60 or 80 tooth blade for a RAS?

[Mark Gibney]

What is the optimal number of teeth on a 10" RAS negative rake blade for cross-cutting the usual N American woods? - oak, birch, walnut etc?

Any brand recommendations?

There is an 80 tooth CMT blade on Jeff's website for $83, and a 60 tooth Oshlun for $56. Any opinions on those two, for instance?

thanks, Mark

[Dave Zellers]

I think these are fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MQOOGI

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Don’t own a tablesaw. Instead I’ve got 3 RASs, setup for crosscut, rip and dado. The crosscut has a Forrest Woodworker I 10 x 60t as designed by Mr. Sawdust. Very clean cut. No experience with an 80t RAS blade, but I replaced the OEM Makita 80t blade on my sliding miter saw with a Forrest Chopmaster 80t. In retrospect, the Makita blade is very impressive and close to the Chopmaster in cut quality.

[Jeston Boice]

I have two vintage dewalts and love the Freud LU83R010 combo blades on them. Crosscut and rip surprisingly well which is important for me as I switch between the two. As I understand d the negative hook thing is a myth.

[Kevin Jenness]

If you are looking for the cleanest cut 80 teeth will be better but slower. I generally think of radio alarm saws as rough cutoff tools but a good one dialed in will work well with a full-kerf high ATB negative rake blade. The negative rake definitely helps cut down self-feeding. Ripping is not something I like to do on an ras but if necessary a negative rake is safer as it generates less uplift.

[Mark Gibney]

I will only be cross-cutting on this saw. Absolutely NO ripping or other actions.
From all I've read, other than the reply from Jeston, a negative rake is slower but safer, and I like that. I have plenty of 80 T cross-cut blades for the table saw, but I'd prefer to get the correct blade for this RAS now.

So I guess the question still stands - 60 or 80 tooth blade, or does it really matter?
thanks.

[Tom M King]

The low count Oshlun blades I have on my big timber framing circular saws leave a surface almost as good as the best Forrest blade. I have no idea how long they last in comparison to anything else though. Other than that, I'd flip a coin.

[Edward Weber]

I use the Freud Thin Kerf Sliding Compound Miter Saw Blade on my RAS and SCMS
https://www.freudtools.com/products/LU91M010
They are less aggressive but I've never had an issue with them being any slower, milliseconds maybe.
I also use the Ultimate cut off blade
https://www.freudtools.com/products/LU85R010
Either one will work fine for crosscutting with a RAS

The negative hook angle is a product of geometry and physics, it's not a myth.
JMO

[Rod Sheridan]

Mostly I buy FS Tools blades.

I would select 60 teeth for a 10” blade…..Regards, Rod

[Warren Lake]

radial should have a negative rake. The wadkin came from a school with a Royce Ulitma neg rake. Schools try to do stuff right cause of insurance reasons. If people would keep their arm straight there would be no climbing. Instead if a saws climbs elbow pivots allowing it to climb. Cheap radials will climb more cause of flex. British cabinetmaker taught us about straight arm when using them.

[Mark Gibney]

I'm learning a lot from this discussion, and that's led to another question.
There is a CMT 60 tooth blade I like and it has four ATB teeth, then one TCG tooth.
Is this a good tooth combo for cross-cutting? - my tablesaw blades have all ATB teeth, no TCG.

thanks again, Mark

[Tim Greif]

I've been using a Freud LU91R010 for a number of years on my old Craftsman RAS. It's a 60 tooth thin kerf blade with neg 5-degree hook designed for Sliding Compound Miter Saws.
https://www.freudtools.com/products/LU91R010

For anyone that thinks negative hook blades are a myth, you've probably not done much crosscutting on a RAS (or SCMS) with both types of blades. I've been using that RAS since I bought it new 45 years ago. When I switched to a neg hook blade, it was like I bought a new saw. Much less tendency to jump into the wood on crosscuts and self feed. Feels much safer, controllable and the cuts are really smooth. Like any blade, there is going to be a little tear out on the bottom side of the cut.

[Ken Combs]

IMHO, a 60t quality blade, negative or 0 hook angle is optimum to reduce self feed tendencies in thicker material. But, IME a 5deg works well up to 3/4" stock with minimal self feed. But, don't use it until it's dull, as self-feed can happen then. I think the original blade recommended by Mr. Sawdust was a 5deg blade.

I like 60t, as most radials are somewhat less HP than table saws and higher tooth counts seem to need more power, especially in thick stuff.
.
My first radial, way back about '69 was a 9", and it got framing quality steel blades, low tooth count and had about 3/4HP, Worked well until they dulled, then the self feed kicked in and could actually climb to the top of a 3/4 board while bending the aluminum arm up that amount. Didn't keep that one long!

Later saws, 10, 12 and 14" models never self fed like that, mostly due to getting better blades and having really rigid frames/arms.

[Mark Gibney]

"I like 60t, as most radials are somewhat less HP than table saws and higher tooth counts seem to need more power, especially in thick stuff."

Thanks Ken, I went with that explanation and bought a 60 tooth.

[Tom Bussey]

I prefer a Forrest WW1.Been using it for years. You do not see any teeth swirls. It is kept on my Radio alarm saw as Kevin Jenness likes to call it. I have ripped with it but since I have a table saw two feet away I see no need to. Most of the time I cross cut with a Forrest 40 tooth WW11and a miter gage. But every thing hinges on overhang. To much overhang and it go to the RAS or to my table saw with an Excalibur slidding table. Either way they are cut with a Forrest WW1 blade. I like it especially for plywood. Don't own a 80 tooth blade, or a compound miter saw.