Best blade for a mitre saw...

[lawrieh]

I don't have the funds or space at the moment to buy a guillotine but I do have a good quality DeWalt Mitre saw. I have asked if this is suitable for cutting moulding and although its not the normal method people have told me they can be used if set up right. I understand that some of the very top of the range mitre cutters (Morso?) are actually electric circular saws under the cover.

I have been getting poor cuts recently with the edges less than neat, material seems to rip and splinter. I think its probably down to the blade and possibly also technique. I would like to continue using the saw for time being as I have made my own distance/measuring stop which cuts repetitively accurate 45 degree cuts of exact length.

Are there any recommendations on types of 255mm saw blades? tooth count etc?

Does anyone have any tips on technique to achieve neat precise edges?

Many thanks in advance

Lawrie

[johnwphotography]

I would suggest at least 80t, I am using Starrett blade on a smaller 216mm diameter saw and getting very clean results for around £30/35. The high end units are double mitre saws. There are recommendations for Freud blades, N negative rake for polymer and also one for aluminium, and P positive rake for wood moulding, in the Lion catalogue/ site but in larger sizes only but still a useful guide. It would sound as though you are using a tooth count for general purpose site work, or a very blunt blade. I would think we have others here using a saw that matches yours and can advise further.

[Abacus]

I use Freud blades on my brevetti double mitre saw, 120 teeth, £80 each plus vat. Sharpen them every month, £32 the pair, replace every year.

[Abacus]

P.s. Morso cutters are actually guillotines and use static very sharp blades.

[lawrieh]

Thank you all for your feedback.

I have just been to check, the blade I am using is 60T and eerrr ahh hemmm its a silverline blade (it came with the saw!), its not the best I know, I will change it immediately for as high a tooth count and as good a make as possible, ( I think around 80 to 96 teeth is as high as I can go for a 250mm blade) I will probably only be making only 20 to 30 frames per month max. Does buying Freud as opposed to say Trend or Bosch buy much more in terms of quality of cut, or does the increased lead more to better life (in which case I could live with a lesser brand)?

I am probably going to exclusively use wooden moulding, so I will look a positive rake as suggested.

As for technique, place the moulding with finished surface facing upwards, hold the moulding securely, turn on the saw and let it run up to speed, bring the blade down slowly and steadily... is there anything I am missing?

Thanks

Lawrie

[prospero]

I recently got two Makita chop saws. They come with the usual coarse tooth blades which I intended to replace asap. But before I swapped I did a few cuts just to see.... The cuts with a 24-tooth blade wasn't bad actually. But better with 80-tooth ones. Very little whiskering on the edges. These blades were sp-offer ones at £35 each. They still seem sharp, but time will tell. They aren't too clever with poly mouldings though. As already said, negative rake ones would be better for plastic.

[lawrieh]

Thanks Prospero
I went to a combined marker and car boot sale where I knew there were a few quality, low priced tool vendors. I didnt realise there were so many sizes of circular blades. Couldnt see anything near 60t never mind 80t or 100t saws at 250mm there. I think I will go for a Freud 80t blade based on previous advice, hopefully the new, quality blades will be a major improvement.

I will probably chose a negative rake as I hope to to use mostly wood only mouldings.

Does anyone have any idea on best method of using a miter saw? are there things to to avoid? Is there any difference having the thinnest or fattest part of the moulding against the back stop of the mitre saw?

thanks again

Lawrie

[prospero]

The main thing is to keep the wood still. Ideally a clamping system would be nice, but moulding is generally irregularly shaped. Cutting back-to-fence makes it easier to grip by hand. Just remember where your hand is and where the blades are.

Make sure the blades are up to speed before starting the cut.

[Timh]

just a thought but look on axminster power tools

you can buy a mitre trimmer- a sort of mini morso which will clean up the edges after you have sawn them

I have used this before and the results are very good

the more teeth on the saw blade the better in my experience ,but sharpening costs tend to go up

[lawrieh]

OK after much deliberation and reading up about saw blades I have invested in a 80t, negative rake, TCT, ATB cut blade, phew. The best that I can afford at the moment (around £35).

I had considered a mitre trimmer but since I thought I would cut to exact size using my home made jig stop for the Dewalt that I would lose exact lengths if I started to chop variable lengths of the ends whilst trimming, I guess I could probably build a length stop for a mitre trimmer too but I will wait and see if I can get neat enough edges with the new blade before going further.

Nest step is to try to rent, beg, borrow or acquire a reasonably priced underpinner to get me away from pinning, gluing and band clamping frames as I have been doing.

Blade should arrive Thursday, I will post feedback feedback on how I get on then.... thank you all for your support and advice so far...

Lawrie

[lawrieh]

Just to feed back as promised.

I bought one of these CSB/CC25480T ( http://www.sawshop.co.uk/10-extra-fine- ... -170722498 ) but for around £30 on Ebay.

I decided on negative rake because that is what the very high end automated mitre cutting machines use I think and it makes sense that the tips if negatively raked do not pick up the surface fibres of wood when cutting. I think 80 teeth was as about as fine as I could go on a 10' blade.

Just tried it out and got a fabulous finish on some raw timber, just hope it cuts the same on some cheap plastic coated MDF moulding I am about to use...

Lawrie

[lawrieh]

little update... I cut enough cut mouldings for 25 frames and took them into a very helpful local picture framer that was prepared to assist by helping out with their underpinner (I was in a great rush and had not managed to acquire an underpinner from ebay in time). They looked at my mitre cuts and passed them around to each other for inspection then they asked how I got them so neat and clean, they considered the cuts better than what they could achieve with their in house Morso.

I think it was the negative rake that helped.

LAwrie

[IFGL]

I hope you did one first and tested it to make sure the cut angle is correct.