Table saw blades (sawstop, if it matters)

I’ve been haunting ebay looking at blades, got a very good deal on a new Forrest WWII blade! Now looking for a dado set there.

-- In the search for knowledge there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers!

I have a Forrest WWII blade that I use for most of my work including modest amounts of plywood. I also have a Freud rip blade that I use when ripping 8/4 stock. The rip blade cuts easier and with less burning, especially in cherry and hard maple.

Elizabeth, be careful about using a TS blade in a MS. I seem to recall that there is a different blade hook angle or something like that which makes it kind of dangerous. Hopefully, some knowledgeable person will be able to shed some light on this issue. My memory isn’t what it once was, so I could be totally mistaken and it is fine, but better safe than sorry.

-- Art

Not sure how many folks will agree with me, but I think a nice blade on a well-adjusted, but not high end table saw will give better results than a $12 HF blade on a SawStop. There are a lot of really nice, more expensive blades out there, but I use these two which work well for me:
Rip:

Crosscut:

-- "Man is the only animal which devours his own, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor." ~Thomas Jefferson

Art, exactly why I am asking :) The HF one is still in its package.

Save the HF blade for cutting used lumber, etc. The only blade I use is a 50t combo from CMT. Does a nice job.
I second not using it in your miter saw.

-- Steve - "Never Give Up"

I am cutting a lot of wood these days,
Most of the time, the Freud general purpose blades have worked better “FOR ME” then the Freud combination type. I get some burning from the combination style on maple for example, but they do work pretty good.
The GP blades are rated for an inch or so on rip cuts, but does 1 1/2” just fine, with no burn.
I mostly use 12”blades on a larger saw but the 10” 40 tooth GP blade does a good job on my 1 1/2hp contractors saw.
If I am doing deep rips, I use proper blades for it.

My blades consist of just one combination blade and one dado blade. I had a very good combination blade for more than 15 years but one of the companies that I had sharpen it, sharpened it incorrectly and it was never the same after that. When I bought my Sawstop I tried the blade that came with it and still liked my old one better, it was quieter and cut better. Anyway, I bought a new Forrest WWII and I haven’t used it much but I tested it on some 4/4 maple, cherry and oak and also some 8/4 oak. This blade cuts like butter and very smooth. The only extra blade I may buy is a good plywood blade because especially with oak plywood across the grain you can get chipout. I talked to Support at Sawstop and they suggested I didn’t get the thin kerf blade because there are some that will fold if the brake fires. My saw is the 1 3/4 hp and with the standard kerf I didn’t see any lack of hp. Keep in mind that if you are changing blades frequently you will also have to adjust the brake if the blades are not very close to the same diameter.
Mike

I’d take the HF blade back…it’s no better than a stock blade, it won’t stay sharp long, and the hook angle is too steep for a miter saw. For another $10 or so, you can get a fairly nice blade that’s perform well and stay sharp longer.

The ABC's of Picking Saw Blades

Saw Blade Bargains

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

I did allot of work with blades I could get at the big box store…mostly freud. I wanted to step up my game as a wood worker and started researching blades. I went with a Tenryu Gold Medal and I dont think I will buy another blade. Tenryu has a patent on side grinding their blades that drives the other manufacturers crazy but to maintain that blade you have to send it out to get sharpened

Get a good rip blade. The best thing you can do for your blades is keep them clean, various products for that.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

The only blades I use in my saw, aside from a 24 tooth rip blade for flat bottomed grooves and for box splines.

I never drank the wwII kool-aid; my $18 blades have been serving me well since I started woodworking 8+years back.

-- He who dies with the most tools... dies with the emptiest wallet.

I have several old delta blades, mostly combination, that I got when the mill shop I worked in shut down. If I remember correctly, these were selling for around $115 each back in the day. The kerf is pretty substantial, but it has to be as the plate is fairly thick. They cut great whether sharp or dull, just require lower feed speeds and more hp. The carbide is very thick and one of them I have had sharpened several times and it still has at least half it’s life remaining.

-- "Lack of effort will result in failure with amazing predictability" - Me

A second on adding a rip blade to your GP or combination blade. I have the Freud glue line rip, and it is awesome for ripping stock, and truly leaves a glue ready edge.

I have 2 “go to” blades for my TS; a Freud p410 as my mutipurpose blade and a Freud thin kerf ripping blade that I’ll use if I’m cutting some monster thick slabs. Cheap blades generally equal rougher cutting….

-- Sometimes the creative process requires foul language. -- Charles Neil