Thin-kerf Saw Blades

[Pakaderm]

Hi,

-Is it true that a thin kerf saw blade will not work with the original Ryobi RK/blade guard?

-Is my only (best) option to buy a thin kerf Shark Guard?

The two obvious other answers are:
don't use a RK, and
don't buy a TK blade.
I'm not looking for these two answers.

EDIT: one more question:
-Would I need a blade stiffener to run the WWII TK on the BT3?

Thanks,
-Pak

[Uncle Cracker]

The stock RK ( at least on the model I have) is thick, to match the kerf on a standard blade, and will usually bind on the work with a thin kerf blade, which is a no-no. If you want to work with a guard, the Shark Guard is tons better than the stock one, so you will much improve your situation if you get one. Others who work without a guard can get a thinner RK, also from Lee Styron, which works great with a thin kerf blade. A third option is to make your own thinner gauge replacement for the stock RK, which would allow you to retain the stock guard, but I personally wouldn't recommend this alternative.

But check your saw... I think only the very earliest BT's came with standard kerfs, so you may not even have the problem at all.

[LarryG]

The blade that came with my BT3100 was and is a thin-kerf. I was under the impression that these saws have always been supplied with TKs, but perhaps that was not so with the early models ...?

IAC I own nothing but TK blades (dado set aside), including the WWII, and have never used a stiffener on either my BT (before I retired it) or my cabinet saw. Most woodworkers seem to agree that the stiffener isn't necessary, although there's no harm in using one as long as you can stand the reduction in cutting capacity.

[Knottscott]

The stock BT blades that I've seen were TK, and a lot of other BT users are having great success with good TK's. I agree with Larry about the stiffener...it shouldn't be necessary if all is well with the saw...save your money on a stiffener unless you encounter a problem.

If you go with a WWII, I'd suggest considering the 30T version if you do much with thicker hardwoods.

[Pakaderm]

Huh, I just assumed the blade was not a thin-kerf. I'll check it tonight.

Thanks for the info!

-Pak

[lkazista]

The blade that came with my BT3100 was NOT thin kerf, and when I went to the WWII, my stock splitter DID bind. I went the route of the Shark, I don't use the guard anymore, but the splitter is fairly brillant!

Wasn't this (which kerf comes stock) discussed back when we realized that the Ryobi blade was no longer made in Italy? Or should I say when I realized that I DIDN"T get one!

Lee

[williamr]

The blade that came with my BT3100 was NOT thin kerf, and when I went to the WWII, my stock splitter DID bind. I went the route of the Shark, I don't use the guard anymore, but the splitter is fairly brillant!

Wasn't this (which kerf comes stock) discussed back when we realized that the Ryobi blade was no longer made in Italy? Or should I say when I realized that I DIDN"T get one!

Lee

The blade that came on my Ryobi BT3000 SX was thin kerf and the splitter _did_ bind.

After I aligned the splitter properly it worked fine. Setting it between the correct set of shims and bending it a tad etc... I think a lot of people had that problem. AFAIK all the BT3000's came with thin kerf blades -- due to the underpowered motor.

[drumpriest]

My 3100 was TK and the RK was also thin. I ran a TK woodworker II on it just fine without the blade stiffeners. I think the slightly higher rpm of the bt3100 helps to stabilize the blade somewhat.

[JimD]

My original blade was thin kerf. It is on the saw right now but I have half a dozen or more carbide blades and around half are regular kerf. I made a thicker riving knife that is just barely less than the thin kerf blades and thick enough it seems to work with the 1/8 kerf blades using aluminum I got from McMaster Carr. I traced the original riving knife for the shape. I think the original is around .080 and the one I use now is .090.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

i think all BTs came with thin kerf, both the original Ryobi/Freud and the later china blade were TKs.

I've run both TKs and FKs with no problem.

[Pakaderm]

Well, I just measured my ryobi blade and it's, of course, thin-kerf. I didn't realize, but that's great!

-Pak

[lakkdainen]

The Craftsman 21829 is thin kerf also in case anyone is wondering. Works great with Freud LUwhatever series blades.