Three more Table saw Questions

[Arc Light]

I have had several hours of shop time on my new table saw and am absolutely loving it.  I have made a quick jig and my new favorite gadget in the world are Toggle Clamps, they are fantastic, and make working on small pieces next to the blade; safe!

I have a few questions for the group, remember I'm new to the table saw.

First question, when using a jig after you have run it through the blade and cut your piece, do you pull the jig back past the blade and then shut the saw off, or do you run your cut, then leave the jig on the far side of the blade while the saw stops, then remove your piece, and finally pull the jig back past the blade?

Second question, my saw is running using a regular 110v three prong outlet.  I realize the outlet is tied into the lighting in the garage, and when I first turn the saw on the lights in the garage dim a little momentarily and then return to normal.  I realize the saws start up draw on the circuit is causing the dimming lights, and am wondering if this will do any damage to the motor?  My garage currently does not have a separate circuit for the saw.

Final question, when finished working on the saw for the night do you park the blade at the very bottom of it's travel, or leave the blade up.  I am wondering if the extra tension on the belt from leaving the blade up will be bad for the belt over time?

Thanks in advance to these newbie questions! 

[Trooper]

With my sled style jig, the runners are a tight fit in the track and I run two runners (guides) so the chance of a wobble or a tilt is non existent.  I push the blade through to make the cut, then pull it back towards me completely clear of the blade, insert another piece, secure it with the toggle clamps again and repeat the process.  I've never had the slightest hint of a problem or kickback. 

With regards to the blade at the end of use, I ALWAYS wind the blade down below table height for two reasons.  We all suffer from concentration lapses and an innocent mistake leaning on a sharp circular saw blade kerf can sharpen one's attention in an instant.  Also, I want to protect the blade itself.  A good blade is not cheap and if something accidentally falls on it or is placed on it, it can cause damage to the blade which requires more money to sharpen as well as the accompanying downtime while you wait for the Saw Doctor to get the blade back to you.  In any case it only takes a few seconds to wind the blade down afterwards anyway. 

The table saw is one of my favoured machines in the workshop.  Just like a good bandsaw, it go almost anything and an endless array of jigs can be made which are only limited to your imagination. 

Regards,

Dave

[Roby]

I agree that you should just bring back you jig after each cut.  If your cut piece is held firmly, there is no problem, and you can often load a new piece while the machine is still on and make another cut.  The very first thing that burns out on all my table saws is the switch.  If you turn it on and off after every cut, it is going to go quick.  Also, as you pointed out the start up drag on a saw when you first start it causes the most stress on the motor, so if you can turn it on and leave it on while doing most of your project then all is better.  Also, if you have a belt driven system (highly recommended for vibration purposes) then turning on your saw will cause stress on the belt, so turn it on and off as little as possible, with safety in mind of course.  Unless it is over 90 degrees outside, I will run my saw for 2 or 3 hours at a time without turning it off. 

The dimming of lights is normal and does not cause any problems for the saw.  Turning it on causes a bit of stress, but having it on a different plug would not affect help or hinder this.

I only move the blade down when in storage.  It is probably a good idea to move it down, but I have never had a problem with it effecting the belt or with chipping a blade tooth accidentally.  I leave mine up just because it saves me time.  Often I have the blade positioned at the exact height that I need for a cut, and that exact height is also what I need for the cut I will make the next day.  I am mainly talking rabbit cuts here, but you do know that the height of your blade effects tear out.  If it is high, it will try to tear out on the bottom of the piece and if it is low it will try tear out on the back of the piece.  Also, I have the knobs for lowering and increasing the blade removed from my saw because they get in the way of clamps that I use, so it is a hassle every time I want to adjust the height.   

[Canuck]

Roby and Trooper pretty much covered my answer...the only thing I thought I would mention is perhaps buying a 'link' belt, here's a link to 'Lee Valley's' product but it can be purchased at other places as well and likely cheaper.  This will help with vibration and of course preventing any possibility of the belt developing 'flat spots' ;

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=30051&cat=1,240,41067



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[Arc Light]

Fantastic!, Thanks Dave, Robert, and John!  Your answers are all greatly appreciated!

Cool belt John, I may eventually get one, although right now I think I will save my pennies for a new blade down the road.  When I am getting closer to shopping for one I'll get everyone's suggestions for best blades.

Thanks again everyone!

[Chinnomotto]

Dear Mr Light,

Confucius say "Had you bought a lathe instead of a table saw, you wouldn't have these problems

The Dark Side still awaits you, Comeee,,,,,,,,,,"

[Trooper]

Whoa!  Was that Roby talking about safety ...."with safety in mind of course".... or has someone hijacked his user account?  John, I'm waiting for you to jump all over this one. 

I agree entirely with Canuck's suggestion on the link belt but the other thing I forgot to mention is that a GOOD quality blade is worth it's weight in gold.  Unfortunately it will probably cost the same.  Remember that just because it is tungsten carbide tipped does not mean it's good quality.  Carbide is supplied in a variety of grades and the good quality ones have the dendrites (molecules) closer together and as such are bonded better.  What does this mean?.....It will hold the sharpened edge better and longer and give a better finish.  I use CMT and am happy with them but there are others that are excellent as well.  I hear Flai are very good. 

