Do you use a blade stiffener?

[Danny]

Looking to purchase a Forrest WWII.  Having a contractor saw (and therefore limited hp), the thin kerf model is the way to go. 

However, Lee Valley sites indicates that " a stiffener, though not required, is recommended on thin-kerf blades for best performance"....which is another $30.

So my questions are; In general, do you really need a stiffner when using thin kerf?  Does the need for a stiffner increase when cutting wood that is harder?  Will the use of a zero clearance plate diminish the need forb stiffner (as, I would imagine, such plate would greatly reduce the chance of having the blade vibrate.....or am I totally in the left field on this one.
?)

Danny

 

[wow]

I don't. Although it make make a difference on a cheap 'Sears' or Harbor Freight saw, for most saws and most blades I think it's a gimmick.

I've got a Robland/Laguna table saw (with german motors!) and it runs so smooth you could slice bread with it. I can't imagine a situation where a blade stiffener would help?

 

[Knight Woodworks]

I use a stiffener with my Forrest blades on my Unisaw. Definitely improves the quality of the cut. I've used them on a big SCMI slider and got improved results as well. I see the biggest difference in thicker and harder stock. Definitely recommend. 

No, a zero clearance throat plate will not diminish the need. 

John

 

[rljatl]

The stiffener will reduce the depth of cut.  When you raise the blade, the stiffener will hit the zero clearance plate first or if using a regular throat plate, the stiffener may hit the wood thereby reducing the depth of cut.

 

[Birdhunter]

I tried a Forrester blade stiffener with a "screaming" Forrester thin kerf blade on my old Unisaw.  The high pitched noise was unbearable and I didn't get smooth cuts. It didn't help. I replaced the Unisaw with a Sawstop Industrial. The blade was quiet and made very smooth cuts. I've used Forrester blades for 25 years and this one was the only problem blade I ever had.

I guess my bottom line is that the stability of the saw should make any blade work.

 

[wow]

I also meant to mention that if a stiffener was a huge improvement, I suspect one or more of the blade manufacturers would make a blade with an integrated stiffener. The fact that they don't probably tells you everything you need to know?

 

[jacko9]

I use the Forrest blade stiffener on my 5hp Powermatic 66 and don't notice any difference.  I use several Forrest blades and dado sets and never have problems.

Jack

 

[AlexThePalex]

I guess my bottom line is that the stability of the saw should make any blade work.

Well, the saw should be stable, but that doesn't rule out the quality of blade. Both the saw and the blade have a say in this. If the blade is bad, you will not be able to make it spin right with the best saw in the world.

When you spin something around at a high speed, it doesn't matter how thin or thick it is. What matters is how well balanced it is. Obviously, the thinner a blade is, the more difficult it is to get a good balance because you have less material to work with. This is what make the difference between a good blade manufacturerer and a lesser one. If a thinner blade is well balanced, you need no blade stiffener whatsoever. This is how blades from good manufacturers behave, and I would think Festool (=Leitz) blades don't need any help on that front. Leitz is the absolute top.

If a blade is made to lower quality specs, then you might experience excessive vibrations, and a blade stiffner might help. Personally, I would not seek to remedy this with a blade stiffener, but with a better blade.      

 

[tiralie]

I don't use a blade stiffener.
I have a Bosch 4100 with a thin kerf Freud blade and I think the biggest improvement was attaching a better fence and using a feather board which gives me the smoothest cuts.
For glue ready cuts I will put an Amana glue line ripping blade on 4100. That blade is 2.8mm thick and when ripping stock you can definitely hear that the motor is under more load than the thin kerf blade.

Tim

 

[mattdh]

I have a Bosch 4100 with a thin kerf Freud blade and I think the biggest improvement was attaching a better fence and using a feather board which gives me the smoothest cuts.

can i ask which fence you use? any pictures of your setup by any chance? thanks! and sorry for off the topic

 

[Rocky]

I don't use a blade stiffener.
I have a Bosch 4100 with a thin kerf Freud blade and I think the biggest improvement was attaching a better fence and using a feather board which gives me the smoothest cuts.
For glue ready cuts I will put an Amana glue line ripping blade on 4100. That blade is 2.8mm thick and when ripping stock you can definitely hear that the motor is under more load than the thin kerf blade.

Tim

What fence did you upgrade to?  Pictures please.

 

[tiralie]

can i ask which fence you use? any pictures of your setup by any chance? thanks! and sorry for off the topic

can i ask which fence you use? any pictures of your setup by any chance? thanks! and sorry for off the topic

The fence is a Vega Utility 26 mounted on a Rousseau portable table.
I will get pictures as soon as I can dig it out from under the debris that is my shop.
Tim

 

[jacko9]

Whatever fence you use, make sure that it is true too the blade and for that I use the Woodpeckers gauge that will allow you to adjust your fence to within .002" or closer depending on how much time you want to spend.  I first align my blade to the miter slot by adjusting my table saw table top then adjust the fence to the slot.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/saw-gauge-woodpeckers-sg-wp/?gclid=CMzyt4OO5L4CFUiEfgodNwcALQ

Jack

 

[PaulMarcel]

I have that saw gauge and it's nice.  If you have a 6" caliper, you can get one of these: http://www.mag-dro.com/  The bottom one fits in a miter slot and you put your caliper in the holder.  I've been testing and playing with both products for awhile and like them.  Only around $10 and there are jigs you can make with it, too, I'll have in a video someday...

 

[Ajax]

Used a Forrest stiffener with a Forrest thin kerf WW2 rip blade just today on 8/4 oak.  The cuts were amazingly clean.  On a previous project I had to clean up all of my rip cuts on 6/4 hard white maple because my rip blade would start to ring out (you could hear it make a high pitched oscillating sound and see the cut line wobble).  I have a Craftsman 10 in. Contractor Saw (Sears#21833).  I think there may be a slight imbalance in the saw that excites the natural modes of the WW2 thin kerf blade.  The stiffener stopped all of this (i.e. shifted the blade natural frequencies by increasing the stiffness). 

 

[tiralie]

As promised, (later expected) here is picture of my Bosch 4100 in a Rousseau portable table with a Vega Utility 26

[attachimg=#]

 

[wow]

Glad to see another Vega fence here.

When I purchased my Laguna/Robland table saw 20 or so years ago I did a *lot* of research and determined that it was the best one on the market IMO. Only problem was that they didn't make one long enough for my application.

Long story short - it took a bit of coaxing/bribing, but they do now!

[wink] [big grin]