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Premium saw blade

6K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  woodnthings 
#1 ·
I have a need for your opinion. I am trying to decide if it is a wise investment to purchase a “premium” saw blade.

I was always taught to use a 24 tooth FTG for ripping, a 40 or 50 tooth ATB for crosscutting and a fine tooth blade for plywood, etc. It seems as if blade manufacturers are now recommending an ATB for both ripping and crosscutting.

I currently have a CMT 24 tooth FTG, CMT 40 tooth ATB and a CMT 60 tooth TCG and a DeWalt dado set. I have CMT blades because my lumber supplier carries CMT blades and often have good sales ( less than $50.00). I have found these blades to be good but I don’t know if they are great. I also have a Diablo combination blade and the CMT blades seem to be much better. My table saw is a 3 HP Grizzly g1023.

I am about to begin a project which will require a lot of ripping of 6/4 cherry and maple and some 8/4 walnut, along with several species of 4/4 stock. Of course, this wood has been jointed and planed. I prefer to use a full kerf blade.

My ripping blade is no longer cutting as well as it used to cut and I either need to get it sharpened or replace it.

I have read a lot of reviews about Forrest, Freud and Amana. I am considering the purchase of a Woodworker II, 40 tooth ATB blade, but $150.00 is a steep price. Is it really worth it?

I would love to hear your thoughts.
 
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#2 ·
I am happy with my Freud table saw blades ....

I use the Diablo line, because they are cheap and perform well. Freud also has an Industrial line which have both thin kerf and full kerf blades, more expensive, but better quality.
I also shop with Holbren for cutting tools and planer knives and they have some premium lines including Ridge Carbide and Tenryu, not as widely known, but really good quality:
https://www.holbren.com/table-saw-blades/


https://ridgecarbidetool.com/saw-blades/ridge-super-blades/table-saw-blades.html
 
#12 ·
I use the Diablo line, because they are cheap and perform well. Freud also has an Industrial line which have both thin kerf and full kerf blades, more expensive, but better quality.
I also shop with Holbren for cutting tools and planer knives and they have some premium lines including Ridge Carbide and Tenryu, not as widely known, but really good quality:
https://www.holbren.com/table-saw-blades/


https://ridgecarbidetool.com/saw-blades/ridge-super-blades/table-saw-blades.html
What is your experience with the RC and Tenryu blades? Thanks for taking time to help me
 
#5 · (Edited)
One of our members owns a sharpening company

Triplechip, a members here has several you Tube videos about how his company WD Quinn Saw Company sharpens almost any type of blade or cutter. The machines used cost over $100,000.00 and are super precise. I would give them a try before running out and making a new blade purchase, because after sharpening, it can make a big difference in the performance. :surprise2:










Also a glue line rip or flat top tooth blade can be used for precision joinery that will not leave "bat ears" like from the bevel tooth ABT blades:


 
#6 ·
I do a fair amount of 6+/4 ripping.
just finished a project but toward the end I noticed the saw was laboring, making smoke...
checking the blade, it was all gunked up with pitch/tar/resin/whatever.
cleaned the blade - woohoo - like new.
"dirty" blades do not allow the sawdust/chips to move away cleanly - more heat, more sticky, more force needed.....quite a remarkable difference for a ten minute solution soak + 5 minute inspection with brass wire brush at the ready....


that said, if you're going to be ripping a raft - stick with the 40 tooth FTG. it is the classic "best"
the combo blades are convenient as you don't have to swap out blades every 3 minutes, but for big time rips - the FTG is tops.


I use Freud and Diablo - not super expensive, do a knock-em dead job.


and oh btw and sorta' in between..... if you want to do a very good glue-ready joint by ripping, rip once, 1 to 1/2 kerf width over "width"
then a final very light 1/2 kerf width pass to final dimension. pass the pc thru a final rip with zip,zero effort/push makes a fine edge.

just my experience, take it fwiw.
 
