JM

"Jim Martin"

04/05/2004 10:57 AM

12" blade on a Unisaw?

Hello All:

I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a 12"
blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the spacers
for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table when
lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on for
an occasional job.

Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?

Thanks,

Jim


This topic has 20 replies

RE

"R. E. Engerman"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 12:29 AM


"NoOne N Particular" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> By the way, going from a 10" to a 12" would only yield 1" extra depth
> capacity.
>
> NoOne

Yeah that's just on the top. You get another inch on the bottom.
Ralph Engerman
R E Quick Transit

Mi

"Mike in Mystic"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

04/05/2004 5:41 PM

assuming you gain the extra 2" capacity fully, which would mean you actually
are able to raise the blade all the way up - you're still not double the
capacity of the 10" blade. therefore, anything you can cut in one pass with
the 12" blade you can cut in 2 passes with the 10". I would say using a
splitter and cutting twice is a better idea than having no splitter and
cutting once, especially if you're talking about 4"+ thick boards.

Mike

"Jim Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello All:
>
> I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a
12"
> blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the
spacers
> for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table when
> lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on
for
> an occasional job.
>
> Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
>

RS

"Rob Stokes"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 3:36 AM

I can throw 44" Monster Mudders under my Jeep Cherokee too...doesn't make it
a good idea and breakage is a matter of "when", not "if".

Rob

--


http://www.robswoodworking.com

"Jim Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello All:
>
> I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a
12"
> blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the
spacers
> for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table when
> lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on
for
> an occasional job.
>
> Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
>

NN

"NoOne N Particular"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 12:14 AM

By the way, going from a 10" to a 12" would only yield 1" extra depth
capacity.

NoOne


"Mike in Mystic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> assuming you gain the extra 2" capacity fully, which would mean you
actually
> are able to raise the blade all the way up - you're still not double the
> capacity of the 10" blade. therefore, anything you can cut in one pass
with
> the 12" blade you can cut in 2 passes with the 10". I would say using a
> splitter and cutting twice is a better idea than having no splitter and
> cutting once, especially if you're talking about 4"+ thick boards.
>
> Mike
>
> "Jim Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hello All:
> >
> > I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a
> 12"
> > blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the
> spacers
> > for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table
when
> > lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on
> for
> > an occasional job.
> >
> > Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
>
>

tT

[email protected] (ToolMiser)

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 12:19 AM

Going to a 12" blade will also increase the speed of the teeth of the blade. I
am not a math person, but it will make a difference, and should be considered.

cC

[email protected] (Charlie Self)

in reply to [email protected] (ToolMiser) on 05/05/2004 12:19 AM

05/05/2004 12:33 AM

Toolmiser rightly states:

>
>Going to a 12" blade will also increase the speed of the teeth of the blade.
>I
>am not a math person, but it will make a difference, and should be
>considered.

Ayup. What should really be considered is that if you want a 12" blade cabinet
saw, it is best to go with a 12" blade cabinet saw, so the design is coherent
and reasonably safe.

I'm not exactly sure what might happen if you tilt a 12" blade on a Unisaw,
even after adapting it, but I do know for sure that I do NOT want to be in the
room when it is tried.

Grizzly's got a 12" tablesaw that will ship anywhere in the U.S. for 1625 or so
bucks. I think you can go really hog wild and add $150 to that to get a 14".

Check the price of good blades, first, though.

Charlie Self
"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." Will Rogers

Dd

Darin

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 4:02 AM

ToolMiser wrote:
> Going to a 12" blade will also increase the speed of the teeth of the blade. I
> am not a math person, but it will make a difference, and should be considered.

You're also adding an extra inch to the "lever arm" that the motor has
to torque against, so the wood will provide a greater resistance each
time a tooth impacts the wood. (I think; I'd have to think this through
a bit more to be really confident I'm not just blowing smoke.) As a
result, the saw may slow down a bit as it encounters more resistance
from the wood (which puts greater stress on the motor as a result of
this greater resistive torque). Though in the end, this may not make
much difference at all -- I'm feeling a bit lazy at the moment and don't
want to break out a calculator and some graph paper :-)

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 1:26 AM

And that would probably lead to burning more wood.


"ToolMiser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Going to a 12" blade will also increase the speed of the teeth of the
blade. I
> am not a math person, but it will make a difference, and should be
considered.

