10" budget rip blade recomendation

[Daniel Rode]

I've switched over to the Freud 410T as my goto blade in my General International Hybrid TS. If I have 1 or 2 boards to rip, I'll use the 410T but if I need to make a number of rip cuts, I'd like to have a dedicated thin kerf rip blade. I'd like something that will not burn at a reasonable feed rate and will leave a smooth edge. A glue-line quality edge is not a must but would be nice. I'm not concerned about cutting plywood, veneer or melamine with this blade, just rips in boards.

I want to keep the cost in the $35 - $50 range. Any suggestions?

FWIW - I've had really good experiences with Freud blades in the past and even the cheaper Diablo line have performed well.

[Bill Huber]

I've switched over to the Freud 410T as my goto blade in my General International Hybrid TS. If I have 1 or 2 boards to rip, I'll use the 410T but if I need to make a number of rip cuts, I'd like to have a dedicated thin kerf rip blade. I'd like something that will not burn at a reasonable feed rate and will leave a smooth edge. A glue-line quality edge is not a must but would be nice. I'm not concerned about cutting plywood, veneer or melamine with this blade, just rips in boards.

I want to keep the cost in the $35 - $50 range. Any suggestions?

FWIW - I've had really good experiences with Freud blades in the past and even the cheaper Diablo line have performed well.

My go to thin kerf is the Freud LM75R010, I use it to cut 8/4 hard maple all the time on a 1 1/2 hp table saw and it does a great job.

http://www.amazon.com/Freud-LM75R010-10-Inch-8-Inch-Arbor/dp/B001V5J4QY/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374586457&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=glue+line+ripe+blade

[Will Boulware]

Try the Irwin Marples blades from Lowes. I got one of the combo blades and have been really happy with it for the price. Dont' get me wrong, it's not my beloved Freud, but it does a pretty good job in the pine and North American hardwood I've run past it. If I'm not mistaken, they have a rip blade and several crosscut blades in addition to the combo. Worth a try, as it's definitely in your price range.

[Jim Tabor]

The best kept secret in woodworking is the very good, low price Oshlun blades from Carbide Processors. They are excellent blades that cost around $25. They are not equal to a Forrest, but you can get four of them including shipping for less than the cost of one WWII. I put a 40T GP Oshlun on my 3HP Grizzly about two months ago to compare it to my WWII. I've been cutting 2" walnut, oak, and cherry for chairs, still sharp and cutting great. I will never go back to $80-$120 blades.

[Daniel Rode]

The best kept secret in woodworking is the very good, low price Oshlun blades from Carbide Processors. They are excellent blades that cost around $25. They are not equal to a Forrest, but you can get four of them including shipping for less than the cost of one WWII. I put a 40T GP Oshlun on my 3HP Grizzly about two months ago to compare it to my WWII. I've been cutting 2" walnut, oak, and cherry for chairs, still sharp and cutting great. I will never go back to $80-$120 blades.
The site doesn't specify but as best as I can tell, the Oshlun 24 tooth rip blade is a full kerf.

[Mark Bolton]

Is there a specific reason you want thin kerf? There are many reasons to avoid thin kerf blades and only one (an underpowered saw) to want one. Just asking.

The flexure and heating issues that go along with thin kerf blades make cut quality practically negligible. Getting a decent cut on a brand new one is a possibility but it likely wont last long. Heavier carbide and plate thickness, as well as design, is where your performance and longevity comes from.

[Jim Tabor]

They are full kerf. If you have a 2HP saw they should work just fine. The 24T Oshlun will leave a smooth finish. I have also found that the 50tooth combination is a good compromise if about 70% of your cuts are crosscuts and 30% are rip. This works well for the type of woodworking I do. Most of the time I'm using the table saw to reduce lumber to a rough size, not really looking for a glue ready edge. If you really need a 24T, TK, rip, then take look at the freud. Be careful, you can get hooked on saw blades. I have about 15 just for my table saw. I've never seen a table saw blade that I didn't want to buy just to try it out.

[George Bokros]

When I have a lot of ripping to do I turn to my Freud Glue Line rip blade. Awesome cuts. It is however not a thin kerf but it runs well in my 1hp 1975 vintage Craftsman table saw.

George

[scott spencer]

Is there a specific reason you want thin kerf? There are many reasons to avoid thin kerf blades and only one (an underpowered saw) to want one. Just asking.

The flexure and heating issues that go along with thin kerf blades make cut quality practically negligible. Getting a decent cut on a brand new one is a possibility but it likely wont last long. Heavier carbide and plate thickness, as well as design, is where your performance and longevity comes from.

