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On Oct 21, 12:00 am, wrote:

Did I waste my money on these blades? Or buy the wrong type because
of the thin kerf

Don't worry about the thin kerf, worry about how the blades cut. The
best thing you did for yourself is buy the blade at a place like Sears
where they will take the blade back if it doesn't perform in a
satisfactory manner.

Here's your best test.

Put the blade on your saw and test it with the material you intend to
cut. Try a few straight cuts, then a couple of miters. Remember to
put the piece you are cutting in the miter box upside down to reduce
splintering.

Do you like the quality of the cut? Did you have troubles with the
saw bogging down? Cut a couple of straight miters (this of course
assumes you have tuned up your miter box!) and put the two together as
you would see them on your floor. Good?

If you liked what you saw and didn't have troubles with the miter saw,
then keep the blade(s).

A while back I was stuck and couldn't find a new 12" blade to cut
oversize crown, big enough I couldn't nest it in the box. I was
pushing to get finished but was having problems with my cuts as the
long crosscuts weren't coming out smooth as the blade was dull. All I
could get was a 12" DeWalt blade, a 80 tooth thing with yellow coating
around the teeth.

I wasn't expecting much since it was DeWalt. But to my great surprise
it worked pretty well. On the long compound miters, there was a
little blade movement (common in thin kerf blades) if I pressed the
cut, but if I took my time and let the blade chew through it did
pretty well. Almost no splintering, and good clean cuts. A pretty
good blade for $50 or so at the big orange box.

If you have troubles with the blade, take it back and get yourself a
Freud blade. Bang for the buck they are are tough to beat. You can
buy better blades, no doubt. But for about $75 a blade you can get a
great, coated blade that will razor off that oak like you wouldn't
believe. Check this one out:

http://tinyurl.com/6p2ahp

NOTE: This is a crosscut blade. Thin kerf blades are not generally
speaking not your first choice, especially one like the Freud above,
for ripping.

For your ripping, get a different blade, one that is either marked as
a multipurpose (they do everything OK, but nothing in a superior
fashion) or a rip blade.

Remember on your blades, you get what you pay for (hopefully!). Get a
good blade and keep it clean in your miter saw and it will last a
long, long time and give you a lot of great cuts.

Robert

Good info.
But....
I find that in a miter saw, I get a better cut (no splinters) with the
material "good side up".
Same with a radial arm saw.

Max