Hi. I’m having a problem finding a multi purpose 10 inch table saw blade that has a kerf of exactly 1/8th inch. I own a Ridgid table saw, but the two Ridgid blades I have come with a kerf that is just less than 1/8th inch. I recently bought a Bosch blade that was supposedly 1/8th inch, but the kerf is just enough wider to mess up my objective. All three are close, but they still leave too much play when doing below.
I like to make boxes with miter joints and then strengthen them with miter keys. It would be so much simpler if I could cut the slots at exactly 1/8th and then plane the material to be used for the keys down to 1/8th inch. Perfect fit every time, right?
Now I have to sneak up the planing so that the keys are just a little thicker than 1/8th or sneak up on it with my thin cut rip cut jig.
Everyone and Home Depot or Menards doesn’t know what I’m talking about, and each manufacturer I look up on the net doesn’t include the size of the kerf.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
Jim Morse
Replies
Jim,
Maybe I'm not following you, but if you can plane thicker stock down to get a good fit for a 1/8" kerf why can't you just plane the stock down to match the width of the kerf no matter what size it is? What is so special about 1/8" thick?
John White
There's nothing special about 1/8th of an inch other than simplicity. My planer has a guage/stop for specific widths, the smallest being 1/8th. If I set it there, the planer won't let me go any thinner than the 1/8th inch with. So with an 1/8th inch kerf, I can get a perfect fit every time without have to tweak things or sneak up on them.
If my kerf is a little less than 1/8th, the miter keys I make will need sanding. If it's a bit wider than an 8th, I'll end up with too much slop in the joint.
Again, just simplicity. Actually, I found a list of saw blades with their kerf size in an article (in FWW) reviewing saw blades.
I guess I just don't understand why manufacturers sell blades without this information on the packaging. So.....thanks for responding, but I think I found my answer.
Jim Morse
Jim,I think that you will find that the posted widths of the blades are nominal, one brand of a 1/8" kerf blade probably won't create the same size kerf as another blade also rated 1/8". In most applications the width of the cut isn't important and the makers don't worry about getting it perfect.As for your planer, it probably doesn't create stock that is exactly 1/8" thick either. You may find, if you look inside of the machine, that there is a bolt and lock nut in the preset thickness mechanism that will allow you to fine tune the thickness settings. You can also place a piece of 3/4" thick melamine surfaced MDF, on you planer's table which will then allow you to go below 1/8", just be careful that you don't actually cut into the MDF surface, it will dull the blades. John White
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