Table Saw Blades, do you need to spend a fortune?

[Ian Scott]

I have never paid more than $30 for a blade. I notice the Forrest blades start at around $100. Are they worth it? (first question) I am a weekend warrior well every other weekend if you get my drift.
I have spent the last two weeks looking at a new saw but realized I would have to spend far to much to improve on my present table saw.
So would a blade or two (cross cut and rip) from Forrest range at around $275 for the pair make that big a difference? (second question). Last question are these overrated?

[Matt Day]

Freud is a very good alternative. Very good performance that won’t break the bank. I suggest a glue line rip blade and a crosscut blade. The general purpose blades yield acceptable performance at both operations, but I would rather have to change a blade and get very good performance.

Edit: Forrest makes very good blades by the way. These days they have more competitors and I did 20 years ago so there are more choices.

[Rod Sheridan]

Ian, I also am a hobby user and my answer is yes, buy good blades.

I normally buy FS Tools blades, they cut very well, have thick carbide teeth and can be sharpened many times.

I also have a $30 blade for when the neighbourhood kid comes over with his prized piece of wood he found in a ditch:D

I would suggest that a minimum set would include something like a 24 tooth rip blade, an 80 tooth ATB for crosscuts, perhaps a combo blade for general use on 1" or less stock and a an 80 tooth TCG blade for melamine or MDF.......Regards, Rod.

[Nick Lazz]

I would agree with Rod. Good blades are important but you don’t need a bunch. I have two I use regularly: a glue line rip and a combi crosscut. Neither are as high as 80 tooth but I crosscut a lot with a RAS and when I use my crosscut sled for wider boards the 40 tooth meets my needs. I am not an expert, just saying what works for me.
I would suggest you stay away from thin kerf. I tried these several years ago and learned they are not ideal. If you want to save material on a cut, use your bandsaw when appropriate.

[Cary Falk]

What is your current saw and what saw are you looking to upgrade to? You don't have to spend a fortune. I have a Forrest WWII. I also have a stack of Dewalt/Delta 7657 combination blades that I use most. They are $30 from Cripe Dist. on Ebay. I also have a 80 tooth combination blade from Onsrud and a ripping blade from them also. Those 3 blades were probably $100 total. Freud makes a great blade also which are cheaper then Forrest. I saw a post in a similar thread some time ago from professionals that used anything but Forrest. Tenryu has also been mentioned. I also have a CMT combination that works fine also.

[Ray Newman]

If your current saw is underpowered, vibration prone, poorly designed fence, etc., a "premium" blade probably will not improve its performance....

[Darcy Warner]

Yes, Forrest blades are a waste of money.
Never had one I ever liked.

Good blades last longer, can be sharpened for years, retoothed, etc. basically cheaper over the life span.

[Lee Schierer]

I use Freud blades almost exclusively. They cut well and have good carbide size so they can be resharpened when needed. I recently purchased a full kerf glue line rip blade for my 1-1/2 Hp Craftsman saw and it walks right through 3/4" hickory leaving a very smooth cut. I also own a Freud LU73M10 ($55 at Router bit world) and LU82M10 ($69 at Rockler) blades both are full kerf blades and give excellent cuts in hardwood or softwood. With a well tuned saw you have to look very close to see which side of a board was jointed and which side was cut.

[Joe Spear]

Yes, Forrest blades are a waste of money.
Never had one I ever liked.


I've had 4 Forrest blades and a dado set for years and have loved every one, each for its own cutting purpose. Having said that, there are many other fine blades available.

[Mike Cutler]

I have Forrest's, CMT's and Freud's. All of them work well.
I don't see enough difference between the Forrest's and the others to exclusively use only Forrest blades. That's just me though.
I don't think they're overrated. Good blades are somewhat expensive all by themselves.
A well tuned saw, and fence, and the right blade for the task, and all should go well.
I think too many folks over rely on a single combination blade for all of the tasks. A dedicated rip and crosscut blade is better in my opinion.

Just for a little perspective, Amana has blades that are almost three times the cost of a Forrest.;)

[Frederick Skelly]

Another satisfied Forrest user here.

With that said, I get acceptable performance from Freud's Diablo brand.

Fred

[Simon MacGowen]

I have never paid more than $30 for a blade. I notice the Forrest blades start at around $100. Are they worth it? (first question) I am a weekend warrior well every other weekend if you get my drift.
I have spent the last two weeks looking at a new saw but realized I would have to spend far to much to improve on my present table saw.
So would a blade or two (cross cut and rip) from Forrest range at around $275 for the pair make that big a difference? (second question). Last question are these overrated?

Question: Do you have a mitre saw?

