Hi Mr. Stowe,

I contacted you yesterday via telephone. I do appreciate your returning the call. Sorry for the intrusion, but I am a believer of accessing first-hand sources of knowledge. As stated, I am a musician-however, I am also a restoration technician for flood & fire here in town.

That digression aside, I am getting into box making as a sideline with music. As few players in the city & abroad seem to be fans of a box that I made to house my reeds. My question is: When resawing Oak on the table saw, what sort of blade do you find most effective-with regard to TPI & kerf?

I usually go with a solid wood blade @ our owner's carpentry shop-but have to cut wide as I am experiencing burn marks no matter how slow I go-therefore, leading to additional sanding. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your time in advance.


Dear Paul,

You won’t find a resaw blade that doesn’t require additional surfacing (planing and sanding) to the stock. You can use any ripping blade. I generally use a thin kerf Freud 10 inch ripping blade if I’m going to do enough at a time to justify the time required for changing blades. Ripping blades are more efficient and less likely to burn the wood, but leave a rougher surface. Add more teeth as with a crosscut blade, you cut more slowly and while you may get a more polished surface, you will increase likelihood of burn.

I kind of disagree with you on what you consider a “first hand source of knowledge”. Usually, phone calls aren’t required. You try it and see what works. This is much better in the long run than asking outside consultants. The lessons are more meaningful, more deeply understood, you receive the benefit of much longer retention, and the thrilling sense of personal discovery.

Very best,

Doug