Fret Cutting Saw Blade

[spindlebox]

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed, asked and answered!

I am looking for an alternative for the Stew Mac Fret Slotting Table Saw Blade.  Only because it costs $172 + shipping.

There has to be SOMETHING on the market that similar?  Hoping somebody here has figured something out.  Please let me know!!  I don't mind doing it by hand, but I'm at the point where I need to buy a new saw (Richlite REALLY dulls blades), and thought I would give it a try.

Thank you!

[henrim]

I doubt many exists for a regular table saw as that blade is for a niche market. Although a quick google search showed that there is at least one place in Europe selling one for considerably less. About 60 euros a piece.

I have a miniature Proxxon carbide blade with 10mm bore that fits a mini table saw. That blade cuts 0,55 mm slots which are fine. Those blades are about 40 euros but you need a special saw to go with them.

[spindlebox]

1 hour ago, henrim said:

I doubt many exists for a regular table saw as that blade is for a niche market. Although a quick google search showed that there is at least one place in Europe selling one for considerably less. About 60 euros a piece.

I have a miniature Proxxon carbide blade with 10mm bore that fits a mini table saw. That blade cuts 0,55 mm slots which are fine. Those blades are about 40 euros but you need a special saw to go with them.

Thank you!  It is worth checking.  Do you happen to remember the site/name of the blade maker?

[henrim]

This one in Germany. I have no experience with the shop. The blade has 30 mm bore but apparently they have adapter rings for imperial size saw arbors too.

https://shop.rall-online.net/epages/61511639.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61511639/Products/04080030&Locale=en_GB

[spindlebox]

5 hours ago, henrim said:

This one in Germany. I have no experience with the shop. The blade has 30 mm bore but apparently they have adapter rings for imperial size saw arbors too.

https://shop.rall-online.net/epages/61511639.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61511639/Products/04080030&Locale=en_GB

THANK YOU!  I am going to order it, and I will let everyone here know.  Even with shipping, it's more than 3x less than the Stew Mac one.  I appreciate your help!  This did NOT come up in all of my web searches.

[soapbarstrat]

I think mostly what you’re paying for with the StewMac blade is the dual thicknesses . I would think with added blade stabilizers, a blade wouldn’t need the added thickness.

Not hard to come across much cheaper blades with a thickness around .022”, but the outer diameter is too small to poke out of the top of the table saw enough. Maybe wrong tooth grind/set too, ‘cause I think these blades I’m talking about are meant for cutting metal.

[woodfab]

It's on sale today 6/24/23 for $129

[spindlebox]

19 minutes ago, woodfab said:

It's on sale today 6/24/23 for $129

Still 2x as much as this one from Germany.  Only good thing is with the Stew Mac one is that you buy once and cry once.

[spindlebox]

DAMN.  I may be screwed.  I realized my table saw takes 10" blades!  The one from Germany is basically 7" too.  Ugh.  I was paying attention to the arbor.

[henrim]

1 hour ago, spindlebox said:

The one from Germany is basically 7" too.  Ugh.  I was paying attention to the arbor.

Check the distance from arbor to table top. For fret slots you don’t need much cutting depth so I’d guess a 7” blade would do.

[spindlebox]

1 hour ago, henrim said:

Check the distance from arbor to table top. For fret slots you don’t need much cutting depth so I’d guess a 7” blade would do.

I think I may be OK!  Now I just have to see whether getting the one from Germany makes sense for the long haul.  Honestly, if Stew Mac will replace WHEN it gets dull, that may be the way to go.  I believe that's the case.

[Bizman62]

1 minute ago, spindlebox said:

if Stew Mac will replace WHEN it gets dull

No kidding? Any blade will eventually get dull, normal wear is usually not the reason to replace anything.

There's a fellow builder who used to buy new scrapers until I showed him how to sharpen them better than what they originally were...

[spindlebox]

3 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

No kidding? Any blade will eventually get dull, normal wear is usually not the reason to replace anything.

There's a fellow builder who used to buy new scrapers until I showed him how to sharpen them better than what they originally were...

Unless I'm reading this wrong!!!!!

 

[Bizman62]

Well...

"Free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and maintenance"

To me that tells that there's nothing wrong with either the material or the workmanship if the tool wears under normal use and maintenance, the last of which most likely includes sharpening. Or at least it should unless the blade has been specially treated to withstand any regular sharpening efforts in which case that should be specifically prohibited. I've had a couple of hand saws with such a restriction.

[spindlebox]

13 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Well...

"Free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and maintenance"

To me that tells that there's nothing wrong with either the material or the workmanship if the tool wears under normal use and maintenance, the last of which most likely includes sharpening. Or at least it should unless the blade has been specially treated to withstand any regular sharpening efforts in which case that should be specifically prohibited. I've had a couple of hand saws with such a restriction.

But it stipulates "wear out" in the first screenshot.

I would think that includes dulling

[Bizman62]

That very much seems so. Weird!

