Laminates and a smoking blade

[tomres]

Hi,

Just finished laying laminate flooring (for the first time) throughout the lounge, dining and hallways (about 600 laminates laid in total).

My mitre saw was fitted with the Freud-Diablo D1296L Diablo 12" and did a great job.

My table saw was fitted with the Freud LU79R010 10" Thin Kerf blade, and towards the end of the job, after only cutting about 50 laminates, it started smoking on every cut - in some cases setting off the smoke alarm. The laminates also exhibited burnt edges.

I have attached a picture of the blade for closer inspection.

I have heard that laminates are bad on blades, but I didn't expect it to go downhill so quickly.

I assume one of the reasons is that the blade is now dull, so I will need to get it sharpened professionally (and find someone locally in New Zealand).

Thank you,
Tom

 

[C.J.]

Way too many teeth on that 10” blade for what you’re using it for. I used 60 tooth blades on my table saw for years and they worked great for laminate but were too much if I wanted to rip a 2x4. Try a 50 tooth combination blade on your table saw. $35 on Amazon. You’ll get clean cuts on laminate flooring and still be able to rip a 2x4 with ease.

 

[C.J.]

I would try and clean the blade first to see if that helps. 50 cuts shouldn’t have killed your blade that quickly. When pitch and resin get built up on the blade itself it heats up and gets sticky. That will make it bog down the saw, burn the cut edges and set off smoke alarms.

If I’m careful and don’t send any nails through my saw I’ll get months out of a blade with only cleaning it as needed.

 

[tomres]

Hi @C.J. - thank you for that advice - will most certainly give that a go.

 

[C.J.]

Something else to think about is how high did you have the blade cranked up? Way high up or maybe 1/8” above the planks? Were you cutting straight lines by following the rip fence or were you free handing your cuts and twisting the piece? That will bind up the blade and smoke it especially if you have the blade cranked up too high.

 

[C.J.]

https://www.woodworkingtrade.com/saw-blade-tooth-count-guide/

 

[tomres]

Something else to think about is how high did you have the blade cranked up? Way high up or maybe 1/8” above the planks? Were you cutting straight lines by following the rip fence or were you free handing your cuts and twisting the piece? That will bind up the blade and smoke it especially if you have the blade cranked up too high.

Hi CJ,

All the cuts were long straight rip cuts, aligned with the fence, with a featherboard and i normally use the grrr-ripper to feed the piece through (on the dewalt DWE7491 table saw).
For safety, I normally have the blade just sticking out past the piece of wood I'm cutting.

I have cleaned the blade, and it already looks much better - will mount it, and try a rip cut on a piece of wood (we're done with the laminates, floor is finished).
Will definitely post an update.

Thank you so much for your help!
Cheers,
tom

 

[C.J.]

Feather boards are a good idea. Sometimes they will slow down your cut depending on how they’re set up. Pushing the material through too slowly or pausing for a moment while in the middle of a cut can lead to burn marks. Having a dirty blade just exacerbates this.

 

[Mark Brown]

Probably won't help the once in a while guy, but this blade is invaluable. I bought a worn out one off a buddy for 25 dollars because it was missing 1/4 of the carbides and it still was the best cutting blade I ever owned. Then I bought a brand new one and very quickly it became the best money I ever spent in my life.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/di...vyd9rN1ZEl3w6-vdm70aAh-NEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[C.J.]

Probably won't help the once in a while guy, but this blade is invaluable. I bought a worn out one off a buddy for 25 dollars because it was missing 1/4 of the carbides and it still was the best cutting blade I ever owned. Then I bought a brand new one and very quickly it became the best money I ever spent in my life.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/diablo-10-inch-x-12-tooth-diamond-tipped-mitertable-saw-blade-for-laminate-floor-cutting/1001617790?eid=PS_GO_140203__ALL_PLA-526641&eid=PS_GOOGLE_D00_Corporate_GGL_Shopping_All-Products_All Products__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-294357559827&pid=1001617790&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4MSzBhC8ARIsAPFOuyWyfU4BZ4DuOOeYlQo_GvIr06yKSiTsZkQdvyd9rN1ZEl3w6-vdm70aAh-NEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Where the heck have you been? Glad to see you again!

