need new tablesaw blade

[cody michael]

I am starting trying to get a woodshop set up. i need a new tablesaw blade. i have a delta 10 in contractor saw.

i would like to keep price in the 30$ range if possible. I only have one saw and rip and crosscut on it so i'll want a combination blade correct?

i saw these they are more expensive but are they worth it when budget is very tight?

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020099/19146/Freud-10-X-50T-X-58-Combination-Saw-Blade.aspx

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020099/19187/Freud-Ultra-Finish-10-X-50T-X-58-Thin-Kerf-Combination-Red-Saw-Blade.aspx

my last blade had red paint and it would rub off is this normal? what is the difference between those to blades?

or there are these rigid and diablo blades at home depot

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Power-Tool-Accessories-Saw-Blades-Circular-Blades/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zb8ndZ1z1313cZ1z13kju/h_d2/Navigation?&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1

or can you suggest something else. i would prefer to be able to go buy it today i have all the bigbox stores and a woodcraft local. thanks

[Zach England]

I have been using this one and have found it to be pretty decent:

http://www.amazon.com/CMT-256-050-10-Tooth-Combination-Circular/dp/B000P4NTRC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1257082084&sr=8-3

It does not cut as smoothly as my Forrest blades, but is less than half the price.

Which magazine recently had a review of sub-$50 blades?

[Conrad Fiore]

Cody,
Your options are to either get two blades, one to rip and one to crosscut, or get a combination blade. Spend a couple extra bucks and get a decent combo blade if you don't want to change blades. I think the Freud blades are good for the money and can be had at the big box stores for not much money. As for the red rubbing off, if it was a Freud blade with PermaShield, that shouldn't happen. Attached is the description of the Freud Cut with a blade that will last longer and give you superior performance! Unlike the stamped die cut blades, all of Freud's blades are cut to the exact size by a high performance laser.

Freud blades have 2 different coatings.
The Silver I.C.E. coating resists corrosion and resin build-up, and resists heat up to 2 times longer than standard polished blades.
The red Perma-Shield coating virtually eliminates heat from friction in addition to corrosion and resin build-up.
The carbide tips on the Freud blades are TiCo Hi-Density Carbide from Freud's own manufacturing facilities in Italy.
Freud Combination Blades
When you need a single saw blade that will serve multiple purposes, the combination blade is the answer.

The “combo” blade gives you the ability to crosscut and rip with the same blade.
This blade is the workhorse in most woodworking shops.
5/8" arbor.
TK = Thin kerf.
Freud Premier Combination Blade

This flagship, premium saw blade is Freud's best combination saw blade period!
Premier blades feature:

Larger carbide tips for more re-sharpenings
A thicker body for durability and straighter, truer cuts
Double ground teeth for a precise exceptional finish
5/8" arbor
blade differences.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I agree on spending a few dollars more for a better blade. A less expensive blade might start out with as good a cut, but a better blade will cut better for longer.

How powerful is your table saw motor? For a fairly underpowered saw (like mine - about 1HP), a thin kerf often helps keep the saw from getting bogged down. FWIW, I run Freud thin kerf blades in mine, and they cut very well. However, I do plan on ordering some "better blades" (Forrest, or Ridge Carbide) blades at some point...but the Freuds have been going strong so I haven't had to just yet...

[cody michael]

are the diablo frued blades at home depot the same as the freud blades at woodcraft?

are the ridgid brand blades from homedepot any good?

[Jim Watts]

...
Which magazine recently had a review of sub-$50 blades?

Wood Magazine, Issue 194, November 2009

Top Tool: Ridgid R1050C @$40 (50-tooth combo)

Best Value: Irwin Classis 15370 @$25 (60-tooth x-cut)

[glenn bradley]

are the diablo frued blades at home depot the same as the freud blades at woodcraft?

are the ridgid brand blades from homedepot any good?

Sounds like you prefer to buy locally. There are links to some discussion on BORG blades below. Beware the Avanti confusion, Freud stopped making Avanti in June this year. There is some old stock out there which is fine (stamped Mae in Italy right on the blade). There are new "Avanti" blades at Home Depot that are made in China by somebody else and are unrelated to Freud.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=120294

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=54817

As to the purpose specific blade vs. combos; your satisfaction there will depend on what you are doing. A dedicated blade for ripping and another for cross cut (and others, of course) will yield better results but, you have to take the 60 seconds it takes to change the blade between runs and you have to buy two blades. A single blade removes the loss of time in changing blades but like any do-it-all product, there are compromises in performance. The level of compromise is relative to the quality of the blade. The level of performance on any blade will be tied to the quality of the setup on your tool, its power, blah, blah, blah.

Here's a thread on what some folks are doing out there:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=122944

[Julian Wong]

are the diablo frued blades at home depot the same as the freud blades at woodcraft?

are the ridgid brand blades from homedepot any good?

Cody,
The HD is the contractor series, and the WC is the industrial series. The Diablo ones are the lower end ones.

Wood mag did a review of the saw belades recently and found the Ridgid to be the winner amongst the less expensive blades. I have never used the ridgid brand blades, so I can't confirm the results.

[John Thompson]

"i would like to keep price in the 30$ range if possible. I only have one saw and rip and crosscut on it so i'll want a combination blade correct"?
... Cody

I don't normally get involved with which blade discussions but... with your requirements of one blade to both cross-cut and rip in the $30 range I am going to. I have 20 and 24 teech blades for ripping.. 40 tooth blades for cross-cutting. All are premium Amana.. CMT.. Infinity.. and I have used Freud.. Forrest.. etc.