If so, all you need is a quality combination blade as you can do most cross cuts on the mitre saw with a dedicated cross cut blade there.

I have the SawStop premium blade for normal cutting and plywood/MDF; the WWII (40t) combo blade for fine cuts and stock 1" thick and above hardwood. Unless the cross cut sled is used (short pieces are hard to cut on a mitre saw), most cross cuts are done on the mitre saw.

I like to switch the two saw blades to have even wear on them and they both can be sharpened. I have done that two times on the SS pre. blade and one time on the WWII since the SS saw was bought. There has been more wear on the premium blade because I edge joint with the SS instead of a jointer.

if you are fuzzy, you would also need sanding or a longer plane to remove machine marks. I recommend the Veritas LAJ.

No matter what blade you use, clean them often to prevent unnecessary burn marks.

Simon

[Ron Citerone]

Better blades are better for sure. Now if you are just starting out or could use the extra money on something else you really need then the smart play might be to go with the $30 blade. I also agree with Don. save you good blade for your fine work and have a cheap one around for the "ditch wood."

[Simon MacGowen]

Yes, Forrest blades are a waste of money.




Could you elaborate a bit on the bad experiences you had with them?

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

If your current saw is underpowered, vibration prone, poorly designed fence, etc., a "premium" blade probably will not improve its performance....

+1

Try a thin kerf blade if you saw is underpowered and you are struggling with your rip cuts.

But better save the money towards a future upgrade of your saw.

Simon

[scott spencer]

Good blades (http://lumberjocks.com/knotscott/blog/12395) can make a big difference on a saw, but you don't need to spend a fortune for top notch performance. Separate task specific blades ensure best performance for every task.

Forrest makes some great blades, but are among the most expensive options with nearly every example of a comparable grind type and tooth count. Infinity are some of the very best blades I've used, and I highly recommend them for hobby use. Ridge Carbide, Tenryu Gold Medal, Freud Industrial, Amana Tool, and CMT Industrial also makes some excellent blades.

[glenn bradley]

Could you elaborate a bit on the bad experiences you had with them?

Simon

I’ll chime in that my WWII never cut as good as my other blades. I had it resharpened and was still unimpressed. Many, many people love their WWII’s so there’s got to be something right about them. My experience just wasn’t the norm.

As mentioned, there are many quality blade manufactures readily available today. Better quality cutters have a longer lifespan and can be re-sharpened many times resulting in an actual lower cost over the life of the blade. Better quality cutters certainly elevated my woodworking. Other steps in assuring a quality cut for me (outside of a well aligned machine) were task specific blades, keeping your cutters clean and regular inspection to determine if any attention is required.

The benefit of this varies with what you use your tablesaw for. A blade suited for ripping thick stock is going to do better than your 40 tooth do-it-all cutter. A plywood specific blade does a better job at ply and a high tooth count crosscut blade will leave a clean surface and edge during cross cutting.

Lots of blade and bit cleaners are out there. I use L.A. Awesome from the Dollar Store. A one dollar bottle lasts me about a year and out performs products I've tried form CMT, Rockler and others. Extreme Simple Green also does a good job for a little ore money. Like L.A. Awesome it does not contain anything that bothers the brazing. On that heated discussion I have altered my views a bit reading a test performed by Carbide Processors here (http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/saw-blades/saw-tips-in-oven-cleaner.html); I'll stick with what is working for me. The point is, find what works for you and clean your cutters :).

Another benefit for me is that in ordering higher end cutters you can often specify some parameters without extra cost. My combo and higher tooth count blades all have .125" kerfs. This means that all my jigs, fence scale and other measurement sensitive functions on the tablesaw work for all those blades without adjusting for different blade tip widths. Nothing really comes straight off a machine and goes to assembly in my shop. Even still, I would like as clean and as accurate a cut as possible from my cutters. Do you need to move up a tier in your cutter selection? Only you can really answer that.

[Simon MacGowen]

I’ll chime in that my WWII never cut as good as my other blades. I had it resharpened and was still unimpressed. Many, many people love their WWII’s so there’s got to be something right about them. My experience just wasn’t the norm.
.

Among Freud (50t), SS Titanium, WWII and another blade (forgot its name) I have used in recent years, WWII gives me the finest finish (no to least burn marks). I wonder if my frequent cleaning of the blades may explain my trouble-free exp. with the WWII.

Simon

[Edwin Santos]

Yes, Forrest blades are a waste of money.
Never had one I ever liked.

Good blades last longer, can be sharpened for years, retoothed, etc. basically cheaper over the life span.

Darcy,
What blades do you like?

