"robo hippy" wrote in message
oups.com...
Errol,
I have the same saw. I use it for resawing, and cutting out bowl
blanks. I do the radius cuts on my smaller saw with a 1/2 inch blade.
On the Laguna, I have been running an 1 1/4 blade. I did have one that
broke, but it didn't break on the weld. I keep the tension up high. I
agree that the 3/8 blade may be too light duty for the saw, and there
are several thicknesses of blades available. I wouldn't attempt to cut
16 inches high with that small of a blade.
robo hippy


Of course, 3/8 is _not_ to small for the saw, and it's absolutely necessary
for smaller work anyway, so I wouldn't worry much about that. Apply
appropriate tension and it will do fine.

On the subject of tension, too loose can be as bad as too tight at breaking
welds. The blade might be compressing as it decelerates into the wood ,
putting bending stress on the weld. I go with the manufacturer on tension
suggestions, but a little more is better than a little less. Make sure the
blade's supported close to the top of the piece.

Now on to feed rate and thrust bearings. You set them close, and feed at a
rate that barely deflects the blade in to them? Low tension can be your
enemy here, as well. Think Duginskie calls it "beam strength" in his
excellent book. Here's where wider blades make a difference - feed rate.

Closely related to feed rate is feed stability. If you don't have the blank
stable and supported below, it can wobble on you. This puts stress on the
blade, of which the weld is still the weakest part, the same way low tension
and high friction can. Get a flat surface to bear against with your scrub
and block planes. A circle-cutting jig is great insurance as well, assuring
that side loads are minimized. Make one, try it, and you'll see how it
makes what they told you about sawing - you have to feed as you turn, not
feed then turn - a cinch.

There's also a difference in blades beyond TPI, where yours sound fine for
small rough work and 6" blank cutting. I prefer set to skip in the teeth,
especially for wet woods. Keeps the blade from binding by making a wider
kerf. Your 3/8 will bind less than a wider blade at the rear, and binding
is what exacerbates low tension problems and heats the band, so you're
probably in a tradeoff there.

One last thing that is perhaps just a fetish at my house is corrosion. If
I'm cutting acid woods I always try and back the blade up manually through a
WD40-soaked paper towel to clean it. The pits that acid can form not only
ruin the sharpness, which of course means it feeds harder which means you
have to push harder and the blade binds in the cut and ... it eats the weld
as well. Maybe even more, because the area is rough from being ground flush
anyway. At the least, you'll get some more good cuts by keeping the blade
clean, so I figure it's worth it.