Forrest Rip Blade

[David Kreuzberg]

Anyone have the Forrest Woodworker II 10", 20-tooth rip blade, and how good is the cut?

Any recommendations to replace my tired, old Freud 24-tooth blade?

[Sonny Edmonds]

Any suggestions?
Sure, stop fooling around and get a real saw blade.
I have a Systimatic Glue Joint Rip (30 tooth) (http://www.justsawblades.com/systimatic/rip.htm) that was recommended to me about 10 years ago.
Still going strong.
Almost all of my saw blades are Systimatic's. I threw out the rest as they died.

[Russ Massery]

Simply awesome, I bought it just to rip 2"+ material. I've been very happy with all the Forrest blades I have purchased.

[Ken Milhinch]

I don't have that particular blade, but I do have the WWII and the Dado King and they are both first class. I think the Forrest name speaks volumes in saw blades. Having said all that, I use a Freud Glue Line blade for ripping, and it is excellent too.

[scott spencer]

What kind of saw do you have David?

[Larry Edgerton]

The best rip blade I have ever owned was a 12" I have for my SCMI from FS Tool. You really have to look hard to see which side has been jointed and which is ripped. I have a 10" and it is good as well, but not quite as good as the twelve, but it is being used in a different saw, a PM66.

It is a thick blank with some good clearance and requires some HP, but I have never been a thin kerf fan anyway. Seems the blade almost always gets a wobble going so you have to cut big anyway, so no savings.....

[Jim Becker]

Yes, it's my go-to ripping blade. It's very aggressive and will rip thick stock like butter. It does NOT leave a pristine finish, but it's not designed to.

[Bill White]

My Infinity does a swell job.
See what ya get when ya ask for opinions........
Bill

[Byron Trantham]

I have been using my Forrest rip blade for over five years and it is still going strong. In fact all my blades are Forrest: rip, cross cut, circular saw, dado and SCMS. I would like to point out that I clean all my blades everytime I start a new project. It still amazes me how much sharper they feel after cleaning. :p

[Charles McCracken]

Any recommendations to replace my tired, old Freud 24-tooth blade?


Is the Freud blade beyond serviceability? Cleaning and sharpening will do wonders (until you run out of carbide to sharpen). If you must replace it, how about another Freud blade? Here's the rundown on full kerf options:

Thick Stock Rip (formerly known as the Speed Ripper):
http://www.freudtools.com/p-37-thick-stock-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Heavy Duty Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-35-heavy-duty-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Glue Line Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-34-glue-line-rippingbr-nbsp.aspx

[Mark Rios]

Everyone is different and I'm no exception. (I'm probably quite a bit different than most but that's a different story. D:) But I have had the best, most consistent cuts with all my Freud blades. I own approximately a dozen I believe. I Have used the WWII (two different blades a couple of years apart) as well as an Infinity and, while both are very good blades and a lot of people swear by them, I go back to my Freuds every time. They have a feel to them that I know and like and can rely on.

My saw and my woodworking style and technique seem to work best with the Freud blades and I'd recommend them any day of the week.

JMO YMMV

[David Kreuzberg]

What kind of saw do you have David?


Sorry about the delay, Scott!

I have a Powermatic 66, 5 HP.

Dave

[David Kreuzberg]

Is the Freud blade beyond serviceability? Cleaning and sharpening will do wonders (until you run out of carbide to sharpen). If you must replace it, how about another Freud blade? Here's the rundown on full kerf options:

Thick Stock Rip (formerly known as the Speed Ripper):
http://www.freudtools.com/p-37-thick-stock-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Heavy Duty Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-35-heavy-duty-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Glue Line Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-34-glue-line-rippingbr-nbsp.aspx



There's plenty of carbide left (sharpened once or twice), but I need to have two teeth replaced. I figure the cost of two new teeth plus sharpening would pretty much equal a new blade.

Dave

[David Kreuzberg]

Is the Freud blade beyond serviceability? Cleaning and sharpening will do wonders (until you run out of carbide to sharpen). If you must replace it, how about another Freud blade? Here's the rundown on full kerf options:

Thick Stock Rip (formerly known as the Speed Ripper):
http://www.freudtools.com/p-37-thick-stock-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Heavy Duty Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-35-heavy-duty-ripbr-nbsp.aspx

Glue Line Rip:
http://www.freudtools.com/p-34-glue-line-rippingbr-nbsp.aspx


Charles--

Whats the difference between the "M" and "R" nomenclatures, besides ten bucks? Some sort of teflon coating?

Dave

[scott spencer]

Sorry about the delay, Scott!

I have a Powermatic 66, 5 HP.

Dave

Your saw has enough power to spin just about any decent rip blade on the market. You could probably rip fairly thick material with up to a 40T blade if you really want a clean cut. The standard FTG rippers from Freud, Infinity, Amana, CMT, Ridge Carbide, Tenryu, etc., should all do fairly well, and leave a glue ready, but predictably slightly scored edge, and poor crosscuts. Find a good deal and go with it if that's the type blade you want. (The "R" in the Freud model number is for their red Permashield coating.)

The Forrest WWII 30T (http://www.epinions.com/review/Forrest_WW10307100_Woodworker_Ii_10_30_Tooth_5_8_A rbor_3_32_Kerf_Circular_Saw_Blade/content_411771899524) will rip nicely to 3" or so, and even leaves a fairly respectable crosscut...food for thought.

[Joe Chritz]

Granted Charles is a fan of Freud :D, but I was going to suggest a good sharpening as well.

I don't know how many shapenings you get from one blade but I have several on the Freud combos I have. They are sharpened on a Foley-Belsaw sharpener and I can't tell the difference between fresh sharpened and new.

If you must replace any of the above mentioned are great. I would likely get whatever I got a good deal on from the top blade manufacturers.

Joe

[Charles McCracken]

Charles--

Whats the difference between the "M" and "R" nomenclatures, besides ten bucks? Some sort of teflon coating?

Dave

Dave,

The R indicates the red PermaSHIELD coating which is PTFE (like Teflon) with aluminum "whiskers" added for durability. The M blades have Silver I.C.E. which is a chromium alloy plating. Both have friction reducing properties but the red is slicker and easier to clean.

[Charles McCracken]

There's plenty of carbide left (sharpened once or twice), but I need to have two teeth replaced. I figure the cost of two new teeth plus sharpening would pretty much equal a new blade.

Dave

I suggest having the re-tipping quoted by your sharpener. You may find that it is a viable option, if nothing else to gain a backup blade.

[John Thompson]

Dave,

The R indicates the red PermaSHIELD coating which is PTFE (like Teflon) with aluminum "whiskers" added for durability. The M blades have Silver I.C.E. which is a chromium alloy plating. Both have friction reducing properties but the red is slicker and easier to clean.

Kind of like mowing your grass, Charles. If you trim with a standard mower frequently.. no need for a Bush Hog.. :)

I have the Silver Ice Box Joint set and a 12" Silver Ice SCMS blade. I clean them about every two weeks as I use them a lot and it takes only about 6 minutes with simple green and a medium stiff brush. Not a major chore. And... I will add that both do their respective jobs in a most efficient manner.

The Box joint set is my dado set. Perfect 1/4"-3/8" x 2 passes relates to 1/2" - 3/4" with perfect sides and bottoms. How bout that math for a dumb country boy? :)

Regards...

Sarge..