WOODPECKERS GROOVING BLADES
The next set of table saw blades to look at is from another reliable manufacturer: Woodpeckers. I often use jigs and guides from Woodpeckers, but their bits and blades are up their with the best as well. Their “Ultra-Shear” line of table saw blades has received a recent addition, so it’s worth giving them a look.
GROOVING BLADES.
The first blades I want to take a look at are the grooving blades. These come in three sizes (shown above) and have a flat-top grind. A flat-top grind means they cut a flat-bottomed groove or dado (right photo above).
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| Woodpeckers Ultra-Shear Blades: 1⁄4" grooving blade, 1⁄8" grooving blade, 3⁄16" grooving blade | A standard dado blade has bevel-top teeth on its outer blade, which aid in cutting but leave “vampire fangs” in their groove or dado. | By contrast, a flat-top grooving blade can be used to create square-cornered channels. |
By comparison, the tips of the outer blades’ teeth will cut slightly deeper on an ATB grind, leaving behind a pair of “vampire fangs” (or “bat ears” — whichever metaphor suits your fancy) at the corner of your joint. If you intend to cover a joint up with edging or the like, this is something you may never need to consider, but on exposed joinery a flat-top blade makes a world of difference.
In terms of performance, you can see how they work in the photos at the upper right of this page. The left photo shows a dado made with a standard ATB-grind set and the right shows one cut with the Ultra-Shear grooving blade. The blades will run you from $170 to $200 individually, or $540 as a set.
This is a fairly median price for grooving blades, and even on the low end when looking at higher-budget manufacturers. If you often work with exposed joinery, then a grooving blade is a must-have, and this set is a good deal for some high quality blades.
