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Super Micrograin Carbide with Titanium
Carbide is a metal powder and binder mixture molded at high temperatures and pressures. Wear occurs because grains of the hard metal powders break away. The larger the grain size, the faster the cutting edge dulls, and large grains creates "lakes" of binder which weakens the structure. Binders also break down from the chemical attack from the acids found in wood products. Freud is one of the few saw blade companies who manufacture carbide. Our grain size is smaller than other grades and titanium is added making it more impervious to chemical attack. We produce several carbide mixtures for different cutting requirements, manufacturers who buy their carbide usually have only a few mixtures to choose from and these are usually formulated for metal cutting.
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Anti-Kickback Design
Anyone who has been involved with woodworking has experienced saw blade kickbacks from over feeding. These can be very dangerous, and happen so quickly that it is impossible to react before injury occurs. On a table saw, the wood is thrown back violently at you. On a radial arm saw, the blade climbs quickly out of the cut. On a hand held circular saw, the saw is pushed back out of the cut. Freud's Anti-Kickback Design effectively reduces these kickbacks. Each tooth is preceded by a limitator which restricts tooth bite to the maximum safe amount. These have reduced saw accidents of this type in Europe.
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Laser Cut, High Strength Blade Bodies
Most manufacturers use stamped bodies. The punch cuts 2/3 of the way through the material and the remaining 1/3 is stretched until it tears. This creates stresses in the body which can cause problems with flatness that may only appear after the blade is used. Also, stamping operations can only be done with steel which is under Rc 30 in hardness (Rc is a designation from Rockwell Hardness Testing Standard on the "C" scale). Metal this soft is too flexible and the blade can wander within the cut when the grain pattern is inconsistent. Freud uses industrial lasers to manufacturer blade bodies. The laser cuts the steel without leaving unwanted stresses. The laser also allows the use of higher strength steel, 40' to 45 Rc. These bodies start and remain truer, even after years of use.
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Whisper Quiet Expansion Slots
Expansion slots control the expansion from the heat of operation. Originally, expansion slots were wide and ended with a larger hole. This design was excellent for expansion, however they were extremely noisy due to the air turbulence within the large openings. To eliminate the noise soft metal plugs were put into the holes. This reduced the operation noise but created a hazard as the plugs would loosen and fly out at high rates of speeds (over 160 MPH). Some manufacturers use different shapes which eliminate the noise but create stress concentrations points as the blade expands. Freud retained the effectiveness of the original slot and quietness of the plugged slot by making a question mark shaped slot so the plug is part of the blade body allowing for the necessary expansion, yet eliminating the noise.
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Advanced Tri-Metal Brazing
Brazing uses a low melt point alloy to bond the tips to the blade body. The tips and body are heated above the melt point of the brazing alloy, which is drawn into the joint by capillary action. When brazing, the teeth and body expands and contracts at a different rate. Other manufacturers; use just silver alloy, and this can cause the joint to develop stresses that lead to cracks in the carbide or failed joints. Others, use lower temperature alloys, but this creates a weak joint. Freud uses a process called Tri-Metal Brazing. A layer of copper alloy is sandwiched between layers of silver alloy. Copper is soft and will stretch without breaking. This flexibility allows the carbide and steel to contract without any residual stresses, and insulates the shoulders from impacts.
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Properly Tensioned Blade Bodies for Superior
Blade Flatness
Saw blades are subjected to changes in temperature, shocks from cutting, and stresses from turning at high speeds. A blade that starts out flat may not stay flat even after a few hours of use. Freud pretensions its blades to insure many years of smooth operation. This is performed by computer controlled equipment which was designed and built by Freud. This tensioning ring can be seen on most blades as a faint ring about 3/4 the diameter of the blades.
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