Your Table Saw Blade

[derek labian]

I would be curious to know what table saw blades SMC'ers are using on their saws today. Secondly interested to know how many people use or need 14" blades.

1. What size blade: 8, 10, 12, 14
2. What make: Freud, Forrest, Infinity, etc.
3. TPI and blade type, i.e. 48t General Purpose, provide more detail on tooth configuration if you like.
4. How long have you been using this blade/brand.

If you switch between a couple of blades, please list both, i.e. rip and crosscut blades.

Too many options for a Poll.

Thank you!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Easy question. The size. 10"
All other questions are hard. It depends on what I am personally cutting. I save my custom Forrest (5 chip grind, not cheap) so I wont dull it or ruin it if I trip my brake. Most general wood cuts I use a Freud 60T combo. Ripping wood that I care about, Freud glue line rip. Bulk ripping 20T Freud. Recycling wood I use the relatively cheapo HD full kerf blade.

As a side issue, I like to use full kerf blades, and last trip to both Lowes and HD, they only carry thin kerfs. NO full kerf blades. It has been years since I've shopped for a blade, (tripped my brake for the first time last weekend) wanted to replace the cheapo blade.

[Jim Dwight]

My table saw uses 10 inch blades, it is a 1.75hp PCS. I have a variety of blades, mostly Freud, some thin kerf and some full kerf. I think it has a Freud thin kerf 24 tooth ripping blade on it at the moment. I use that on cross cuts in crude things but I use a general purpose Freud blade, often thin kerf, most of the time. I have a 50 tooth blade that has 40 ATB and 10 flat top rippers and a 40 tooth "fusion" blade that is a special ATB type grind. I use these blades basically interchangeably unless I am doing a really deep rip. If I am going to "nibble" some dados, I may switch to a full kerf and then leave it on until I'm doing something that I think requires a different blade. For most things, I don't find I need to use a thin kerf.

[Doug Colombo]

Most of the time a 10” Forrest WW2, 40 tooth 1\8 kerf. For dados, a 8” Forrest dado king. Bet you can’t tell I like Forrest blades 😁😁. I also use a few Freud blades.

[Jim Becker]

Normally, with the slider I prefer to use, the blades are 12". Both are Forrest WW-II 48T. I also run my 10" blades on the same saw type as they are compatible. The 12" blades are currently in storage until I once again have a building up and a new slider in place.

In my temporary shop, I'm running 10" blades on a cabinet saw; both are Forrest WW-II 40T and date back to the early 2000s. They have been sharpened multiple times, including recently when I got them out to use after a long hiatus. I also own a Forrest WW-II 20T ripping blade that's about 15 years old. It's rarely used, but when it's the right tool for the job, it gets the nod. The cabinet saw had a Freud 10" "Glue Line Rip" blade on it when I bought it and it's a good piece of tooling. Maybe I'll get it cleaned and sharpened at some point, but I don't generally switch blades in most cases.

[Edward Weber]

10" blades, I've been using Freud blades for 15 years, I'm not going through all the types and tooth configurations. Let's just say I use about half a dozen different blades, they're listed on the Freud site.

[John TenEyck]

A 10" TK Freud 40 T (I think) ripping blade is on my 1.5 HP Unisaw most of the time. When cutting plywood I switch to a Popular Tools 60 or 80T HiATB FK blade which cuts super smooth. I use a Freud flat tooth FK rip blade for cutting grooves and ripping sometimes, too. For Melamine I use a FK Freud Melamine or Ultimate cross cut blade, can't remember for sure, but it cuts almost chip free, even on the bottom if I first put a piece of tape on the cut line.

John

[Justin Rapp]

I have been using Forrest WWII thin kerf 40t on my 1.5hp jet contractor saw. I have 2 of them so when one goes out to Forrest for sharpening, I have a fresh one to drop in. I been using them for about 15 or so years and never needed anything else.

With that said, my sawstop shows up today and I do plan to use the same blade, however given this blade is now $175, I will most likely pick up a less expensive blade or two from the big box store to use when I am not looking for the absolute best cuts in case my brake trips.

[David Kirschke]

10" x 60T Freud Industrial Cabinetmaker's Crosscut Blade (LU73R010) for me.

[Bruce Wrenn]

10" 0n TS, and 12" on miter saw and RAS. Delta 7657 on TS most of the time. For veneer goods, HO Schumacher, 80 tooth variable spaced. Amana melamine blade. Many other middle of the field blades (Oldham, DeWalt, Freud, Delta, etc.) On MS, either Hitachi, or Avanti (made by Freud, not HD.) Own a couple, actually three WWII's, two of which rest peacefully in their boxes.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I use blades from 10” up to 16” on my different saws. My slider was designed for a 350mm (13.78”) blade as the standard so I have a few of them, though I use a 12” on that saw more at this point, unless I need more DOC.

