ha..

   Regards...

   sarge..jt

5. 
   charlesm | May 26, 2003 09:32pm | #8

   The LU85 is our top of the line cut-off blade and has a special grind that actually burnishes as it cuts. The 12 inch version has 96 teeth and a 1/8" kerf. The TKR407 is 72 teeth with a standard ATB grind and is thin kerf. It's basically an apples/oranges comparison between the two. Having said that, the TKR407 is the best cut-off blade we offer in the TK line for 12" saws and will produce very clean cuts (just not burnished like the LU85).

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

6. 
   Elcoholic | May 27, 2003 10:56pm | #11

   I have a Makita LS1212 and do most of my cross-cutting on it whether it be 1/2" base shoe or 8/4 QSWO 10" wide.  I did not care for the TK blade that came with it (Tenyru I think) nor do I care to cut things twice to work around defection.  FWIW my solution was to buy a 100T FS Tools mitre saw blade.  No worries.

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

1. 
   cc | May 28, 2003 12:24am | #12

   Thanks for the input John,  I decided to go with the Forrest chopmaster.  I don't like the deflection of TK blades either, and at 15 amps, the saw is not underpowered.  I'll keep the 40t TK blade that came with the saw for 2X work and for non-critical cuts.  I was a little worried about the hook angle on the Freud TK blades (15° seemed like a lot to me), and the price of the Ultimate was too much.

   CC