I’ll bet those Pergo blades are great but I never dropped the chedda for one cus I would have to change my blade all the time when I went to cut reducers.

 

[Mark Brown]

Probably won't help the once in a while guy, but this blade is invaluable. I bought a worn out one off a buddy for 25 dollars because it was missing 1/4 of the carbides and it still was the best cutting blade I ever owned. Then I bought a brand new one and very quickly it became the best money I ever spent in my life.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/diablo-10-inch-x-12-tooth-diamond-tipped-mitertable-saw-blade-for-laminate-floor-cutting/1001617790?eid=PS_GO_140203__ALL_PLA-526641&eid=PS_GOOGLE_D00_Corporate_GGL_Shopping_All-Products_All Products__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-294357559827&pid=1001617790&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4MSzBhC8ARIsAPFOuyWyfU4BZ4DuOOeYlQo_GvIr06yKSiTsZkQdvyd9rN1ZEl3w6-vdm70aAh-NEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

No need to change your blade man. I know it sounds like a bunch of malarky, but they will do fine detail work too. I was skeptical myself.

I have been here there and everywhere to be honest, but I needed a break from the socials. It was getting me fired up more often than feeding me so I removed myself for a time. Happy to see you're still around though. One rose in a garden of... well, I don't actually know what buddy, but I know I love ya

 

[C.J.]

No need to change your blade man. I know it sounds like a bunch of malarky, but they will do fine detail work too. I was skeptical myself.

I have been here there and everywhere to be honest, but I needed a break from the socials. It was getting me fired up more often than feeding me so I removed myself for a time. Happy to see you're still around though. One rose in a garden of... well, I don't actually know what buddy, but I know I love ya

Good man! We all need a break from time to time.

 

[Csason]

I use a dull blade for lam

 

[Tile Tom]

No need to change your blade man. I know it sounds like a bunch of malarky, but they will do fine detail work too. I was skeptical myself.

I have been here there and everywhere to be honest, but I needed a break from the socials. It was getting me fired up more often than feeding me so I removed myself for a time. Happy to see you're still around though. One rose in a garden of... well, I don't actually know what buddy, but I know I love ya

Hey man, good to …..read you again?

 

[highup]

Good man! We all need a break from time to time.

Welcome to the forum. I haven't seen your name in a long time. Glad to see you're still at it.

 

[C.J.]

Alright, one of you uses a Pergo blade and another uses a dull blade. Do you guys change blades or switch saws before cutting base. I get that you can get by with a few cuts on reducers with an Pergo or a dull blade but switching blades for higher quality cuts that frequently has got to be a pain in the ass cus even I don’t carry 2 of the same saws around with me.

 

[Mark Brown]

I change blades a lot. There is a reason they make a blade for every kind of job.

Don't be so lazy C.J. my man. You're right around 60 seconds to change a table saw blade. That's like saying you can't be bothered to wipe your ass because it just takes too long I've seen the things you do for finishes, I know you can't tell me you're opposed to a little bit of effort.

The real benefit to those blades, other than the fact they don't load down your saw motor, is that after something ridiculously close to about 10K sqft of installed laminate, you can still knock off a set of stairs with it and it won't leave your laminate all chipped up and sending smoke signals to Mars.

Don't take my word for it, they have a money back guarantee. Go buy one. Try it. If I'm wrong, well there isn't any consequence for me actually, but I'm not so too bad.

 

[C.J.]

I used to use my miter saw to cut laminate but 95% of all my cuts are with a jigsaw these days. Unless I need a perfectly clean and straight cut, this is it.