Table saw blade and adjustment

[rh111]

As posted earlier, I recently purchased a Delta 36-680. Has full cast top with cast wings and the Delta T2 Fence and also pitched in for the mobile base. What a beauty and one h&$l of an upgrade from what I was using.

Now that I have this life long piece of equipment, 2 things that are on my mind.
1.) What should a person be looking for in a blade, and what recommendations do you have and why?
2.) What is the best method to ensure accuracy of the blade to the table, miter, and fence?

In the past I have used $20 to $30 blades on my table top unit and it did ok. It was also direct drive so I can not expect perfection in it.

I have seen a dial caliper and magnetic base block thru lee valley that was not terrible expensive and thought that it might be the best method to use for adjustments. I have some knowledge in making the adjustments, but really after the best method for measuring.

Thank You.

[THyman]

Most people like the Forrester Woodworker II. Recently they were on sale for about $80-90 at amazon I believe. Do a search on ts blades. The topic seems to be brought up about every couple of months.

[Knottscott]

Regarding blades, there's a couple of philosophies and both have merit...it'll boil down to your preferences.

Dedicated specialty blades for specific tasks ultimately offer the highest performance, but requires multiple blade changes and usually multiple blade purchases.

General purpose blades like the 40T Forrest WWII offer a great deal of versatility and high quality performance out of one blade. They won't perform in the extreme ranges as well as a dedicated rip, veneer, or crosscut blade, but will perform surprisingly well on the vast majority of cuts.

I usually spin a Forrest 40T TK or a Freud LU88R010 60T, then use a 24T Leitz/Irwin TK ripper for ripping of thick stock or bulk quantities...changing over to a ripper isn't necessary but it spares my high quality general purpose blade from the bullwork, and is less strain on the motor. Either the Forrest 40T TK or a Freud LU88R010 60T will do a super job on most cuts, and are both good matches for your new saw. The Forrest is an industry icon but costs ~ $80. The LU88 actually cuts a bit cleaner, and still rips respectably well to materials ~ 6/4" thick...it's ~ $45 delivered....great deal. Ridge Carbide also offers a top notch 40T TK...Holbren has it at a good price.

If those are too rich for you blood, the LU86R010 is very good too at ~ $35 shipped...not quite as clean as the LU88 or WWII but very good nonetheless. The Freud Industrial series is near the top of their line and is noted with the prefix "LU" or "LM"...they're a clear step up from their Diablo and Avanti lines sold at homecenters, and are often within just a couple of bucks in price.

The ripper I mentioned is made in Germany by a company called Leitz...it's made for Irwin's upper "Woodworking" series. There's a distributor on Woodnet offering some closeouts at rediculously low prices.... in this case, $11 plus ~ $8 shipping depending on where you are. It's identical to the HO Schumacher & Sohn ripper that sells for $47, and is also made by Leitz....a true bargain and excellent bulk ripping blade.

DeWalt also has some good blades in their upper end lines like the Series 40 or Series 60 blades....Amazon sales can make them very attractive.

Whichever blades you choose, I think your saw will perform most efficiently with a good thin kerf blade. If you stay with higher quality you should have no issues with deflection....note that some manfacturers market at multiple quality levels...don't buy on brand name alone....learn about their higher end products and look into those.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthr...v=#Post2692631

some midnight reading for you:
http://www.epinions.com/content_227985493636
http://www.epinions.com/content_226312687236
http://www.epinions.com/content_145552674436


Alignment can be a bit tricky. I'd suggest buying a set of "PALS" from Woodcraft or In-Line Industries....~ $20, and can be extrememly helpful in aligning and maintaining alignment of the rear trunnions.

You don't need fancy measurement tools to check the alignment. I just use a combo square...put the inside edge of the square against the inside of the right side miter slot, and extend the ruler so that it just ticks a tooth at the front of the blade. Mark the tooth and rotate it to the rear, then slide the square to the back at the same tooth and see if it's the same distance from the ruler. If not, then some adjustment is needed....there are good detailed explanations available on the web....basically, you'll want to loosen all 3 of the 4 four of the trunnion bolts, and just back off the 4th one just enough to pivot the carriage around it. You'll pick the bolt to pivot around base on which way the carriage needs to rotate. It's a bit of a hit and miss technique. I use a 2x4 and hammer to tap the carriage around. Alignment to +/- ~ 0.003 or so is acceptable.

I align my fence to the right miter slot...many blade companies recommend a very slight "toe out" of the fence to ensure that the workpiece doesn't pinch between the blade and fence....maybe by the thickness of a folded dollar bill.

Edit:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=24463&page=2
Holbren has more of those Tenryu RS25540 blades really cheap....best bang for the bucket on the market right now IMHO.....compares very well to the Freud LU86 which is a nice blade for the money....this one's as good for significantly less! His note says he has 22 more, so don't sleep on it!