Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Sawblade Delima ....
Barry Irby
I have a Black & Decker 73-970 Piranha Ultra 10-Inch 60 Tooth blade someone gave me, I think. I have been using it on my RAS and I like it. It seems to have either no rake or slight negative rake. It's been getting some wear and I thought I would check out buying a replacement, Vs sharpening Vs a Forrest version.
The problem is I can not find the blade. I find all kinds all kinds of Piranha blades but not this one. Any Ideas?
Re: Sawblade Delima ....
Dave's Not Here
Any chance it's a 770 and not a 970, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Decker-77-770-Piranha-10-Inch-60-Tooth-ATB-Saw-Blade-with-5-8-Inch-Ar/152983813529?epid=1500834062&hash=item239e8bbd99:g:ZT0AAOSw~TBa0neT
No, I checked it over and over...
Barry Irby
It's right on the blade and still completely legible. I looked at that blade and it's similar but has more rake in the teeth than the one I have. I like this balde better than any I have used on the saw before. A blade with a lot of rake tends to make the saw lunge forward into the cut, this one does not, at least not much.
Forrest make a blade they recommend for a RAS, but I don't want to pay close to $200 for a blade for a saw I use to break down stock. That's why a $20 dollar blade is attractive, if I can find one.
Get the Freud LU91R010
Tim Greif - West of Chicago
I have this blade on my old Craftsman RAS and love it. Has a 5 degree negative hook and cuts with virtually no tendency to climb into the cut like normal blades. Made the saw seem like a completely different tool. About $65 on Amazon.
Re: Sawblade Delima ....
DocJim
Barry,
Found your blade in an ad from 1993 in American Woodworker (Ellis's old magazine):
https://books.google.com/books?id=B_YDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=piranha+73-970&source=bl&ots=wXXxKg5LPz&sig=R9fANV_t5VfbA2vc0wZDJU8_GPo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuwt6h8KXbAhVKtlkKHeD4D7AQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=piranha%2073-970&f=false
Jim
Re: Sawblade Delima ....
Barry Irby
Wow! That is some pretty deep searching. I am thinking they don't make that blade anymore.
I cleaned it and several other blades yesterday and that improved the cut.
Does it make sense to send a cheap blade out for sharpening?
Yes, if .....
Ron in Sterling, CT
Hi Barry,
1. You like the blade that much (as it appears you do)
2. There is enough carbide left to sharpen
3. You have a competent sharpener who cat replicate the profile
4. The sharpening price is reasonable (under $20 to me)
My 2 cents worth. By the way I have all my blades re-sharpened until there is not enough carbide left to redo.
Ron
Re: Yes, if .....
John K Jordan
3. You have a competent sharpener
That's the difficult part.
Re: Yes, if .....
Ray Newman
JK Jordan: BINGO!
Re: Sawblade Delima ....
AZ in Colorado Springs
It's been a while since I had my blades sharpened, but I think a blade like that would cost me about $18 - $20. Dont know what your guy would charge. (I'll assume there's no complex tooth geometry.)
If the blade makes your RAS a much safer, more comfortable machine for you to use, and you cannot locate a similar blade for a similar cost, then sharpening is cost effective.
Although you didn't address it explicitly, it seems from your post that you go quite a while between sharpenings in this application. I think that makes sharpening even more cost effective.
I do wait until...
Barry Irby
they need it. Until recently my shop time has been very limited so a blade might go years without sharpening. Now that I am retired they are getting more use and I am more critical of them. This blade really did improve the performance of the saw, making it far more pleasant to use. If I could find another at $20 or 30 I would buy it in a minute.
I cleaned it thoroughly and returned it to the saw but did not see the improvement I was hoping for.