I've switched over to full kerf blades since going to a 3hp saw 5 years ago, because there's simply less incentive to use them now, but for several years, good TK blades were a God-send on mya 2hp contractor saw and a 1-3/4hp hybrid......never, ever did I encounter an issue due to deflection, flutter, warping, etc. Cut quality from the better TK's was excellent. Comparing several top shelf full kerf and several top shelf TK's yielded similar cut quality between them, but the TK's always had notably easier feedrates with less strain on the motor. A full kerf blade is 33% wider than a 3/32" TK, which inherently requires more power to spin. It's true that a full kerf blade is less likely to deflect, but that doesn't mean that a good TK blade WILL deflect. A good TK blade spinning on a well tuned saw, using flat straight lumber should perform extremely well for most hobbyists, unless you run into some unusual lateral forces. High volume environments are a different story.

Any of the better 24T TK rippers should work well for you as long as the kerf width is compatible with your splitter....Infinity 010-124 is one of my favorites, as is the Freud Industrial LU87R010....DW7124PT, Irwin Marples, and CMT 202.024.10, Amana, etc., are all solid choices within budget, all of non-Chinese manufacturing.

[Wade Lippman]

FWIW I had a Forrest tk on my Grizzly 3hp and tried to cut some slots. Even with a Forrest stabilizer the slotscame out 50% wider than the claimed kerf. I suppose the saw arbor could have been out of square, but it seemed like blade wobble.
I now use standard kerf.

[Paul Symchych]

Have you looked at the Diablo blades at the orange borg? The 24 tooth is $28. Made by Freud I think. Works for me.

[Daniel Rode]

I've had the same experience as Scott with TK blades. Even the cheap TKs performed well. I've already made the decision (and the purchases) to replace my full kerf combo blades. I went with the Freud 410T and I want a ripper with a thin kerf so I can use the same zero clearance accessories, like my throat plate.

I'm torn. The Freud 30 tooth glue-line looks like a winner, but I think I may be wasting my money since I almost always touch up the edge on the jointer. I suspect I'll get the Freud 24T TK.

I wish I could test drive a few...

Note: Someone earlier said the Freud glue-line is a full kerf blade. AFAIK, it's available in thin and full kerf. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V5J4QY

[Jim Andrew]

Menards had some 24 tooth rip blades on closeout, Bosch brand, thin kerf, so I bought just one, thinking they were probably not much. Took it home and tried it on some oak, and next time I was at Menards, bought the rest. Only had 3 left. But they cut nearly as well as the Craftsman blade I bought because the label said "made in Italy".

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a Ridgid TS-3650 hybrid. It has a 1 3/4hp motor IIRC. I run an Infinity 10-024 glue line ripper. Excellent blade at $51.50 at their website.

[Dave Cav]

I have also found that the 50tooth combination is a good compromise if about 70% of your cuts are crosscuts and 30% are rip. This works well for the type of woodworking I do.

This blade lives in my 10" saw most of the time, too, unless I'm doing really fussy crosscuts. I do most of my rips on my 12" saw but a little of every thing on the PM 65, and the Oshlun 50 tooth combination has been a really versatile blade for the money.

Their stack dado is another great deal, too. I have both an Oshlun and a Freud, and the Oshlun gets a lot more use, especially in solid stock.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm torn. The Freud 30 tooth glue-line looks like a winner, but I think I may be wasting my money since I almost always touch up the edge on the jointer. I suspect I'll get the Freud 24T TK.

I wish I could test drive a few...Just so happens...
I have both a Freud 30T Glue Line Rip Blade (LM74R010 - full kerf, not thin kerf) and I believe I have two of the Freud 24T (LU87R010) thin kerf.

Where abouts in Ohio are you?
I'd be happy to let you test drive both if you're somewhere close to the Akron/Canton area.

In all honesty though, it won't tell you much since the blades are practically new.
W/new (sharp) blades, you can't tell much (if any) difference in the cut quality.

I went with a full kerf GLR blade, even though I have a Ridgid TS3660 (like Ken said - 1 3/4HP) contractor saw.
I only use the GLR blade on 1" or less stock.
So far, it's worked fine w/no burning.
However - I haven't used it with cherry yet. I have a project in the works where I will be ripping some 3/4" cherry so we'll see how it does.

Since you're thinking of going thin kerf, that may not tell you a whole lot either...

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Rich. I'm pretty well committed to thin kerf for now. I'm near Twinsburg, so Akron is pretty close and Canton is not too much farther. How's the edge on the Freud 24T? I don't think the edge quality will vary too much between full and thin since the tooth design is the same. I have a crappy 24 tooth now and I won't use it on anything except scrap.

It's good to know a fellow member and woodworker that lives so close.
Any tips on buying wood locally?

