Saw blade recommendation for 5 hp table saw cabinetry work

[Eric Arnsdorff]

There are a lot of posts covering various aspects of this from brands to type and such. With all the choices it does make it hard to choose.

I've upgraded my tablesaw to a 5 hp unisaw and I have a collection of blades from my previous table saw that are mostly thin kerf and I had never justified buying a high end blade. I'm ready to see if there is a difference and I have a saw that can handle these blades as well.

I'm thinking one ripping blade and one crosscut blade with the expectation that I would likely do some of both with either given that I may just need a quick cut here or there that isn't worth changing the blade. Possibly a third blade that would be for ripping plywood, however, I expect most of my need for this would be covered by the 2 blades.

So my question is what blades would be good to get if I were to get 2 blades (maybe 3 but I'm skeptical if I will change between 3 blades).
I'm interested in kerf, tooth grind and tooth count for each type.

I plan to do cabinetry type work with hardwoods such as cherry, walnut, maple, etc. with these blades. It would include plywood as well for hidden portions and such. I will also do things with Cedar and Pine but I'm not as concerned with the premium saw blade for those projects and the thin kerf blades I have would be more than adequate to handle those (especially deck projects and such).

I see Amana offers a thicker blade and I've seen a lot of good reviews on their blades. I know Forest puts out a good product. Freud seems to come in 3rd to these as best I can tell. I see there are a number of other brands that have good reviews and people like. So let me know your brand preference but I'm more interested in such things as does the thicker Amana offer advantages, best choice on tooth grind, etc.

[Lee Schierer]

I build cabinets form all the woods you mentioned using Freud blades. For ripping I use the full kerf Freud Glue Line Rip blade. For cross cuts, my go to blade is a Freud Industrial 60 tooth LU73M10 blade. These are both reasonably priced blades that will give you a long life and excellent cuts.

No matter which blades you end up buying, make sure you take the time to align your new saw. They don't come closely aligned from the factory and a well aligned saw will make a world of difference in the quality of cuts you get from any blade. You will also want to use a zero clearance insert with your blades

[Dave Sabo]

Which truck is best ? Ford or Chevy ? Dodge is third. Except when it isn't.

Those are all good blades, and are likely to give you satisfactory results. Ridge Carbide is really the foible to Forrest though. Amana is good stuff, but I think in the collective wisdom of the peanut gallery they are placed in the tier just below Forrest and Ridge. That group is Freud, AMana, and CMT.

A lot is going to depend on your saw, its setup and the materials you cut. What works best on my machine for what I cut might be not as good on yours. I have Forrest, Ridge, Amana, and Freud's blades. For me , on my saw, Ridge is the clear winner for a 40t combo blade. FOrrest is clearly third as the Freud Fusion beats it on mahogany, pine, poplar, general plywood, and melamine especially. I use a Freud heavy rip blade for 8/4 and above and am quite happy with that. I'm sure a ridge would be better , but not at twice the cost for me.

And that's the real rub. You're not going to find a ridge or forrest blade under a hundred bucks. And often close to $150. Freuds can be had for half the price. And they're pretty close to giving the same performance. At least for me.

Another thing you should drop pronto is the notion that you'll make a cross cut with a dedicated rip blade. Or, rip hardwood with that crosscut blade. That's a non starter and can even be dangerous. If you want to swing both ways, buy a premium 40t combo blade. NOT a 50t !

The Ridge Carbide, Forrest, or the Freud Fusion 40t will rip all but the thickest hardwood and crosscut plywood with very good results. A dedicated will usually be better, but only incrementally so.

[Jim Becker]

I use the 12" Forrest WW-II 48T blade for almost all of my work. It has a consistent .125" kerf which is the same as the scoring blade in my slider. I used the 10" 40T versions previously with a cabinet saw and on the slider for awhile until I upgraded the blades. I buy them from Silver's Mill for about the best prices going. I keep two...one on the saw and one to go out for sharpening.

For serious plywood cutting there are fit-for-purpose blades. I don't use enough sheet goods to justify changing from my primary blade.