[Edwin Santos]

In my experience the Forrest blades are indeed very good, but I get the feeling the rest of the market has caught up with them. I have had good results with Tenryu blades, and I think the Freud full kerf heavy duty ripping blade is excellent but I haven't tried other Freud blades (yet). Both of the latter can be had for far less than Forrest and I have found good, reputable sellers on Ebay if you're inclined.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own two Forest WWII's, but the blade I use everyday is a DeWalt/Delta 7657 (own several.) I also have a HO Shumacher blade that is made by Leitz that I use for veneer plywood.

[Jim Becker]

I've used Forrest blades pretty much from the beginning. In fact, I still have the two 10" WW-II 40t blades I bought in the early 2000s and they have been sharpened multiple times. I only recently stopped using them in favor of new 12" versions of the same since that's the optimal size for my slider, even though the 10" versions worked just fine. If I do the math...I roughly paid about $100 each and they were purchased in about 2000 or 2001...that's really not very expensive at all. :) The hard carbide lasts a long time and for more sharpenings than many less-expensive-at-initial-purchase blades. And I agree with the comment that you don't need multiple types of blades for most cuts. For ripping really thick material, a 20T or 30T blade is more efficient, but most folks are cutting .75-1" thick material most of the time. And no, I don't believe they are over-rated.

Silver's Mill has excellent prices for WW-II... currently on sale for $119 each for 10" 40T.

[Neil Gaskin]

I like Forrest. Their teeth seems to stay sharp a bit longer than say Freud. Our saws see daily prolonged use and I do not change them nearly as frequently as less expensive blades. I’ve recently tried two blades from ridge carbide in a couple of SCMS and so far I’m impressed.

[David Kumm]

When you compare Forrest to Freud, CMT, etc. Forrest seems top of the heap. When you compare to Leitz, Leuco, Nap Gladu, Royce Ayr, or FS Tool, Forrest just seems average. With industrial blades it is more about sharpening than any differences in the manufacturers. Joe Calhoon likes Kanefusa but I haven't used them. I've used most of the others I've mentioned. Dave

[Brian Nguyen]

I have one each of the Forrest WWII, a Freud, and a Dewalt construction combination blades, used them all in four different saws--a Ridgid Ridgid R4513 (the portable TS), Craftsman 113, Delta unisaw, and currently a new Grizzly 833P hybrid. Strangely, it feels like the Forrest is most dissapointing, the Freud is above average, and believe it or not the Dewalt seemed to perform the best. I don't think it's the high expectations due to high costs either, the Forrest just seem to struggle through ripping 6/4 boards with burns, whereas the Freud and the cheap Dewalt tears through it all. I'm only using the Forrest at the moment out of pure stubbornness but I'm finding that I am using the bandsaw to rip and clean up with a hand plane more and more as oppose to ripping on the TS and sighing afterward.

Not sure if I got a dud WWII or not.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like Forrest blades they cut good on my saw and seems quieter than some others I've tried.

[Nick Decker]

I have two WWIIs, one regular and one thin kerf. They work very well for me as combination blades, but as you would expect, you'll get better results with a rip blade for ripping. For that I have a thin kerf Freud and a full kerf Infinity.

Several people here pointed me toward Dynamic Saw for resharpening and both my WWII blades are there at the moment. I called the other day to give them my payment info and had a conversation with one of the owners about blades in general. Very enjoyable and informative. They also have a series of YouTube vids you can access from their website.

[lee cox]

I am a hobbyist but I am impressed with the Freud Industrial saw blades. I have the Freud Industrial Cabinetmakers 60T saw Blade and a Freud
Industrial 24T rip saw blade. I also have Forrest dado saw blade and a 8 inch with tight zero insert which I use for cutting veneer and thin plastics. The 8 inch blade is very thin. I have a Unisaw 3 hp.


I had a Freud saw blade in the past on a Delta contractor saw which I did not like. It made a weird noise when it spun.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I had a Freud saw blade in the past on a Delta contractor saw which I did not like. It made a weird noise when it spun.If it was a 50 tooth combo blade, it makes the same high pitched whine that ALL 50 tooth combo blades do.

[lee cox]

I don't mind changing blades so I like having a rip blade and a crosscut blade. I probably will not use a combo blade anymore if they make that high pitched whine. It takes very little time to change blades.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Next to Tom Walz at Carbide Processors..... (http://www.carbideprocessors.com/)

Scott Spencer is the go -to guy for blade info. (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?46517-10-quot-Saw-Blade-Comparison-Chart&highlight=blade)

Tom wrote several good technical pieces about why some blades cost so much more than others.

Scott did some good head to head research on why some blades cut better than others.

