Table Saw Blade Recommendation

[Mike Congiusti]

Hi guys,

I've been using Forest combinations blades forever with good results. I will be making projects that will require me to purchase a rip and crosscut blade. I will be ripping a lot of maple and cherry and I would like to try and eliminate burning. 25 years ago I had a rip blade and it worked great. Also the combo blade I have is a ATB which does not make flat grooves.

With limited availability out there these days what can you recommend for a rip and cross cut blade.

Thanks

Mike

[Kurt Wyberanec]

I use a combination blade from Ridge carbide for virtually everything.... with a 3hp I get virtually no burning on rips unless it's my fault... I'm sure they make a rip also but can't recommend them enough... came from using the usual suspects Freud forest etc. Don't think I'll go back.

[Frank Pratt]

Freud (not Diablo) blades have very excellent cutting performance and cost less than Ridge & Forrest. I doubt they can be sharpened as many times, but for hobby use they will last many years/decades.

[Mike O'Keefe]

I use the Freud Glue line rip blade. For crosscutting I have a Forrest.

[Lee Schierer]

I use the Freud Glue line rip blade ($69) and the Freud LU82M010 ($35) for cross cuts. I've used these blades for several years cutting, walnut, cherry, red oak, maple, poplar, hickory and various sizes of construction lumber. The cuts are all clean and free of burn marks and significant tear out or chipping.. My saw is a 1-1/2 Hp Craftsman that is well tuned with a zero clearance insert.

The key to burn free cuts is continuous feed rate on a well tuned saw.

[Mike Burke]

I have used Freud blades for along time also. I use their 10" combo blade for almost everything. But lately I have been trying to ween my self away from using my Miter saw for final length cuts on my parts so I have been switching to a Freud cross cut blade. I think its their LU85R but I will have to check when I get home. I did try the glue line rip blade (still have it and use it some) but I wasn't to impressed with it.
Anyway.....I have always had good luck with Freud blades.

[Jim Dwight]

I prefer a 24 tooth rip blade instead of the glue line rip. For most things, including crosscuts and rips in 1 inch stock, sometimes thicker, I use a combination blade. Usually a Freud with 40 ATB teeth and 10 flat top rippers. I have a thin kerf on at the moment but I also use full kerf.

[Rod Sheridan]

FSTools, Royce-Ayr or Leitz.

I use a 24 tooth rip blade if you’re talking about 10 inch blades….Regards, Rod

[Frank Pratt]

Yes, I have an FSTools crosscut blade as well & it's very nice. Super clean cut.

[Jim Becker]

If you like your Forest WW-II, they make rip blades and blade optimized for crosscutting, too. I like Silver's Mill for Forrest at about the best prices I've found. I use the WW-II for almost everything, but do have a 10" 20T ripping blade that is a beast.

[Scott Bernstein]

The Forrest blades are excellent. But when you really want to get serious, get a Ridge Carbide blade. They have various combo, rip, and cross cut blades available. And their dado stacks are amazing as well. They can also sharpen any blade. I have a custom-made 3/4" diameter plunge-cutting router bit from them. If they don't have exactly what you are looking for as a stock item, they can make it.

SB

[joe maday]

over many years I have had a drawer of different blades, expensive to cheap gathering dust........ I only use Ridge Carbide blades. Some sharpened 10x or more...Always happy with the results.... They have recently been sold to Everlast Saw and Carbide in Kansas, and have heard some of the employees have followed. I will not hesitate to keep using them....

[Carl Beckett]

How often do you switch blades out on your table saw? I personally try to avoid it as much as possible, and find myself using whatever blade is on the saw for everything. Only very very occasionally do a swap for a specific rip or crosscut blade.

Which means a combination blade is in the saw 98% of the time.

[Michael Fink]

How often do you switch blades out on your table saw? I personally try to avoid it as much as possible, and find myself using whatever blade is on the saw for everything. Only very very occasionally do a swap for a specific rip or crosscut blade.

Which means a combination blade is in the saw 98% of the time.

Call me lazy, but I'm in the same camp. I do have a dedicated ripping blade, but since I got a 3HP saw, I've never used it (was useful on my smaller saw though because it was much easier on the motor). I keep a Forrest WWII in 95% of the time, replacing it only with a dado stack when I'm doing that type of work. It's good enough at both crosscutting and ripping that I don't see a need to change. If I was going to rip 1000 feet of board in a day, I'd probably swap it out just to make it easier to push that much lumber though and keep the WWII from getting the workout. But for normal projects, where I'm ripping 1/2 a dozen boards, then cross cutting 1/2 a dozen times? Nope, not changing the blade in either direction for that, the WWII is fine for both operations.

I did recently upgrade my miter saw to the "Ultimate cutoff" and wow, is that a game changer. Great cuts, but biggest thing is that blade is SO much quieter! For any normal cross cut, I prefer the miter saw. For a really wide cross cut, I'll often use the track saw. It's somewhat rare I'm doing cross cuts on my table saw, but the WWII is good enough at rips that I also don't feel the need to change to my dedicated rip blade.

[Robert Engel]

I've pretty much migrated to CMT. I have 1 Forrest other than sharpness out of the box and maybe edge retention, honestly I don't see a discernable worth double the price.

30T Freud glue line rip (chrome) is a great blade unfortunately not recommended with SawStop.

[Charles Coolidge]

Freud (not Diablo) blades have very excellent cutting performance and cost less than Ridge & Forrest.

I put a brand new Freud 80 tooth Ultimate Cutoff blade up against a Ridge Carbide 48 tooth Ultra Combo blade cross cutting 10/4 Mahogany...the Ridge Carbide blade threw the Freud to the ground and kicked dirt in it's face while laughing. I was stunned honestly. RIDGE CARBIDE is bad-azz!

[Frank Pratt]

I put a brand new Freud 80 tooth Ultimate Cutoff blade up against a Ridge Carbide 48 tooth Ultra Combo blade cross cutting 10/4 Mahogany...the Ridge Carbide blade threw the Freud to the ground and kicked dirt in it's face while laughing. I was stunned honestly. RIDGE CARBIDE is bad-azz!

Try comparing the Freud Premier Fusion combo blade with your Ridge combo. You might be surprised. FWW did a big comparo a few years ago & the Freud tied for top spot with, I believe, the Ridge Carbide blade, but it's a lot cheaper. I have the Freud & it is a truly excellent blade. I also have a Freud glue line rip blade & it's good too, but the combo actually leaves a better finish.