"Thick kerf" ... which is really "standard kerf" of about .125", give or take, will typically deflect less under load, resulting in a nicer cut under power. The only good reasons to use the "thin kerf" blades are to reduce the load on a lower powered saw (smaller bite) or to have a thinner kerf on purpose for effect or to preserve precious material.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First, 40 tooth blades are General Purpose blades, not combo blades. I own a couple Forrest WWII's, Freud 50 tooth combo, Delta 7657's, Oldham Signature 40 tooth GP blades,along with dedicated ripping and cross cutting blades, and a couple high ATB blades for sheet goods. The 7657's stay on my saw most of the time, while the WWII's rest comfortably in the boxes they came in. Tell you how I feel about blades. Years ago, I had a bunch of cubbies to build for local "Y", which werer faced with 1/4" maple. Did a test using WWII, Freud combo, Freud glue line rip, and 7657's. Freud combo yielded best cuts with least burning. Check with Cripe Distributing for deals on blades.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks for the input.
I'm curious about getting a rip blade with a flat grind. Does this become more useful than just ripping for making tennons and such?
Do the other tip shapes have a big impact (ATB, ATBR, Hi-ATB, TCG, FTG)? It looks like the Flat is reserved more for ripping blades.
All the options can make it confusing to choose. I'm sure they have been developed for larger volume manufacturing. It appears to overlap into the hobbyist area. But I'm not sure where the line is drawn for these options. I would assume the ATB or ATBR are more applicable for the hobbyist but the flat grinds seem useful as well.
Does it make sense to get a rip blade with a FTG and a 40/50 tooth general purpose blade with ATB/ATBR?

As far as kerf goes - I like the idea of being able to plan for an 1/8" cut. The thicker blades appear to have a stability advantage so do the 0.135" or so kerf with the thicker blade improve things or just takes more wood material? If thicker is better where do the diminishing returns happen for a 10" table saw (it appears to be around 0.125")?

[Patrick Kane]

I went with a higher end 12" rip blade for my powermatic 72, and somewhat regret it. One, it is 5/32" or 3/16" plate, which makes math more complicated. Two, i think i spent $150+ on a ridge carbide blade, which looks beautiful and cuts well, but it doesnt leave me a finished edge. I still end up planing, jointing, shaping to final size afterwards. In your cabinet example, you will more than likely size your rails and stiles to final shape with an outboard shaper fence or through the planer, right? I would definitely do dedicated blades, and i think i would go affordable for ripping blade and big bucks for a crosscut blade. I use a variety of Felder silent blades on my slider and they are excellent on sheet goods and crosscutting hardwood. I dont have a scoring saw on that machine either.

Dont think 5hp is infinite power either. I can feel my saw slow down in 8/4 if im feeding aggressively. I think 1/8" would be better.

[Richard Coers]

Your question should read which "blades". Forrest WWII for hardwood and Duraline High AT for plywood/melamine. Freud rip blade, and dado set. Then one box store blade for anything like 2x4s or outdoor projects.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the input.
I'm curious about getting a rip blade with a flat grind. Does this become more useful than just ripping for making tennons and such?

A true ripping blade may bugger the edges if you're doing the shoulders for a tenon. An ATB-R is a better choice for that if you don't want to use a dado blade with high-angled outer blades as most of the higher end dado sets exhibit.

For most folks, a .125" kerf is logical, especially for folks who work in Imperial measurements. Wider than that eats more wood, too.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks for the input.
I'm curious about getting a rip blade with a flat grind. Does this become more useful than just ripping for making tennons and such?
Do the other tip shapes have a big impact (ATB, ATBR, Hi-ATB, TCG, FTG)? It looks like the Flat is reserved more for ripping blades.
All the options can make it confusing to choose. I'm sure they have been developed for larger volume manufacturing. It appears to overlap into the hobbyist area. But I'm not sure where the line is drawn for these options. I would assume the ATB or ATBR are more applicable for the hobbyist but the flat grinds seem useful as well.
Does it make sense to get a rip blade with a FTG and a 40/50 tooth general purpose blade with ATB/ATBR?

As far as kerf goes - I like the idea of being able to plan for an 1/8" cut. The thicker blades appear to have a stability advantage so do the 0.135" or so kerf with the thicker blade improve things or just takes more wood material? If thicker is better where do the diminishing returns happen for a 10" table saw (it appears to be around 0.125")?
Eric you are on the right track.Yes it makes sense to get a rip blade with a FTG if you will be ripping much. Yes the 40 tooth general purpose blade with ATB makes sense. And yes a 50 tooth ATBR combination does work quite well for plywood,crosscuts and ripping. In that order,,best on plywood ,good for crosscuts,and decent on occasional rips in thinner stock . Now you just have to pick your blade brands. I would recommend that you keep all blades the same plate thickness,makes it easier if a riving knife is used.

[Bill Space]

I like to keep all my blades the same width, so the scale on my rip fence works equally well for all of them.

My saw is 5 HP and seems happy with my 1/8 inch blades...

More than this I can not add.

[Dave Sabo]

First, 40 tooth blades are General Purpose blades, not combo blades.

Is that so Bruce ?

You'd better inform the guys at Ridge Carbide then. I'm sure they wouldn't want to be misleading anyone.

https://ridgecarbidetool.com/saw-blades/ridge-super-blades/table-saw-blades/10-ts2000-super-blade.html