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30 years ago I purchased a wobble blade for cutting dados. Back then I didn't have much money to spend on tools, AND I didn't want to invest in much more expensive stacking dado set because I knew I would not be using it that much.
Well, over the years I ended up investing in stacking dado set, which I don't use that much, but it does work well, but I still love my old "Wobble Blade" for doing other things ...
Wobble Blade, Single Adjustable Dado Blade for the Table Saw
It's harder to find wobble blades these days, except at garage sales, swap meets and second-hand stores. Every time I stumble across one, I have a good look at it and most of them are in great shape having had very little or even no use ...
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Full (or thick) Kerf versus Thin Kerf and what about Micro Kerf? All the questions I get on blade kerf, including what size of blade should I use? Like many things when you know the answer it's easy, and when you understand the reasons "why" it just makes blade selection and blade purchases so much easier and ... getting the right blade for the right job.
Saw Blade Kerf: Micro Kerf vs Thin Kerf vs Full Kerf - What You Should Know
There are no standards on blade thickness, and some manufactures even vary the thickness, very slightly, within their own lines. Because of this, all thicknesses are given as approximate since thousandths of an inch or millimeter are typically insignificant. There are no secrets about blade kerf but there are pros and cons about what you should use and what you might need to purchase and to make things easier I have tried to lay things out in something of a point form ...
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I am not going to focus on "terrible tools" in this article, instead, I want this to be positive so we can all learn how to select better tools and some of the things to look for. Not all "new advancements" in tools and tool designs are good ones. Sometimes old reliable tools are better, but how do we know that unless we are able to compare them and understand what makes a good tool or a poor tool
Terrible Tools - Colin's Most Hated Workshop Tools!
Obviously, if a tool does not do its intended job it's poor but some do a half job. Are these poor tools or not? That really depends on many things, sometimes it's user error and I am certainly guilty of that sometimes, there is just so much to know, and not all things are transferable from one tool to another.
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Spiral Bits are the one set of bits that can be confusing for many woodworkers. The main reason for this is the description given for these actually changes depending on where the bits are installed, in either a handheld wood router or CNC router, or ... upside down in a wood router table.
Watch This Before Buying Spiral Router Bits
The nomenclature for router bits is - when the bit is vertical and the tip of the cutting edge is at the bottom of the bit.
Thus a Spiral Up Bit would have the cutting edge at the bottom of the bit and as it rotates in the wood it will drive the wood chips up the flutes and the tear-out will also be driven upward, which if cutting through the wood, will give clean cuts at underneath the wood.
Conversely and Down Spiral Bit will have the wood chips and any tear-out drive down into the wood or if cutting through the wood, the wood chips and tear-out will be in the bottom of the wood whereas the top of the cut will be clean.