Looking to upgrade my saw blades…
Kneeland
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I’m looking to put a good 10″ blade on my table saw — but there are so many brands out there it’s a bit confusing. What’s the best brand and what’s a reasonable price to pay for a good combination blade?
Replies
Blades
Freud Industrial series are the biggest bang for the buck. skip the Diablo series.
Blades
Thanks for the feedback, Bruce.
Blades
Thanks for the feedback, Bruce.
The names I usually read in forum sites are Freud and Infinity blades.
These folks have some good blades :
http://www.jdlacourseandson.com/product-p/ts10602.htm
Blades
I would highly recommend a Forrest Woodworker II. Real Good all around blades.
I agree
Forrest saw blades are worth the money. They really know their stuff.
re TS blades....
If yer looking to upgrade a "combination blade" I'm thinking you want a general purpose blade. , and while I cannot advise you on that, as all of my blades tend to be specialized, Rip, melamine, plastics, aluminium etc, If you have a blade which you have been happy with in the past, and it suits your needs, just get it sharpened.
If you have specific applications in mind, upgrade towards that application. A fine cross cut blade may well do a good job at cross cutting, but it might really be a bear to rip 2x4 with it.
It took me only a couple of months way back whenn to realize that a "combination" blade was something I didn't need or want, It's a compiimise solution, and really doesn't work well for anything other than ripping 2x4's. But it is a start.
I dunno if you are still using the same blade that came with the saw (whatever it was), but I betcha it was a lower end HSS (ie not carbide). and worked well for a few months. And I've gotta assume that yer 10" saw is "tuned-up" pr you'll never achieve any satisfaction....the best blade in the world won't do well if the TS is maladjusted....
but back to blades..., yer gonna want a carbide tipped blade (although I know of some mentors who will claim a keenly sharpened HSS blades will out perform carbide for a while!, but in the long run the cost of maintenance of HSS blades really ain't justified any longer!)
If yer saw is moderately powered, think a thin kerf71/4 or 8 1/4 skill saw ripping blade will do a marvellous job (nobody said that ALL yer blades have to be 10"), in fact for dado blades, the cost of resharpening a 10" dado set is more than the cost of a new 8" dado set!!, and if all yer dado needs are less than 1/2". it's even cheaper to buy several cheapo 7 1/4" blades and stack em, and even if you have a set of dado blades, yer still gonna need that when it comes to ripping dados for 3/16 ply !
And that thin kerf does pay a dividend in ripping, 3 time out of 5 you can squeeze an extra slab if yer resawing thick stock.
10 years diown the road, yer gonna end up with a stack of saw blades of every type imaginable
And yer "combination blades" will be at the bottom.
My go to blades (top of stack) are a high angle CMT (orange) blade for cutting melamine, got a "duller one" for x cutting and a "glue line rip"---?freud for ripping.
Down lower in the pile. A CT tripple chip for ripping /xcutting in reno stuff where there may be nails/brads/ It is sacrificial! Duller than George Bush, it will still cut and I don't care how blunt the tips get. And there's a couple of spares fror that from when back in the day the triple chip was the cat's meow for cutting melamine.
Dig down lower, there's a negative rake 80tooth for plastics,
Then theres an antiquity- a hollow ground 120 crapsman "jointer" hss blade, which I retired long ago, only to discover quite recently that they are being still flogged in the window industry for cutting aluminium ! at about 3x what I paid for this blade new in the 80's!!!
Down at the bottom of the pile are 10" saw blades from GS sales, pay 2-3 bucks per- dull and missing teeth!- they are sacrificial., and my only concern for them is that if I hit nails in the reno timbers that the sparks don't set the dust collector on fire. They can cut through as many nails as they want.! Then I'll give em to my knife maker buddies, but no fires please!
I hate that when it happens (not yet ...thanks be to whomever)
But back to yer query about an upgraded comination blade.. In case I'm just a bit to obtuse
, A combination blade just don't do anything well....But if that suits yer needs, go for it.
Most reputable MFGS have a little chart on the saw blade wrapping that tell you what to expectfrom each blade type. But they don't really know where you want to go from here...
And getting the blade (as long as it's carbide tipped)sharpened might be the cheapest avenue to go along! otherwixe it is gonna be at the bottom of your pile!
