Best 12" blade for a SCMS?

[Will Brauneis]

So this Christmas Santa brought me a shiny red milwaukee 12" SCMS and I would like to get a good blade for it. The one that comes on it cuts fine but it leaves a slightly rough surface and i would like something that leaves a very smooth cut. Ive done some searching and have found very little info on the subject like reviews and comparisons. I was thinking maybe a freud 80 or 96tooth diablo or perhaps the Rigid 100tooth blade which is made by freud apparently. What blades do you guys use and have the best results with?

[Glen Butler]

I use the freud diablo 80 tooth for smooth cuts.

[Damon Marxer]

I have a 12" CMS and recently bought a new blade for it. I did not want to spend a lot of money and did a fair amount of research. Based on some some good reviews I decided to try the Hitachi 726101 90 tooth crosscut blade. Currently it is listed for $44 at Amazon with free shipping and I am very happy with the blade. Glad I did not spend more money as it leaves a very nice clean cut. Here is a link to it listed on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006HKB42/ref=oss_T15_product

[Randy Carnley]

You might want to look at the Forrest Chopmaster.

[scott spencer]

Will - The Diablo and Ridgid Titanium series are both good values in blades, but I would suggest going with a fuller kerf blade for a 12". You'll also want to stay with a low to negative hook blade for slider.

For fine cuts, it's hard to beat Infinity, Forrest Duraline or Chopmaster, Ridge Carbide, or Freud LU80/LU85....all can be a little pricey, but the Infinity 012-190 (http://www.infinitytools.com/Miter-Saw-Blades/products/1201/) is on sale for $90.

[Mike Reinholtz]

Both the Ridgid 100T and the 96T Diablo are very nice blades. My 96T was being sharpened and I really needed a new blade, so I picked up the 100T and am equally happy with both blades. I'm sure there are nicer blades (Forrest?) but so far I haven't found the need to look for one, both make extremely clean cuts.

As Scott mentioned, there is a tiny bit of deflection most likely due to them being thin kerf blades. My remedy was blade stiffeners. I didn't notice it until I was making a compound cut on a 10" wide board, and even then it was less than a 1/16" gap at the end. The stiffener immediately fixed this.

[James Carmichael]

The Chopmaster is supposed to be the Gold Standard, but I bought the above-referenced Hitachi when it was on sale for around $25. Very nice, clean-cutting blade for the money.

[Erik Christensen]

I like Ridge Carbide - they make a cross cut blade with a negative hook angle just for RAS/SCMS use.

Pricey but cuts great

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I've got an older 96T Freud as well as a Forrest. I prefer the Freud. Both were around $100.

[Will Brauneis]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have a few Home Depo giftcards so i think ill give the Ridgid a try then.