# Need help finding blades for my saw



## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey everyone,
I have a little problem. I have an older 8" Craftsman table saw that I am restoring. The arbor is 1/2" diameter not the standard 5/8". People have suggested replacing the arbor and arbor bearings with a new assembly that has to be machined to a 5/8" arbor, but I'm just not financially able to do that at this time...maybe in the future. In the meantime I tried buying some arbor bushings to reduce from 5/8" to 1/2" so I can use my existing Freud lu83. The problem is the bushings don't fit at all, they just fall right out. I've looked online for 8" blades with a 1/2" arbor and I can't find any. All I can find are 6" circular saw blades with a 1/2" arbor. Being that they are circular saw blades I'm not even sure they would be ok for a table saw, plus I'd rather not lose the cutting depth with the smaller blade. Does anyone know of a source for decent 8" blades with a 1/2" arbor, or if they exist at all?
Thanks in advance for any help,
Joe


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*No luck either*

I searched high and low, from Ebay to Amazon...nothing.:thumbdown:
Here's what I would do. A short length of 3/8" ID steel tube , 3/4" Dia could be machined to press fit your 5/8" + blade. It would take a machinist lathe operator under 1/2 hr of shop time, having a metal lathe I can offer a pretty good guess. A parting tool would separate off about 3 or 4 bushings quickly. Freeze the bushings overnite and press them into the blade. Bring the blade(s) with to get the correct OD for the bushing. 
Another solution would be a sleeve on the existing arbor, like the bushing above.
Another idea is a split ring that must be compressed to fit into the blade, but still fits the arbor. Even if the bushings you have fall out you can upset the perimeter with a few cold chisel marks to get them to stay put. The washer and arbor will prevent the blade from spinning when you tighten it up.The bushing just keeps things concentric.  bill


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks for the tips. My idea originally was to have a 5/8" tube threaded on the outside and tapped and threaded on the inside so I can screw it over the existing threads on the arbor. This would essentially make a sleeve to increase the diameter to 5/8" and I could also make the arbor slightly longer since the original is too short to fit a full fado set. Being that you do machining can you tell me if this would be possible and also ive never had anything machined so would you have a guess as to how much something like that would cost to have done? Also what would be the best material for that?
Thanks


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

jpeccerillo said:


> Thanks for the tips. My idea originally was to have a 5/8" tube threaded on the outside and tapped and threaded on the inside so I can screw it over the existing threads on the arbor. This would essentially make a sleeve to increase the diameter to 5/8" and I could also make the arbor slightly longer since the original is too short to fit a full fado set. Being that you do machining can you tell me if this would be possible and also ive never had anything machined so would you have a guess as to how much something like that would cost to have done? Also what would be the best material for that?
> Thanks


 
You are only talking 1/16" tube to bring the diameter to 5/8".

Not enough stock to thread. :no:


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

mdntrdr said:


> You are only talking 1/16" tube to bring the diameter to 5/8".
> 
> Not enough stock to thread. :no:


 
Thanks, that was kind of what I was afraid of.


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## mveach (Jul 3, 2010)

http://www.amanatool.com/circular-saw-blades/saw-reducing-bushing-bu_100.html


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

mveach said:


> http://www.amanatool.com/circular-saw-blades/saw-reducing-bushing-bu_100.html


This type of bushing should work well, and are easy to use. If you put the bushing in the bore of the blade, yes it'll fall out, but if you put the bushing on the arbor, then place the blade over the bushing and tighten down the arbor washer and nut, it'll work pretty well. I grabbed an older 8" Cman saw and have been letting a friend use it at his camp...it's got an 8" CMT blade w/5/8" bore and is using the bushing. 

Amazon sells a Freud bushing for $6.75 with free s/h if you get the order up to $25. Ebay has a 24 pc bushing set for $5 shipped that has 4 bushings that should fit. They also have some good 8" blades going cheap lately.


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

knotscott said:


> This type of bushing should work well, and are easy to use. If you put the bushing in the bore of the blade, yes it'll fall out, but if you put the bushing on the arbor, then place the blade over the bushing and tighten down the arbor washer and nut, it'll work pretty well. I grabbed an older 8" Cman saw and have been letting a friend use it at his camp...it's got an 8" CMT blade w/5/8" bore and is using the bushing.
> 
> Amazon sells a Freud bushing for $6.75 with free s/h if you get the order up to $25. Ebay has a 24 pc bushing set for $5 shipped that has 4 bushings that should fit. They also have some good 8" blades going cheap lately.