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 10:48 PM


"Darin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ToolMiser wrote:
> > Going to a 12" blade will also increase the speed of the teeth of the
blade. I
> > am not a math person, but it will make a difference, and should be
considered.
>
> You're also adding an extra inch to the "lever arm" that the motor has
> to torque against, so the wood will provide a greater resistance each
> time a tooth impacts the wood. (I think; I'd have to think this through
> a bit more to be really confident I'm not just blowing smoke.) As a
> result, the saw may slow down a bit as it encounters more resistance
> from the wood (which puts greater stress on the motor as a result of
> this greater resistive torque). Though in the end, this may not make
> much difference at all -- I'm feeling a bit lazy at the moment and don't
> want to break out a calculator and some graph paper :-)

Good thought but the bigger blade would probably not offer any more
resistance than a full set of stacked dado blades. Or a dull blade for that
matter.

Dd

Darin

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 7:15 PM

I can't argue with that. (But, but, but... what about a full set of dull
12" stacked dado blades?! :-)

Leon wrote:
> Good thought but the bigger blade would probably not offer any more
> resistance than a full set of stacked dado blades. Or a dull blade for that
> matter.

b

in reply to "NoOne N Particular" on 05/05/2004 12:14 AM

05/05/2004 7:42 PM

On Wed, 05 May 2004 19:15:54 -0500, Darin <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I can't argue with that. (But, but, but... what about a full set of dull
>12" stacked dado blades?! :-)

you'll need extra gerbils for that....

pp

patriarch <[email protected]>

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

04/05/2004 8:04 PM

"Mike in Mystic" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> assuming you gain the extra 2" capacity fully, which would mean you
> actually are able to raise the blade all the way up - you're still not
> double the capacity of the 10" blade. therefore, anything you can cut
> in one pass with the 12" blade you can cut in 2 passes with the 10".
> I would say using a splitter and cutting twice is a better idea than
> having no splitter and cutting once, especially if you're talking
> about 4"+ thick boards.
>
> Mike
>
> "Jim Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Hello All:
>>
>> I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me
>> that a
> 12"
>> blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the
> spacers
>> for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table
>> when lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only
>> put it on
> for
>> an occasional job.
>>
>> Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jim
>>
Don't we use bandsaws for these things - occaisional cutting of thick
stock? Or bowsaws? Or other handheld saws?

I'd rather not mess with the innards of a cabinet saw without a really good
reason, and this isn't one of them.

Are you perchance a friend of Ralph Engermann's?

Patriarch

pp

patriarch <[email protected]>

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 5:39 PM

B a r r y <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>
>>Are you perchance a friend of Ralph Engermann's?
>
>
> I miss that guy, I wonder where he's been?
>
> Barry

Hey! Ralph's back!

Patriarch

lL

[email protected] (Lawrence Wasserman)

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 3:17 PM

In article <[email protected]>,
Jim Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>Hello All:
>
>I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a 12"
>blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the spacers
>for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table when
>lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on for
>an occasional job.
>
>Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jim
>
>

Do you have a real need for the 1 inch increase in cutting depth? If
so, how about cutting out a 12" disk from cardboard, then mounting it
on the saw arbor for a real check of your clearance. If it looks OK,
you could then try out a real blade.


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]

BN

"BillyBob"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

09/05/2004 2:51 AM


> Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?

Nope, Yep.

BillyB

JM

"Jim Martin"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

04/05/2004 2:29 PM


"patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote
> I'd rather not mess with the innards of a cabinet saw without a really
good
> reason, and this isn't one of them.

I guess I'm the kind of guy who would rather mess with things.

> Are you perchance a friend of Ralph Engermann's?

Who's he?

SM

"Stephen M"

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

05/05/2004 9:58 AM


"NoOne N Particular" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> By the way, going from a 10" to a 12" would only yield 1" extra depth
> capacity.


*AND*, I'll bet that you could not drop the blade completely below the table
surface.

-Steve

jM

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

04/05/2004 6:19 PM

"Jim Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello All:
>
> I was just looking at the innards of my Unisaw and it seems to me that a 12"
> blade would fit if I removed the splitter bracket and shortened the spacers
> for the dust shield. I guess a 12" blade would not go below the table when
> lowered all the way, but that would not be a problem if I only put it on for
> an occasional job.
>
> Any of you done this? Can you see any reason not to try it?

Yeah, It's a waste of time. I doubt you would gain an inch. It would
be way faster to just turn the stock over and run it through again
rather than attempt what you propose. Easier on the blade and the saw
too. Unless you have about a mile of ripping to do. In which case you
need a bigger saw.

mike

tA

in reply to [email protected] (Mike) on 04/05/2004 6:19 PM

04/05/2004 9:53 PM



Have a Glorious Day with all of God's Blessings

Ba

B a r r y

in reply to "Jim Martin" on 04/05/2004 10:57 AM

04/05/2004 11:22 PM


>Are you perchance a friend of Ralph Engermann's?


I miss that guy, I wonder where he's been?

Barry


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