#7 ·
I recently upgraded to a Freud 10" x 30T (Industrial Glue Line Ripping Blade - LM74R010) for ripping on my table saw and Freud 10" x 40T Next Generation Premier Fusion General Purpose Blade for crosscuts on my table saw. I also upgraded to a Freud 12" x 48T Next Generation Premier Fusion General Purpose Blade for my miter saw.

I've only been using these blades for about 4 months but so far I'm very impressed. I've cut some poplar, white oak and purple heart on these recently. I've also ripped a large amount of old 8/4 black locust for a barn wood trestle table I'm working on. This black locust wood was very hard on my other equipment but so far these blades have held up nicely.

I hate to admit that I've actually hit a few nail ends on my table saw with both the ripping and next gen blade. After going through a half dozen nails there was no damage on either blade and cuts are still perfect.

The ripping blade is just over $60. The Premier 10" fusion is around $83 and the 12" is around $95. Not cheap but not as much as other high end blades. So far I'm happy.
 

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#9 ·
IMO CMT blades are better than Freud.

Definitely get it sharpened. If you're looking for a better quality cut go with a glue line rip. I have a Freud 40T glue line rip it is pretty nice (chrome version).

IMO yes, Forrest blades are worth the extra $$.

Krud Kutter is an excellent blade cleaner.
 
#13 ·
Sharpening quality as it relates to cut quality may be a differentiator between premium blades and less expensive blades. I was shopping at the local Rockler store when the Freud representative came in. He asked me about the blades I use and I told him that I had Forrest blades. He commented that Forrest makes excellent blades, but where they really stand out is the quality of their sharpening. He said that if I took my Forrest blades to an ordinary resharpener, I would get an ordinary blade back. Keep in mind that his company competes with Forrest, but some of the members here have backed up that statement. (I send my blades to Forrest for resharpening. Forrest will resharpen other brands of blades, too.)

In addition to perceived cut quality, another reason you may want a premium blade is that they are made with thicker carbide teeth. You can resharpen those premium blades many times before they are used up, which brings the overall cost of ownership more in line with cheaper blades. Cheaper blades are often treated as consumable items, because the cost of buying a new blade isn't much more than the cost of resharpening it.

The carbide teeth are not the only parts that are thicker in premium blades. The blade bodies on premium blades are also thicker and more massive than blade bodies on cheaper blades. That's true for thin kerf blades as well. The extra mass reduces vibration and leads to smoother cuts. (Would adding a blade stabilizer/dampener to a cheap blade yield the same results? I don't know.)

Fine Woodworking Magazine Test Results:

The March/April 2018 issue of Fine Woodworking magazine has an article comparing "Combination Sawblades." Despite the article's title and text, the author actually tested general purpose blades, with evenly spaced teeth and gullets. You can see "General Purpose" printed on each blade in the photos.

The author compared eight full kerf blades. The author tested crosscut quality in pine, cherry, and plywood, and rip quality in pine and cherry. He also measured rip speed in 8/4 maple. The author awarded "Best Overall" and "Best Value" to the Freud Premier Fusion P410, but it may not be your best choice, because rip speeds were markedly slower than the other blades. He also awarded "Best Overall" to the Forrest Woodworker II and the Ridge Carbide TS2000.

My Advice:

If I were doing a lot of rip cuts in thick hardwoods, I would buy a true rip blade for the best cuts.

If you are thinking about buying a Forrest Woodworker II, consider getting the "Modified #6 grind" version. It is a general purpose blade with evenly spaced teeth and standard gullets. The tooth geometry still uses ATB, but the "modified" difference is that every fifth tooth is a raker tooth, which yields better, faster rip cuts.
https://www.forrestblades.com/woodworker-ii-modified/
(You can also get it in a thin kerf version, which is the one that I have.)
 
#14 · (Edited)
Tenryu makes good blades used them for 7 years at the furniture company. Quality = price with this blade.. not cheap..

In cabinet shops commercial or residential a blade must last one week if you have a full time cut guy. A saw guy can tell the dull one coming off vs the freshly sharpened one going on.

A hobby woodworker wouldn't catch this until it starts chipping, etc...

For this reason I don't buy Freud. I would rather have that extended time between sharpenings....
 
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