Forrest WWI 60 tooth blade

[Nick Decker]

Anyone using this blade? Making boxes, I'm often cutting 1/2" hardwood on the table saw. I have a WWII full kerf that is great, but oddly enough I'm getting cleaner cuts on this thin wood with a Diablo 60T blade. I know the Diablo isn't considered a "woodworking" blade, but it's hard to argue with the smoothness of the cut. So I'm wondering if the WWI 60T would be even better?

[Raymond Seward]

I pretty much use Forrest blades exclusively. One thing I have found though....I need to keep the blade pretty clean.....cuts can have broken edges on xcuts or blade swirls on rip cuts if the teeth are caked with pitch...

[Lee Schierer]

I use Freud full kerf blades exclusively and have no complaints about the quality of the cuts. I use teh glue line rip blade for ripping and their cabinet makers blade for crosscuts.

[David Kumm]

I use the WW1 on my Hammond trim saw. It is primarily a crosscut blade and I like it for that purpose. Probably wouldn't use it much for ripping. Dave

[scott spencer]

The Diablo line is pretty decent. Given that it has 50% more teeth than your WWII, a cleaner cut makes sense. I'd anticipate that the WWI would be cleaner yet....the Infinity 010-060 is very similar for less money. An 80T Hi-ATB like the Forrest Duraline, Infinty 010-080, Freud LU79/LU80, or CMT 210.080.10 would be even better.

[David Eisenhauer]

I have used a full kerf WW II and a full kerf Freud 60T ATB both for similar cutting with equal results (without doing any microscopic inspection at any rate) for several years. No issue with either. Both the WW II and the Freud, plus other Freud blades, have all been re sharpened several times and they have always performed well for me. Other folks are going to jump in with other brand reccomendations and I believe them. I think there are several, good quality TS blades on the market that perform equally well without going into some type of close, laboratory-type inspection and comparison.

[Nick Decker]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I think I'll go ahead and get the WW I with Amazon Prime. Easy return if necessary.

I do have one of the Infinity ripping blades and have been less than impressed with the smoothness of the cut. Just eyeballing it, no microscopes, it shows more blade marks and chip out than the Diablo.

[scott spencer]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I think I'll go ahead and get the WW I with Amazon Prime. Easy return if necessary.

I do have one of the Infinity ripping blades and have been less than impressed with the smoothness of the cut. Just eyeballing it, no microscopes, it shows more blade marks and chip out than the Diablo.

Are you comparing smoothness of cut of a 24T bulk rip blade to a 60T fine crosscut blade? Try ripping some 12/4" cherry with a 60T blade, and you'll find it's limitations. It's sort of like saying a car setup for drag racing doesn't corner very well.

If all else is equal, more teeth tends to equate to a cleaner cut, but with more resistance, more heat, more chance of burning. If all else is equal, fewer teeth tends to equate to a faster cut, with less resistance, less burning, but a rougher finish. Neither extreme or design parameter is ideal for all situations, and neither extreme or paremeter is “better” in all situations…they’re just better suited for different applications. There are pros and cons with every design parameter. The idea is to choose the correct parameters for the correct task.

[Nick Decker]

Scott,

What I was comparing was a rip cut done with both blades, with the same saw cutting through the same 1/2" board. It surprised me that a relatively cheap 60T crosscut blade would give a cleaner rip cut through that material than a dedicated ripping blade. I don't work with thick wood, but I have no doubt you're correct about how to go about cutting it.