saw blade thickness - does it matter much?

Re: saw blade thickness - does it matter much?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>You can always replace a blade when you need to; but for dovetailing it's not normally necessary to have the thinest kerf. You're always cutting on the waste side, so there's lots of room in which to work. It may become an issue if you make some of those tiny dovetails.

Pam

Re: saw blade thickness - does it matter much?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Rod

I agree with Pam, blade thickness does not matter much. I cut a couple of dozen dovetails this weekend (for a chest of drawers) and had a bit of fun switching between a Japanese Dozuki (Z-Saw, 18 tpi), LN Independence dovetail saw (15 tpi), 8" Crown gents saw (17 tpi), and a Disston 12" #5 tenon saw (rip cut, 12 tpi). All cut straight. I was using a fret and jeweller's saw to cut out the waste and, although the Disston was the heaviest and most cumbersome of the saws to use, the slightly wider kerf that it produced made it easier for the tiny fret saw blade. At the other extreme, the Z-saw left the narrowest kerf. This made it more difficult for the fret saw, although I would not consider this a significant issue at all. It is just a matter of technique.

Bottom line: I think the balance of the saw is more of an issue than the thickness of the blade. I liked the extra weight of the larger (thicker) blade as it imparted authority and momentum to the cut.

Regards from Perth

Derek