[DesertRatTom]

I find that thin kerf blades are prone to deflection, often for seemingly no reason. Also, high tooth count blades aren't used for ripping because their gullets can't carry away the waste fast enough, thus adding heat. I now use mainly full kerf blades and rarely have burn marks unless I stall the feed for a second or two. I'm really fond of the glue line blades.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Time to clean up several of my blades. I cut a fair amount of pine. One last suspect. I got a pretty good straight edge not long ago and discovered that the face was slightly warped, not by much, but even a few thousandths bulge would cause problems. If the fence were truly flat, the readout from near to far would be gradual and fairly steady, but it isn't. I think a wood fence would be more prone to this.