Shopsmith Forums

This 8" blade came with my used machine. Thickest in the center, ground thinner around the cutting edge. Shopsmith brand, fits 1-1/4" arbor. Looks like some kind of a plywood or laminate blade. I'd appreciate a positive ID and advice on how/where to sharpen it because it looks worn. Thanks.

It's an older plywood blade.

Those were called hollow ground. and were at the time a very good expensive blade. But today carbide has replaced them.

Two more blades I'd like to ask about. One looks to be a 28-tooth steel blade, the other a 24 tooth carbide blade. What is their intended purpose and what should I use them for (after they're properly sharpened, of course)?

ehbowen wrote:Two more blades I'd like to ask about. One looks to be a 28-tooth steel blade, the other a 24 tooth carbide blade. What is their intended purpose and what should I use them for (after they're properly sharpened, of course)?

20200727_165739.jpg

They are both rip blades. I would not bother with the steel blade. It is worth less than the cost of sharpening. I would take the carbide blade to a sharpening service and see what they say about the condition of the blade. If it is in good shape have it sharpened and you should have a good rip blade.

jsburger wrote:

ehbowen wrote:Two more blades I'd like to ask about. One looks to be a 28-tooth steel blade, the other a 24 tooth carbide blade. What is their intended purpose and what should I use them for (after they're properly sharpened, of course)?

20200727_165739.jpg

They are both rip blades. I would not bother with the steel blade. It is worth less than the cost of sharpening. I would take the carbide blade to a sharpening service and see what they say about the condition of the blade. If it is in good shape have it sharpened and you should have a good rip blade.

How about that steel plywood blade in the Original Post? Would you consider that one to be worth sharpening?

ehbowen wrote:

jsburger wrote:

ehbowen wrote:Two more blades I'd like to ask about. One looks to be a 28-tooth steel blade, the other a 24 tooth carbide blade. What is their intended purpose and what should I use them for (after they're properly sharpened, of course)?

20200727_165739.jpg

They are both rip blades. I would not bother with the steel blade. It is worth less than the cost of sharpening. I would take the carbide blade to a sharpening service and see what they say about the condition of the blade. If it is in good shape have it sharpened and you should have a good rip blade.

How about that steel plywood blade in the Original Post? Would you consider that one to be worth sharpening?

I would not sharpen any steel blade. They are almost obsolete. Carbide is the only way to go. If you want a good blade you need to spend some money. Cheap blades return cheap/bad results. My choice is Forrest blades. Made in the US. Others have different opinions but the cost is $90 to $110 for a decent blade. The Forrest Woodworker II 40 tooth blade will rip, cross cut and cut plywood perfectly. It is around $110 on sale. By the time you sharpen all the blades you have you will be close to that. Forrest has a sharpening service that will return your blade to factory new at a reasonable price. My Forrest Woodworker II has been sharpened by Forrest once in 10 years.

I actually don't need help identifying these blades (I think!), but I'd like to hear more about recommended usages.
From the pictures in the Shopsmith manual, it appears that this first one is a 10" combination steel blade. It was mounted on the machine when I bought it and was in the best condition of any of the blades. Right now, due to some real-life expenses, it'll be difficult to get a Really Good Blade at the moment. So should this one be adequate for learning the machine and getting comfortable with the setups until I can get something of a better quality?
This is actually a brand-new blade; I bought it about a year and a half ago as part of a two-pack. The other (24-tooth) blade is on my Craftsman "flex drive" table saw right now. I have purchased a 5/8" arbor (but only one) for the Shopsmith. It claims to be a "fine finish" blade, although it's Big Blue Box Chineesium in origin. Would this be preferable to the plywood blade above (post #1) for hardboard, plywood, and similar sheet materials? Where is it best employed? (Please don't say dumpster!)

For What It's Worth, the carbide rip blade from post #4 and the plywood blade have both been sent in to be sharpened. I know what @jsburger said about sharpening steel blades but it was only twelve bucks, so.... The steel rip blade is now in the trash, along with a couple of 7-1/4" circular saw blades. All had heavy rust pits on their back side, so no great loss. If you were "tooling up" for some projects (cabinetry, etc.) around the house, what would you recommend purchasing to establish a good starter blade inventory?

I use carbide tipped combination blades almost exclusively. The only time I use other blades is when working on something that is suppose to be exceptional (fine furniture and the like). That doesn't happen much anymore. All of the blades in my shop now are Shopsmith. I have used Forrest.

Just priced a Forrest Woodworker II 40 tooth thin kerf bored to 1-1/4"...$166, plus tax and shipping. That's much too rich for my blood right now, although I have it on my 'wish list'. Does look like a beautiful blade, though.