[rolly_wood]

thank you also by myself I am learning a lot from you.
Peter: dimming of the light is normal because a powerful motor is an inductive load and at the instant of the switching on is almost seen as a short circuit. It causes (especially at 110V) a very high peak of current which, in turn, causes a drop in the voltage. Nothing to worry about.

It is rather curious that I look overseas and wish US tools and, on the other hand, you use Italian (CMT, Freud) blades.... What about teeth?
I asked Mike and said me (and it is reported on his site) he uses alternate trapezoidal-chisel teeth, someone else uses ATB. What teeth geometrry do you think is better for puzzle?

Peter I do not want to "deviate" your thread, I think it could be an "on-topic" question...

[Chinnomotto]

My Teeth are fine,,,SEEE 

Sorry , can't help myself, look closer and you will see an Implant!!!

[Canuck]

I actually did want to touch on the saw blade issue...perhaps it should have it's own thread but I'll move it later if need be...I use almost CMT exclusively now for saw blades, I knew of their very 'high' quality of router bits so I tried one about a year and half ago and never looked back, they have two versions that I thought would work well so I tried both and the best and the one I currently use is this one;

http://www.cmtutensili.com/show_items.asp?pars=SB~221~2

Now, for doing 'Coffin' polyhedral style puzzes I use Freud blades...Peter I have an extra blade with stabilizers I can send you...the blade has been sharpened at least twice but you're good for at least a half dozen sharpenings!  You can just send me 'somethin' in exchange when you get all geared up ...okay?  

[rolly_wood]

http://www.cmtutensili.com/show_items.asp?pars=SB~221~2

John how much do you pay for it in canada? I have some special discount here for CMT but I do not know if the $ vs euro exchanging rate worths....

EDIT: it does not matter, I checked that model and it is not available here

[Arc Light]

All this talk on blades is great!  Let me ask a few questions now that we are on the topic.  Does the amount of kerf matter?  I know it affects your jig because a larger kerf blade will cut a bigger kerf and then if you switch to a smaller kerf blade your jig will not have a zero clearance anymore, but are there other considerations with kerf?

Also does the amount of teeth and the angle of the teeth make differences in puzzle making.

John thanks for your offer.  I will keep that in mind as I get up and running.  John you also mentioned a blade stabilizer.  Are stabilizers a must?

Thanks all I am learning tons from the group.

[Roby]

Unfortunately, I have different blades with different kerf's.  I have found a few applications where I want to use one over the other, but that is rare.  The snowflake required a very thin kerf to make some if its cuts, but I can't think of another application where kerf really mattered.  Mostly, it is just a pain to have blades with different kerf sizes. 

When  you switch out blades, if you have a different kerf than the last blade you used, you will either cut a wider groove in your jig, or it will be a thiner blade in a wider groove which produces tear out because your piece no longer has a flush backing agains your jig or table sled.  A thin kerf also usually means a thin blade which can increase vibrations and reduce the smoothness of cuts.  I thick kerf is usually found on a thicker blade, and this will require your motor to work harder.

I could see where a thin kerf would require less strain on a motor and waste less wood because it cuts a thinner path in the wood, but I think that is neglegable.  The angle of the teeth, however, does make a difference, and there are different applications for different angled teeth.

[Canuck]

Yeah, Roby is dead on with regards to kerf size, I mark my jigs with which blade they work with...unfortunately I prefer some blades for some things so that's where the different kerf sizes come into play, it can sometimes be quite a nuissance...did I mention it would be nice to have a few tablesaws   I've never really charted what kerf or rake of teeth works best for what but simply tried a blade and if it worked for the application that's what I base everything on...I have essentially four different blades for various applications!

Now Peter, I went and sent you that blade just this morning and totally forgot to include the stabilizers Dang it!!!  (it should arrive late next week )Oh well, they're not that expensive to pick up locally, I use stabilizers with every blade without exception, it definitely makes a big difference, now here's the thing; the ones I use go on both sides of the blade so again that affects your jigs

Also the 'link belt' I mentioned above does make a huge difference in smoothness of cut, no doubt about that!

Forrest blades have not been mentioned yet but they are very nice blades, however I don't like them for 'polyhedral' type cuts, they're far too agressive for my liking.  I do use a 12" Forrest 'Chopmaster' on my chopsaw and it is quite amazing, smooth as butter!

[Canuck]

John how much do you pay for it in canada? I have some special discount here for CMT but I do not know if the $ vs euro exchanging rate worths....

EDIT: it does not matter, I checked that model and it is not available here

That's quite funny Rolly...when I purchased a 'dovetail jig' years ago, they're made and sold in Canada but yet they made me pay for it in U.S. funds, how crazy is that

If I remember correctly the CMT blade cost me $150 Canadian...pretty much on par with Forrest blade prices