What is the average width of a 10" saw blade? I find that when cutting for
my mitre saw I have to add about a 1/16" of an inch to the cut so that I
don't undersize my cuts. But I'm wondering if it might in fact be 3/32" or
even 1/8". I've measured it before, but at such small distances it can be
easy to get the measure wrong, especially when dealing with a blade that has
many cutouts and irregular surfaces.
Is it common to compensate for the cut, or is it a matter of being smarter
than the tool and adjusting where I align the cut mark? On a compound mitre
saw the center is typically missing so that the blade can enter at an angle,
so the cut mark is off to one side as well as the laser guides. Or again,
is that variable depending upon the tool? For instance my table saw is an
1/8" wide so to cut a flush I have to add an 1/8" to the measurement just to
compensate for what it will remove.
For instance my table saw is an
> 1/8" wide so to cut a flush I have to add an 1/8" to the measurement just to
> compensate for what it will remove.
Your making this too hard. On your table saw just measure from the
fence to a carbide tip on the blade that angles toward the fence. If
your still losing 1/8 inch then you must have major alignment problems
with the saw. On a miter saw, same deal except I typically make a
pencil mark where I want the final cut, make a cut close and then
sneak up on the final cut.
Eigenvector wrote:
> What is the average width of a 10" saw blade? I find that when cutting for
> my mitre saw I have to add about a 1/16" of an inch to the cut so that I
> don't undersize my cuts. But I'm wondering if it might in fact be 3/32" or
> even 1/8". I've measured it before, but at such small distances it can be
> easy to get the measure wrong, especially when dealing with a blade that has
> many cutouts and irregular surfaces.
>
> Is it common to compensate for the cut, or is it a matter of being smarter
> than the tool and adjusting where I align the cut mark? On a compound mitre
> saw the center is typically missing so that the blade can enter at an angle,
> so the cut mark is off to one side as well as the laser guides. Or again,
> is that variable depending upon the tool? For instance my table saw is an
> 1/8" wide so to cut a flush I have to add an 1/8" to the measurement just to
> compensate for what it will remove.
I agree with Mike. Make a pencil line and bring your blade down...the
closest point of the blade teeth should cut just off the pencil line.
Now wheter a pencil line should remain depends on how you marked it
to begin with. Visualize the joint and how you drew the lines before
you cut. To answer your question, I've seen varying kerfs on 10"
blades. It's pretty irrelevant anyways as joints are fit by feel and
not precise measurements...which I suspect you might be used to
judging by your name(handle). Then again you might not be an engineer
and just a total linear algebra nerd:)
On Jul 5, 10:53 pm, "Eigenvector" <[email protected]> wrote:
> What is the average width of a 10" saw blade? I find that when cutting for
> my mitre saw I have to add about a 1/16" of an inch to the cut so that I
> don't undersize my cuts. But I'm wondering if it might in fact be 3/32" or
> even 1/8". I've measured it before, but at such small distances it can be
> easy to get the measure wrong, especially when dealing with a blade that has
> many cutouts and irregular surfaces.
>
> Is it common to compensate for the cut, or is it a matter of being smarter
> than the tool and adjusting where I align the cut mark? On a compound mitre
> saw the center is typically missing so that the blade can enter at an angle,
> so the cut mark is off to one side as well as the laser guides. Or again,
> is that variable depending upon the tool? For instance my table saw is an
> 1/8" wide so to cut a flush I have to add an 1/8" to the measurement just to
> compensate for what it will remove.
You might not only have to compensate for the width of the blade when
still, but also while it's spinning.
Pull your mitre saw down and slide a piece of stock right up to the
edge of the teeth without flexing the blade. Now lift the blade
without moving the wood. Start the saw and pull it down. Did it take
any wood off? If so, you need to compensate for that sideways motion
also.
J T wrote:
Apparently you mean
> thickness, that can vary. It's not rocket science, make a small cut in
> a piece of scrap and measure the cut. No, you do not NEED to compensate
> for the width of the cut; however, if you don't, your piece will be too
> short by that much. Get a couple of basic woodworing boks out of the
> library, and read them.
>
>
Agreed. Now, without moving the scrap side to side, use a sharp pencil
to mark the cut line on the table.
Or us a fresh piece of scrap as a backer, cut it and use it as the
reference point. That is where the blade is ACTUALLY cutting, width-wise.
If the problem is setting the height, the OP doesn't need to know the
diameter of the blade, he just needs to know how much of it is exposed
above the table, or, with a RAS, how high it is above the table.
I use jo-blocks and a heighth gage to measure mine. ;-)
But only when I feel like being goofy about it. I also like to use a POC
heighth gage I bought from Woodcraft. It's fast, it's simple and it's
'close enough'.
I got to agree, if the OP can not establish where the blade is going to
cut with a piece of scrap, either the posting is a troll or there is
something else wrong with his saw / technique.
It might be that he is trying to cut with a warped blade and can't
measure where the cut will be when the blade is not spinning. In that
case, the solution is to buy a flat blade and use the old one for a shop
clock.
Bill
--
I'm not not at the above address.
http://nmwoodworks.com
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Thu, Jul 5, 2007, 7:53pm (EDT-3) [email protected] (Eigenvector) doth
burble:
What is the average width of a 10" saw blade? <snip> I've measured it
before, but at such small distances it can be easy to get the measure
wrong, especially when dealing with a blade that has many cutouts and
irregular surfaces.
Is it common to compensate for the cut, <snip>
Every time I see a post like this I have to wonder, is it a troll?
Because, of course, if you had sat down and thought about this for a
couple of minutes, you could have come up with the answers yourself.
However, just in case. Average width, 10". Apparently you mean
thickness, that can vary. It's not rocket science, make a small cut in
a piece of scrap and measure the cut. No, you do not NEED to compensate
for the width of the cut; however, if you don't, your piece will be too
short by that much. Get a couple of basic woodworing boks out of the
library, and read them.
JOAT
I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do
them.
- Picasso
"Mike in Arkansas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For instance my table saw is an
>> 1/8" wide so to cut a flush I have to add an 1/8" to the measurement just
>> to
>> compensate for what it will remove.
>
> Your making this too hard. On your table saw just measure from the
> fence to a carbide tip on the blade that angles toward the fence. If
> your still losing 1/8 inch then you must have major alignment problems
> with the saw. On a miter saw, same deal except I typically make a
> pencil mark where I want the final cut, make a cut close and then
> sneak up on the final cut.
>
I can try something like that, it seems like far too much work to make
multiple cuts, but perhaps it does in the end make a much tighter joint and
therefore much more efficient and less wasteful. There is the urge to
simply drop the blade on the mark and be done with it.