cutting 1 1/2″ thick 4’x8′ sheet Bamboo for building conference table
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I am building a conference table out of bamboo as the name of the space is called the ZEN Conference room and the flooring and doorway trim is out of bamboo.
So I decided to make the conference table out of 1 1/2″ thick bamboo.
I starting cutting the bamboo sheet with my cordless 6 1/2″ DeWalt with a brand new CMT blade and it started to smoke horibly. Definitely not the motor of the saw.
Any suggestions on what circular saw I should use and what blade?
Based on my research, I am thinking of using a 7 1/4″ worm drive saw with a 60 tooth carbide bit blade.
I appreciate any feedback. Pictures are attached.
Replies
Get your hands on a festool tracksaw setup. I did a ton of bamboo work in the last year. Started out circ saw, moved up to makita tracksaw, still burning and splintering. The Festool was magic by comparison.
For long rips run it 1/4" oversize because the bamboo burns when you slow down to reposition your body... move the track over and run it again. The sliver peels as you go and the burning goes away. Re-clean the blade often, it makes a big diff. Don't attempt it w/o a nice strong vac attached. I cut all on some 2" rigid foam with the blade barely passing through the bamboo. The plastic drop-down thing on the saw's front pretty much eliminates top splintering.
I used the TS55 on 3/4" bamboo, at 90° & 45° with good results. I have cut 2" cherry and it felt a bit underpowered. Perhaps the bigger model saw would do better.
Okay, thank you for this useful information.
Not sure of ur saw configuration but make certain that the blade is not in backwards
Agree - the teeth point against the rotation arrow for the guard so the blade is in backwards.
Nobody wastes the paint to print on the back of a saw blade.
Perhaps that's true but in that picture the teeth are facing the opposite way of the arrow on the blade guard. Just saying.
I think you’re right chiwoodworker. The the blade on a circ saw cut from the bottom up but the teeth in the pic point down.
Another look, another lesson... I guess the "back" of a blade depends on the saw. Good catch!