Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that it
would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the right
blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could anyone give
me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the square cut. Many of
the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for example ). When I ask
for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

I use this one for cuts like that - has atb + raker

http://www.ridgecarbidetool.com/html/table_radius.htm

jim bailey

"JonH" wrote in message
...
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that
it
would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the right
blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could anyone
give
me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the square cut. Many
of
the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for example ). When I ask
for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

JonH wrote:
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that it
would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the right
blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could anyone give
me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the square cut. Many of
the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for example ). When I ask
for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

A Freud LM74R010 Glue Line Rip Blade will give you the flat-bottomed
cuts you are looking for. $68 at Amazon. They also make the same
blade without the red anti-stick coating for about $10 less.

This is a premium triple-chip blade that would be too expensive if all
you wanted it for was splines. But once you buy it, you'll probably
never take it off the saw. Rip cuts look like they've been sanded, and
it gives great crosscuts too.

DonkeyHody
"Even an old blind hog finds an acorn every now and then."

JonH wrote:
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that it
would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the right
blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could anyone give
me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the square cut. Many of
the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for example ). When I ask
for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.


I use one of the blades from my Freud Dado. perfectly flat bottomed cuts.

Dave

JonH wrote:

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut.

Most ripping blades are square across the top. Might work.

When faced with the same problem, I decided to use a slot-cutter bit in
the router table.

Chris

THANKS!

I have some directions to go now.

Jon


"JonH" wrote in message
...
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that
it would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the
right blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could
anyone give me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the
square cut. Many of the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for
example ). When I ask for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by "square bottomed"? I make
boxes with mitred corners and use keys to spline them. I have been
using a jig an a regular general purpose blade in my saw. Would I be
better using my Freud Dado instead and why?

Thanks,
Jim

jtpr wrote:

I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by "square bottomed"? I make
boxes with mitred corners and use keys to spline them. I have been
using a jig an a regular general purpose blade in my saw. Would I be
better using my Freud Dado instead and why?

Thanks,
Jim

A typical saw blade, for example a WWII, will NOT leave a squared bottom
cut. When looks are important you need a dado blade or other blade that
has some flat topped teeth (they don't ALL have to be flat topped).

Dave

OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the
difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a
stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.

-jim

jtpr wrote:
I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by "square bottomed"? I make
boxes with mitred corners and use keys to spline them. I have been
using a jig an a regular general purpose blade in my saw. Would I be
better using my Freud Dado instead and why?

I guess flat-bottomed would be a better term than square-bottomed.
ATB (Alternate Top Bevel) Ground blades produce a cut with a V-shaped
ridge in the center. This ridge would prevent the splines from
completely filling the slot. They would be unsightly when viewed from
the end of the spline as well as somewhat weaker.

DonkeyHody
"Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas
Carlyle

jtpr wrote:

OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the
difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a
stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.

-jim

If you look at the teeth on the Freud, you'll see some are flat
bottomed. Now look at a rip blade or combo blade. They don't have ANY
flat topped teeth and hence don't leave the bottom of any cut cleaned
out neatly.

Dave

DonkeyHody wrote:

They would be unsightly when viewed from
the end of the spline as well as somewhat weaker.

DonkeyHody
"Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas
Carlyle

I'm not so sure I'd worry about the "weaker" part. When you make a M&T
joint, do you fit the end of the tenon against it's mating part? NO!
You make the tenon slightly shorter than the depth of the joint, to
PREVENT it from bottoming out. Glueing that portion provides next to
ZERO benefit (assuming your tenon met the bottom of the mortise exactly).

The SIDES of the spline provide the mechanical connection; not the bottom.

Dave

With my current ATB blade, If I were to cut partially through a piece of
wood and then sight down that groove that was just cut, I will see a "W"
shape at the bottom of that groove. I don't want that "W." Right now, when
I install a spline, there is a small gap where the spline hits that middle
of the "W." I want the type of blade that will make a "U" shape channel
( but with straight sides, not round ) and not have that middle part of the
"W." Then my splines will fit in with no gaps. Perhaps your blade cuts
what I call a "square bottom" already.

So...did I completely confuse you?

BTW - If the blade I want has a raker tooth, is it called an "ATBR?"

Jon


"jtpr" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by "square bottomed"? I make
boxes with mitred corners and use keys to spline them. I have been
using a jig an a regular general purpose blade in my saw. Would I be
better using my Freud Dado instead and why?

