Freud Saw Blades

[Tom Walz]

Freud Saw Blades

There was a discussion a while back about Freud saw blades. Many people really like them. One person posted and said that he had trouble with burning with them.

I recently asked to do an analysis of the composition of the Freud tips and the effect on cutting.

If you are using a Freud blade and the label on the box says TiCo tips. TiCo stands for Titanium and Cobalt.

Titanium in saw tips increases the lubricity or slickness of the tip. Generally a saw blade with titanium in the tips can be fed faster. The other side of this is that titanium saw tips handle heat differently than tungsten carbide saw tips. Tungsten carbide saw tips tend to put the heat of cutting into the tip. Pure titanium carbide saw tips tend to put the heat of cutting into the material being cut.

In our early experiments with pure titanium carbide or titanium carbonitride saw tips we found that people develop a good, steady feed rate based on the saw blades they have been using. If you are using a blade with titanium in the tips you might want to consider adjusting your feed rate up a little. The blade should be able to handle it and you should get better cuts.

I don’t know the exact chemistry of the Freud tips. However, when we did the pioneering research in this, we used various percentages of Titanium and Tungsten and the above facts held true all the way across. As the percentage of titanium increases you see more or the effect and vice versa.

Just so I am clear, this is not meant as a criticism of Freud in anyway. There was discussion here with two differing viewpoints and this is an attempt to explain how both sides were accurate in their assessments.

[Lee Schierer]

I've used Freud blades for years. I can't tel you what the tips are made of, but the only time I ever had burning was when my saw was out of alignment. I have ripped cherry and hard maple up to 1.25 thick with no burning. I don't normally work with thicker stock so I can't comment. My saw is a 25+ year old craftsman saw and only 1-1/2 Hp. I ripped some 3/4" poplar just this past week with my LU84M and had no problems even though this is a cross cut blade.

[Rob Price]

Ditto, for me burning means something is not 'right.' Either the fence is out of alignment, there is pitch build up on the teeth, or the wood is binding on the back of the blade. I've used several brands of blades and haven't really paid attention to the composition of the teeth other than carbide teeth always...

[Myk Rian]

The only blade I have that is not a Freud, is the one that came with my Steel City hybrid saw. I use that one for ripping junk wood.

[Van Huskey]

Thanks Tom, I ALWAYS appreciate your insights. I too have not found any burning with Frued that I didn't link to another issue but this is still good to know.

[Dave Gaul]

The only blade I have that is not a Freud, is the one that came with my Steel City hybrid saw. I use that one for ripping junk wood.


Pretty much in the same boat... I have the Ridgid blade that came with my saw (R4511) and the one that came with my Ryobi miter saw, all others Freud. Only time I got any burning, it was my fault and easily corrected by proper techniques!

[Gil Knowles]

Tom

Thanks for the information. I have 4 Freud blades, 2 thin kerf and two regular and I am very happy with the results. Like others have said the only time I get burning is when something is not aligned properly. I have a delta hybrid saw and have never used the stock blade which came with it. The Freud blades cut hardwoods very well, hard maple/ash/cherry up to 2 1/4" thick with no problems.

Gil

[scott spencer]

Great info Tom.

I think it's important to acknowledge the importance of proper blade selection for a given task as well....this applies to any brand, not just Freud. Freud offers a broad range of blades with a variety of performance characteristics. Some offer side clearance geometry that give the blades the ability to leave shiny polished edges if used in the proper conditions, but those same characteristics are more prone to burning if the setup isn't right, if the material is too moist, too thick for the that particular blade, or the feed rate is too slow, etc. I suspect any burning that people may be getting is due more to blade selection and setup than blade brand. IMHO, performance descripters are most accurate and most useful when they're specific to a particular blade or style of blade, as opposed to generalizations about all blades from a brand that has multiple lines and many models.