Woodworking Network: As battery-powered tools increase, everyone wants to find ways to extend battery life. One great way is to opt for thin-kerf blades that use less power to cut. Besides using them in cordless tools, thin-kerf blades also cut faster and with less waste in corded machinery, too.
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I have a considerable amount of experience when it comes to working with wood but in the entertainment industry not many people are talking about kerf. The main place I have heard people talk about it is through laser cutting due to the very precise and small measurements needed to make pieces fit together. When assembling large sets one might be somewhat worried about kerf if they find themselves using a particularly old or damaged blade but at the scale of material much of the entertainment industry is using especially when working with wood not many people are concerned about the miniscule amounts of kerf the saw is creating. The other thing mentioned in the article is that these blades are not necessarily professional grade meaning they would not stand up well to large amounts of constant use. This could lead to the blade decreasing in quality quite quickly and in turn creating more kerf quicker than many other standard saw blades.
This reminds me of something Ben Carter said in our first scenic mini. He was talking a lot about batteries and how technology is rapidly improving to increase the battery life on cordless tools like drills. Not only is the battery life to existing tools increasing, but also more powerful drills and tools are now able to be powered with batteries. I would imagine that would be incredibly useful so that extension cords don't have to be run all over the shop. You can also bring a drill up somewhere high or somewhere awkward where you can't run an extension cord easily. This could have other benefits, like reducing fires or trip hazards. Although, I believe in most scene shops, extension cords are run from the ceiling and hang down, just like they do in 33. I wonder where this technology is going to go in ten years. Ben said maybe 3D printing sets will be a thing. I am not as sure because that technology exists right now, it just hasn't been implemented in theater I guess because it is too expensive. So, we're really just waiting for costs to come down on that technology, rather than waiting for it to be invented.
Reading this really just made me wonder why all blades are not as thin as they can be, it just seems to make more sense that a thinner blade has to do less work to accomplish the same task of cutting the piece of wood in two. A thinner blade also leads to less waited material than a thicker blade. The move into a cordless world is also interesting because portable batteries have been exciting for a while, but there is a certain trade off with having to stop every once in a while to chance out the battery which I can imagine would not be ideal for trying to finish giant cutlists in one sitting without having to stop. But according to this article, these thinner blades could help eliminate that problem, once again making me wonder why this idea has not been put into action until now. I find it hard to believe that there is no demand out there for cordless table saws.
Blade Kerf is something that I have grown to expect to be the same size depending on the blade type. Circular blades are usually about ⅛” of an inch for it to be thinner is great but I personally would continue to utilize the standard blade width because it increases the longevity of the blade (more material to sharpen over time) and for familiarity, knowing the width of the blade being used communicates information to the carpenter without having to pull out a tape measure in some circumstances. But I also wonder if the thinner blades are more susceptible to warping in prolonged use. To the other end, it is durable and can it cut through the same size stock? I think that in many applications a thinner kerf blade will do the job the same up to a threshold, then needing the strength and durability provided by the extra material is necessary.
As more power tools become battery-powered, it becomes more important for tools to adapt to the changing power available and changing requirements as new uses for tools arise (as they are able to withstand more usage, and the cycle continues). While I might not intrinsically understand the workings of the blade, I can appreciate a well made quality product. With a thinner blade, common practice would dictate it might be cheaper in quality, the opposite is true. Using up less energy and making less sawdust is a huge plus when working in a scenic shop. The fact that the blades are laser cut is pretty cool, and I am sure very efficient for precision. I’m interested in seeing how the numbers play out - how the thinness of the blade contributes to the “return of investment”, so to speak. I also think its cool that the blades are coated with a red coating to reduce friction.
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