Table Saw Blade advice

[Thedog]

Hello,

I have Axminster 10" table saw, still with its original blade, which has now seen better days.
I need to replace the blade, but I want a good blade for the work I need to do. I don't mind paying a bit extra for something special.

As an example of my needs, I make hardwood boards out of 25mm thick American Black Walnut, Maple, Oak and other hard woods.
A typical board is 20" square but the planks are cut to 3" strips (ripped) then glue back together (alternative species) then cut again (crosscut) into 3" strips before being glued back together.
The end result is like a chess or drafts board (Although not for this).

I want a really good blade for cutting both directions of the board, but with a good enough finish for gluing back together.

So, my question is what would be the best blade for this? A general purpose blade? What make? What about teeth style (Rake & top etc)?

For me personally, I really don't want to be changing the blades each time, unless it really has a massive benefit.

I read the Swedex and CMT blades are good and a few other high end brands, but more specifically is what style of tooth and TPI would be best?

Thank you for any any replies or advice you can give.

 

[Sideways]

I suggest downloading the Swedex catalogue because it has an excellent information section at the front.
Second, the one thing I read in you original post that concerns me is "I really don't want to be changing the blades each time, unless it really has a massive benefit."
I'm not knocking you for this as I often feel exactly the same, but you should be aware that this is a lazy attitude and yes, it does make a difference.
Consider how you'd batch up the job to do all your ripping together, then change to a crosscut blade or shift to a mitre saw for the second process.
The difference between a 20 tooth and an 80 tooth blade is not a small thing.
Tooth profile is a function of what you are cutting. For hardwood I'd expect a simple Alternative Top Bevel might suit, but read the Swedex advice. Those guys know more than any random few respondants on the internet.

 

[Fitzroy]

The more TPI the better the surface finish but the harder the saw has to work and the slower the cut. I've settled on a 40tooth Freud blade on my 250mm table saw and it seems a happy medium, replaced every year or two. However I operate the saw for perhaps 50hrs a year, if you run a professional shop you may to 10fold this work and blade longevity will be much more of a problem.

As per Sideways comment if you have sufficient volume then changing the blade for the correct operation makes sense and an alternate workflow can assist in making this feel less of a timesink.

 

[Thedog]

Thanks for your replies.
I do understand and appreciate the benefits of changing blades. however, at the moment each board is a one off with other work being done on the saw in between. If I could find a happy midway point using a general purpose blade that would be a benefit for me.
Maybe I will look at two blades, but until I have a larger batch of boards it would be good to get an all rounder for general work.

I will have a good think about this as it makes sense what you have said, and at the end of the day how long does it take to change a blade, a few minutes, so no big deal really more of a mind set.

Thanks

 

[Thedog]

Oh, I should have mentionerd, my riving knife is 2.5mm think. The original blade that came with the saw has a Kerf of 2.6mm and a blade thickness of 1.8mm, with a centre hole of 30mm.
Seems strange that this does not seem to be a common size?