[Art Mann]

I would like to offer a differing opinion. I have a 1 1/2 horsepower contractor saw and I only use thin kerf blades. Using thin kerf blades is almost like doubling the saw horsepower. I haven't had any of the problems Mark mentioned. I build furniture and jewelry boxes that demand a high level of accuracy and I get it every time. I have had a couple of blades for several years now and the cut quality hasn't degraded yet. Thin kerf blade technology has come a long way in recent years. You just have to buy quality blades and take care of them.


Is there a specific reason you want thin kerf? There are many reasons to avoid thin kerf blades and only one (an underpowered saw) to want one. Just asking.

The flexure and heating issues that go along with thin kerf blades make cut quality practically negligible. Getting a decent cut on a brand new one is a possibility but it likely wont last long. Heavier carbide and plate thickness, as well as design, is where your performance and longevity comes from.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Any tips on buying wood locally?Hartville, Keim and - once in a while Craigslist.
Mostly I've been buying S4S from Terry Lumber in Peninsula though since I haven't had anything that needed more than a dozen or so board feet of red oak or poplar.

The 24T Freud leaves just as smooth a cut as the GLR - but - the blades are nearly brand new.
I've noticed that nearly all Freud blades cut extremely well when they are new, but, not all of them continue to do that.
Which is fine in the case of the 24T ones I bought. I bought them mostly for rough/construction work, not finished work.

Twinsburg is just on the other side of Hudson from where I'm at.
I'm in Stow - just a couple of miles from Blossom Music Center.

[Chris Hachet]

My go to thin kerf is the Freud LM75R010, I use it to cut 8/4 hard maple all the time on a 1 1/2 hp table saw and it does a great job.

http://www.amazon.com/Freud-LM75R010-10-Inch-8-Inch-Arbor/dp/B001V5J4QY/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374586457&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=glue+line+ripe+bladeI would echo this advice, my Freud blades cut better than my much more expensive Forrest blades, I have this blade and would recommend it to anyone. And yes, I cut 8/4 hardwood on a craftsman table saw with no problems, just a slower feed rate.

[Chris Hachet]

Mr. Tabor;

Thank you for the kind remarks.

Tom Walz
Carbide ProcessorsI will have to try your product, sir. Thanks for making things for us poor boys who just love to cut wood.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Wow!
As always - Tom and CP show a lot of real class & generosity.

BTW - thank you (and Whitney also ) for the Paolini ruler - it came FedEx yesterday.

[Rick Lizek]

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/rip-gang-saw-blade-10in-x-10t-ftg-popular-tools-rf101/
Use a full kerf blade with less teeth. Less teeth uses less power.

[John TenEyck]

I would like to offer a differing opinion. I have a 1 1/2 horsepower contractor saw and I only use thin kerf blades. Using thin kerf blades is almost like doubling the saw horsepower. I haven't had any of the problems Mark mentioned. I build furniture and jewelry boxes that demand a high level of accuracy and I get it every time. I have had a couple of blades for several years now and the cut quality hasn't degraded yet. Thin kerf blade technology has come a long way in recent years. You just have to buy quality blades and take care of them.

This has been my experience, too. The Freud Diablo TK rip blades cut very smoothly in my saws even, to my surprise, for many cross cuts. Their crosscut blades cut super smooth in everything but melamine. I use them exclusively in my low powered 10" jobsite saw, the really cheap 7-1/4" inch ones. That limits my depth of cut but it's not typically a problem and for something like $10 a piece they are probably the best bargain out there.

John

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Rich! Seems were virtually neighbors :)

It's been a while since I've been to Terry Lumber or out to Hartville. I'll have to make the a day of it and browse to see what's available. The Woodcraft near my home is an OK source but they're a expensive and the quantity of each type is not huge. Still, it's typically very good quality and they'll order in lumber if you are interested.


Hartville, Keim and - once in a while Craigslist.
Mostly I've been buying S4S from Terry Lumber in Peninsula though since I haven't had anything that needed more than a dozen or so board feet of red oak or poplar.

The 24T Freud leaves just as smooth a cut as the GLR - but - the blades are nearly brand new.
I've noticed that nearly all Freud blades cut extremely well when they are new, but, not all of them continue to do that.
Which is fine in the case of the 24T ones I bought. I bought them mostly for rough/construction work, not finished work.

Twinsburg is just on the other side of Hudson from where I'm at.
I'm in Stow - just a couple of miles from Blossom Music Center.

[Myk Rian]

I like my Freud Glue-line blade, but it's only good to 1" thickness.
For serious ripping, I use my Steel City blade that came with my Hybrid saw.