Just got through cutting a bunch of Pro-Core oak ply with a new Freud F-80 “Hyper Finish” blade. No splintering.
Tried it on “C” & “D” grade maple and some walnut ply. No splintering.
Havn’t tried it on melimine ’cause I presently don’t have any scraps.
Looks like Freud has got a real winner here. Absolutely no chip out or splintering on anything. Tried it supported and not supported, as on a panel sled. No difference.
I leave the blade about 1/8″ above the material, with a moderate feed rate. Edges are sharp enough to cut you. Much better cut than a Freud LU98MO.
Blade is pricey, but it’ll pay for itself in no time in time saved.
Replies
I'd like to try one of these, but Freud blades are not available retail in New Zealand - can anyone recommend a good mailorder supplier?
Are these blades available in metric sizes - to fit my Minimax (250mm with a 30mm bore)?
If you find a pro shop that will ship the Freud blades, you can have them send a 30mm bore. The blades are made in Italy, so there should not be a problem to have them drop shipped to NZ. (You may have to buy more than one to get them to go the extra effort.)
BTW: What model MM do you have? I have the CU 300 Smart and use a 10" Freud Glue-line rip blade on it 100% of the time. Great blade, and I understand it will be available later this year in a 12"/300mm format._________________________________
Michael in San Jose
"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell
Hi Michael
I have a new series 3 sliding table saw (SCW3 or 3W, always get the order wrong), which I am in the process of setting up. I have a cheap Chinese blade installed while I size up recycled chipboard and 22mm 9ply for stands (for my also fairly new Makita slide compound saw, and a bench-top drill press) and for a router table that sits in the right back corner attached to the steel extension table ... I'm setting the saw up as a central work station, with my thicknesser, mitre saw, drill press and double-clamp workbench all mobile and clustered nearby.
I'll try one of the mailorder outfits for an F series blade. There's a local manufacturer here in New Zealand (Linbide - see them on the internet) who make great stuff, but their blades are conventional designs as far as I can tell. One of my problems is that I'm in the deep south (near Queenstown for the geographically literate) and there's no-one within a 6 hour drive that stocks any of this stuff!
You going to wonder why anyone would buy a saw without a sliding table after about the 1st sheet of plywood you cut.
Good luck with the new stuff.
_________________________________
Michael in San Jose
"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell
Edited 7/12/2004 3:00 am ET by MICHAELP
Yeah
I always wanted a saw with a slider - then when I saw the illustrations of MM saws (among others) with the split right next to the blade (rather than just having an outrigger hung off the side of a standard table) I knew I had to have one.
The irony is, when I worked wood for a living, I couldn't justify a really good saw. Now when I'm a recreational woodworker, I can! There's no justice ... or perhaps there is!?
M
The "reality" is, even in the Bay Area, a cabinet maker, a really good one, barely makes $20.00/hr, and that means he/she cannot afford a MiniMax, maybe Delta, but then they need to skip the utility payment._________________________________
Michael in San Jose
"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell
Here's Freud's customer service page. You could email them and get some advice about obtaining a blade:
http://www.freudtools.com/woodworkers/customer_srv/cstmr_srvc.shtml forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The problem is - and it must be very common among woodworkers - that I keep reading about this or that great new blade/tool/attachment, and I can never actually get to see one, let alone try one out. I've bought a lot of stuff over the years sight-unseen. The US catalogue publishers do a great job, and for us out here on the edge of the world they're a real boon. And FWW has always been a key source of good information.
Choosing the 'right' saw blade for my Minimax is an excellent example, as the discussion above shows. What the **** do I buy? The good stuff is too expensive to take a punt on.
Have done FG ... I'll let you know how I get on!
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Chees!
The best Freud could do is a phone number in Australia.
Australia!
That's no better than the US (and some of us Kiwis would say much worse - sorry you Aussies - go the All Blacks)
Malcolm
(smile from ear to ear - can I have 20 points start???)
By the way Malcolm, Carbatec carry the CMT range of blades in Auckland - the CMT blades are top notch in my experience. Just make sure that you buy a blade with the kerf wider than the riving knife and the base plate of the saw being thinner than the riving knife.
Cheers,
Andrew
We offer this same blade in 250mm X 30mm through our Industrial Division. The item number you need is LU12MSSFB3. Contact Bill Burkhead via email: [email protected] for a source.
Charles M
Freud America, Inc.
THANK YOU Charles!
Knots comes through again!
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Freud has been making the "F" series blades for about 5-6 years now. Both the general purpose "F40" (40 tooth) blade and the "F80" (80 tooth) crosscutting and veneer blade are excellent.
Guess I need to keep up with the new stuff. I wonder if Freud makes that blade in 7 1/2"? It'd be great for trimming high end lam doors with a circ saw.
Tom
The Freud Glue-Line Rip needs a fence, and no wobble in the spindle, to work best. I don't think there would be any additional benefit over a good 40T carbide blade on a circ saw._________________________________
Michael in San Jose
"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled