Delta, DeWalt unveil new saw blades

Delta Machinery has introduced a new line of 16 premium full-kerf woodworking saw blades. The blades range in diameter from 10" to 12", with an additional five blades measuring 220 to 300 mm for a variety of materials including hardwoods and synthetic surfaces.

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The blades were designed in conjunction with the technical teams working on the new Delta Unisaw, says product manager Simon Barrett.

"We still maintain our existing range of Delta blades today, but one of the elements of research, along with the engineering behind the Unisaw, was focused on a better acceptance of our blades in commercial-style woodshops. We felt we had a great blade for the hobbyist, but we weren't cracking the pro market like we wanted to."

To do so, Delta incorporated C4 sub micro-grain carbide into the new blades for an improved quality of cut and extended performance between resharpening. The blade plates are laser-cut with rim expansion and harmonic body slots to reduce vibration and noise generation. Tri-foil brazing is used on all tips within the line and enables accurate tip alignment and attachment to the plate, reducing the risk of tip loss and scoring marks in the cut.

The saw blades are offered in a range of 40- to 100-tooth combinations. A 42-tooth blade is considered a general-purpose blade for ripping solid wood or plywood. The 50-tooth blade is an all-around blade and is sold with the Unisaw. Blades with higher tooth counts are geared for finer trim work, says Barrett.

The Delta blades range in price from $75 to $130.

Barrett, also a product manager for DeWalt, mentioned the highlights of the new DeWalt Precision Trim 8-1/2", 10" and 12" blades for use with miter saws and table saws.

"The key overwhelming feature you'll see on these DeWalt saw blades is accuracy," says Barrett. "We've optimized our plate thickness to give the end user a thin cutting blade, but not the traditional plate flex you see in other thin kerf woodworking blades. The No. 1 complaint from a lot of trim carpenters was that the blades would flex, especially when doing bevel cuts and the joints wouldn't fit afterwards."

The DeWalt blades sell for $25 to $80.

Contact: Delta, Tel: 800-223-7278. www.deltaportercable.com; DeWalt, Tel: 800-433-9258. www.dewalt.com

This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue.