I'd like to cut some inset doors with tight reveals from a single sheet of plywood (which will form the frame). The 2.2 mm kerf of the standard Festool blades would result in a larger reveal than I'd like. Does anyone know of a blade with a narrower kerf (around 1.5 mm or even less would be ideal) that is suitable for finished cuts in plywood (Europly if it matters)?
Narrow Kerf (< 2.2 mm) Track Saw Blade?
- Thread starter dlu
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squall_line
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The current TSC55 blades are shared with the HK55 and are 1.8mm kerf. If you have an older TS55, the riving knife would be too thick, and way too thick if you switched to something as narrow as a 1.5mm. It is up to you to decide how to get past that particularly easily-tackled conundrum.
smorgasbord
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What’s your plan for the corners?
Unless there is some compelling reason not to, you will probably get better results by making the frame from narrow strips of that same sheet of plywood.
You can join the rails and stiles from plywood using biscuits, dowels, dominoes or pocket hole joinery.
Making the inset doors to fit will be much simpler.
Are you going to edge band the cut edges?
Remember the edge banding will be 0.018” thick x 4 = 0.072”.
So even if the blade left a kerf of 0.125, the reveal would only be 0.053”. And a bit less once you add the thickness of the finish x 4.
And as mentioned above by smorgasbord. the round saw blade will not cut the same size on the top of the sheet as on the bottom. Though you can minimize that by setting the blade to the maximum blade depth.
You can join the rails and stiles from plywood using biscuits, dowels, dominoes or pocket hole joinery.
Making the inset doors to fit will be much simpler.
Are you going to edge band the cut edges?
Remember the edge banding will be 0.018” thick x 4 = 0.072”.
So even if the blade left a kerf of 0.125, the reveal would only be 0.053”. And a bit less once you add the thickness of the finish x 4.
And as mentioned above by smorgasbord. the round saw blade will not cut the same size on the top of the sheet as on the bottom. Though you can minimize that by setting the blade to the maximum blade depth.
woodferret
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dlu said:
Easy. Look at the F series and grab knife and bolt. I didn't grab the new bolt and had to shim mine with paper.
mino
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There are CMT thin kerf blades around for the TS 55 series at 1.7/1.1 kerf/body thickness.
These work fine with all the TS55/60 series saws but you will need to replace the riving knife with one from the TS55 F if you have an older saw.
The advantage of those CMT blades is they maintain the teeth overhang at 0.3 mm, so are compatible with 2.2/1.6 an 1.8/1.2 blades on the same tracks.
These work fine with all the TS55/60 series saws but you will need to replace the riving knife with one from the TS55 F if you have an older saw.
The advantage of those CMT blades is they maintain the teeth overhang at 0.3 mm, so are compatible with 2.2/1.6 an 1.8/1.2 blades on the same tracks.
Crazyraceguy
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[member=74278]Packard[/member] is right. I do that all the time. It is quite literally the best way to get a close fitting, grain matching opening/door.
This particular pic has a bigger gap than you are looking for, but it is intended that way. The inner panel is cut after "relieving it" from the upper and lower panels. This is an access panel, to get into a reception desk, not hinged. It has a pair of apposing rabbets holding it in at the bottom and will get some decorative screws in the top corners. The gap, in this case, is 1/8", (intentionally) to match the lower gap, which is required for easy removal, without binding. It could be as tight as you want though.
This particular pic has a bigger gap than you are looking for, but it is intended that way. The inner panel is cut after "relieving it" from the upper and lower panels. This is an access panel, to get into a reception desk, not hinged. It has a pair of apposing rabbets holding it in at the bottom and will get some decorative screws in the top corners. The gap, in this case, is 1/8", (intentionally) to match the lower gap, which is required for easy removal, without binding. It could be as tight as you want though.
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Hi, if you own a ts55 (old model) then this blade has a kerf of 1.6mm come with a riving knife, I used it to cut some europly from hd,nice cut. https://tenryusawblades.com/product.php?productid=17687&cat=289&page=2 FWIW works with the 1.8 also [big grin] This only works with the old saw not the r or f
Michael Kellough
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This 4-1/2” diameter blade has a 20mm arbor, 36 teeth, and the smallest kerf I’ve found. Don’t remember the exact width but it is barely wider than the fine tooth jig blade you’ll need to finish cutting inside corners.
dlu said:
Ridge Carbide has made custom blades for me in the past to use on my Festool Saws.
IF I understand what you are trying to accomplish, I think it is a lot of added cost and effort to save some material. You could just add edge banding to the perimeter of the doors to fill in the gap in the reveal.
derekcohen
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dlu said:
You do not need a riving knife if cutting plywood. Just remove it when using a thin blade.
It should be pointed out that another way to do this reveal is to cut up the board into sections, and glue up with space left for the door.
Regards from Perth
Derek
derekcohen said:
I would carry that a step further. You don’t need a riving knife for plywood, MDF, particle board or wafer board. You are unlikely to need one for lumber under 18” in length.
On the other hand, green lumber, especially pressure treated, absolutely requires a riving knife.
Packard said:
I was hoping not to, so that there would be less disruption of the grain. But that may be what I end up doing.
No, Europly has a *really* nice core. I think it is birch. Almost no voids or defects and lots of plys. And I like the look of "baltic birch edges."
smorgasbord
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dlu said:
For the jigsaw, watch out for tear-out when cutting across the face grain. If the kerf is as thin as has been possible from contributors here, you'll probably have to use a handsaw. And then when using the interior panel for the door's face, probably trim with a flush trim router bit.
Also, with this narrow a kerf/door-gap, it's going to take some accurate hinge placement and door handing skills to line up well. But, the results will be impressive!
dlu said:
No chisel. It would just delaminate the plywood. And a Japanese pull saw would be my choice to finish the cuts. And get a very fine tooth version.
Use 120 grit or 150 grit on a hand sanding block instead of the chisel. It will be just a few layers and will cut fast. Also, sand in the direction of the veneers. Do not sand across the veneers until you get to about 200 grit.
I still have not seen a mention on how the edges will be finished. Plan on the .018” x 4 = .072 plus the thickness of the finish.
And while a very small gap is possible for the top and bottom reveals, the gap on the hinge end will depend upon the hinge that is selected. And on the opening side, it will depend upon geometry. (A very small gap at the front surfaces, may result in contact between the rear surface of the door and the opening. The effect will be greatest on narrow width doors.
You can overcome that interference by either cutting the door edge on a 30 degree angle (which won’t affect the reveal), or adding a chamfer on the rear edge of the door. You only need to do that on the handle end of the door.
Shown here trimming a dowel, but. Works fine on plywood trims.
Also, after you have cut the first two corners, the other two will break loose unless you do something to contain the door in place. I would probably use masking tape for that, but you could also clamp a piece of stock on both sides to hold the door in place until all four corners have been cut loose.
I have not done it, but I understand that some dealers will sell plywood made from consecutive slices of the same log of lumber, and can look virtually identical.
So buy two sheets and cut the opening from one, and the door from the next.
It sounds like an expensive way to do it though.
So buy two sheets and cut the opening from one, and the door from the next.
It sounds like an expensive way to do it though.
smorgasbord
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I looked that blade and can't find a specification for the kerf width. I have a Bosch 5.5" blade coming (from the UK) in a couple of weeks that has a 1.5mm kerf and wondering if this Freud blade is even thinner.
