Rorschach wrote:Cut quality on contiboard was slightly better than I would usually except from a circ saw so that was nice, depth stop is pretty accurate, just need to add 1-2mm onto the thickness of the material.
Part of that is down to the quality of the blade you are using. A good quality TCT triple chip blade would cost more than the saw, so I guess there are a few compromises in there. BTW. how many teeth does the blade have?
Grumbledook wrote:Anyone recommend a value for money blade to put in for nice cutting plywood?
Looks like it takes 165mm blades with a 20mm centre hole. I've not tried it yet but I assume the 24 tooth blade it came with isn't going to give the cleanest of cuts.
Ah! 24 teeth. Way too low a tooth count for MFC or Contiboard - you need 40 to 48 teeth in either a triple chip or ATB form. I'd recommend looking around eBay for people selling cheapish (surplus) Bosch blades to fit. Another good cheapish brand is Dart who do suitable 165mm thin-kerf blades at around the £23 to £28 mark (at least that's what I get charged by one local retailer). Not as much carbide as Bosch. Avalable in 40t and good for sizing MDF, plywood, etc. Avoid cheapo bargain basement blades like Build Center, Hilka or Silverline for a track saw - they are proof that the only things which go really cheap are budgies!
fin wrote:btw festool blades are 160mm i think.
They are indeed, but Makita and DW both use 165mm blades..... Not sure about Bosch, Mafell or Virutex plungers off the top of my head, but a common enough size (the blades don't need to be specifically for plunge saws). Just remember that different kerf blades mean that you'll have to inch-out and retrim the anti-splinter strip on the rails whenever you change blades. Changing the blade sizes upsets your depth scale - part of why you have a plunge saw. So, DON'T do it!!!