Replies

1. 
   nvman | Jul 17, 2008 04:52am | #1

   Hi Jack,

   Yeah, a ripping blade is the only way to go. I think you should do a bit of research on the internet and find out the difference between a ripping blade and a cross cut blade.

   Aaron

1. 
   jimmy | Jul 17, 2008 05:07am | #2

   yeah, I agree, but a rip like that in a piece of mahog is a no brainer.  Sounds like a dull blade or bad fence alignment to me...mahogany , by the way, is one of the easiest woods to work with.  Should cut like butter...

   Edited 7/16/2008 10:09 pm ET by Jimmy

1. 
   BioHaz1906 | Jul 17, 2008 06:01am | #3

   I would check the sharpness of your blade.  Mahogany cuts really nice and it is a joy to watch the simple shavings come off the hand plane too.  Be careful, a dull blade is DANGEROUS!!!!!!  Check out http://www.woodzone.com/woods/mahogany.htm and it will give you some propeties of mahogany assuming that you actually have real mahogany.  Hope this helps.

    

   Edited 7/16/2008 11:03 pm ET by BioHaz1906

2. 
   hammer1 | Jul 17, 2008 05:06pm | #4

   I have to agree with others, Jack. Do you know about tuning your cabinet saw? A fine tooth crosscut blade will have trouble ripping. A good combination blade should be able to handle it. Many of us have several blades and change them depending on the cuts and material. There are some species that get called mahogany since they look similar, but are much more difficult to work with. They are often used as decking material, ipe and meranti are two and they are hard and tough on blades. Real mahogany is a joy to work with. Once you have tuned your saw, you may want to invest in a rip blade. It can make quite a difference but the saw has to be aligned properly.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Jul 17, 2008 05:13pm | #5

   >> I am really amaized as to how hard mahogany is.

   Mahogany is not a hard wood and cuts very easily. How thick is the wood? Sounds like you have either a dull blade or you are using the wrong blade for ripping.

   Other possibilities are that the kerf closed due to the wood being unequally dried or that you saw is in need of aligning.

   Howie.........
4. 
   Samson | Jul 17, 2008 05:23pm | #6

   As the others have said: something is wrong.  True mahogany isn't particularly hard and cuts with most an tool very easily. 

   things to check:

   - is the wood really mahogany?

   - is you rip fence properly aligned?

   - are you using an appropriate blade (either combo or rip)?

   - are you using a sharp blade?

   - are you feeding the stock smoothly and keeping it moving evenly throught he rip (hesitations can cause burning)?

5. 
   Knotscott | Jul 17, 2008 05:30pm | #7

   The first thing I'd do is clean the blade, then make sure it's sharp and is an appropriate blade...as in not something like an 80T crosscut blade. Also make sure the saw is aligned well.

1. 
   dougmeyer | Jul 17, 2008 10:07pm | #8

   I just want to secound the idea that the kerf closed. I had a peice of plywood that I smoked and could not figure out why. So I was sitting thier with the d!@# thing still in the saw (I turn off the saw in mid cut the smoke was so bad) and it took me a few minutes to realise the kerf had closed up on me (On plywood yet!).  I took that piece of junk plywood and smoked it in the back yard reall good a few days latter (read in the fire pit).

   Doug

6. 
   hdgis1 | Jul 18, 2008 04:21am | #9

   The blade may be part of the problem but I would say it is most likely the case that your fence is out of alignment. The toe of the fence should be kicked out about 1/64th. Try that and I'd bet you would be good to go.

   Chris

7. 
   flairwoodworks | Jul 18, 2008 08:10am | #10

   If your blade is sharp and your fence is properly aligned, the culprit might be the wood itself.  If it tries to move during the cut, bad things can happen.  Also make sure that the two sides of the board that register against the fence and table are flat and straight.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   philip | Jul 18, 2008 08:26am | #11

   And folk have been known to put a blade on inside out (;).Philip Marcou

8. 
   mike4244 | Jul 19, 2008 05:51pm | #12

   Jack, mahogany is relatively soft. Try changing the blade to one with fewer teeth if you do not have a rip blade.I'm assuming the blade you are now using is somewhat sharp and installed correctly.

   mike

1. 
   sykesville | Jul 20, 2008 06:04am | #13

   All the possible answers have been given in the above posts. I missed out. good luck.