And I know it's a far reach, but oftentimes sawblades are really cheap on boxing day!
Eric
Something like an "exchange a blade" programme lets you enter into carbide blades moderately less expensively, and they generally have a spectrum of blades to chose from.
Blades
Great feedback, Cowtown...thank you. It's all helpful and I will expand my search to include more specialized blades...
Blades
I'm happy to be chiming in after Eric. He saved me a lot of typeing. What he's saying about blades is very true. If you want to do high end quality work, your best bet is to get designer blades (rip, crosscut, laminate etc.). I prefer Freud blades but they're not the only good blade out there. Not all blades are equal. Andf those curved cuts in the middle are not design cuts, they're engineered to make the blade more stable by cutting down the vibration. That's why a combination blade is usually flat with no cuts.
But combination blades have their place in my workshop. If I'm doing rough carpentry work around the house using pine and 2X4 - then I slap the combo in and do every cut with it.
I'm a fan of . . .
. . . Forrest Saw Blades. http://www.forrestsawbladesonline.com
All-purpose Woodworker II blade:
http://www.forrestsawbladesonline.com/product_29_WOODWORKER_II_Saw_Blade_1_8_THICK_KERF.html
$96.75
Cowtown got it right. The bigger shops will have more than one table saw were they will have different blades for ripping, cross cutting etc. The point I would like to point out is sharping. You will have to have whatever blades you purchase sharpened. Some manufactures coat their blades. When shopping for someone to due this ask if they can guaranty that this coating will stay on.
Lots of choices. Forest is probably the best, the carbide tips are a little meatier, and can be sharpened a few more times. Plus Forest has a great sharpening service. I also use Freud blades. The Rip Glue up gives a very smooth surface, likewise the cross cut glue up. If you are using under 2HP consider a thin Kerf for ripping hardwoods. Also if you do not need the thickness of cut a 10" blade handles. Try a Freud 8" or 71/2" Blade, they are less expensive and you may be able to purchase an extra blade with money save. (They all use the same 5/8 arbor hole)
Forrest for me.
I also the have them sharpen my blades.
I agree 100% on Diablo - stay away from them as well as any thin kerf blade if possible.
Other Freud blades are good, tho. My gripe with Freud is edge retention. That said, one of the best blades I own is a 30T Freud glue line rip (LM74M010). May be just an impression but I think the chrome blades are better than red. When that thing is clean and sharp is will cut plywood with no tear out.
Yes I have a WWII & yes it is an awesome blade, but only b/c I bought it and a Dado King for $20 at an estate sale, other than that it would be hard for me to justify a $150 blade. I just don’t think the difference is that great for the ww’ing most of us do (with me everything gets shot or hand planed anyway).
CMT is pretty much my “go to” IME they have excellent edge retention (much better than Freud) and not crazy money.
The other brands I would not hesitate on are Amana and Tenryu.
+1 on the Forrest sharpening.
You pay for what you get. I used a Freud Industrial 10 inch blade and a tooth broke. I made the leap to Forrest. I then to Forrest about repairing the Freud blade and sharpening planer blades. Forrest repaired and sharpened the Freud blade and sharpened the planer blades. Forrest makes a great blade and their service is second to none, IMHO.
Found these at a woodworking show. Ridge carbide. https://ridgecarbidetool.com/collections/table-saw-blades
They are designed to leave a very smooth cut surface. They have more carbide on each tooth (more sharpenings) than most blades and run quieter than most blades. Their sharpening service is great and prompt. Been using their products for five + years on my table and miter saws. Can’t beat the results. The cost is also reasonable.
I used Freud Fusion blades for years and finally decided to try a Forrest Woodworker blade and I will say that I noticed a significant improvement in performance.
When you consider better quality of cut, sharpening services and made in the US, I think the slightly higher price is more than justified.
I've been using Forrest Woodworker II 1/8 kerf for many years except brief period using Ridge TS2000. I went back to Forrest...absolutely great blade and sharpening service as well. Note, I worked once (as draftsperson) in a very high-end custom furniture biz in NYC. They had top of the line Martin tablesaw - and only used Amana blades.
X2 for Ridge Carbide.
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