Saw blade question

[Alex Zeller]

I'm slowly working on getting set up to do segmented bowls/ vessels. I'm finishing up rebuilding a Powermatic 66 that will be mainly used for cutting wedges. So I'm going to get a blade with the idea of just doing hardwood. Mostly cross cutting but occasional ripping. I'm hoping for an edge I can glue and since I'll be using cherry, which likes to burn, I would like a blade to avoid it. I know most people default to the Forrest WWII. Being twice the money I figured I would ask what others are using before investing in one.

[Chris A Lawrence]

I use a Freud 1060DX fine finish saw blade. Every wood i have thrown at it cuts great with no burning unless i screw up the cut. This includes occasional ripping and cherry. I get a good enough cut that most times i do not need to sand my segments.

[Reed Gray]

I haven't bought a new table saw blade in years. I used one of the Freud combo blades with a raker tooth for most of my cutting. Having a good saw sharpening service is critical. Found a guy locally who sharpened my Forrest blade and it came back better than straight from the factory. Ask around about sharpening. The burning can be from dullness, too slow of a feed rate, having the board move/pinch/twist as you cut into it (which is far more common in kiln dried wood rather than air, solar, or vacuum kiln dried wood). Probably a few other reasons too...

robo hippy

[Dave Mount]

In addition to having a sharp blade, a clean saw blade helps avoid burning. Pitch buildup can create friction and heat.

Also, making sure the saw blade, rip fence, and miter slots are all parallel.

Like Reed, a Freud LU84 combo has always been my base TS blade. I don't have a strong opinion about the red coated ones versus the uncoated metal. I also have a rip blade, a cross cut, and a plywood blade also for when I'm doing a lot of one particular operation, but I'm guessing 95% of the work is done with an LU84. Years ago I did buy a Forrest WWII thinking from all the hype that I was really missing out -- it is a fine blade, but I wouldn't say I noticed much difference in performance.

Not that there aren't some differences among blades, but sometimes I think a false impression of a blade can be created because a new blade is sharp and clean and generally replaces an older one that is neither.

Best,

Dave

[allen thunem]

i would suggest a forrest woodworker II. the following is from their website
Specially engineered clearances on the carbide teeth can totally eliminate side scoring. The result…no planing/jointing or sanding. In many cases a glue-line cut can be obtained, depending on the accuracy of the saw machine

[Grant Wilkinson]

I use a 40 tooth, 6 1/2" circular saw blade on my table saw for cross cutting segments. The kerf is only about 1/16", so waste is kept to a minimum, and the cut is very smooth.