Whiteside Dimar saw blade arbor hole
davidsmith0726
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I ordered a Whiteside Dimar table saw blade from Amazon after reading the review of it in a recent Fine Woodworking magazine. When I tried to put it on my saw, I couldn’t get it to slide on the arbor. I checked the arbor hole with a digital caliper and it turned out to be 1/128″ out of round (79/128″ at some points). In my 45+ years of woodworking using dozens of table saw blades from throw-aways to premiums, I’ve never had this happen before. I can see how sloppy machining could cause an arbor hole to be milled too large, but what would cause it to be too small?
(Thanksfully Amazon has a fast turnaround return policy–my replacement is coming in two days. Still looking forward to trying the blade.)
Replies
That's a head-scratcher because the assembly, sharpening, and balancing of the blade must be done based on that hole. Are you sure it's not just a Canadian hole? Switch the caliper to mm and see what it says.
Canadian hole. Sounds like a new kind of insult.
It said, 'you silly goose, what are you doing?'
Some points of the arbor hole measure 5/8", but as I move it around the circle, I get occasional readings that are 1/128" shy. That much seems insignificant, but it's enough to keep the blade from sliding on the arbor. I thought about using a round file to open up the hole, but it's easier just to exchange the blade, and an out-of-round hole might be a sign of a bigger problem like a warped blade.
I had the same problem. There is a machining burr left around the arbor hole. The blade would not mount on the arbor. I used a round file to lightly clean up the arbor hole and now the blade mounts perfectly. Just need to remove the burr.
Just a follow-up on the original post. I got the replacement blade from Amazon. It was also tight on the arbor, but it did slide on with a bit of coaxing (unlike the first one). Apparently the tolerances in this blade are so tight that any discrepancy, even a few thousands of an inch, will affect whether the blade will fit or not. The arbor on my saw is exactly 5/8" and the arbor hole on the Whiteside blade is 5/8". Absolutely no play.
I made a couple of test cuts. The blade performs like the FWW reviewer said it does. Very smooth cuts both crosscut and rip.
I've been using Forrest blades for years and I've tried several others--Freud, Ridge Carbide, etc. I won't give up my Forrest blades, but for the price, the Whiteside blade gives Forrest a run for its money.
Occasionally minor damage to the arbor can cause blades to fail to fit. It's worth giving it a polish with some honing compound if blades are tight. This should not remove a measurable amount of steel!