My only concern is that the part of the arbor that the blade rests against is recessed. Wouldn't that little gap be enough to allow the bushing to slide right out once the blade started spinning if the bushing doesn't fit snuggly? The arbor washer has a flat side that presses right against the blade,but the other side I can't flip, it's always recessed. (Hopefully that makes sense.) That was my problem/concern with the Craftsman bushings I'd already bought. They were loose and would pop out as soon as I spun the blade just by hand. I never even bothered trying it under power. I would hate to just keep buying all of these bushings from different manufacturers just to find out they all have a loose fit.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*OK now I get it!*



jpeccerillo said:


> My only concern is that the part of the arbor that the blade rests against is recessed. Wouldn't that little gap be enough to allow the bushing to slide right out once the blade started spinning if the bushing doesn't fit snuggly? The arbor washer has a flat side that presses right against the blade,but the other side I can't flip, it's always recessed. (Hopefully that makes sense.) That was my problem/concern with the Craftsman bushings I'd already bought. They were loose and would pop out as soon as I spun the blade just by hand. I never even bothered trying it under power. I would hate to just keep buying all of these bushings from different manufacturers just to find out they all have a loose fit.


There's a couple ways to solve this issue:
The recess is there to allow any sawdust to be displaced I would assume. Keep the arbor clean and this won't be necessary..
1. fill the recess with Bondo, JB Weld, epoxy and sand /file smooth under power using caution.
2. use a cardboard/fiber/brass washer the same dia as the recess so the bushing is flush and is kept from sliding off.
3. JB Weld or epoxy the bushings in place. Sand off the excess by hand with a sanding block.

It would be great to be able to use all the 8" x 5/8" bore saw blades out there. Good Luck! :thumbsup: bill


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> There's a couple ways to solve this issue:
> The recess is there to allow any sawdust to be displaced I would assume. Keep the arbor clean and this won't be necessary..
> 1. fill the recess with Bondo, JB Weld, epoxy and sand /file smooth under power using caution.
> 2. use a cardboard/fiber/brass washer the same dia as the recess so the bushing is flush and is kept from sliding off.
> ...


I like idea #2 the best. I thought about that one before. Maybe I'll give it a try. I don't like the third option because I do still use that blade on my radial arm saw and that has a 5/8" arbor, so I wouldn't want to make it a permanent thing. Thanks for the advice.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Your's was a common problem a few decades ago. A lot of blades used to come with a diamond shaped insert, 5/8 arbor hole and a 1/2 insert. The flanged arbor washers on your saw will prevent the blade from moving from side to side, even though they don't fit tight to the insert, the blade won't wobble off the insert. If you are worried, you can put on a piece of tape to ease your mind. Any of the 1/2" arbor bushings I used to use fit pretty tight, serrated outside edge. You would have to use a block to drive and seat them, sounds like the ones you have aren't a tight fit.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

jpeccerillo said:


> I like idea #2 the best. I thought about that one before. Maybe I'll give it a try.* I don't like the third option because I do still use that blade on my radial arm saw and that has* *a 5/8" arbor*, so I wouldn't want to make it a permanent thing. Thanks for the advice.


Hey, for the cost of the blade, get one for each saw and epoxy the bushing on the one for the table saw. You're not talking that much money and you want a dedicated zero relief angle tooth for a RAS anyway. You can use a general purpose or combination blade on a RAS, but the zero relief blades don't tend to "climb into" the into the work as much. JMO :smile: bill
I use this one: Amazon.com: Freud D1060X Diablo 10-Inch 60 Tooth ATB Fine Finish Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor and PermaShield Coating: Home Improvement


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think I've found the solution and it couldn't be more simple. Tonight I tried stacking a second bushing in the recessed part of the arbor and then the next one for the blade. The first one acted as a spacer so the one in the blade wouldn't wobble out. It seems to work great. I don't have the saw up and running yet so I didn't try it under power, but the blade seemed very secure spinning by hand and I don't think it's gonna be a problem. The only other question is if I can use multiple bushings for my dado set when the time comes and have it be just as secure. My only concern is the varying thicknesses of the blades and whether or not the bushings will fit properly. If not I can stick to cutting dadoes on my radial arm saw for now. Unfortunately that gives me a 16" restriction, but I'll make it work if I have to. Well, at least I found a cheap solution for my combination blade. Thanks again.
Joe


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

When I worked at Rockler I would send customers down the street to Harbor Freight to buy their bushing set. It was something like $5.


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## jpeccerillo (Nov 21, 2008)

rrich said:


> When I worked at Rockler I would send customers down the street to Harbor Freight to buy their bushing set. It was something like $5.


That's exactly what I paid for my Craftsman bushings. They were $5 for a pack of ten.


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