Table Saw Question
 

We use a table saw at work to "re-point" wooden stakes. We buy the new, 1x2x36" stakes and then reuse them several times as they are expensive.

We have always used Craftsman 10" table saws to do the repointing. They only last a few years, and 10" blades are expensive.

I am looking for suggestions from those more knowledgeable than I about "commercial grade" table saws. We have access to 220, but have always purchased 110. And as we are only cutting 1 by, can I put a smaller blade on it? Will it spin too fast? I have not found a 7 1/4" table saw - perhaps this is a dumb idea? But I can buy several 7 1/4" blade for the cost of one 10 inch. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I have a Bosch job site table saw with a 10" blade that I bought for our Christmas tree business. We've made thousands and thousand of tree stands with it and it's been bulletproof.

The other way to go would be the kind that sits on a table that you pull toward you, or a miter saw. But in my opinion, if you want to cut a ton of wood quickly, a fixed blade table saw is the way to go.

You will have to make the conversion from Canadian, but here is someone doing what you are talking about.

https://woodgears.ca/shop-tricks/skillsaw_blade.html

You can put the smaller blades on any table saw if you wanted to.... Just raise the blade. It will cut down the saws cutting speed slightly, but that may not matter to you.

You can replace the brushes, and renew your saw for a couple bucks...

David,

Why not just a Skill saw if you are cutting mostly stakes? With 220V, are you talking about a stationary saw? For portability, A Bosch or Makita 10" saw would be my choice. Buy them with the saw stand. Cutting on the floor or on top of some make shift table is no fun. For a larger table, or cabinet 10" saw, a Powermatic or SawStop would be first on my list. With those saws, there's no bogging down as thick materials are cut. Almost any blade will do for rough cutting, but there are advantages on the tooth configurations. From what you said, a combination Alternate Top Bevel, known in the industry as ATB blade with a "Raker" (usually a flat top grind, FTG tooth for fast removal of material will work well for you. Freud makes an ok combo blade for general use. Best bang for the money IMO.

My bad - I should have been clearer.

We clear a job site of all of our forms and stakes, then dump them in our lumber yard for cleaning.

Nails are pulled, trash thrown out, and all stakes re-pointed. Mountains of them!

We have a stand, with shade, where the cutting is done. I like the idea of a thin blade both because there's less dust and they are cheaper to replace.

SawStop... Spend the extra money and be safe. You can always have blades resharpened. We use Forrest blades and send them back to be fixed all the time.

Would it pencil out to automate the cutting? Less labor and safety hazard? I worked in manufacturing in a past life and we had saws that cut truck loads of parts with double passes. It wouldn't be hard too make a jig that ran two sawblades at an angle. Just a thought.

I will check into SawStop - Thanks Dave.

Regarding automation, Ive seen some automated machines that sharpen a 2x2 stake like a pencil, but that doesn't work for us.

Re the two blade method, I like that, and it could very well pencil out, but when the stakes are reused they are a bit "rough" - I don;t know if they would work well in an automated feeder. I will give that more thought tho - we are always looking to gain efficiency. Thx!

As far as Craftsman table saws......Just like their compressors, the older, the better....Buy an old name brand off CL and you won't wear it out....

What about a pencil sharpener type of cutter? Grizzly.com® --
A nice floor standing drill press and I bet you could rip through a pile of stakes pretty quickly...

Maybe a different line of thought, but could you use a decent band saw? For cutting small stake tips like that, seems like it would have a smaller footprint, you can set the angle on the slide, flip the stake over to make the second cut. Maybe slightly faster. I don't know about the price and service life of blades. Maybe could be cheaper.

I am not sure a thin kerf blade is the answer? The thinner the blade, the less heat it resist, so the chance of overheating and warping a blade is greater. In mfg, the blades are often thicker, but it takes little more power to do the job.

Judging from what you are saying, a 10" industrial grade saw is needed (3 hp Power or SawStop). Forget those Bosch or Makita table top, or job site saws, they wouldn't last too long cutting rough stuff like that. Make a jig, to a certain angle for your stakes, then run the big jig along the miter gauge slots. You can cut new points for one stake in about 5-8 seconds. This way its safe, the operator's fingers are far away from the blade. I am talking about a jog the size of the table top. I will try and find a video for you.

Here you go David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H00prACPflw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTv3i4Xf5XA

I like the second one but you might want to install a cover with a piece of plastic to keep chips from flying into the workmen. A larger one might be all you need. The angle can be set to any thing you like to make banging those stakes easier. I used jogs like that all the time when I taught High School woodworking. Kept their fingers far away and safe.

Marv,

A bandsaw can turn out to be a pain in the ass, in his situation. The stakes are well used with all kind of dirt and who know what on it. Band saw blades dull fast under those rough situations. Changing blade is no fun and a slow process.

I have to agree with Look. If it was me, I would definitely be using a skilsaw for that. Way more durable, cheaper blades, and quicker and easier to use in general.

Vin,

He has hundreds of stakes to cut, so a Skilsaw will be tiring.

Oh, ok. yeah that's a lot. id go the chop/mitre saw route.

.

I was thinking a mitre saw too but with a mountain of stakes that's a bunch of start/stop cycles on the saw motor/switch and brake mechanism.

A miter saw will do the trick but it only cuts 45 degree angles (and a tiny little more). A steeper angle is needed to drive the stakes into the ground, so a jig is needed to create that on the miter saw. Since there's no stop for the stock, the piece must be held tight against a side fence to keep from thrown by the grabbing force of the blade, (neg. hook blade or not). After 20-30 pieces, that can be tiring and dangerous. Most accidents happen from repeated cuts with blade grabbing work piece jerking hand or fingers into the blade.