Ask the Expert
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Michael Van Pelt is the founder of American Sycamore Woodworker’s Retreat. He has a reputation as the tool guru. Mike has been in woodworking for over thirty years. His knowledge of tools comes from his many years of intertwining experience in the woodworking industry. Mike’s experiences include being active as an Industrial Arts Teacher, professional instructor of power machinery and tool techniques, tool sales, management and owner of woodworking tool retail store, Delta Machinery representative and technical advisory.
If you have a question for Michael, choose the Submit Question button to the right by November 30th. We will send you a reply with Mike's response in mid-December and then post it to this page for other members to view. You never know...someone else may have the same question
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Listed below are questions and answers that have already been submitted.
Questions
[ Back To Main ]
5/7/2008
Saw Blades
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
Any recommendations on when it would be appropriate to switch saw blades for doing cross cut work vs rip cuts on a table saw? |
| A. |
Most of the time I run a 10” x 50 tooth combination saw blade. This blade is good for both ripping and crosscutting of most material less that one inch. I will switch to a 24 tooth blade for ripping two inch materials such as maple, red oak, and white oak. The 24tooth gives me a good edge for gluing. This allows me a faster feed rate as well. I will change to a good 80 tooth blade for plywood work and precision cross cutting where a smooth cut is important. I am blessed here at the school with three Unisaws. The 5 horse power is set up for ripping, one 3 horsepower Unisaw is set up with a cross cutting blade, and the other 3horse power Unisaw is set up with a dado head. My suggestion is there are three blades most woodworkers will want: a 10 x 50 combination, a 10 x 80 plywood and cross cut blade, and a 10 x 24 for heavy ripping. Good luck. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/25/2008
Size Saw Blade
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
What is the best blade to use for ripping large
lumber such as 4X4 on a 10 inch table saw? |
| A. |
I would suggest a 24 tooth flat grind ripping
blade. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/25/2008
Blade Height
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I am relatively new to the finer aspects of
woodworking and want to know how high the blade should be, relative to the wood
being cut. I have heard just until 1/2 of the gullet of the teeth are showing,
but I question this wisdom.
Additionally, especially what about miter cuts? How do you set the blade
for these cuts? |
| A. |
For safety sake, I recommend that the blade
projects 1/8” to ¼” above the work piece being cut. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/22/2008
Band Saw Blades Breaking
Answer provided by Marc Adams
| Q. |
My wife gave me a 10" delta band saw
several years ago but I quit trying to use it because I broke the blade
virtually every time except on the thinnest of stock. This became quite
expensive. Obviously I don't know what I'm doing. Can you help? |
| A. |
Bless your wife’s heart.
First check to see the band saw is adjusted correctly, Blade teeth pointing
down, Blade tension and bearings and cooling blocks set correctly. Cut your
wood slowly pushing forward, giving time for the blade to cut. When turning in
a cut you have to push forward while making the radius cut. Also check with the blade manufacture to make
sure you are using the correct blade for the type of cuts you are making. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/19/2008
Band Saw Blades
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
I have a16" Delta band saw Model 28-560 I
purchased used. I have replaced a tire,
and a drive belt for wood. Saw works
well; however I use blade # 28-565 (1/8" wide, .014 thick and 14 tpi blade
for craft work. If I have to pull the
wood away from the blade to clear it to make another cut, the blade pulls out
of the guides. I've done everything by
the book I think, to adjust tension, guides, bearings, etc...still having a
problem. I'm about to buy new guides as
mine do show wear. Should I use a
different blade/cool blocks? |
| A. |
I have found that backing out of cuts, always carries the
danger of this happening. First try re-squaring
the blocks with a disc sander, and reset the blocks using the dollar bill thickness as the distance the blocks
should from the blade and see if this
takes care if the problem before you invest in new blocks. You may
find your problem solved.
