Chipped Blade...

[jhood]

I just got a new Festool 12 tooth blade for ripping down some 1.5" maple top for a bench, and about an inch into the cut I hit a screw...  (It was a length from a bowling alley...  never thought that there would be a screw in the middle of it...) good thing was that the blade was through the screw before I knew what happened, bad thing was that the screw chipped one of the teeth in on the blade...  all the other teeth look fine, and before I knew that the tooth was chipped, it ripped the rest of the 6' length fine...

Is it safe to just keep on using the blade, since I will only be using it for ripping thick stock that doesn't really need a fine cut on it, or is there somewhere to get it fixed...?  I really don't want to throw a $60 blade away...

Thanks,

JH

 

[RKA]

Many sharpening services will also offer services to replace missing or chipped teeth.  I think it's usually around $10 a tooth plus the cost of sharpening.  You can certainly use the blade as is.  The other teeth may have dulled a bit chewing through that screw.

It's a little late, but bowling alley wood is notorious for having embedded nails and screws.  It's not the kind of material I would want to use expensive tooling on.  Keep that in mind if you have more work to do on that piece.

 

[Birdhunter]

I’d send the blade off to be repaired. I’d worry that a tip might detach and zoom off. The shock of hitting the screw could weaken the brazing that attaches the carbide tip. As above, it’s likely several other tips were affected.

My SawStop would have fired and I’d be out the blade and a cartridge. This is a much appreciated warning about bowling alley wood.

 

[jhood]

Thanks for the advice...  I never would have thought that bowling alley lanes would have fasteners in them...  found a place online to send the blade to that seems to be very reasonable to repair the tooth and sharpen if needed...

JH

 

[ear3]

It's a little late, but bowling alley wood is notorious for having embedded nails and screws.

Right.  I definitely would look into getting a few Oshlun blades for this kind of application.

 

[tjbnwi]

Quinn Saw in St. Louis can easily take care of this for you.

Tom

 

[Cheese]

Thanks for the advice...found a place online to send the blade to that seems to be very reasonable to repair the tooth and sharpen if needed...

Make sure the sharpener has the correct equipment to sharpen the blade. Up until 18-24 months ago, Forrest didn't even have the correct equipment.  [eek]

Quinn, Leitz & now Forrest do have the capabilities you need.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=18pt]And [size=12pt]consider purchasing a battery powered magnetic metal finder.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

DEFINITELY get the tooth replaced.  Chipped carbide will continue to degrade (and possibly fly thru the air).  I know a guy who lost an eye from using a chipped blade on a tablesaw.

 

[Lincoln]

Yep, super dangerous. Wouldn't use it until repaired.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I wouldn't even bother having it repaired, bin it and buy a new one.

 

[Bob D.]

I wouldn't even bother having it repaired, bin it and buy a new one.

If that is the choice made because you believe the blade is unsafe I would suggest
make sure it doesn't injure someone else by destroying or otherwise rendering the
blade unusable so someone else doesn't pick it up and use it not knowing it has a
chipped tooth.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I wouldn't even bother having it repaired, bin it and buy a new one.

If that is the choice made because you believe the blade is unsafe I would suggest
make sure it doesn't injure someone else by destroying or otherwise rendering the
blade unusable so someone else doesn't pick it up and use it not knowing it has a
chipped tooth.

That's exactly it Bob, I wouldn't take a chance on safety for the sake of a new blade, no matter what the cost.
If the blade lost a tooth, it's a pretty safe bet that other teeth, have been damaged, or there durability compromised. This could be missed in a repair, even from somebody reputable.
I once had an apprentice that wrecked three blades in four weeks because of stupidity, each time the blades were thrown into the recycle bin, on the third time, we decided the apprentice was no longer any use, and was also a possible future danger, so we binned him too  [blink]

I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable using a damaged/repaired blade.

 

[Rip613]

Has anyone had any experience with the off brand blades, unfortunately I sometimes need to cut into flooring or something that inevitably has screws/ nails. I've had blades repaired in the past without issue, but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative

 

[Gregor]

Any blade that has the correct dimensions works... more or less, depending on quality.

 

[kevinculle]

Has anyone had any experience with the off brand blades, unfortunately I sometimes need to cut into flooring or something that inevitably has screws/ nails. I've had blades repaired in the past without issue, but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative

I have had a Tenryu blade installed on my Kapex for a couple years now and it's every bit as good as the OEM blade and a bit less than half the price.

 

[sancho57]

[member=21163]Rip613[/member]

I used a tenyru blade on my TS55. did a good job just like festools. I think the tooth dia is smaller than te festools which is 2.2mm. The tenyru is 2mm I think

 

[Rip613]

Thanks, I'll look for them, I'd seen them but they were so close in price it didn't seem worth the risk

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

There are ranges of blades available now, designed to withstand accidental contact with nails, pins and screws whilst cutting but, finding them in a Festool fitment is probably not easy.
I keep a makita circular saw on the van with such a blade, for when having to delve into the unknown.
These type of blades do a presentable cut or rip but, probably not to the finish of a regular dedicated blade.

 

[Rob Z]

Oshlun was mentioned above, and that is a brand that we used much of the time for remodel work. They were fairly inexpensive and yet they gave good enough results for what we needed.

I also had several Festool Triple Chip blades (I think they have a red label).  They were very durable and dealt well with the random hit on a hidden fastener.

But they are spendy.  [tongue]

Has anyone had any experience with the off brand blades, unfortunately I sometimes need to cut into flooring or something that inevitably has screws/ nails. I've had blades repaired in the past without issue, but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative