Woodworker II vs separate rip and crosscut blade

[David Huston]

I have been using the Freud glue line rip and ultimate crosscut blades on my table saw for the past few years and they are i need of sharpening. With no nearby place to have them sharpened I was going to send them off to Forrest to get sharpened but then thought about just buying a woodworker II blade. Any opinions on the Woodworker II? I am just a hobbyist making stuff when I get the chance, mostly cutting hardwood and some ply. Thanks for any input.

[Jim Becker]

I have been a WW-II owner for many years; 10" blades on the contractors' style saw and cabinet saw I owned and I now run a 12" on my slider. I also have the 10" 20t Ripping version that I do pull out for thick 'm knarly stuff. The WW-II 40T and 30T are very capable blades for both ripping and crosscutting. The former is more optimal for cross cut and the latter is more optimal for ripping. IMHO and when talking about 10" blades. Neither is as optimal as separate, specifically designed ripping and crosscutting blades, but for many folks who work in "typical" thicknesses of material, they do the job well without having to swap them out for various operations. The same holds true for competitive offers of similar blades.

If you do decide to go Forrest WW-II, I have found the best prices from Silver's Mill online lately.

[Mike Kees]

David you are talking about replacing two' specific purpose blades' with one ' general purpose' blade. Are you happy with the blades you have ? If you want to spend money on another blade (WW2) then you would have all the blades you would probably ever need. I would get the other two sharpened as well. Where do you live that you can not find another sharpening service to sharpen the two blades at ? There are also a lot more options for a good 40 tooth general purpose blade, FS tools makes a good one.If you search the archives there have been lots of threads on table saw blades. Good luck,Mike.

[David Huston]

I live in Northwest Florida, Panama City area. There was a guy I used in the past but he moved out of state.

[Andrew Seemann]

I use a WW-II blade for everything except rough ripping and suspect boards. I have a cheap thin kerf rip blade for when I have to do a lot of rough rips or 2" thick rips, and some cheaper carbide blades for suspect wood. I tried a dedicated rip blade for a while (a good quality one), but the improvement wasn't enough to justify swapping out between rips and cross cuts and the rip finish was actually a bit disappointing.

The WW-II blade gives a rip finish that can go straight to sanding, not surprising with all the teeth. The only disadvantage is that the extra teeth can make it a little prone to burning in high sugar woods like maple, cherry, and white pine. As long as you don't stop feeding, it isn't a problem though.

[Julie Moriarty]

For sharpening saw blades I've used Dynamic Saw, Inc and have been very happy. Quick turn around and very reasonably priced. I used to send my Forrest blades to Forrest but when I had several Freud blades to also sharpen I sent the bunch to Dynamic. I was very happy with the results.

As for buying the WWII, that depends on what you're trying to do. If you're looking at not having to change blades, then it's a good choice. If you are demanding about the quality of cut, it's hard to beat using the right blade for the cut. IMHO, I don't think the WWII can crosscut as cleanly as a Freud crosscut blade can. Freud's Glue Line Rip does a better job ripping than the WWII but the WWII does as good a job as the other Freud rip blades. IMHO...

[glenn bradley]

If you have become accustomed to purpose specific blades you will notice the difference. At first, of course, the WWII will seem fabulous. Things will become more apparent as it wears a bit. Like Mike I would recommend having your blades sharpened and getting a combination or general purpose blade. This will make all three blades last longer.

Your need for cutter types will vary with what you do. Some folks run a 40T blade for everything and that works for them. I run a 40T for general slugging around, a 60 or 80 for cross-cutting depending on the material and how close I am to final dimensions. I run a 30T for most rips but, have a TK 24 for thicker stuff. I also have a 55T plywood blade from Carbide Processors that rocks the sheetgoods and veneers. All that being said, a rip, general and a crosscut make a 1, 2, 3 punch that will get you through nearly any situation.

[Ray Newman]

Jim Becker and others offered great advice.

For many years, I have been running -- depending upon application -- a Forrest WWI or a WWII.

For sharpening, I recommend Forrest and I think Forrest will sharpen competitors' blades. In my experience with local shops, I found Forrest did a better job.

I will add that I do have a Freud 24 tooth, 20 degree hook rip blade for ripping 2x material and other "rough" material. With that blade, the work almost self-feeds.

[David Kumm]

Buy the WWII and then send your blades out for sharpening. You can use the Forrest box and then you will be covered for years with enough choices. Dave

[Lisa Starr]

I, too, run a Freud Glue-Line Rip and Ultimate CrossCut blades. I've tried various "multi-purpose" blades, but keep coming back to the Freuds. If you go to their website, you can find "their" sharpeners. I've had good success with one in RI.

[Darcy Warner]

If you want a combo blade, buy the everlast one.

[Bill Space]

If you want a combo blade, buy the everlast one.

That brought back memories! Is that the one Muhammad Ali used? :D

(I suppose many here are too young to remember the guy at ringside yelling "everlast, everlast" when he thought the punches should be landing close to the opponents trunks...)

[Bruce Wrenn]

For what Forrest charges for sharpening, send your blades to Dynamic Saw and use change to buy another blade. For about $20 plus shipping, the Delta / Dewalt 7657 from Cripe Distributing can'r be beat.

[Simon MacGowen]

For hobbyists like you and me (I do about twice the no. of builds an average hobbyist does), WWII will do anything you need. You can of course choose to keep separate blades, but I prefer simplicity. One blade, all cuts. Changing blades happens only when I send out the blade for sharpening or when I do blade cleaning.

Everything else is hair-splitting or commercial ... if we are talking about amateurs building things.

Simon