|
[ Back To Main ]
2/19/2008
Dado Saw Blade Use
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
I just purchased a Delta Dado circular saw blade
set and am feeling pretty stupid. There are no instructions and there are a
couple of thin washers included in the set. I assume these two washers go
between each of the outer blades and the first inner blade on each side, but
wanted to confirm with an expert. Thanks in advance for your help. |
| A. |
The thin washers are called shims, and they are
used between the chippers to have the
ability to precisely match the groves to the mating material thickness such as plywood. Plywood is never exactly ¼”, ½”, or
¾’. Seeing as the outside blades are 1/8”
thick, and the chippers are1/16” thick, the shims allow you to achieve the in
between sizes such as plywood offers. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/19/2008
Type of Blade
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
At the Seattle Woodworking show you mentioned
that a particular type of blade was best for resawing. I remember the 1/2"
and 3tpi but not the material of the blade. |
| A. |
Thanks for attending the seminars. The type of
blade is a bi-metal blade. Bi-metal blades
can be tensioned more than a regular without braking. By having the ability to put more tension helps almost
eliminate drift of the blade. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/19/2008
Table Saw Blades
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I
have an old (35 years) 9-inch Rockwell contractors table saw. I am at the end
of my supply of 9-inch blades. Is there
a source for 9-inch blades, or must I drop down to 8.5-inch blades? If I do
that, how does it affect saw operation? |
| A. |
I did
a Google and found several sources of 9” inch blades still available. Using an 8.5” blade would not affect the
operation, only the depth of cut. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/18/2008
Unfolding a Band Saw Blade
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I
was impressed with your video of how to fold a band saw blade for storage. I
would like to see how you unfold a band saw blade safely. |
| A. |
Wearing
safety glasses, gloves and long sleeve heavy shirt I will “flip” the blade open
away from my self. I will also toss the
blade up into a corner and let it open.
Be careful! |
[ Back To Main ]
2/15/2008
Sharpen Saw Blades?
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
Can
you have bandsaw blades resharpened? |
| A. |
Short answer – NO.
Long answer- you can on very expensive large
blades. Expect to pay 25 to 30 bucks per resharpened blade. So you can see how
sharpening a $20 blade is a bad proposition. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/15/2008
Band Saw Blade
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
I cannot get my blade to stay center on my band saw. I have a 9"
Bench Band Saw, Model Sm400. I have tried adjusting as the guide says to, but
when I get the top centered the bottom is not and vice versa. Also the blade
does not want to stay on.
Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. |
| A. |
First,
buy a $20 blade. Cheap blades drift. Second, replace the metal guide blocks
with cool blocks. Only track the blade so it is centered on the middle of the
top tire. The bottom tire is not important. Tune it the rest of the way as instructed
in the manual. Perfection! |
[ Back To Main ]
2/15/2008
Saw Blades
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
Is
there a difference between a miter saw and a table saw blades? Are these two
interchangeable in usage? |
| A. |
Only
use the blade type as specified by the tool’s manual. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/14/2008
Table Saw Blade
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
A neighbor of mine has a contractor saw which is
designed to use a 10" blade. He
however uses a 7-1/4" blade because he claims it runs faster. He and I disagree on this and I would like a
second opinion. |
| A. |
I always follow the instructions in the manual.
Always. So I stay with the 10” for most effective cutting. |
[ Back To Main ]
2/14/2008
Saw Blades Differences
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
Saw
Blades with same arbor size and number of teeth. Is there a difference between
miter saw and table saw blades? Are these two interchangeable? |
| A. |
Yes
there are very big differences in hook angles, tooth grinds and gullet
configurations between blades. They are not interchangeable! So be wise and
only use the blade as listed in the manual for the tool. Work Wise, stay safe! |
[ Back To Main ]
2/1/2008
General Purpose vs. Combination Blades
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
What is the difference between general purpose
blades and combination blades? If you
buy only one saw blade which would you purchase.
|
| A. |
The Delta 50 tooth Combination blade is a super
star. Perfect for all cut! I love it when something this great comes along at a
great price. This combination blade means that it is for rips, crosscuts and
plywood too. It is the only blade I need except for the stacked dado set. |
