Genral Purpose, or Combo?

[Bruce Wrenn]

When it comes to blades, I often see posters referring to their WWII's as combo blades. It's my understanding that combo blades have 50 teeth, grouped in sets of five (4 ATB with a raker,) while general purpose blades usually have 40 teeth, all ATB. Is my thinking wrong?

[Jim Becker]

That's a good point, Bruce...of course, it could be argued that "general purpose" and "combo" kinda get used in the real world interchangeably, both for terminology and in actual cutting situations. Tom Bain mentioned something in the other thread a good point that bears consideration: a blade with a raker is a better solution when making grooves and the like where you want a flat bottom without working it afterward. Someone who does that kind of cutting a lot would be better serviced with the raker. Folks who need crisp edges with a big part of their cutting mix across the grain or with veneers will likely favor the ATB with it's sharp corners and no raker to reduce (albeit slightly) risk of chipping.