saw blades

[Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>]

Thanks to all of you who gave input on the saw blades question. Finally
so many things explained!  like visually obvious ones such as why some
blades are called "turbo" or have deep slots, or unobvious ones such as
the inverse match of matrix hardness to stone hardness, the
quality/convenience tradeoff in turbo blades vs continuous rim blades,
the blade price/quantity of diamond relationship, or the heat
susceptibility of diamond.

The latter point raises yet another question. I see that the blades all
have speed limitations printed on them. The greater the diameter the
lower the speed allowed. This makes sense because the larger size means
a higher rim speed and consequently more heat (also maybe a larger
blade is more prone to breaking and producing shrapnel?). But the
speeds are pretty specific. A variable speed angle grinder doesn't
really allow a precise speed setting, so how do you know if you will
overspeed a given blade? Finally, while I've never run a large blade, I
expect the gyroscopic twist is not trivial.


Norman Watts, Ph. D.
National Institutes of Health
50 South Drive, Rm. 1509
Bethesda, MD 20892-8025
Phone: (301) 402-3418
Fax: (301) 480-7629