Question about Woodworker II blade
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| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
After reading a great deal of praise here, I bought a Forrest Woodworker II blade at the woodworking show. On my first try, I ripped a piece of 5/4 poplar. In the middle of the board, I heard a little bit of chatter. When I looked at the edge, I could see what looked like a runout mark where the chatter occured. My prior blade was a SystiMatic thin kerf combination blade. Although the SystiMatic left small saw marks the length of the board, I never experienced the chatter problem. If I could eliminate the chatter problem with the Woodworker II, the entire cut would be glass smooth. Any ideas?
The blade is in a Unisaw with the Forrest dampener. I set the blade height just above the thickness of the wood.
Replies
I have the same saw, blade & damper and mine cuts great. Could it be that your fence isn't in alignment with the blade? It could be that there was some compression in the board and it was pinching the blade when you had cut partially through it. I know that I occasionally get some burning when I cut a board that pinches the blade when I get into the cut.
Joe
Did you use a featherboard? That can help on long rips where either because you have to move a bit as you feed, you lose even pressure on the fence, or because the wood has some stresses from drying that act as the cut releases it and things can chatter even with a splitter. Just some thoughts.
{Sorry - meant this for the OP}
Edited 1/8/2007 5:15 pm ET by Samson
Could be as simple as a momentary change in feed rate that set up the vibration. I listen to my saw while making a cut, You can hear when your at a good feed rate.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I thought that could be the case. I think I was used to a faster feed rate with the thinner SystiMatic blade.
It sounds like the wood may not have been straight coming of the jointer. It bound somehow along the rip cut and caused that chatter. I have the same setup as you and my cuts are like glass. Check you fence and check the edge coming off the jointer for straightness. Like the other post said it could wood reaction movement.
If the board wasn't flat and square that can cause chatter regardless of the blade. Do you use a featherboard to hold the wood tight to the fence? Also, if you're talking about one test cut, I'd try a few others on a variety of boards and wood before getting too concerned about it.
The WWII should make cuts at least as clean as your Systimatic. If it's full kerf it might require a slower feedrate depending on your saw, but it shouldn't make it prone to chattering...if anything, it should be less prone to chatter than a TK.
I won't judge based on just a few cuts, but I was dissapointed. Overall the cut was better than my Systematic, but I was expecting something closer to perfect as in ready to glue. If I'm going to have to take it to the jointer to clean it up, I recon it doesn't matter whether it's to clean up a saw mark in one spot or across the entire cut. I jointed the test board dead flat. It's not unreasonable to assume I'd need to slow the feed rate to accomodate the chubbier teeth. The Systimatic hasn't been sharpened in years and the Woodworker II is extreeeeeeemly sharp, so on the whole, I was expecting to be able to use the same feed rate.
I wouldn't expect a "perfect" cut from any 40 or 50T all purpose blade, but you should still get glue ready edges with just about any of them. I can still see some marks in bright light with an a good 80T crosscut blade. A burnished highly polished edge doesn't glue as well as one that's slightly roughed. As long as the marks aren't leaving gaps or visible splinters, I'd glue it if the boards mate well. Cut a few more pieces just to be sure there's no defects and see what you get. The WWII is about as good as it gets with a general purpose blade (along with a small handful of others), but it won't give the quality of cut as a similar quality 80T blade like the Chopmaster, Duraline, Freud LU85, etc.
Not that you didn't do a good job of setting up the saw but things do change over time. I would make sure the miter slot is definitely parallel to the blade and then make sure the fence is parallel to the miter slot. Also, sight down the fence and/or use a straightedge to make sure it's dead straight. The face on my fence had bowed (convex) and once the wood was past the blade, it was forcing it into the blade, causing what it seems that you have. The only time I have any burning is when the wood releases internal tensions and starts to bow away from the fence or if I aim it that way.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
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