But.. the absolute best blade I have in a combo of 40 T is an Oshlum from Holbrens which cost $25 with free shipping and I think there is a 10% discount for Creekers. I am in the shop daily and this is my standard go to blade. I pull out the Infinity Super General ($100) for special cross-cuts where a burnished end cut is necessary) but I alternate between a standard Infinity General and the Oshlun 40 tooth otherwise.

IMO.. the Oshlun 40 T is the best combo blade on the market for under $30 and that includes Diablo which I have used. With that said it in not and does not come in Thin Kerf so it may depend on what you cut and if your contractor saw is under-powered where you might consider a thin kerf blade especially if you do a lot of hardwood.

Good luck...

[cody michael]

has any else used the oshlun? how would that compare to the frueds from woodcraft?

[John Thompson]

has any else used the oshlun? how would that compare to the frueds from woodcraft?

Hopefully KnotsScott will come along here eventually as Scott has done some pretty extensive testing of various TS blades. I can tell you that the mag article posted with the Ridgid 50 tooth and the Irwin 60 tooth is not the blade I would choose if I was going to rip and cross-cut using only one blade which I don't.

I have used a Freud 50 T combo and a Freud 60 T blade. The 60 T is an excellent cross-cut blade and the 50 T is a pretty good cross-cut but.. both have too many teeth for me for ripping which I do a lot of and consequently have 2 rip blades each in 20T and 24T. I found the 50 T will do a rip but it will leave burn in hardwood as there is just not enough gullet space to take away waste.

So... again... if I wanted a combo blade I prefer the 40 T which is a good cross-cut blade and a fair rip blade as long as you keep the feed rate down. That's my thinking based on above statements and experience and mileage may vary from others thoughts.

Again... good luck

[scott spencer]

has any else used the oshlun? how would that compare to the frueds from woodcraft?

Hi Michael - The Freuds and Oshlun (http://www.holbren.com/oshlun-10-40t-atb-general_purpose-blade-5-8-arbor.html) are both very good value. Either should work fine and will give glue ready edges, but as Sarge pointed out, the Oshlun (~ $24 shipped w"SMC10" code) is only available in a full kerf which will put more strain on your saw if you rip thicker materials....full kerf/thin kerf is a matter of preference, but keep in mind that 1/32" increase of the full kerf represents a 33% wider swath than the TK. The Diablo D1040X, Freud TK/Avanti TK306, or Freud LU86R010 are all very good 40T ATB designs...the LU86 has larger carbide and will cost a bit more, but the TK306 and Diablo should be right around budget. (Be sure to not confuse the former Italian made Freud TK/Avanti series with the cheap Chinese "Avanti" and "Avanti Pro" line that HD is now selling) Note that the Ridgid Titanium series is made by Freud, and is fairly comparable to the other Freud blades. FWIW, I'm not a fan of the Irwin Marathon, Classic, or Sprint series, but they used to have a very nice "Woodworkers" series that's no longer marketed...it's now available under the HO Schumacher & Sohns logo.

Two more good options that are around budget are the Tenryu RS25540 (http://www.holbren.com/tenryu-rapid-cut-10-40t-combination-blade.html) from Holbren (~ $35 shipped with the "SMC10" discount. It's an ATAF 40T design that's has a medium kerf of 0.118" (not quite full kerf). The other option is the Delta 35-7657 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Delta-35-7657-10-x-40T-Gen-Purpose-Carbide-Saw-Blade_W0QQitemZ330335100993QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item4ce981a041) 40T ATB (also mid kerf at 0.118") ...a very nice American made blade that's been available at an amazing $17 plus s/h ($10) from Cripe Distributors.

A decent general purpose blade is a good start even if you expand to specialty blades later on. For the cost and convenience of a single blade, these will all do a good to very good job of lots of tasks (suitable for most wwing applications), but none will excel in a specific region like a dedicated specialty blade will. The specialty blades require at least two blades, frequent blade changes, and only perform well in a narrow range. Another matter of preference with no right or wrong answer. Keep them clean, and they'll perform well for a long time.

[Dick Brown]

One thing I saw in your post that no one talked about was your "RED PAINT" issue. Sounds to me like there is a good chance your saw needs to be tuned up VERY BADLY as there should be no rubbing on the main body of the blade by your wood if the alignment is spot on. The width of the teeth and the cut will be wider than the rest of the blade so if your material is going through properly, it should never touch any other part of the blade. Could be fence out of parallel with blade, bent arbor, out of true arbor flange, bent blade, arbor drift in the bearings, blade not in line with miter slots if using miter gauge or a number of other things.
If any of the above are not correct, a new blade will not solve your problems.

Good luck,
Dick

[cody michael]

i needed on now so i got a frued from homedepot 40t general purpose for 29.99 i'm happy with how it cuts but don't have much to compare it to. maybe i'll look into buying a ripping blade when have the money because some times i rip quite a few boards like today i ripped about 10 boards. but they came out nice

[Bruce Wrenn]

A big plus 1 on the Delta 7657 from Cripe. I own five and would consider another, but with my life expectancy being what it is, I wouldn't wear all of them out. But $27 delivered is cheaper than shipping out for sharpening. With their flat rate $10 shipping, the price drops on multiples. 1. $27, 2. $44, 3. $61, 4. $78, etc. When you buy four or more, they price out (delivered) for less than $20 a blade.