?Custom made fret slotting blade (for table saw)?

[Bryan Bear]

I remember seeing at least two reports of people who have had fret slotting blades custom ground for their table saws by local saw shops. Somehow, I can’t seem t remember/find where I saw them. Has anyone here done this? What were the results?
What blade should I buy to start with? How thin should I have it ground (I have heard some people say that a 0.023” kerf is actually too thin)? Any thoughts?

[David King]

The main problem is that most sharpening shops don't have equipment to grind steel anymore. They are all set up for carbide and that's it. If you can find a place that does hollow rim grinding and can hold the necessary tolerance, you are in luck.
I just "set" the teeth on my Stewmac circular blade so that it cuts about .025". It lasts for a few boards and then I have to do it again when I resharpen it.

[Chuck Tweedy]

I just "set" the teeth on my Stewmac circular blade so that it cuts about .025". It lasts for a few boards and then I have to do it again when I resharpen it.

Ha ha ha!! I thought I was the only one who was doing this. I wondered how they could sell fretwire that needs a minimum 0.025" slot, and a blade that cuts a 0.023" slot!

[Michael Lewis]

I found a slitting saw blade at McMaster - Carr that cuts .025". I think it was about $30. That and a stabilizer and adapter collar make a nice set up on my little old Craftsman table saw. I made my own slotting templates from polycarbonate and acrylic using scales printed off the computer.

[Barry Daniels]

How do you guys set the teeth on the Stew-Mac blade?

[Charlie Schultz]

Trial and error for me. I have a small saw set tool, but even on its lowest setting it bends the teeth a bit much if I go all the way to the stop. And I only set one out of every 5-10 teeth.

[Waddy Thomson]

The usual Luthier suppliers have blades that are in the $50+/- range that cut slots in the .025 range. I have one that cuts a .0245 slot that works great for all of the different wires I've tried. Just have to use a couple of stabilizers. Can't mention names, I suppose, but they are out there. Mine was less than $45.00. One supplier lets you select the cut width you want. Is there some satisfaction, I'm not aware of, for doing it yourself?

[Charlie Schultz]

Is there some satisfaction, I'm not aware of, for doing it yourself?

Sure, all the cool people do it <bg>

All the fretwire I saw at StewMac says it is for a 0.023" kerf. IIRC, the actual kerf I got with their blade was enough narrower that it caused me problems.

[Waddy Thomson]

Oh well, take my name off the "cool" list then! Oh yeah! It wasn't there anyway!

[Greg Robinson]

Luthiers Mercantile (LMII) then Waddy? They carry fret slotting tablesaw blades with various kerfs and that require stabilizers. You're welcome to name names!

[Darrel Friesen]

I haven't measured the slot width, but my Stewmac blade works fine with the Stewmac wire. Maybe it's because I fret the board before gluing it to the neck and take out the backbow before gluing.

[Chuck Tweedy]

Before setting the teeth, my StewMac saw cut a 0.023" kerf, and the tang of their wire (sans nibs) is 0.024".
It wasn't happening.

[Mario Proulx]

I'm still using the LMI blade I bought in the previous Century. Never sharpened it yet, either. It was supposed to, and appears to, cut a .022" slot, and from 1996 to 2005, my standard fretwire was StewMac's #147, and since 2005 I've used Jescar stainless steel fretwire. A perfect fit with either wire...

I've played around with screw-slotting(sometimes called "slitting") blades, which are small-diameter blades available in .001" increments from around .006" to over .100", but I always came back to the old LMI blade and 5" stabilizers...

[David King]

I set every tooth on my Stewmac blade. I go around the blade first with an awl and make a line on every other tooth so I don't lose track of here I am. I use a small needle-nosed pair of pliers to set the teeth, I do it by feel and the blade is quite springy so you really need to over shoot a bit for any set to remain.

It's the hardness of your fingerboard wood that determines the width of slot you need. African blackwood doesn't compress like maple or even ebony. With ABW boards I generally start by filing off most of the tang barbs.

[Bryan Bear]

As to satisfaction from doing it yourself, I thought I had a second degree acquaintance with a saw shop capable of doing this. All things equal, I would have preferred to send my money to a local business owner. . .
It sounds like the various available blades have been working well with or without setting. I am comforted to know that setting the teeth (should it be needed) can be done fairly easily – I was afraid to do this myself. . .

[Steve Senseney]

I asked the local machinist about reworking a blade to the correct thickness. He indicated he could do this, but it would be more expensive than buying a new blade.

I have set teeth on hand saws, and circular saw over the years. None of these required the close tolerances we are discussing.

If you have an expensive custom made (or commercial) blade, I would worry that you will mess it up and it would not be usable after trying to set the teeth.

[Christ Kacoyannakis]

I bought a SawStop this year (please no commentary one way or the other). Due to the design of that saw's safety device, I was looking for a fret slotting table saw blade that was at least 8 inches in diameter. The people that currently sell fret slotting table saw blades only make them in 6 inch diameter. After doing a lot of research into blades that would work, I contacted two specialty saw blade manufacturers who both told me that they were working on fret slotting blades that would work on the SawStop. I have not contacted them in several months, but if I hear of any progress, I will let you know. I think people are working on this, because there is a market out there that wants these blades. Not sure how big it is, but the people who make or modify blades obviously think it is enough to pursue the production of these blades, at least on a small scale.

[Mario Proulx]

The larger the blade, the more it will seek to wander, unless the stabilizers are also increased. 7 inch stabilizers don't exist(as far as I know) and would weight a ton, placing a huge load on your motor and belts at startup.

I'd look into a smaller table saw to dedicate to fret slotting if I were you...

[Greg Robinson]

7 inch stabilizers don't exist(as far as I know) and would weight a ton, placing a huge load on your motor and belts at startup.

And are incompatible with the SawStop technology at this point in time I believe.

[Bob Gramann]

Won't the SawStop work with a small slotting blade except that the automatic stop feature won't work?