Forrest Woodworker II issue

[Peter Kuhlman]

I just installed my new WW II full kerf blade on my cabinet saw and tried it out. While it cut very easily and fast, the resulting edge surface was terrible. This was cross cutting 3/4" oak. I remounted the blade to be sure but the same result. My super cheapo Skil saw with factory blade cut smoother than this. Went back to my old CMT 40 tooth blade and was back to a nice smooth surface cut.

I sent an email to Forrest explaining this and waiting on a response. My guess is that a few teeth are set incorrectly. The teeth are extremely sharp and the carbide is sure huge in comparison to other blades I have. I was so hoping to have a nice cut with all the plywood I need to trim up as my other blades are getting a little dull. No such luck.

Any one else had problems with Forrest blades? Maybe I should try the Freud Fusion blade next time.

Pete

[glenn bradley]

I prefer my Freuds over the WWII. I, like you, am in the minority where the WWII cuts poorly and a different blade cuts fine with the same setup ;-(

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Nothing but good luck with my WWII's. If fact, I bought a couple Leitz made Felder blades, a dedicated rip and crosscut, when I got my saw, and the WWII works better. Oh, and the Felder blades cost twice as much, each. Yea, I know, didn't think that one through. :mad:

[Bruce Wrenn]

I have two WWII's that live in the bottom of my blade drawer. For daily use, I like my Delta / DeWalt 7657 better. If you have a dial indicator, mount it on saw top, and take readings from each tooth, doing left facing teeth first, and then right facing teeth. I'm willing to be that your blade is bent. I had an Oldham that I picked up for almost nothing ($1.00) that Dynamic saw straightened & sharpened. It cuts better than my WWII's now.

[CPeter James]

For the same money, I like Ridge Carbide blades better. I have both Ridge and Forrest. John at Ridge is one of the best sharpeners and blade repair people around. Maybe he can fix your Forrest if Forrest won't make it right?

CPeter

[Peter Quinn]

My WWII works great, never a problem. I also have a Ridge Carbide blade and it works at least as well as the Forest. You should expect top flight performance from blades of this caliber, and if you got one that doesn't perform demand a replacement or repair.

[scott spencer]

My situation has been the exact reverse of yours....my WWIIs have all been excellent, but my 40T CMT 213.040.10 left fairly pronounced saw marks in comparison. I suppose problems can occur with any brand blade.

Call Forrest tomorrow and see what they'll do for you.

[Peter Kuhlman]

I have a CMT 40 tooth that cuts well and is my main use blade but it tends to dull fairly quick. Have an Oldham 40 tooth that is so-so cut wise. Also have a Jesada 44 tooth that does not cut up to par with the others. Was really looking forward to the claimed super cut of the Forrest. I know Forrest has a 30 day guarantee so am not worried. Bought it on sale at Amazon.

I have used Forrest for blade sharpening and they did a very good job on non-Forrest blades I sent them.

I have a few other fine cut blades - 60-80 teeth that I am using for plywood now. I have a 30 and a 24 tooth Freud rip blades that sure work as claimed and the Freud dial-a-width dado and Freud box joint blade set. No complaints at all with the Freud stuff.

Pete

[Duncan Horner]

Got one myself, on sale at Amazon, cuts cleaner than any I have used thus far. Of course, the best I have previously was a 40T DeFault blade from the borg. The WWII left edges smoother than a baby's butt on my test cuts.

Figured with a new saw, I deserved a new blade :)

[Pat Germain]

It may be you just got a lemon, Peter. I'm sure you can exchange it. My WWII cuts flawlessly.

I think it's unlikely the blade is bent. I once asked my sharpener about straightening my WWII. He scoffed and said something about Forrest blades being made from a high quality, rolled steel. He said it's possible, but he's been sharpening Forrest blades for decades and he never had one that needed straightening.

[Joe Chritz]

My money is on a bent blade and I bet Forrest will make it right. Any quality blade should cut well enough you can't tell one from the other.

Post back the dial indicator results if you can check them.

Joe