: The Matsu......whatever blades are carbide tipped, and a 1/16" kerf is
: about as thin as it is likely to get. Carbide is the way to go in my
: opinion. Your cutting quite a lot of bd ft of material and the cutting
: quality of the steel blade will get noticeably worse the more you cut
: (though maybe for the price difference you could get 2 for the price of
: one carbide blade). You should be able to cut strips for more than one
: boat with a carbide blade. If you wind up like most folks here at the ol'
: forum, this won't be your last boat.
: Also, if your saw motor is small, you probably want as little load as
: possible, and a smoother cut now means a little easier work later during
: the fairing process.........my vote in the great carbide vs steel
: debate.........carbide.....sorry....must be that Presidential thing going
: on
: garland

The Matsushita 7 1/4 in blade is he ultimate thin kerf carbide-tipped blade. They carry them in the cabinet shops around here but there is a quy that sells them for $26 each at 910-686-4184. He advertised in Messing About in Boats. 100% better than any other blade I have used. I have no connection with this guy.

However, I am confused. Why have folks been talking about a thin kerf planer blade? A planer is a woodworking machine used strickly for reducing the thickness of a plank, rather like a jointer but in a more controlled fashion. Kerf is an entirely irrelevent term when applied to a planer. It seems that this disccusion has in fact been about a thin kerf saw blade used to rip strips off of a larger plank.

BTW, if you are having to let your blade cool down after a few strips either the blade is very dull or the saw blade is not parallel to the fence. With the soft woods used for strips and a properly adjusted saw you should be able to cut stips continuously for a dozen kayaks with no problem. If you can't, adjust your saw and get one of these blades.