Replies

1. 
   richk1 | Feb 18, 2006 04:03pm | #1

   Kind of depends what you're cutting and in which direction (cross or rip).

   I love my Forrest Woodworker II as a combination blade. I've had it for years and it still cuts great. Pricy though.

2. 
   Knotscott | Feb 18, 2006 04:28pm | #2

   I agree with Rich on both his points. Also, what works well on my saw may not be the best choice for your saw...it'd be useful to have some idea what you have.

   My WWII is in the saw 90% of the time and I love the results. I swap it out for a 24T ripping blade for thick hardwoods. Amazon has the WWII 40T TK for $81 delivered. If you prefer a full kerf, I'd seriously consider a DeWalt DW7657 40T which is essentially their equivalent of the Forrest but is $48 delivered from Amazon. Rockler has the Freud F410 (another WWII full kerf equivalent for ~ $75). Check Ebay for good deals too.

   
   

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   Edited 2/18/2006 8:54 am ET by scotty

3. 
   gb93433 | Feb 18, 2006 04:30pm | #3

   I avoid thin kerf blades unless you have an under powered saw and are cutting thin material. Thin kerf blades tend to warp and cut crooked when pushed. When they warp that can be dangerous.

1. 
   Thirsty_Beaver | Feb 18, 2006 04:44pm | #4

   I just got into wood working for keeping me busy on weekends. I just purchased a Ridgid 10'' table saw With the cast iron table. I plan to use all types of wood, depending on what I am making. In the past two weeks I purchased the Bosch 12'' SCMS and a Ridgid Drill Press. I am finding out it is an Expensive Hobbie. Just am looking for tips on good blades and other tools.

1. 
   forestgirl | Feb 18, 2006 06:07pm | #7

   You'll find a huge range of opinions here, John.  The Forrest contingent is strong; I head up the Freud Fan Club.  As someone who understands your statement "I am finding out it is an Expensive Hobbie" I'll suggest you get a good combination blade and a dedicated rip blade.  Since you're recovering from recent big tool purchases, no need to go into hock getting supreme industrial blades right now.  You can get a fine 24-tooth rip blade at Home Depot -- the Diablo by Freud.  For a combo blade, I'd suggest either the Freud LU84 or the Forrest Woodworker II.

   Those blades will get you through most work for quite awhile. You can go more specialized down the road if you need/want to.  Triple-chip for melamine, a specialized cross-cut blade, flat-top grind, there's all kinds of options (mind-boggling).  forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Thirsty_Beaver | Feb 19, 2006 03:35am | #13

   Thanks for all your help. I am going to check into all.

2. 
   forestgirl | Feb 18, 2006 06:12pm | #8

   PS:  to get the best out of your saw, replace the original belt with one of the orange "link belts" -- assuming that works on a Rigid.  They really do make a difference.  It'll cost you about $25.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Knotscott | Feb 18, 2006 06:48pm | #10

   There should be no need with that saw. The Ridgid comes with an automotive style poly-v serpentine belt with proprietary pulleys, which gives similar benefits of a link belt.

3. 
   gb93433 | Feb 18, 2006 07:58pm | #11

   You will probably not have any problem with a thin kerf blade on that saw. If you had a lot more power and made deeper cuts you would have problems.

2. 
   Knotscott | Feb 18, 2006 04:52pm | #5

   The TK's at the better quality levels of Freud, DeWalt, Forrest, CMT, Amana, or Leitz, etc. should not pose any problems....at least they haven't in my experiences with them. The body's are very stiff. I don't even get detectable deflection with them. In fact, the performance of my TK's has been so good, I've literally sold all my full kerfs and am using TK's exclusively. They're alot easier on the motor, save wood, produce less saw dust, and allow a faster feedrate. The only TK's I've experience poor performance from are the cheapies from Oldham, Vermont America, or the ultra TK's that are really thin.

   Edited 2/18/2006 8:56 am ET by scotty

4. 
   bugeye | Feb 18, 2006 04:57pm | #6

   I'm sure that others will argue with me on this, but I find that unless you're cutting more than 2" material, the best blade to run is a cheap thin kerf 7 1/4" blade made for a skillsaw. They're cheap, and cut like crazy. I guess that the smaller diameter lets you get away with a thinner kerf. Another reason that this works well for me is that with a more expensive blade, one that I would have resharpened, I find that I procrastinate on getting them sharpened, and consequently end up running dull blades more often than I should. The makita blades that I favor end up costing about $5 each if I buy them 10 at a time. I don't hesitate to swap them out.

5. 
   bones | Feb 18, 2006 06:20pm | #9

   I have the Forrest WWII for the cabinet saw and the WWI for the RAS for cross cutting. I also have the 7 1/4 for the Circular saw.  I have the thin kerf and have absolutely no problems.  I love the cut. Glass smooth cuts and the amount of carbide on that thing is amazing.  Forrest isn't the cheapest, but after I bought the first one, I was hooked. 

6. 
   Troy | Feb 19, 2006 12:54am | #12

   If price is an issue you might ck out ebay. I picked up a couple of 40 tooth Dewalt Series 40 blades that were brand new for about 20.00 each. I don't think they are as good as the forest blades but they are a very nice general purpose blade.

   Good luck

   Troy