# Dove tail cutting table saw blade?



## MR_Cole (Jun 1, 2012)

I cant seem to figure out why these haven't been invented. couldn't it be used the same way as a router jug or a table saw box joint jig? Feel free to explain why this wouldn't work, I just cant figure it out.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

It works. You need a flat bottom blade for cutting the pins
and a pair of blades custom ground for the tails. The method
is not much different than cutting dovetails with a bandsaw
though of course the work is held on end rather than on
its face.

You can tilt the blade one way to correspond with the angle
of the grind and for the other side you need to make a 
jig to hold the work in a tilted position. Having one table
saw that tilts left and another than tilts right gets around
the need for the jig.

In a small production run a radial arm saw could be made
to cut all the tails in two set ups without jigs. The pins
could not be cut so easily on the RAS.


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## dkirtley (Mar 11, 2010)

The only down side is that the corners would have to be cleaned out by hand where the blade can't get into the corner of the tail. A chisel would get it out just fine. Doing it with a router is ok as well except that it takes a lot of fiddling with it to get them set up. Then you want a different spacing or are using different thicknesses of wood, you get to adjust things again.

On the other hand, it ends up being more work than just doing it by hand. It's not a big deal. It just takes a little practice.


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## lab7654 (Mar 31, 2012)

Do you mean a blade that is literally shaped like a dovetail? Like a dovetail router bit? If so, I don't see any reasons why that couldn't be worked out. The width and weight wouldn't matter, since most saws can handle a dado set anyway. The metal would have to be really thick to support such big carbide pieces though. The blade wouldn't have to be very wide in diameter either, since a 10" one would just be overkill and over priced. Good idea really.


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## OnlyJustME (Nov 22, 2011)

@ lab7654 It wont work that way since the widest part of the dovetail will continue to arch and pass through where you need the narrow as you pass the wood through the blade. Basically you will end up with a notch in your wood the same size as the widest part of the tail.


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

Think that one through lab and you'll quickly see it can't work! 

A dovetail shaped saw tooth would cut a straight flat kerf the width of the top of the blade, just like a standard carbide tipped blade cuts a smooth kerf the width of the tooth even though its narrower at the saw plate than at the tooth. The fat part of the blade is spinning all around the outer edge of the blade, and that's going to cut the wood.

The method Loren describes above is the only way I've seen to do dovetails on a TS.

I find a bandsaw much easier for cutting dovetails.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Here ya go.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

I saw an ad recently from one of the big blade companies for dovetail blades, I believe there was a left and right side and each had a 7 or 8* tooth to create flat bottoms when set to the correct angle.


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## lab7654 (Mar 31, 2012)

Ah. I see my error. Oh well, live and learn.


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