Finally found a use for my mft/3 fence

[Rick Christopherson]

But from a guy in the fields perspective trying to be practical about investing in specific blades for a task they rarely take on, I suppose it makes some sense if it works for them.

There is a difference between discovering you don't have the correct tool and making due in a pinch, versus deliberately misusing a tool because that is what everyone said to do. We all know that you can use a sharp wood chisel to open a can of paint in a pinch, but when our wives do it on a regular basis, we hit the roof.  [scared]

The original comment wasn't prefaced that they didn't have the correct blade. It was that they had read on other forums to always reverse the blade. That's the part that is incorrect. You don't reverse the blade when you are using the correct blade. You may reverse it to make the wrong blade give reasonable results.

Your wife may tell you, "...but the chisel works just fine...", but does that mean you are going to let her keep doing it with your good chisel?

 

[skids]

But from a guy in the fields perspective trying to be practical about investing in specific blades for a task they rarely take on, I suppose it makes some sense if it works for them.

Your wife may tell you, "...but the chisel works just fine...", but does that mean you are going to let her keep doing it with your good chisel?

Yes, I get your point and agree with how the question was posed..Although the analogy falls a little flat since a good can-opener is about $3 to replace that fine chisel, and a dedicated blade for plastic is anywhere from $50 to $150. For a remodler type I just assume turn the  blade back from time to time. If I am a siding contractor, I own that blade.

If this chisel is expensive by all means, hand her a cheap screwdriver!  [wink]

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Having ripped thousands of feet of 24 gauge and 26 gauge steel for metal roofing, I found backwards blade works best.  The idea is the ferrous metal will round and deform the blade if its used straight, backwards doesn't deform as much.   Also the slots in the blade dont want to catch like it does straight, backwards gives the blade a continual smoother glide to the blade.  Now I use auto shears for straight cuts, backward blade for diagonals.  Aluminum is very soft and easy to cut, so using the blade in normal fashion is preferred. I am talking from experience, not hearsay.

This is exactly what I am referring to. If you've ripped thousands of feet, then it means that you aren't just making due in a pinch. You should own the correct blade for the task.

In your steel cutting example, what you are describing is the function of a cutoff wheel. So use a cutoff wheel. If you really want better performance, then get a steel cutting blade for your saw. I happen to even have an aftermarket carbide toothed steel cutting blade for my track saw. It cuts thin gauge steel like butter, even when crosscutting corrugated steel. It is the correct blade for the cut, and I do not have to turn it around to make due.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

For a remodler type I just assume turn the  blade back from time to time. If I am a siding contractor, I own that blade.

If this chisel is expensive by all means, hand her a cheap screwdriver!  [wink]

Your posting came in while I was typing mine, but that is exactly my point. Yes, I have used an expensive chisel to open a can of paint, but if I am in my finishing room, I will use the proper tool to do it instead.

On the other hand, A typical siding job is around $15,000+. So even if it is a one-time project, you could still justify the $80 for getting the correct blade. Just the added loss of time for your employees to deburr the rough edge of the siding cause by the wrong blade spinning backward would have paid for the cost of buying the correct blade. The correct blade wouldn't leave the burrs at the end of the cut that will be visible when you overlap pieces. So you can tell which contractors use the correct blade versus those that turn theirs backward.

 

[Jaybolishes]

No doubt there's a blade perfect for every situation.  The only time I ever use a backward blade is for corrugated metal, in this situation there is always a corner flashing or end wall flashing to cover those  edges, which aren't that rough anyway.  I've used blades "made for metal" it really isn't that much better.  I specialize in standing seam and have a roll former, you'd never see anyone use a saw for that.  But for the junky corrugated metal people who want that on their barns and sheds, the old backwards blade works great, and everyone has one. But auto shears are the way to go for straight cuts if you can, but how many people have them.  Cross cuts which will be hidden are fine with a backward blade.  Something that needs to be clean is usually tackled with hand snips.  My point is you can turn the blade around in certain situations, it does work fine. The composite blades do work well, they don't last too long though, but they're pretty cheap. I agree with everything you said Rick.  Just get the metal blade if you can.