Thanks,
Jim

I know what you mean by the blades being poorly marked as to what the are.
It seems most manufacturers put a label on that reads "smooth cutting in all
woods" or something similiar to get you to buy their blade, instead of
marking what type it is. DeWalt is the only ones I see marked as to what
they are and, oddly enough, I don't care for their blades. In any case, you
need an ATB+R blade. the ATB stands for alternate tooth bevel, and the R
stands for raker, which is basically a flat topped tooth. --dave

"JonH" wrote in message
...
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines for
the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made do"
even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought that
it would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get the
right blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could
anyone give me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the
square cut. Many of the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for
example ). When I ask for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

DonkeyHody wrote:

This ridge would prevent the splines from
completely filling the slot. They would be unsightly when viewed from
the end of the spline as well as somewhat weaker.

In some cases you can use a spline that isn't visible from the outside
(edging on plywood, for instance). In that case a bit of extra space
isn't an issue--it's just somewhere for glue squeeze-out to go.

I don't buy the strength argument. Any possible loss will be so tiny as
to be irrelevent.

Now if you're using visible splines (on picture frame mitres, for
instance) then a flat square slot is desirable for aesthetic reasons.

Chris

Chris Friesen wrote:

I don't buy the strength argument. Any possible loss will be so tiny as
to be irrelevent.

Now if you're using visible splines (on picture frame mitres, for
instance) then a flat square slot is desirable for aesthetic reasons.

You are right of course (both of you who challenged the strength
issue). I recognize that any strength benefits are very small, and I
started not to even mention it. Sort of damned if you do and damned if
you don't (mention it, that is).

DonkeyHody
"Even an old blind hog finds an acorn every now and then."

I use a couple of blades that are ATB+R and they give an almost square
bottom kerf but not completely square. The beveled teeth are slightly
longer than the raker teeth and leave small "gutters" in the corners. This
makes the blades cut a little better. They can be sharpened so as to make
all the teeth even but this will sacrifice a bit of cut quality. The guy
that does my sharpening took an old steel blade I had and sharpened it to
make a square bottom cut. I am not familiar with all makes of blades so
perhaps some new blades will cut flat bottomed kerfs but if you have trouble
finding one just talk to your sharpening service they should be able to fix
you up.
Earl Creel

"Dave Jackson" wrote in message
ink.net...
I know what you mean by the blades being poorly marked as to what the are.
It seems most manufacturers put a label on that reads "smooth cutting in
all woods" or something similiar to get you to buy their blade, instead of
marking what type it is. DeWalt is the only ones I see marked as to what
they are and, oddly enough, I don't care for their blades. In any case,
you need an ATB+R blade. the ATB stands for alternate tooth bevel, and the
R stands for raker, which is basically a flat topped tooth. --dave

"JonH" wrote in message
...
Dumb question time but I'm having trouble.

A long time ago I made a jig for my table saw to cut slots for splines
for the miters on frames. Since then I have used an ATB blade and "made
do" even though that blade doesn't make a square channel cut. I thought
that it would be a simple task to go to one of the home centers and get
the right blade but.....I've tried three places and I'm "0 and 3." Could
anyone give me a SPECIFIC make and model number that can give me the
square cut. Many of the blades have no markings for the type ( ATB, for
example ). When I ask for help I get very strange looks.

BTW - It's a 10" blade and 5/8" arbor.

Thanks in advance.

jtpr wrote:
: OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the
: difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a
: stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.


Not quite. A Forrest WWII will cut a kerf which
has "wings" on the outer edges, so if the center of the
slot is 1/4", the two sides will be slightly over that.
In crude ASCII:


| |
| |
| ________ |
| \ / |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |



- Andy Barss

Andrew Barss wrote:

jtpr wrote:
: OK, I see. You are talking about flat vs. coved, sort of like the
: difference between a dado cut with a wobble blad and a dado cut with a
: stacked blade set, but on a miniature scale.


Not quite. A Forrest WWII will cut a kerf which
has "wings" on the outer edges, so if the center of the
slot is 1/4", the two sides will be slightly over that.
In crude ASCII:


| |
| |
| ________ |
| \ / |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |



- Andy Barss

Sorry, Andy, but that is impossible. What path do the "wing cutters"
follow to get to the bottom of the cut? g

I'm guessing that what you mean is this:

| |
| |
| |
| |\___/| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |

Which is caused by the raker teeth being slightly shorter than the
highest point on the ATB teeth.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

alexy wrote:

: Sorry, Andy, but that is impossible. What path do the "wing cutters"
: follow to get to the bottom of the cut? g

: I'm guessing that what you mean is this:

: | |
: | |
: | |
: | |\___/| |
: | | | |
: | | | |
: | | | |

: Which is caused by the raker teeth being slightly shorter than the
: highest point on the ATB teeth.


Your ASCII skills sure are better than mine!

-- Andy