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Recommendations? I've got some figured maple I want to cut up into binding but my fret slotting blade failed miserably. What are you guys using?

A bandsaw.

I use a 6tpi blade. I typically resaw (on my resaw) and pre-thickness my material to around .250”. I then rip the binding to around .110”. I run them both directions through my thickness sander to clean them up and like to end up with around .225” x .095”. This allows me to glue on the purflings and sand to a final thickness of .080”.

Best. M

The 7-1/4 diablo blade 40 tooth blade. What I always use for ripping binding. I know you loose a few pieces due to the kerf but it’s a nice clean cut.


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The 40 tooth Diablo is what we use - kerf is 1/16", so as mentioned, the waste is tolerable. We have used the 60 tooth version of the little Diablo, but noticed no real difference.

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How did your fret slotting blade fail? I use mine for it all the time...

It was a little terrifying. I was using a fret slotting blade from Shane Neifer with stiffeners and was ripping some maple when it seemed like the blade got too hot and basically went jello. I did have it set a little tall but it started meandering in and out by about ~1/8” left and right while burning the material up. The blade is cooked, which is fine because I’m building nothing but fan frets at the moment but I did lose some nice fiddleback maple that is unusable now and I still need to cut some new binding. Outside of wasting another blade I’d like a more rigid alternative. I’ve always been happy with Freud products so I’ll go with that. Is the the .098” kerf you fellas are using or am I looking at the wrong blade?


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7-1/4" diameter D0740X/DO740R 40 tooth finish blade...1/16" kerf. We use a single 3-1/2" stiffener on the nut side of the arbor.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-7-1-4-in-x-40-Teeth-Finish-Saw-Blade-D0740R/100017783

About $16, although we have seen the '2 for 1' promotion from time to time and stock up at that price. This blade stays on the cabinet saw roughly 95% of the time. We use a fresh one when it's time to mill binding up, and the dull ones are consigned to cutting up aluminum and phenolic.



Freud also offers this blade in 8-1/2" format, but at twice the price (~$29) and just 3/8" additional depth of cut (blade diameter is just over 8", despite the claim for suitability in 8-1/2" circular saws), we find the 7-1/4" is a better combination of price, function, and availability.

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Freud is now making a 60 tooth blade in a 7 1/4 inch size. It might give an even smoother cut in thin materials. When cutting binding strips on the table saw I clamp a thin piece of wood between the fence and blade as a "featherboard" to keep the strip against the table as it leaves the blade.
For general cutting I prefer the 24 tooth when using a 7 1/4 inch blade on the table saw. The larger gullets clear the sawdust better and it seems to run cooler and stay sharp longer than the 40 tooth blades.

This is exactly how I do it as well unless the material is already thin then I cut it on the band saw and clean up one edge on my 6 X 89 sander.

Interesting. I use my LMI blade once it's too dull for fret slots, with the intended stiffeners and a zero clearance insert. It handlesx verything well except Ebony, which I use the diablo for. But the fret slot blade has cut thousands of purflings and hundreds of sets of binding even while dull. Long sessions can make it smokeca but, but in general, I'm only making one or two sets at a time...

I cut some yesterday on the table saw with a fret slotting blade. Highly figured Claro Walnut sides had enough room for some strips because this set is being used for a 000. I trued the edge, thickness sanded to .075" and set the fence to about .160". I was able to get 8 strips which I numbered for bookmatching.

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I thickness my sides to .090, then rip the bindings, then sand the sides to whatever I want to bend it at. Having the bindings at .090 makes it easier to add the purfs and sand smooth to the final .070...