Printers Saw Blades

Hello All,

I recently purchased a printers saw that is labeled “Samitrim”, Saw-Miter-Trim, model A, and was made by “Precision Printers Equipment” of Milwaukee, WI. This saw came with several steel blades, but no carbide blades. I have blades of various tooth count and shape, however, they all are fairly dull and don’t cut through maple very well.

My goal is to use this saw to do the final trimming of some wood type that I am fabricating with Gorton P1-2 pantograph. I have been advised to try and find a carbide blade for this saw. I suspect that a Morrison blade would fit, but the only source I have found for a carbide Morrison blade (www.blademfg.com) only sells a 30 tooth blade. It seems like a higher tooth count would be needed for a fine finish cut.

Does anyone in this online community have any experience or knowledge about this particular saw? Or does anyone have any recommendation on what type of saw blade might give me the best results and where I could find it?

Thanks for your advice,

Dan Smith
Corvus Press
Portland, OR

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if the blades you have are dull, you should be able to have them sharpened by a local saw sharpening shop. Normal steel blades will do a good deal of cutting before they will need sharpening again, and the shop owner may be able to help outfit your saw with a carbide blade or one with carbide tips.

Saw blades used for wood cutting typically have a kerf on the teeth, and blades made for metal cutting and printer’s saws have no kerf. And in sharpening the blades, that is also important to know. Blade Mfg sharpens all my business partner’s carbide tipped wood blades and they do an excellent job.

I spoke to Blade Mfg a couple weeks ago, they had a couple Hammond/Morrison compatible carbide blades in stock, their price was $130 each.

I instead took my blade to a local guy that sharpened it and replaced three missing teeth for $27.

I think my blade had 32 teeth, and it’s an original printer’s saw blade. Super smooth cuts aren’t really a requirement, you’re not printing from the cut surfaces.

Before carbide teeth, printer’s saws typically relied on the trimmer bits for smooth cuts. I haven’t seen anybody using them today, but blades usually have the three trimmer holes and most saws have the three mounts in the arbor and an upper position to bring trimmers to working height.
I got a Morrison 60-tooth carbide blade years ago from American Printing equipment. Made two mistakes: dulled the teeth cutting a chrome-plated sink trap, then the local knife-grinder sent it out and it came back with wood-cutting kerf, as Fritz mentions above. Cuts fine, but kerning or mortising now require extra hand finishing, where before the inside corners cut clean and crisp.