Modifying table saw blades

[cgallery]

Dustmight's thread here got me to thinking:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=31055)

I have a Diablo 24-tooth ripper. Say it needed sharpening. Could I have the sharpening service grind it so it would be more general purpose than ripping? It is already a 15-degree hook. The only difference between this blade and the Diablo general purpose blade should be the # of teeth and the grind of the carbide, right?

I realize it wouldn't be as good as the 30-tooth WWII. But it already cross-cut pretty darn good. I imagine it would cross-cut great if the grind was right.

[LCHIEN]

the grind is a combination of the hook angle and the top grind which can be flat top, raker or bevel L/R.

To change any of those will take a lot more grinding than just touching up the existing grind. In fact, some existing teeth may not be able to be reground to another because key parts may have already been ground off for the original grind.
Not likely to be practical.

As for changing the hook angle, imagine taking a 20° chisel and rehoning it to be 15°.

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the grind is a combination of the hook angle and the top grind which can be flat top, raker or bevel L/R.

To change any of those will take a lot more grinding than just touching up the existing grind. In fact, some existing teeth may not be able to be reground to another because key parts may have already been ground off for the original grind.
Not likely to be practical.

As for changing the hook angle, imagine taking a 20° chisel and rehoning it to be 15°.

Thanks for explaining.

The 15° hook angle was already fine, but I see your point about the top bevel.

However, this brings up an interesting point. The Diablo ripper is a 24-tooth, 15° hook with ATB. The Diablo general purpose is a 40-tooth, 15° hook with ATB.

So the only real difference between these blades is tooth count (and of course gullet size)? Or are there any other geometric variables that I'm missing.

Do most blade lines have more dramatic difference from ripper to general purpose?

[Knottscott]

It is possible to have a sharpener modify the grind, but AFAIK the Diablo ripper already has an ATB grind and is as close to general purpose use as it's going to get, which is borderline for that application. ...Perhaps they could increase the bevel a bit for a slightly cleaner cut....a 24T HI-ATB blade! ...aka the "Fusion ripper"! It'd probably dull pretty quickly, but I'd be very curious about the results.

[Knottscott]

...
So the only real difference between these blades is tooth count (and of course gullet size)? Or are there any other geometric variables that I'm missing.

Do most blade lines have more dramatic difference from ripper to general purpose?

The bevel angle is one variable, and the side clearance is another.

Many 24T rippers have an FTG grind, while most 40T GP blades are ATB. In this case, the tooth count is a big factor...on a percentage bases, gaining 16 teeth is a 67% increase in tooth count.

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The bevel angle is one variable, and the side clearance is another.

Would you mind explaining what side clearance is?

[Knottscott]

Would you mind explaining what side clearance is?

It's the space along the side of the tooth and the body. There's also a side angle involved. Less clearance and a lower angle tends to give a more polished edge....as always, there's a downside, as it's more prone to burning.

http://www.generalsaw.com/pdf/GS_anatomy.pdf