My question to all of you is what is the perfect table saw blade. In my situation I have a bosch table saw with the stock blade past the end of its life. I am getting ready to start a job where I will be making many jamb extensions from 1x oak. I have done excessive research tooth numbers, tooth angles and kirf thickness, however, I think that experience trumps all and for this I come to you. I am not really looking for the best deal on a blade, but am more concerned with the best quality.
thanks,
Ben
Replies
There is no such thing asa "perfect" blade...or anything for that matter.
I'd plop out 75-100 $ on a freud..LU60m ( I think) a "master combination) I have afew that are 20+ yrs old and been sharpened a few times..still a solid performer.
Wanna go big bucks? Forrest...great blade, but, way pricy, and THEY want to resarpen them ( about 3 weeks turn around time).
Bosch, DeWalt, all are fine too...but the selection is oftern aimed at chop saws..0 degree hook, or a negative 10..not too well suited for the TS and ripping..
Freud is the best bang ferthe buck, IMO..get a combination blade. Thin kerf is also good if the saw is lacking testosterone, or yer stick is thick.
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I have been using a frued rip-line blade that makes the sweetest cuts I've ever come across. The tooth design is an alternate style which makes them costly to resharpen but I've had about two years of work on mine and it is still sharp. This blade is strickly a rip blade though, crosscuts are pretty ragged on the underside of the wood.
Good luck.
I have that same saw, and if you were happy with the OEM blade, why don't you jujst have it sharpened?
As you know, there are many (many) alternatives for TS blades, but I still think the best all-around, consistently excellent blade is Forrest -- the Woodworker II, at about $100. I use this blade for everything from ripping 2 x 4's to cutting plywood -- always with a glass smooth finish.
And no, you don't have to return the blade to Forrest for sharpening -- but their service seems to be the best. I know a cabinetmaker that buys new Freud blades and has them shipped directly to Forrest for sharpening. But I can't tell you why whatever they do is so much better than other sharpening services.
I like CMT's rip blade for my Rigid jobsite table saw. It's been a great blade. I forget the specs and tooth count, but it's a fairly wide blade and produces excellent results. I liked it so much I ordered another one of their blades for my LS1013.... that blade has been great too. Just my two cents.
I've been using three blades that have served well for a long time, with many sharpenings. A Delta 50T combination, made in Israel, a Systematic triple chip rip and a Freud LU85M Ultimate cutoff. I have some thin kerfs but they wobble too much, especially on a saw like the Bosch. Keep the blades clean for longer life.
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I usually use CMT, not a rip blade, it's some kind of combo. Around 50 bucks, and it crosscuts plywood cleanly...and, best thing, the CMT blades last a long time...got them on my miter saws, too.That said, there's a red $45 Freud thin kerf combo on my table saw right now, works fine...I personally think Forrest is way to expensive relative to the quality of it's cuts and time between needing sharpenings. Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I bought the Forrest blade for my Powermatic. Increable blade.
I actually need to get it resharpened after two years but I'm sure it'll last for decades so its worth the dough.
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a...
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I'll put my vote in for the Forrest WoodworkerII. I have tried almost every type of blade out there and it is hands down the best. I have one mounted in a Dewalt portable TS and I get glue-line rips in all types of hardwoods. The one downside is the price. But then you get what you pay for. I would under any circumstances stay away from thin kerf blades. They warp when they heat up defeating any other advantages.
For a bit less The CMT line is also very good and should give you acceptable results.
The Freud blades seem to me to be a bit inconsistent in quality I've had good ones and not so good ones of the same model.
Basically the more you spend on a blade the less dressing of the cuts you'll have to do.
One other thing to keep in mind is that any blade will give results only as good as the runout of the saw it is used on. If you have the means to check it do so. There is no sense spending good money on a blade for a saw that doesn't appreciate it.
Every blade test in every magazine I've read in the last dozen years has said that a good forty tooth gives about as good a cut as a fifty tooth combination.
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Another vote for the Forrest Woodworker II. I use one in a Bosch portable table saw and it gives me nearly perfect cuts in solid wood and plywood. I've gone through dozens of lesser blades looking for a bargain. Should have just dropped the cash on the WWII first and SAVED myself a bunch of money.
If I were tyou, I would buy a Woodworker II from Forest, and then send them your current blade for a tuneup.
I go back and forth between Forrest and the Freud thinkerf coated blades. wE usually only sharpent the Freuds one time before they hit the trash bin.
There is some wondering why Forrest sharpeneinfg is worth it?
Around here, two out of three sharpening guys know next to nothing about sharopening. They plop the blade in an auto grinder and however it comes out is what they think is right, regardless of whether it balances or even it the right angles were ground for that particular blade.
forrest works the right setup for the particular blade and then they use a finer grit stone to end up with practically a polished finish on it. You have to use the blade for awhile just to get it dull enough to compare to what most new blades are to begin with.
I am suprised to hear of folks with only one blade, BTW. I'd hate to imagine what it would cost me to have the job shut down for a week to have my one blade resharpened. Also, we change back and forth between rip and finish baldes according to what it is we are doing at the moment.
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I would get the woodworker II for your finished millwork (like that 1x oak) and a mid level freud from HD for cutiing 2x stock and other house framing stuff.
Freud LM72M010 industrial rip blade. Full .125 kerf. Outfit it with Forrest or Lee Valley blade stabilizers.
thanks for all the good advice. I found the woodworker II on the forest website for 89.00, so i decided to go with it. I hope I am as happy with it as most of you are