Newbie question

[Gene Howe]

De Walt 788.

#9 Pegus blade.

Saw speed at approximately 3/4 full to 100% 

3/4 red oak. 

It's extremely slow cutting. About 3-4 minutes to cut an 8" straight line. 

What am I doing wrong?

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Gene Howe

[Bill WIlson]

I rarely cut anything that thick, but it should be well within the capabilities of that blade.  Red oak isn't exceedingly hard, compared to many other hardwoods.

Maybe try a different blade, from a different pack?  Are you experiencing any burning?  Sometimes wood gets case hardened.  This could cause the kerf to close, pinching the blade.  Might not be as visibly noticeable as wood being cut on a table saw, but it could be part of the problem.

I had something similar happen to me, while cutting a piece of 3/4" thick cherry.  I put some packing tape on it (which I don't necessarily do as part of my routine).  The tape solved the problem, but I tried different blades, different sizes, different brands at different speeds.  Nothing helped.  I cut other pieces of cherry I had in my shop with the same blade, without any problems.  I never did figure out just what the issue was, but I'm convinced it was in the wood, not the equipment or the operator.

[OCtoolguy]

Try a different type of wood and see if it changes. I've never used a blade that big but I know that a #5 mgt Pegas has never taken that long. Something is not right. 

[Gene Howe]

No burning @Bill WIlson. 

It's a Nativity scene puzzle whose pieces stand on their own. I'm going to change to a #5. Got some curves to do. Might change to a different #9 first, just to see if it's the blade. 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Gene Howe

[TAIrving]

23 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

De Walt 788.

#9 Pegus blade.

Saw speed at approximately 3/4 full to 100% 

3/4 red oak. 

It's extremely slow cutting. About 3-4 minutes to cut an 8" straight line. 

What am I doing wrong?

 

 

 

Gene,

That blade in that saw should be able to cut that wood much faster than that.  Some things that might go wrong include:

1. You have an unusually hard piece of wood.

2. The blade has gone dull.  Check it for sharpness and try another blade of the same type.  Maybe there was a peice of metal imbedded in the wood that dulled the cutting edge of the blade.

3. The blade has lost tension.  Re-tension it and try again. 

4. The blade is in upside down or backwards.  (It happens to all of us.)

5.  The wood is not held down on the table top and is moving up and down with the blade.  

That's all that comes to mind at the moment.  

3. 

[Gene Howe]

It was a new blade. Switched it out for a different one out of a different dozen. A little better, now. Not a fan of Pegus #9 blades, though. Might try a different brand but a #7 is the largest non Pegus I've got. 

We'll see. As a real newbie, I kinda like fiddling around to see what's better. 

[Bill WIlson]

I've cut 3/4" red oak with blades much smaller than a #9, with far less problems than you are having.  I wouldn't hesitate to try a smaller blade, of another manufacturer, if that is what you have available.  This will be good research for you to determine how various blades compare.

[Gene Howe]

Switched to an Olsen #7 skip tooth. A whole lot better. 

[Sycamore67]

You do not tell us what blade you are using.  Is it the modified geometry blade?  If so, then might not be the best for thick hard wood. The modified geometry has some reverse teeth in it.  I think the best for 3/4" oak is A skip tooth blade.  I often cut 3/4" oak with a #5 FD Polar blade which is a skip tooth blade.  

In addition, I notice that cutting along the grain is more difficult than across the grain.

 

[OCtoolguy]

If it were me, I'd try a Pegas #5 skip tooth blade. 

[preprius]

I cut 3/4" wood a lot. But I go slow.  22" in 55mins.  I use #1 MGT blade.  My speed control is about 30%.  I go slow for 3 reasons...

1) small blade is required.

2) precision. 

3) burning wood. 

the wood between my cuts are .125" thick.

after 40 mins the blade gets dull.

But when I do cut red oak the cross grain does cut different.  Cutting with the grain goes much faster. There are softer wood areas between grains.  Also with smaller blades the harder portion of the grain can guide the blade. So I have to watch the lines carefully.

Black walnut and hard maple cut more uniform than redoak.   Poplar wood has some areas that get really hard. 

I learned not to push the blade harder during the hard spots. Pressing the blade make it goes dull fast.  Let the teeth do the work.

 

[BadBob]

I have cut entire pieces with the #5 MGT blade upside down.

[OCtoolguy]

9 hours ago, BadBob said:

I have cut entire pieces with the #5 MGT blade upside down.

But,,,,the bottom comes out really smooth.

[Sycamore67]

That is nothing, I have cut entire pieces with the blade in backward. 

[OCtoolguy]

6 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

That is nothing, I have cut entire pieces with the blade in backward. 

I'd like to hear more of that story.

[Sycamore67]

7 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

I'd like to hear more of that story.

Well, I put the blade in backward and then sharpened it with some sandpaper.  It was very slow cutting with a lot of burning. 

I love a tall tale!!!??