Brands are all over the map, though the blades for the slider are from GDP Guhdo, which is a German industrial tooling manufacturer. The blades are among the best I’ve ever used and are priced accordingly (~$200 for a 350mm 80T ATB solid wood crosscut blade with full kerf)

I really like Tenryu blades as well and have found that they perform essentially as well as some of the more strictly industrial brands for less $. The industrial/high end line of a Freud blades also represent a good value if you need something good enough but not perfect.

Folks love Forrest and I had a WW II for years and used it, but didn’t find it to be any better than high end Freud personally and not quite to the level of the more industrial brands.

What saw are you using a 14” in?

[Kevin Jenness]

A mix of 10" and 12", Forrest, Ridge, Amana, Freud. 40t general purpose ( positive hook angle, moderate tip bevel atb) blades for most work, high tip bevel and tooth count low hook angle atb for veneer, 24t with deep gullets for ripping timber, 40t triple chip for mdf. My impression is the blade design and resharpening are more important than the brand for an upper end blade from any reputable maker. Leuco, Leitz, Stehle, Popular, FS, Tenryu, etc. Bigger blades may need hand tensioning which is a craft in itself so there could well be a difference between vendors there.

My slider accepts up to 12" with just under 4" depth of cut, so I scarcely need anything bigger. We had a couple 16" blades for the Martin I used to operate but they were rarely used. More expensive to buy and maintain. Could be useful for sheet goods run low to minimize bottom tearout without scoring.

[Dave Sabo]

1. 10"
2. & 3. Most used on combination machine are Ridge Carbide 40t, Freud Fusion 40t and Freud 60t TCG for Melamine. On Delta CS it's mostly a thin kerf Fusion. But, depending on the situation / material I might install a Freud or Forrest rip blade. Or a B&D Piranah or an Oldham Wizzard, or a Forrest Duraline, or an Amana TCG. For really questionable stuff I'll pull out some old 70-80's Craftsman carbide blades in case there are surprises embedded.
4. 20+ years on all.

[Lee Schierer]

I use Freud blades almost exclusively. They are all 10" and have 60 teeth except the glue line rip blade.

[Michael Schuch]

I use a 10" Freud hair line rip on my Powermatic 65. I use a Freud 12" wide (as in not narrow) kerf ripping blade on my 12 Powermatic saw.

On my 16" 7.5hp 1947 Redstar radial arm saw I use either a 16" construction type cross cut blade or a 15" Freud Ultimate cut off blade depending on what I am cutting and how smooth I need the finished cut to be. The 16" howls and rings to where hearing protection is needed to start the saw. The Freud 15" ultimate cut off is very quiet in comparison. The 12" dado stack on the RAS is like running a fan and blows most of the dust off the table.

The sliding table saw I just purchased came with a 12" combo blade and will take a 14" blade, maybe even a 16" blade. This is my first sliding table saw and I don't know what blade(s) I will end up with (I am open to suggestions). I have always ripped on the table saw and cross cut on the RAS, doing both on the sliding table saw will be new to me.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

1. What size blade: 10"
2. What make: Ridge Carbide (2 primary blades swapped for sharpening).
3. TPI and blade type: 40T Super Blade, 48T Ultra Blade
4. How long have you been using this blade/brand: 3 years

[Rick Potter]

I have all three brands you mentioned. My preference is for Freud Industrial, but bought some Infinity blades when I got the SawStop, and found the Freuds were undersized.

Since then, Freud now makes full 10" in some models.

My preference for ripping is the Freud full kerf 24 tooth, unless it is really thick and I pull out an old Delta 16 tooth. The Freud makes a very smooth cut with flat bottom.

For general use, I have been using Infinity General 40 Tooth, and they work well, but I still like the Freud better.

I use a really nice melamine blade by Forrest, and it does great. I never had great luck with the WWII though, they seem to get dull fast for me in general use.

If I am cutting a lot of Part board or melamine I go with a cheap 7 1/4 blade on my old Uni, to save wear on the good ones.

Dado's are done on the Unisaw with either a Freud Box Joint set or my 20 year old Forrest Dado King....a great set. On Melamine shelving I use a Sears carbide wobble dado. It actually does a reasonably good job, and I don't want to dull the Forrest set.

[Ole Anderson]

My go-to combo blade is a 10" Oldham Woodworking Wizard blade I picked up at the Novi MI woodworking show at least 15 years ago shortly after I got my G1023. 60 tooth IIRC. Plenty of meat on the carbides. I also have a 10" Freud crosscut blade and a Freud rip blade. Still using the Dewalt crosscut blade that came with my 12" MS two years ago. My old 10" Milwaukee MS has a Diablo blade. All are scheduled to go to sharpening now that I am done with my stranded bamboo floor project. Fave is my Freud dial-a width 8" dado blade.

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I use 10" CMT ripping blade or glue joint blade in my Delta table saw and 12" CMT melamine blade in sliding saw. I also have Craftsman ripping blade for cutting barn wood, 12" Japan Kanefusa, 12" Irvin Marples in SMC.

