What is this Sawblade for?

[Marion(57 Loboy)]

Here's one of the sawblades that I got with the radial arm saw deal.
It's 11" in diameter, and it's a Simond's.
There are just very sharp points, with the edge on alternating sides.
It looks like it can be mounted to cut in either direction?

Anyway, what's this saw blade designed to cut guys?

[Rudi]

That appears to be one of the original hollow ground plywood blades. Meant for laminated veneer, when properly sharpened they left a very clean cut with minimal tearout. You don't see many of them used anymore, most shops no longer sharpen their own blades. They have usually been superseded by carbide crosscut blades for radials and usually 100 TPI ATB or Triple Chips for different laminates/cores.

I still have a couple of the old plywood blades my Dad had back in the 60's. Simmonds were a top name back then. Same company made the files used to sharpen them -- the triangular shaped files. I also have a replica of the blade clamp Dad had made to sharpen them on the bench. I still love to hear the sound of a sharp file as it cuts across the teeth. Needed to have a saw set as well to re-set for the kerf. This was a long time before the thin-kerf blades came on the market.

And NO! You cannot mount it in either direction. Follow the owner's manual for mounting blades. In general teeth should always rotate forward as in to the front of the table be it a table or radial arm saw.

[Dale Shaw]

Blywood blades work well when reversed for cutting sheet metal, aluminum, steel building siding etc.. WEAR GOGGLES!!

[Stanton]

Rudi's right on the blade. Plywood and veneer.

[Roy47]

Plywood blade, I've got a little finer tooth one mounted on my table saw right now. Works good on thin plywood, not so good on thicker solid wood.
Roy

[Anonymous_h]

Vinyl siding & soffit material