Saw blades sticker shock

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v groover

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Mar 17, 2004
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19
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Ambler PA
I recently acquired a Mykita double mitre saw, Model # LS1030N. The current blades on them are from Quality Saw Blades. I just called them to get a spare set of blades and was quoted $169.00 per blade. Yikes! Any suggestions as to where I could get more affordable blades. Mykita does not have an 80 ct blade that fits this model. Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
Blades are in most cases, more important than the saw.
There are cheaper blades and much more expensive blades.
$169.00 isn't outrageous IMO, now if you can source that same blade for less, I don't blame you.

Be aware though that not all blades that look the same will all be the same quality.
 
blades are like clothing and many other things. There are quality grades A - B - C
A shirt from Target is not the same as a hand tailored shirt!

Big Box blades are generally grades B - C

Long lasting commercial use blades are grade A

As a footnote..... not all sharpening services are the same. Quality blade sharpening is also equally important.
 
I use a Leitz blade on my Mikita ls1030 single miter saw. It is the same blade I use on my Frame Square and my table saw. I have had great success with them and they are less then $100 per blade from my sharpening service. And I agree with jPaul and JFeig said. Note that everyone will have there own opinions

By the by, welcome to the Grumble
 
v groover said:
Are blades universal? Will any 10" 80ct blade fit any 10" miter saw?
Click to expand...

The arbor size will differ on some saws. Also depends on what you are cutting. I prefer the Triple Chip Grind. One tooth to the right, next is non-directional and the third is to the left. This is the best all purpose blade and is great for both wood and metal and works great on heavily ornamented mouldings.

This is the set that M&M has.
 
Well I sure don't think all blades are created equal.

Some points to consider:

Plate thickness - how well will it hold tension? If it warps after a run of cutting and you get runout, all the time spent sanding or puttying bad joints (or replacing frames after they come back because the mitres failed) will long offset the cost.

Brazing of the teeth/quality of the shoulders. Moulding has been known to throw off the cuttoffs. Sometimes the cuttoff hits the teeth. If the brazing or shoulders aren't strong (or the plate is brittle) then replacing teeth/shoulders costs more than the blade.

We require all employees to wear a full facemask when running the table saw after a blade threw a tooth and it struck the saw operator in the forehead (he was wearing safety glasses only.) Blades heat up, brazing fails.

Quality of carbide used in the teeth/number of teeth. If a blade doesn't stay sharp very long then the number of sharpenings will 1) cause more frequent sharping expense 2) cause more wear and then shortened blade life 3) Dull blades heat up causing plate warp and runout, thereby needing hammer and retensioning when sharpening.

A frame is only as good as its mitre. If you make your living building frames, cheap blades are a bad way to go. Ultramitre usually has 2 for one sales at the shows. I know that if I can't make it to a show they have offered me the "show special" over the phone. I am not going to open that can of worms but I have had nothing but excellent results/service from Ultramitre.

As others have said, it may be prudent to buy your blades from someone who is going to also service them. In addition, the hook angle as well as the tooth configuration and quantity of teeth will play a roll in getting good cuts. Cutting a mitre from the top on a pivoting saw is NOT the same as crosscutting (as on a radial saw or sliding table saw) and the blades are usually different.

I have two CTD double mitre saws (air and foot operated) a radial arm saw, a single arm CTD chop saw, a Peterman sliding table saw, and a Delta Unisaw fixed table saw in the shop, plus a Makita compound mitre saw and another Makita chop saw for location work. All have specific blades.

We produce 100's of framed pieces per week and have for 27 years in this shop, so I think we have a bit of experience.
 
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