SAW BLADES AND CUTTING STRIPS
When I first started out I was advised to use a thin kerf blade to save on sawdust and eke out one or two more strips out of a board.
My first experience was a 7 1/4 Matsushita carbide thin kerf that gave ragged cuts, even in soft cedar. That little thin blade was so flexible that it flexed sideways in alternating directions according to the angle of the teeth.
The next blade was a 10 inch Systematic thin kerf, which I thought was up to the task of cutting cedar. Cuts were smoother, but strip thickness varied enough that I had too much waste. I managed to build one boat using that blade before a friend bent it slightly.
Next I considered cutting my strips oversize and then running them through a thickness planer. A pro friend nixed that idea and sent me off in a better direction. The answer was a Forrest standard kerf blade. Wow! What an incredible tool. Cuts are glass smooth and strip thickness is nearly perfect. I made more sawdust but got perfect strips. Interestingly this blade cuts through hard wood as easy or maybe even easier than the thin kerf blade. So in the end I saved the cost of a thickness planer, saved time, and probably saved a little wood.
