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Shane, be sure to let us know if/when you can source a 0.025" kerf blade with the 5/8" arbor. I'm definitely interested, but honestly I might have to bite the bullet and get an LMI setup. I've got five 10-string classicals on order, and I hate having to cut fret slots by hand on a 4+ inch wind slab of ebony.

Best,

Michael

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another option is to just buy a plywood blade and give it to a machinist friend (we luthiers need one of these kinds of friends). They'll know what to do with it!

They may be out there, but I have never found a slitting blade for a 5/8" arbor.

I use the LMI blade and it takes Stew-Mac fret wire just fine, no fussing. I use generic 5" stiffeners which I found for cheap. You can also make your own stiffeners from wood and I suspect they would work just fine.

I received this reply from Erick Coleman at Stew-Mac this morning;

Daniel,
Thank you for your email and for directing us to the OLF link. We do take customer comments and suggestions very seriously.
As we have received very few complaints, we need more information please. What does the cutting edge of the blade in question spec out to?
You are welcome to return the blade regardless of the time passed.

Best Regards,

Erick Coleman

Technical Department
Stewart-MacDonald
800-848-2273
www.stewmac.com

So... Robbie (and anyone else who has this blade)
How would you like to mic your blade (make sure you remove all the gunge from the teeth first) & send me the results. It'd be a good idea to get an accurate kerf measurement too if you've got a set of feeler guages.
I'll put the results together & send the info to Erick.
It'd be interesting to get several samples so we can see if the machining is consistent from blade to blade.
Thanks Guys!
Dan'l

Daniel,

I would recommend that one use a set of feeler gauges and check the actual cut kerf rather than mic'ing the blade. As I mentioned above, the Stewmac blade I used cut an actual kerf of 0.020".

Best,

Michael

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Hey Michael; That's why I asked for both measurements... The blade thickness (the measurement Erick asked for)& the kerf width (The most important bit as far as we're concerned).
I guess i didn't make that very clear in my previous note... Sorry.

These blades typically have no set, so thickness and kerf width should be the same. Any difference between the two is either blade or arbor runout.

Since I have the newest blade (still in the package actually) I will measure the blade in several spots with my vernier calipers and than make a cut in some maple and use the calipers and feller gauge to measure the kerf cut. I will post in a couple of hours and Danial can get back to Stew-Mac.

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Thanks for all the help with this one folks.

What a great team effort.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I have the LMI blade and stiffeners. I measured the blade and found it to be 0.023" at the teeth. About an inch from the edge, I measured 0.021", and near the center, 0.015". I guess that would make this a hollow ground blade?

I use this blade in my old Craftsman 10" table saw. I checked some slots that I recently cut in maple and walnut, and a 0.024" feeler gauge slips in easily, and a 0.025" gauge can be pushed in but is snug. There is a slight amount of blade run out caused by the arbor on my saw.

I chose the LMI setup over the S-M saw because I thought the separate stiffners might better control any runout that might be induced by the teeth heating up. Seems I have heard of some one having this problem with the S-M single piece blade.

Ok... I just checked out my blade & (using my ancient vernier calipers) it measures at .023"
A fresh cut slot in Ebony is a snug fit with a 20 thou feeler guage.

My 15 year old Stew Mac mics at 20 thou (+/- 0.001 " calipers), slots are a snug 22 with the feelers.

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www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

My Stew Mac blade is at the school shop now but my small jeweler's saw here at my shop cuts a .7mm kerf. I know the Stew Mac one I have is smaller than this cause we beat the heck out of the fretwire to get it to go in. If we could get Stew mac to get a blade with a kerf of .7mm I would be happy.

Looking at Shanes thread about the new blades, make me second guess opening up the package to do the blade test. Just don't want to return the blade opened if I don't have to.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hey Guys;
I re-measured my blade today using a new caliper & it is between .018 & .019" across the teeth.
I am returning the blade to SM, hoping the replacement will be better.

Rod... It might be a good idea to measure the teeth on your blade before you decide to send it back. If it were me, I'd do a few test cuts before returning the blade.
Best wishes to everyone here for a happy & successful New Year.
Dan'l

I got my blade from a fella over here (England) was put on to him by a local luthier suplier who has used the same blade in his fretboard slotter for years, it is bang on 0.024 (or 0.6mm) cuts very clean needs no stiffners and cost me around 35 bucks (?20), he does different widths and different size abours as well. don't surpose postage would be to much to the states as they weight nothing, I'll dig out the phone number and address if any one wants. I think they are slitting saws made for metal machining, which maybe worth looking into over there.

sorry should have read the newer post!! doh!Heath38719.4174305556

Heath

Would love the number etc.

Thanks Russell

Hello Rusell,
no probs.
Alexander newall machine products co ltd
Unit A
Brook road
waltham cross
Herts
EN8 7LR
Tel- 01992 651122
Fax- 01992 651123
I got a HSS saw blade 125mm X 0.06mm, 160Tooth, 16mm abour.
product order Number was H187B came to ?26.86 with P&P
but that was a year or so ago, shouldn't be to different now. received it within the week.
if it isn't what your looking ask him, he has different ones, his helpfull but he knows nothing about guitars.
hope this helps abit, it does speed things up a tad from a glentlemans saw and jig, and is alot cheaper than stew-mac.
where abouts you based?Heath38719.4862847222

Heath

Thank you for the details.

Thanks Heath... Good information.