Tried a new blade on 60 year old oak trim and the result wasn't what I expected

I was trimming out a hallway in an old house near Columbus last month and grabbed a 60 tooth blade for my miter saw hoping for cleaner cuts on some oak casing. The blade left burrs on the end grain and actually tore out more than the 40 tooth I'd used for years, so I switched back halfway through the job. Has anyone else had a finer blade make things worse on old hard wood? Spent $45 and learned to test on scrap first.

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wren_wilson933d ago

That $45 lesson stings, been there with a fresh 80 tooth on some reclaimed chestnut and it just polished the end grain instead of cutting it. Old oak gets so hard and dry over the years that a fine tooth blade has nowhere to clear the chips, so it rubs and burns instead of slicing, which is probably where your burrs came from. Your 40 tooth was likely ripping the waste out fast enough that the teeth stayed cool and kept their edge. Testing on scrap first is the move, but it's a hard habit to build when you're already mid job and just want to get moving. Sorry the blade cost you time and money on top of it.

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