Replies

1. 
   nikkiwood | Feb 05, 2005 06:14am | #1

   I have two WW II's, and pitch build-up has never been an issue.

   How about giving Forrest a call and see if they can help diagnose the problem? I have had occasion to call there 2-3 times over the years, and the people I have found (I don't think they are big enough to have a customer service department) were always very helpful.

1. 
   highfigh | Feb 05, 2005 06:33pm | #2

   They don't just make blades for woodworkers, they make a lot of industrial cutting tools. They do have a customer service dept and they should be called, although it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the moisture content of the wood. Also, how much plywood was cut before it gummed up? Could be the glue that is causing this. Maybe clean it again and cut some oak to verify this. Oak doesn't have the sugar that cherry and maple do, so it's kind of odd that it would get gummed up this way.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   TimLoupe | Feb 05, 2005 08:44pm | #3

   Notrix,

   I own many WWII blades and they all work well , sometimes  wood is extra resinous and has to be cleaned more often ,sometimes you can rip one board and it puts some stickyness on the blade making everything else stick to.I have also cleaned blades before and the cleaner made the blade gum up quickly. I had a real problem after a rosewood job, what a mess ! My suggestion is reclean the blade make sure it is real clean ,and pay attention to everything you cut. Forest blades don't have much of a rake , not sure if thats the proper term,but thats why they cut so smooth and tend to get dirty faster.In my oppinion they are the best blade out there but you have to keep up on the maintenace.

   Tim

3. 
   mudman | Feb 05, 2005 09:06pm | #4

   I have to clean my WW2, on average, after every project. my projects are typically larger ones though, maybe 6 sheets of ply and 2 or 3 hundred feet of lumber.

   I can't say that this blade gums up any faster than any other I've owned. If your feed rates are to slow the blade heats up more and gums up faster. Are you using a contractors saw?

   Mike

   please excuse my spelling.
1. 
   highfigh | Feb 05, 2005 09:40pm | #5

   Your fence didn't get biffed recently, did it? If it's a touch farther away from the blade at the rear than it was, the left side of the blade may gum up more and your waste pieces will have more saw marks, obviously. If it wasn't biffed and the gum is on both sides evenly, I would think the glue may have caused it. My blades were pretty gunked up after doing my kitchen cabinets last fall. They sure do cut nicely now, though.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

4. 
   kinnikinnick | Feb 06, 2005 06:09am | #6

   I have 6 Fww2 blades and cut mostly cherry & mah.  Have had these blades many years and have had tmem sharpened by Forrest many times.

    

   The only time I had a problem with gumming-up is when I ripped about 400 ft. of pine.

    

   Don't know why oak would gum it up.

5. 
   biosf1 | Feb 06, 2005 09:19am | #7

   I have three wwII and I have some build-up on the blade , but it only seems to bother when I'm trying to get a precise end cut. Mostly with cherry. but usually clean the blades before that step , and I some times spray dry silicone table top spray over the whole blade when I have lots of ripping or have the time. I build furniture full time and not commercially.

   I'm a member of a woodworkers guild and we had a commercial saw sharping business owner give us a talk , and one thing I thought was a very important thing he said for any saw , is to never let it sit a long period with the pitch build -up left on the blade , cause the acids eat away at the carbide.

    

   I hope this was helpful..

6. 
   PhillipB | Feb 11, 2005 03:34am | #8

   To All,

   I have two WW2's: a 40T and a 30T and a WW1. I also have a teflon (or something) coated Freud which I use on occasion to keep the Forrest's fresh. I have never noticed any difference in how one or the other (brand) gums up. Cutting is a whole other story. Forrest is KING.

   However, if I am EVER going to slice some pine, I spray 'DriCote' by Bostik on the blade. The only drawback to this is that the really find particles of sawdust become somewhat sticky and will cling to the interior of your TS making clean-up somewhat tedious. Blade maintenance is like any other tool in the shop - its gotta be done and the sooner the better.

   Regards,
   Phillip

1. 
   Walker1 | Jul 31, 2005 07:36pm | #9

   PhillipB,      I found on of your old posts, that you said you have a Forrest WW11 30T.  I have the WW11 40T and was wondering weather the the 30T has substantially  more ripping power than the 40T, and if you would highly recommend buying it in addition to the 40T.

            Or if anyone else has feedback on this, please let me know.

               Thanks.                              Walker1    

1. 
   Walker1 | Jul 31, 2005 07:43pm | #10

           Sorry guys I didn't mean to put all those old posts back up there.

                  Oops.                   Walker1

1. 
   Walker1 | Aug 01, 2005 07:28am | #14

       Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like I'm getting a new dedicated ripping blade. My 24T Freud is worn out and I really don't want another one. That's why I was curious about the WW11 30T.

               The Dimar Industrial  blades at Lee Valley look good, and the specs. are impressive, so I think I'll give one of there 24T's a try.

