Replies

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 18, 2005 01:30am | #1

   You can get a combination blade but the number of teeth depends on what you normally cut. If you find that you rip a lot more than you crosscut, 24 TPI should be fine. If you do more crosscutting, 40-60 TPI may be better. Or, get one of each. I have used Oldham for quite a while and they do a decent job, although I needed to return the first three before the fourth was flat enough. The 40 TPI carbide blade I have is about $17 at Home Depot. I suspect the 24 TPI is about the same price. If you're doing a lot of trim work, I would get a 40 - 60 TPI. I'm not saying that the Oldham is the best, but it works and won't break the bank. When I need a really good finish, I have a Forrest WoodworkerII. Expensive, but better carbide and cuts like a hot knife through warm butter.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
2. 
   DougU | Jan 18, 2005 02:23am | #2

   Rob

   You can get a nice combo blade from Freud. I'm sure there are other manufacturers of them.

   They work fairly well if you need to do both and only want to get one blade.

   I prefer to have a rip and crosscut blade but when I'm trimming out houses I will often times use the combo.

   I would avoid the cheap blades that you get a the big box stores, they IMO don't seam to be worth the money they cost.

   Doug

3. 
   Dustmight | Jan 18, 2005 03:12am | #3

   A good combo blade like the Freud LU84 is good for most applications, but for heavy ripping, especially with a smaller saw, a dedicated 24T ripping blade is a good idea too.

4. 
   woodensplinter | Jan 18, 2005 03:36am | #4

   Depends on what you cut.  I've used a 40 tooth carbide blade for 95% plus of my work.  If I'm ripping more than a piece or two of 2 X lumber, I'll switch to a 28 tooth blade.  If I'm cross cutting, and need a fine finish, I use and 80 tooth blade.  For hardwood plywoods I stick with the 80 toother (now that I have one), especially when crosscutting the face veneer.  Mind you, I've only had this blade for six or eight months.

5. 
   BArnold | Jan 18, 2005 03:43am | #5

   Rob.

   As others have said, what you get can depend on the nature of your work.  Having said that, I've used a Freud 50-tooth combo on tow different saws over a period of 6-7 years.  It's a great blade for the money -- good price/value ration in my mind.  I also have a Freud 'Glue-Line' Rip blade for major ripping operations as well as a Freud blade for gutting plywood and laminate.  It's worth the time and effort to change the blade for some operations, but most of the time I use the combo with great results.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
   Click Here if you're interested in a good,inexpensive website host.

   ---

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

   ---

6. 
   Kent_F | Jan 18, 2005 08:22am | #6

   No one has mentioned the kerf issue. Most portable saws come with a thin-kerf blade, and I suspect your Bosch is the same. If you change to a full kerf blade, you will notice a drop in performance.

   I was very happy using a Freud TK906 (thin kerf combination) on my DeWalt 744.

   Cheers,

   Kent

7. 
   forestgirl | Jan 18, 2005 09:45am | #7

   I use mostly my Freud all-purpose blade, but have a Freud Diablo 24-T ripping blade for ripping stuff 1"+ thick just to take it easy on my saw.  The Diablo rip blade is not expensive, works like a charm and is available at Home Depot and Lowe's.

   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" .... :>) 

8. 
   barcok9 | Jan 18, 2005 06:25pm | #8

   Rob,

   As you can see, there are several great blades out there. The most affodable for the average Joe, is Freud. These are great blades, made in Itally. I own Freud and CMT. It may be helpful for you to get seperate blades for ripping and cross-cutting.

   Having a table saw with one blade in my humble opinion, is a mistake, unless you do limited, occasional woodworking. This may be your case; I don't know.

   No matter what you buy, Take care of the blade and buy some blade cleaner to remove  the pitch from the blade occasionally; even blades that still in good shape can perform poorly due to buildup of pitch.

   Just inspect the blade from time to time for presence of pitch.

   I recently bought a Ridgid sliding compound mitre saw (12") and discarded the chinese blade that came with it after about 50 crosscuts into 2x4's, as I was getting kickbacks and could see the carbide was dulling.

   Don't be afraid to spend some more money and get a blade that is made in the USA; you can't go wrong with Forrest and the others, that are available here.

9. 
   damschrs | Jan 19, 2005 02:41am | #9

   Stick with Freud or Forrest. Make tooth selection based on applications. If you can't afford more than a single blade right now, they both make excellent combo blades.

   One caution - stay far away from the cheap blades. They are not worth the trouble.

   thnx
   scottd.

    

   scottd
   Damschroder Scott Furniture
   [email protected]

   A craftsman needs three things: Accuracy, Technique, and Quality. Accuracy can be set; technique can be learned; but quality must be bought and built.

10. 
    lwj2 | Jan 19, 2005 05:06am | #10

    I've got a Systimatic combo blade that does well for 90% of what I do. I keep a rip blade around for heavy ripping or glue line work (can't recall the make) but the Systimatic does most of the work.

    That said, I don't do much with plywood except to use it for cabinet backs.

    Regards,

    Leon Jester