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Saw blade storage flat vs upright?

Ryan Mooney

Ryan Mooney

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I'm revamping a bit of the area around my tablesaw (yaah new router extension) and I think I can move my tablesaw blade storage over there as well if I lay it out right which will clear out some space in some other cabinets. The new space will all be custom built so I have ample opportunity to do it all wrong.

I'm starting to design the space where the tablesaw blades would fit into this and am wondering what everyones thoughts are on standing the blades on edge vs a hanging system vs laying them flat. The temptation is to just have a big enough drawer and layer them in, but I'm also unconvinced that's the "optimal" design so I'm looking for some ideas from the crowd.

The dado stack is already in a carrier which can either stand upright or hang so I'm thinking I might just designate a space to hang it on the side. This would be mostly the "rest of the blades", I probably have half a dozen +- (but could see maybe a dozen total so not huge).
 
Just brain fodder to ponder . . . I had a rack similar to what Tom shows at a steeper angle that held the blades in a drawer. I moved them back to the wall. I seem to re-visit blade storage often. I am a task specific blade user so I change blades as a matter of course. Having them right at hand has worked best for me. YMMV.
 
glenn bradley said:
Having them right at hand has worked best for me. YMMV.
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That's actually part of the motivation here. The new setup is planned to be essentially attached to the saw whereas the previous storage location was across the garage. I'm also planning to move the handful of the "saw specific" tooling to this basic location as well (blade wrenches, the allen wrench for the material holddowns, etc..).

Due to my saw being a slider it's kind of in the middle of the shop for clearance reasons which... has it's ups and downs.

Mike Stafford said:
I made a cabinet with pull out trays that stored my saw blades flat
Click to expand...

I think my main hesitancy with this idea is space efficiency. It kind of feels like I could get more in a single upright drawer (I probably just need to do some mock ups). I still want something between the blades so they don't bang together, but the cardboard shipping wrappers have both the problem of being slow (impeding the impetus for "task specific switching) plus they get a bit ratty over time. Per-blade drawers.. are possible.. but seem space inneficient. I've considered just per-blade "drawers" of 3/4" (or maybe 1/2" might suffice..) plywood with a blade outline recess routed out of them which wouldn't be terrible.
 
Expanding on plywood idea how about slots in your vertical rails for the plywood to slide into, each plywood keeper could be labeled as to the type of blade. So for a different look this system could be behind doors instead of drawers,
 
steve ramsey said:
Expanding on plywood idea how about slots in your vertical rails for the plywood to slide into, each plywood keeper could be labeled as to the type of blade.
Click to expand...
Yep that's basically what my idea there was (with a bunch of "and maybe..' variations hah). I got in most of the rest of the router table parts yesterday so I need to get cracking on the couple projects in front of this one and start doing mock ups.
 
Ryan Mooney said:
That's actually part of the motivation here. The new setup is planned to be essentially attached to the saw whereas the previous storage location was across the garage. I'm also planning to move the handful of the "saw specific" tooling to this basic location as well (blade wrenches, the allen wrench for the material holddowns, etc..).

Due to my saw being a slider it's kind of in the middle of the shop for clearance reasons which... has it's ups and downs.
Click to expand...
Good call. I am lucky enough to have a wall nearby so mine is simply hung from the cleat system. If my saw were an island, like my milling machines, an attached fixture or cabinet would be my solution. In my mental (and SU) wanderings, all the 'stacked' or 'filed' solutions take up more depth than the angled rack so many use. The angled rack takes up more length. The dimensions you have more of, or the shape of the location where this fixture will live, will help drive your decision.

(Penalty for excessive use of commas for clarity ;))
 
I have only one all purpose blade and a spare one. At some point I will get a blade for rip cuts, and some other more specialised. To be honest I don’t know why should I. There must be advantages for sure, but I ignore them. Besides saw blades are outrageous expensive here.
 
glenn bradley said:
(Penalty for excessive use of commas for clarity ;))
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with commas. :)

images
 
Toni Ciuraneta said:
I have only one all purpose blade and a spare one. At some point I will get a blade for rip cuts, and some other more specialised. To be honest I don’t know why should I. There must be advantages for sure, but I ignore them. Besides saw blades are outrageous expensive here.
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I never use anything but a good combo blade. After 20 years in a production shop never found a need for anything else. I did buy a rip blade once and used it once. Looks pretty good on that nail like Frank use's :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
Don Baer said:
I always kept 2 blades a cross cut most of the time and a thing kerf glue line rip blade. This was because I didn't have a jointer in the shop. I could get perfect panels with the rip blade so no need for the jointer.
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I used the combo blades only, I bought a high dollar glue line blade for my 7.5hp 14" saw and it never gave me as good a cut as the combos did ( I mostly used Freud blades ) I never had a jointer until after I closed the shop and moved to the farm man cave. I glued up 1000's of panels ( had a Taylor glue wheel ) for running on CNC and never had a problem with glue joints. Very seldom used the jointer now except to flatten boards
 
I don't know what type of blades I have on the table saw and the chop saw... I get pretty good smooth cuts on the chop saw and reasonably good cuts on the table saw.... I only use them to cut boards that I glue up for my pepper mills and sometimes run them through the jointer before I apply the glue....
I have a stack of blades for my skil saw that I got when my dad died... most are rusty now and all on a Fusco hanger over the work bench... gonna have to change a blade one of these days (If I get the skil saw out again - maybe )

I only do flat work by looking at all the talent on here... I am somewhat measurementally challenge... I can measure 3 times, cut once, and it's still wrong.
 
I once bought two fairly high dollar blades that had been recommended by someone here. Put one on my table saw, don't know if it is a ripper or combo, the other on my cms. Both give beautiful glue line cuts. Especially on the table saw since I installed a new 3 hp. motor. Never realized how much difference more power could make on the quality of cuts. Also forget the name of the brand. No matter, they will last me the remainder of my life.
 
Just a combo blade for me. 52 tooth fromthe borg, Sometimes i feel frisky and change blade but the time spent usualy does not improve the cutting, Taking it easy feeding the lumber gets me a nice glue joint cut.
David
 
Currently mine are stored (vertically, in their cardboard wrappers) in a plastic storage tote that's next to my table saw. It's not ideal, but I don't have wall space available for a blade rack. I'm a rip blade/crosscut blade kind of guy. It takes me about 60 seconds to change a blade. I also have a combo blade or two, but I tend to only use them when cutting rough or questionable lumber. Both my rip and crosscut blades are thin kerf Freud Industrial models, and I've been very happy with them.
 
This isn't very close to what you want to do, and I actually considered not posting it. Anyway, my blades are in plastic "keepers" and stored on edge. There's a rolling cabinet under the right extension of the saw that keeps most of the saw stuff, and the blade rack sets in that cabinet. there are some blades for other saws in that rack as well (the RAS, tracksaw, etc.)

blades.JPG
 
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