            Cheers.                                    Walker1 

1. 
   wrudiger | Aug 01, 2005 09:24am | #15

   I strongly suggest the 40T Forrest WW2.  In the last couple of days I've ripped a bunch of hard maple - up to 1-3/4" thick (cut like butter) - and then ripped some 3/4" plywood with no tearout - and in some cases I was only taking 1/16" which often wants to chip out.  Reading the comments on these discussions I am reminded that the quality of cut I take for granted is by no means the norm.

   I didn't read the whole thread, but IF you do cut a lot of plywood the Duraline is amazing - I can't tell which side of the cut was on top.  For a few cuts, or where it won't be seen I'll use the WW2 but if I'm cutting a lot and/or sensitive cuts (e.g. veneered arch. grade MDF) the Duraline is the only way to fly.

2. 
   PhillipB | Jul 31, 2005 10:49pm | #11

   Hello, Walker1,I'm not sure what post you were referring to, but none the less I will try to repond.I actually have WWII's in 30T and 40T configuration. I also have a WWI 12-incher in 60T for my radial arm and their 8-inch dado set. You specifically mentioned ripping which is much easier that cross-cutting as we know. I see no difference in the use of either blade. However, because the gullets of the 30T are wider than the 40T it would seem that the 30T would cut easier. This is no doubt true, but we have to remember that we are talking about Forrest blades and not another brand. In my opinion, these are the best blades on the planet so we can expect them to run quieter, exhibit no measureable run-out, and in the end, cut better whether cross-cutting or ripping.Other brands, by comparison, may exhibit significant differences when comparing the performance of a 30T to a 40T blade when ripping. In the case of the Forrest's, I see no significant difference. I must add that I do not rush the blade through the stock. This is never a good thing to do regardless of the tool. If I were prone to do that, then the 30T may exhibit better cutting ability than the 40T blade as it should. I must add that my preference is to do most of the grunt cutting with a non-Forrest blade and switching to the Forrest for the finishing cut. Since we are talking about ripping in general, I do wish that Forrest would make a blade specifically for ripping. This blade would have its carbide tips ground in the Flat Top Grind (FTG) configuration, rather that the Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) that Forrest favors. I have had to purchase a blade in the FTG configuration to make this type of cut and I can tell you that this blade has never exhibited the sharpness that the Forrest's have.I hope I have answered your question. Feel free to respond again.Regards,
   Phillip

1. 
   CharlieStanford | Aug 01, 2005 05:21pm | #16

   You specifically mentioned ripping which is much easier that cross-cutting as we know.

   Uhhh, ripping is harder on the saw and blade than crosscutting.  That's when you read saw reviews a rip cut in thick hardwood is often the acid test of the unit.

   I can crosscut 2" thick rock maple with a contractor saw all day long, but ripping it would be another matter altogether.

1. 
   CharlieStanford | Aug 02, 2005 04:05am | #17

   Bump.

2. 
   CajunDan | Aug 02, 2005 07:53pm | #18

   Does your computer keep making a "Bump" sound?

   Seriously, what does "Bump" mean?

   Edited 8/2/2005 12:56 pm ET by Cajun Dan

3. 
   nikkiwood | Aug 10, 2005 09:01am | #20

   "Bumping" is simply a way to keep a thread alive. If there are no posts on a given thread in a few days, it falls off the message list that appears on your screen.Good souls generally will post a "bump" if they think others might have a comment on a thread they may have previously missed.Also, the originator of the thread may do a "bump" post if there weren't many initial responses. ********************************************************
   "I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
   -- Herb Caen (1916-1997)

4. 
   PhillipB | Aug 03, 2005 05:51am | #19

   Stanford,Thanks for pointing my error out to me. I rarely perform long rips in anything other than sheet goods, but your message gave me pause to think about my comment. I should have explained further.Going 'with the grain' is always smoothest when using a hand plane, but the only time that I can recall burning wood was when I was 'going with the grian' by ripping a board on my TS. At one time I was using a lot of hickory and it if my feed rate was not correct when ripping, I burned the wood. However, after I bought my band saw, I've learned to use it to trim the stock so that my rip will be more of a slice than an actual rip. In other words, I leave less than 1/4-inch of waste to be removed by the rip which greatly reduces burning. And most of my 'rips' are 18-inches or less because that is the width of my TS x-cut sled. I can't even recall the last time that I had to rip anything longer than that. I have a work-bench project coming up so no doubt I will have more than a few rips to make.Again, I want to thank you for pointing this out to me.Regards,
   Phillip

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Jul 31, 2005 11:21pm | #12

   The last time I talked to the folks at Forrest, they strongly recommended their 30 tooth for a general purpose blade that would be capable of ripping up to 1 1/2" thick hardwood.  They said that there would be no degradation when crosscutting when compared to their 40 tooth.

   They do not recommend their 40 tooth blade for ripping hardwood thicker than 3/4", maybe 1".Howie.........

1. 
   nikkiwood | Jul 31, 2005 11:33pm | #13

   That squares with my own experience. I keep a 40 tooth Forrest on my saw as a general, all purpose blade. It works fine for a few rips here and there, but if I have a whole stack of stuff (for ripping), I switch to a dedicated rip blade.********************************************************
   "I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
   -- Herb Caen (1916-1997)