[Ben Zara]

I have a lot of saw blades but in the end you only need two:

Freud premier fusion thin kerf (leaves a glass surface for rips and cross cuts)

Infinity rip blade with a full kerf and a flat top grind for joinery.

Both of these blades are reasonably priced and leave a glue line ready surface.

[Ben Rivel]

Another hobbyist here and use only Forrest blades on my table saw and miter saw. I think they are well worth the cost. Love the cuts I get from them!

[Peter Christensen]

I had a variety of blade brands including industrial and some cheap ones from Busy Bee for suspect woods (dirty or possible metal), then I got my SawStop. I bought a Freud blade because they were supposed to be good. I found it to be smaller than the other brands of 10" blades I had by about a tenth of an inch. Well that meant every time I wanted to switch to another blade I had to spend time adjusting the blade break to get the proper gap. That got old fast. I thought that maybe it was the blade and went back to where I bought it and all the Freud blades were the same so I gave it to a buddy that likes them and bought the Forrest blades. They are full sized and cut good for me. If I'm going to get new blades I take a tape measure with me and it is of no concern to someone that owns other brands of saws but it is something to keep in mind if you have a SawStop.

The Busy Bee blades I mentioned are good value for the money and are branded Blue Tornado. For $30 - $50 Canadian each they are good for someone on a budget.

[Keith Hankins]

I've used a lot, and the forrest has been the best overall I've ever had. yea you pay for them, but you get what you pay for. I will say that sawstop makes a good blade that is a lower cost alternative. I did some sample cuts and test when I got my ICS. I used the standard blade that came with it, and gold version and it was better, and then the forrest. Just no comparrison on quality of cut. Plus the last such a long time between sharpenings. Finally go look real close at the amount of carbide on their blades. It is really impressive.

[David Kumm]

Most Euro blades are metric. 250mm rather than 10". Dave

[Bruce Wrenn]

Can anyone name two commercial shops that use Forest Blades? Forest shoots for the elitest hobbiest blade business. They cost more, so they must be better. One of my Forest WWII's shed four teeth when it hit a SKU tag staple that was hidden below the surface. Sent it back to Forest, and for only a couple bucks less than I paid for it, they replaced four teeth, and charged me for TWO grindings. Forest is a sharpening service, who makes blades to keep a feed stock into sharpening business.

[Earl McLain]

Hobbyist here. Most of my thoughts will only echo earlier comments.
1. Clean the blade, as noted by Mr. Bradley--even if I can't see the resin/sap, a little makes a lot of drag mimicking dull.
2. I like the proper blade for the cut. 20-24 tooth rip (10"), 60 or so to cross cut, plywood and/or melamine blade. (I clean the blade I take off to switch)
3. Tom Walz & Scott Spencer are top-notch. Carbide Processors has a newer line (Popular Tools) that I've used for little blades--nice for the money, haven't tried 10" yet.
4. Watch for new saw purchases. I have what may be a lifetime supply of Amana, Tenryu Gold Medal and Forrest from a member here and one from another site who were moving to 12" saws. Probably 10 or 11 blades total, rip-crosscut-plywood. All quality, all used, and all freshly sharpened when I got them from people I respect online. Think my total was less than what 2 new WW-2's would have cost.

I still own a few combo blades--closest I've been to using one is a WW-2 that I got in one of those deals. I ripped a little with it, cross-cut a fair amount--it was okay but it didn't do either as well as the dedicated blade. I will say that Forrest's "Mr. Sawdust" blade is awesome on my radial arm saw.

Earl

[Lee Schierer]

Most Euro blades are metric. 250mm rather than 10". Dave

Just for curiosity I went out to the shop and measured several of my blades. All five of these blades have not been sharpened.

Freud 250.03 mm and 249.63 mm

20+ year old Craftsman 251.61 mm and 252.41mm

20+ year old Nicholson 254 mm or exactly 10 inches.

All of these blades were sold as "10 inch" blades. So as you can see, some of the US brand blades weren't 10" diameter either. I do not own any Forrest blades so I have no idea what they actually measure. Maybe someone out there with a new Forrest blade can measure it accurately and let us know the diameter.

[Rod Sheridan]

That's not surprising Lee, most of the world is metric so most of the tooling in the world is metric as well.

I guess we never noticed because until Sawstop it didn't matter if your blade was different by a couple of mm...........Rod.

[Rick McQuay]

I've been using mostly Freud blades for 20+ years but my satisfaction level with them keeps dropping. After having to return 2 of their rip blades, a crosscut developing a problem, and being somewhat disappointed in a Fusion, all in the last year; I'm done with them. I'll probably never buy another one and I will no longer recommend them. Not sure what I will buy instead. Might try Forrest, Ridge Carbide, or Tenryu.