[spindlebox]

3 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

That very much seems so. Weird!

talk about a win-win for customers!  It kind of would be dumb NOT to get this if so.  I just said screw it and straight up sent a message to customer service and am asking.  I will report back!

[curtisa]

I think buying Stewmacs product once and expecting them to replace them for you indefinitely might be a little optimistic. The warranty says '...for the life of the tool', not '...for life'. If Stewmac has determined that the saw blade will give acceptable performance for 1000 cuts (or whatever) then 'the life of the tool' is 1000 cuts, after which it's their decision as to whether or not to replace the tool at their expense.

The warranty is limited, not unlimited.

[spindlebox]

49 minutes ago, curtisa said:

I think buying Stewmacs product once and expecting them to replace them for you indefinitely might be a little optimistic. The warranty says '...for the life of the tool', not '...for life'. If Stewmac has determined that the saw blade will give acceptable performance for 1000 cuts (or whatever) then 'the life of the tool' is 1000 cuts, after which it's their decision as to whether or not to replace the tool at their expense.

The warranty is limited, not unlimited.

Well, we will see what they say.  All of this is speculation until then.

[spindlebox]

On 6/24/2023 at 5:25 PM, curtisa said:

I think buying Stewmacs product once and expecting them to replace them for you indefinitely might be a little optimistic. The warranty says '...for the life of the tool', not '...for life'. If Stewmac has determined that the saw blade will give acceptable performance for 1000 cuts (or whatever) then 'the life of the tool' is 1000 cuts, after which it's their decision as to whether or not to replace the tool at their expense.

The warranty is limited, not unlimited.

 

This is why speculation is a waste of time.  And there we go.  That's what we call here in the states "A NO BRAINER".

 

[curtisa]

I read that as them saying, 'you're welcome to return the blade for us to assess', but they do not say they will replace it without question. The decision as to whether or not to do so is entirely theirs, and would likely be based on the date it was purchased, how many times it was used, how it was used, what it was used in etc.

The warranty expressly states that their products are warranted '...to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and maintenance, for the lifetime of the product... (emphasis mine). That means that the warranty only applies for the duration that the product is expected to last under normal, reasonable use. It can also mean for the duration the product is available in its current form. So if Stewmac release a revision to the blade design and retire the previous version from sale, they have no obligation to replace the old version with the new if it fails in some way.

Saw blades wear out over time and would have a finite lifespan that both Stewmac and their customers would accept as reasonable, so it's unlikely that they would replace that blade into perpetuity every time it becomes blunt at their own cost. The use of ...'lifetime of the product...' in the warranty explicitly gives them this escape route.

Note, it's entirely possible that Stewmac would replace the blade for you as a one-off as an act of good faith. Many people speak highly of their post-sales service, so I wouldn't put it past them to do a replacement to keep everyone happy.

[spindlebox]

37 minutes ago, curtisa said:

I read that as them saying, 'you're welcome to return the blade for us to assess', but they do not say they will replace it without question. The decision as to whether or not to do so is entirely theirs, and would likely be based on the date it was purchased, how many times it was used, how it was used, what it was used in etc.

The warranty expressly states that their products are warranted '...to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and maintenance, for the lifetime of the product... (emphasis mine). That means that the warranty only applies for the duration that the product is expected to last under normal, reasonable use. It can also mean for the duration the product is available in its current form. So if Stewmac release a revision to the blade design and retire the previous version from sale, they have no obligation to replace the old version with the new if it fails in some way.

Saw blades wear out over time and would have a finite lifespan that both Stewmac and their customers would accept as reasonable, so it's unlikely that they would replace that blade into perpetuity every time it becomes blunt at their own cost. The use of ...'lifetime of the product...' in the warranty explicitly gives them this escape route.

Note, it's entirely possible that Stewmac would replace the blade for you as a one-off as an act of good faith. Many people speak highly of their post-sales service, so I wouldn't put it past them to do a replacement to keep everyone happy.

You are overthinking this.

I can read English pretty well, and that is unequivocal.  Good day.

[curtisa]

Pretty sure I'm not.

Flip it on its head for a sec - should Stewmac replace sandpaper they sell if it becomes clogged? After all, it's also covered by their Limited Lifetime Warranty.

[spindlebox]

25 minutes ago, curtisa said:

Pretty sure I'm not.

Flip it on its head for a sec - should Stewmac replace sandpaper they sell if it becomes clogged? After all, it's also covered by their Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Nope.  I'm unfollowing.  I've gotten when I needed from this.  I'm going to take the chance, and will report to anybody that asks about my experience.

Hope this helps somebody that's on the fence make a decision!

[Bizman62]

Well... This may become a looong wait.

As the Lifetime Promise tells, it's for StewMac products only. Aren't most of their own products tools built to last forever? The blade is a similar tool, any saw blade should stay sharp enough for the amount of fingerboards a hobbyist will ever cut, or even a small builder. Heck, they build houses using one single Irwin saw! Agreed, I found some sanding sticks and inspector gloves having their logo but I suppose they're rarely asked to be replaced when worn out.