[Steve Demuth]

My table saw for the time being is a low end hybrid with a Porter Cable nameplate, so all my blades are 10" The two I use most often are both CMT. By default, there is a 50 tooth combination blade in the saw. If I'm going to do a bunch of ripping or for cutting splines or anything requiring a flat bottom, I swap in a 24 tooth FTG ripping blade. The CMT blades work fine for me. I don't think they are the absolute best blades, but they are well balanced and precisely made, so plenty good for the light duty my table saw gets.

[mark mcfarlane]

12"x48T Woodworker II on a 5HP CU300 slider. If I was ripping a lot of 8/4 hardwood I'd consider a dedicated rip blade but the WWII combined with a scoring blade pretty much cuts anything I throw at it, very well. You just need to slow down ripping thick stock.

I bought a second WWII and tried to source a new 1/8" kerf scorer last month thinking my 4 year old WWII needed sharpening, but it turns out I was cutting some really bad but expensive plywood. I just got a bunch of cherry and good quality birch plywood and the 4 year old blade cuts perfectly.

[Ron Selzer]

Forrest 10" 20 tooth on SawStop ICS 5hp, Forrest 8" Dado set rarely, combo blades never
Panel Saw in Garage Forrest blade special made in the late 80's which gets resharpened by Forrest as needed
Panel Saw in basement still on original Milwaukee blade will get changed out to Forrest when dull
Radial Arm Saws assortment of Forrest, Freud, etc 10" 60-60 tooth blades mostly ATB most bought 80-90's one newer maybe 5 yrs old

[jack duren]

I learned many years ago when I opened my shop and just bought Amana. At the furniture shop they bought a lot of Tenryu blades. I can't remember what we were using on the Altendorf..

I juse open the Amana catalog and search my desires...

[Rod Sheridan]

I use either 10 or 12” blades, most are FS Tools, in addition to one Felder blade.

I have TCG for melamine,a long with scoring.

I mostly use FTG for rip, although I have one 28 tooth 12” ATB for rough timber breakdown and straight line ripping.

I also have various ATB’s for cross cutting and plywood, as well a combo blade for stock up to about an inch and change….Rod.

[Jon Endres]

A variety of blades on my Delta Unisaw. All 10" diameter. Most are Freud Industrial series, including a 30T glue-line rip, a 24T general rip, a 40T general-purpose blade (it's a chrome finish, haven't been able to find another), a 60T thin-kerf crosscut. Also have a bunch of 10" thin-kerf blades for my Bosch miter saw. A variety of brands - Bosch, DeWalt, Diablo. I also have a Ridge Carbide TS2000 that I don't like, it leaves a rough cut compared to the Freud blades. I just bought a CMT Industrial 60T cabinetmaker's blade, which has yet to see action. I got it really cheap, so it's more or less a backup blade for now.

[Rich Engelhardt]

10" table saw - Freud Glue Line rip 30 T for ripping.
10" table saw - Freud 8" stacked dado.

10" table saw - Ridgid 50 T combo ($29 "Black Friday" special from 10 years ago - has held up pretty well)

10" table saw & miter saw (non-slider) - 40T Freud LU72R010 general purpose - these go on sale quite often

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use only 10" blades on my table saw and 12" blades on my SCMS.

[Erik Loza]

If not mentioned already, give Tenryu a look.

Erik

[Warren Lake]

probably have 10 manufacturers from 8" to 16" and likely one 18" that wont fit my saw. Ton of blades from when I did auctions when you could be present.. Royce and and

Andrew Choholic who used to post here and on the canadian forum swore by Kanafusa blades. He found a real difference in the blades. If I need more blades will try them. All the blades i have work. Lots will come down the people sharpening it., Stuff went in to Royce last times came back with totally different grinds on it.

The biggest improvement ive found in saw blades is putting any of them in the SCM saw compared to the general saws.

[Ray Newman]

I run the same full kerf 10" blades on my SawStop that I ran on my Uni-saw: Forrest WW I (60 tooth), WW II (40 tooth), WW II ply-veneer (70 teeth) WW I (40 tooth) flat grind. Freud (20 tooth) rip blade .

I started utilizing Forrest blades 35+ years ago and see no reason to change.

[Dave Cav]

If not mentioned already, give Tenryu a look.

Erik

I use a 12" Tenryu Gold Medal in my Minimax SC4E for furniture work, both hardwood and sheet stock. I have two of them. VERY clean cuts both ripping and crosscutting, and will rip well up to about 5/4. I use the scoring blade with sheet goods and generally retract it for solid. I have two 12" Oshlun combo blades for utility work in the slider. I use a 10" Amana in the Powermatic 65 cabinet saw most of the time.

[James Jayko]

I got the 10" Freud Fusion blade. Best combo blade I've ever used, and it isn't close.