Question on burning...

[GGibson]

I have a 1/8" thick cherry board and I am cutting it into short 7/32" strips, so that I end up with a 1/8" x 7/32" piece.  I am using a 0.028" slitting blade on my table saw, and the cut edges are burning while being cut.  Is cherry wood susceptible to this?  It is a brand-new blade, so it's not a dull blade issue.  Any advice or remedies on preventing the burning?  Thanks!

[GGibson]

Well, I may have just answered my own question... I was doing some additional reading here on MSW and found a thread from 2019 regarding the Thurston company closing.  The "brand-new" blade I referred to in my previous post is a Thurston blade. Perhaps in the five years it was sitting around a warehouse, it lost its edge one way or another.

 

In everything I have read, either here or on other saw blade websites, blade sharpness (or the lack thereof) seems to always be the #1 blame for burning.

 

So... I ordered some new additional blades from Malco Saw Co, which was also highly recommended.  We'll see if that makes a difference.  Still interested in hearing from experienced woodchoppers if the cherry wood itself or the way it is cut contributes to any of that burning.

 

Thanks again... 

[Gregory]

I just cut a 1/16 strip from a 1/4 sheet of cherry with no burning.  This is with a Proxxon FET and a Malco .03 blade 3" 90t.  ( CT303012000) It's a fairly used blade, but mostly for basswood strips.

I noticed this piece of cherry was well seasoned and not particularly aromatic as it can sometimes be.   I suspect if it has more sap it might have more of a tendency to scorch.

 

I don't know if I do everything properly, but it works for me.   I try to keep pressure against the fence right in front of the blade and avoid putting pressure on the blade itself. I keep the blade fully elevated for maximum tooth contact with the wood.

 

I have had burning/scorching problems, but mostly with harder woods like mahogany and walnut, and older blades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vossiewulf]

Also check to see if your blade is dead parallel to the rip fence. A dial indicator is handy for this.

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, Gregory said:

I just cut a 1/16 strip from a 1/4 sheet of cherry with no burning.  This is with a Proxxon FET and a Malco .03 blade 3" 90t.  ( CT303012000) It's a fairly used blade, but mostly for basswood strips.

I noticed this piece of cherry was well seasoned and not particularly aromatic as it can sometimes be.   I suspect if it has more sap it might have more of a tendency to scorch.

 

Thanks for your input, Gregory!  The Malco blade you linked is one of them that I ordered.  Also, I have a different sheet of wood that I'll run through the saw tomorrow.  Not sure why I didn't just think of doing that right away.

 

37 minutes ago, vossiewulf said:

Also check to see if your blade is dead parallel to the rip fence. A dial indicator is handy for this.

 

Appreciate your advice, vossiewulf!  It is a Byrnes saw and I thought Jim designed his saw with a slight variance, but I will check if that is an issue, as well as checking the blade.  Thanks!

[vossiewulf]

Byrnes saw should be good and parallel, I only get burning on mine if the stock wiggles against the fence or I don't maintain a steady feed speed. 

 

However an even better choice I think is the little jig created by the NRG for Byrnes saws that lets you cut strips on the outboard side of the blade. I don't know about you but I find it hard to not have the stock wiggle against the fence towards the end of the sheet, causing a mark on the desired piece. This jig avoids that problem.

[Dziadeczek]

Parallel blade to the fence is critical, however long time ago I learnt a trick from someone from the defunct now forum, Seaways Ships in Scale, that even better is when you set the blade every slightly out of being parallel, in such a way, that the distal end (from the operator's point of view) of the blade - the one that comes out and up from the table,  is a tiny bit further away from the fence than the proximal (closer to the operator's site) end of the blade - the one that goes down under the table. That way you'll avoid squeezing the wood between the blade and the fence, and hence - the burnt marks.

How to do it simply and quickly?

Place a strip of paper in between the proximal end of a blade and the fence and another strip between the distal end and the fence. Bring the fence close to the blade all the way, so that it touches the paper. If you set the blade as mentioned above, the proximal strip is now tightly wedged between the blade and the fence and if you forcibly try to remove it, it tears. However, the distal strip still can be removed easily without tearing.

The blade is now ready for cutting the wood.

 

Another thought - for ripping the wood, it is best not to use a slitting blade, but rather a blade with larger teeth, preferably with carbide tips (very sharp).

Edited 7 hours ago by Dziadeczek

[Gregory]

11 hours ago, GGibson said:

 

Appreciate your advice, vossiewulf!  It is a Byrnes saw and I thought Jim designed his saw with a slight variance, but I will check if that is an issue, as well as checking the blade.  Thanks!

I recall the variance on the Byrnes has been discussed before.  Something like .005 at the back of the blade, so not easy to measure.