I recently saw a disparaging remark (can't remember exactly where) which implied that I'm doing my table saw blade storage all wrong. I have a 10" Craftsman (flex drive) saw and the Shopsmith Mark V/500. When I bought the Shopsmith the blades were all thrown together in the bottom of a cardboard box except for the one which was mounted on the machine.

 

I threw the rusted ones out, one (carbide rip blade) was worth sharpening and is still wrapped in plastic from the sharpener, an 8" fine tooth plywood steel blade was not sharpenable but still appears to have some life in it, I have the 10" steel combination blade which came on the Shopsmith, and I've purchased a pair of (5/8" arbor) Craftsman blades from Big Blue Box for the flex drive; as I've purchased the Shopsmith 5/8" arbor I can use them on it as well. I also have a stacked dado set and wobble dado (thanks, John!) which could be used on either machine. That's my current inventory, although when finances improve a little bit I'm hoping to get a good thin-kerf premium quality combination blade from Forrest or Freud or the like. Not sure whether I want 5/8" arbor or bore it out to Shopsmith 1-1/4".

 

So, what would be the proper way to store these blades? Currently they're all laying flat in a drawer in the tool cart I use to hold my accessories. I'm thinking of taking a piece of 2x6 or 2x8, clamping down on the Shopsmith saw table, and lowering it onto the spinning blade to cut a slot to store the various blades in vertically. Or is there a better way? What would the old hands recommend?

I store mine this way.   

 

 

10 inch tablesaw blades

 

 

Circular saw blades and dado blades

My storage isn't very different from Gunny's, but the blades are in plastic holders and sitting on their edge. This is n a cabinet for my saw stuff. As long as you have a way for them to not bang together (carbide is very brittle and will break/chip easily) and still be accessible you should be good.

My reason for using the removable inserts was they are easier to grab and put on table to see what I am doing, as well as space saving.  This is the drawer I have then in.  Took a bit of time to work out how to fit all that stuff in this one drawer.  

 

I copied this idea from a magazine-

 

Just some scrap plywood.

24 minutes ago, lew said:

I copied this idea from a magazine-

 

Just some scrap plywood.

That's how mine were stored. Leaves room for the Shopsmith arbors.

Edited August 24, 20205 yr by Gene Howe

SADLY I dont HAVE a tablesaw LOL on the shopping list still

After year of hanging , over here and over there, I had em all sharpened and put in a metal drawer. Safest place I could find for them....

I liked the idea of storing them in the plastic holders - until I looked at the price. So I built a "cabinet" with grooved sides to hold the trays made from an MDF bottom with an 1/8" hardboard top glued to it. This sits on the shelf below the side extension on my Delta saw.

 

Gluing around the perimeter of the bottom panel

 

Making the cutout for the saw blade

 

Showing the center cut out

 

With a blade in place

 

Cutting the dadoes for the trays

 

Assembled with some trays installed

 

The cabinets sitting under the saw extension

 

Sorry, it's been a while and I've forgotten how to resize (reduce) the pictures. When I first made these, I'd planned on drilling finger holes in the trays to make them easier to pull out, but there's enough space between the trays that I can just grab the edge  and pull them out.

I like that, clever!

 The one I use has about 6  blades and is a very simple design. It has a quarter inch backing board with a handle/hanger cut in the top. A quarter inch bolt thru the center and each blade has a cardboard separator. You could have a couple, each designated for a type of blade.

I like all the ideas posted here.  There is a book that usually accompanies a Shopsmith and it is called "Power tool woodworking for everyone".  The design of Fred and Gene is very much like the rack shown in that book.  

 

I had a friend in Texas that used to sharpen blades and would replace carbide tips.  His name was Helms.  When he returned my blades, they were wrapped with this.  https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/hopkins-39035-3-8-convoluted-tubing-to-protect-wires-10-39035/11500448-P?searchTerm=wiring protection

 

I use it on all my handsaws.  I think whatever method you use as long as they don't bump together or lie where the moisture can stick between them, you should be good.  Also, I wax mine about every 6 months.  

I guess I'm a "minimalist"   I have three table saw blades, a Freud rip, a Forrest WWII, and a thinner kerf Irwin that I was given.  One of the latter two is usually on the saw unless I am ripping a lot of stuff.  Maybe I'm just lazy because I don't swap out the blades very often.   So I have two cardboard boxes that the unused ones came in and they sit on the bottom shelf of my cabinet.  I might have another one in there that was an impulse purchase or swap out when I put a better blade on the miter saw, but it would be on the bottom in its box, too. 

 

I have lots of clamps, though.

I used the idea of a beer caddy that seem to be so poplar last few years.  They tuck nicely into this drawer.

 

 

I kinda did something like TOMP.