Circular saw arbor problem

[BigBlue1]

So, I bought a nice 10 1/4" Milwaukee circular saw for a project I have coming up that requires cutting and ripping 3" thick maple. It had a dull blade so I bought a replacement. Turns out that the arbor on this saw is 3/4" but there are no 3/4" arbor 10" or 10 1/4" saw blades to be had these days. Apparently that was a standard that was phased out. All blades are 5/8" arbors or diamond.

The spindle on the saw is 5/8" and a 5/8" arbor blade fits over it but the saw's spindle washer (the inside one) has a small lap flange that the 3/4" blade fits over. So the flange is in the way and the blade cannot be run like this. The 5/8" blade is a no-go.

Do I keep searching for a 10" or 10 1/4" blade with a 3/4 arbor? Are they out there?

Do I grind off the flange on the spindle washer and just use the blade I have sandwiched between the washers? The blade's 5/8" arbor opening fits well over the saw's spindle. Not much play. All the lap flange seems to do is center the 3/4" blade, so if the 5/8" fits concentric it's basically the same thing this way. Since the 3/4" blades seem to be a thing of the past it's not like I'm limiting myself in the future.

Do I find a machine shop to drill out the saw blade to 3/4"? I'll have to buy another blade though - one that doesn't have the diamond knock-out - in order to do that.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Rob

 

[Rustyiron]

Is this inner flange removable? I have grinders that are a similar situation. Also I've seen blades that have a "knockout" for a larger arbor or the older diamond shape on the inside saw flange/washer, but the last one I saw (a couple of weeks ago) was a diamond masonry blade.
Try tapping on this inner washer, or better yet gooble your saw's model #.

 

[Peter 315]

I found this one...Saw Blade, 1" X 8 Tooth X 3/4 Arbor Trim Saw Blade 6 Deg Negative Hook #1245 – KVAL Online Store

 

[Peter 315]

Freud D1W Diablo 1-1/4-Inch 4 Tooth ATB General Purpose Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch and Diamond Knockout Arbor, Multi - Big Foot Saw Blades - Amazon.com

 

[s219]

You might look for blades with 1" arbor and then use a 3/4" to 1" bushing. I had to do something similar to adapt a dado blade on a table saw once.

 

[BigBlue1]

Is this inner flange removable? I have grinders that are a similar situation. Also I've seen blades that have a "knockout" for a larger arbor or the older diamond shape on the inside saw flange/washer, but the last one I saw (a couple of weeks ago) was a diamond masonry blade.
Try tapping on this inner washer, or better yet gooble your saw's model #.

Yes, the inner spindle washer is removeable. I could easily take it off and grind the lap flange off of it.

Rob

 

[BigBlue1]

I found this one...Saw Blade, 1?" X 8? Tooth X 3/4 Arbor Trim Saw Blade 6 Deg Negative Hook #1245 KVAL Online Store

Yeah, but $90 for a blade is nuts (probably plus shipping). Plus, that's an 80 tooth blade and I need this for ripping 3" material so that's not a good fit. I had found that one earlier and passed on it.

Rob

 

[BigBlue1]

Freud D1?4?W Diablo 1?-1/4-Inch 4? Tooth ATB General Purpose Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch and Diamond Knockout Arbor, Multi - Big Foot Saw Blades - Amazon.com

This is the blade I bought. 5/8" arbor or knockout diamond.

 

[BigBlue1]

You might look for blades with 1" arbor and then use a 3/4" to 1" bushing. I had to do something similar to adapt a dado blade on a table saw once.

Yes, that's a possibility. Would that be any better than just removing the lap flange on the spindle washer though and using the 5/8" blade?

 

[Rustyiron]

Yes, the inner spindle washer is removeable. I could easily take it off and grind the lap flange off of it.

Rob

Sorry, I was thinking it but didn't say it....does the "washer" have a flat side or a 5/8 ?

 

[Rustyiron]

I have a Skilsaw worm drive "big foot" and got a blade from Amazon, it wasn't $90 but it wasn't cheap. $60 iirc and it is a Freud for sure.

 

[RBLapham]

Had a similar problem with a dado set and needed to increase the holes in the blades. Bought a tapered reamer and put in my cordless drill and did the hole enlarging in a few seconds. Really even and smooth holes. Cost about $15. Just get one the size you need (3/4)

 

[BigBlue1]

Sorry, I was thinking it but didn't say it....does the "washer" have a flat side or a 5/8 ?

The spindle washer on the inside is cone shaped on the outside and has a lap flange on the inside where the 3/4" arbor blade rides over. The outer washer is flat.

The inner one is sort of like this except the spindle is a splined round shaft, not a square one.

 

[downsizingnow48]

You could get your dull blade sharpened.

 

[BigBlue1]

You could get your dull blade sharpened.

This is true. But I'm really looking for the question answered:

Is it a poor idea to grind off the lap flange on the inner spindle washer even if the 5/8 arbor blade fits snugly on the spindle? If so, why?

If the answer to that is that it's a bad idea I'll pursue the other paths.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[downsizingnow48]

When I first started in the trades, I was on a job with an elderly plumber who had an old Mall circular saw with a square arbor. Those blades had not been available for a long time. He had two blades and resharpened them over and over again. Worked for him. Vintage saw blades are fairly common on ebay, you might get lucky there.

My take is that I would not ad-hoc a solution on a toothy piece of steel that spins at 3000-5000 rpm.

There are lots of modern 10 1/4" saws ranging from cheap to real expensive. I have the Skil 10 1/4" wormdrive which makes easy work of 4" material.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Have you called a Milwaukee repair shop? They may have a fix or a great idea.

 

[Rustyiron]

But I'm really looking for the question answered:

Is it a poor idea to grind off the lap flange on the inner spindle washer even if the 5/8 arbor blade fits snugly on the spindle? If so, why?

Why don't you show us a picture of the s/n plate, maybe the group will find an answer. I'd wait until this modification is the last resort.

 

[BigBlue1]

The saw is a Milwuakee 6460 saw. It's not like it is from the 60's or something. I don't know what additional information from the model/serial plate would be useful.

 

[BigBlue1]

When I first started in the trades, I was on a job with an elderly plumber who had an old Mall circular saw with a square arbor. Those blades had not been available for a long time. He had two blades and resharpened them over and over again. Worked for him. Vintage saw blades are fairly common on ebay, you might get lucky there.

My take is that I would not ad-hoc a solution on a toothy piece of steel that spins at 3000-5000 rpm.

There are lots of modern 10 1/4" saws ranging from cheap to real expensive. I have the Skil 10 1/4" wormdrive which makes easy work of 4" material.

Resharpening is certainly a potential solution. I was hoping for something more flexible and sustainable over time.

It's not like this is some ancient saw. It's a Milwaukee 6460, which looks like it can't be more then 10-15 years old. Who knows though. I did look through a variety of other options for saws before buying this and I just don't need a $350+ new one. This was the only 10"+ used one I found. I just never anticipated blade availability issues on a brand name modern saw.