Is the Forrest Woodworker II that great?

[Silas Smith]

Before I go and spend $100 on one of these, is it really that much better of a cut? If not, what are some other, less expensive options? I don't mind spending the money if it's that good, I just don't want to be disappointed.

[Jim Becker]

For me...it's that good. For others, they are happy with alternatives. The cut is wonderful, they stay sharp and they can be sharpened more times...in the long run, I find them to be inexpensive as compared to "throw-away" blades. Multiple grinds available, too.

BTW, you can often buy the WW-II for about $89 or so from folks like 3D Sales.

[lou sansone]

I have also found the forrest blades to be worth the money
lou

[scott spencer]

It has been for me....I'm amazed by the Forrest. I was fortunate enough to get it as a gift or I would have been hesitant to spend that much money for a blade. Having now tried a WWII and also a Ridge Carbide 40T, DW7657 40T, Leitz 40T, Leitz 50T, Freud LU82 60T, Freud LU84 50T, and a DW7646 60T (haven't tried my Leitz 60T yet, but soon...), I can honestly say that only the Ridge Carbide TS2000 and DW7657 are in the same league as the Forrest IMHO, although the others were very good. If it's a high performance bargain you're looking for, the DW7657 is a real darkhorse and terrific value @ ~ $50 but isn't available in a TK that I know of, so that may not be an option unless you want full kerf....check Ebay for good deals. I've also heard the Freud F410 40T and Tenryu Gold Medal 40T are similar in design and cut quality to the Forrest, but those run near the same price range.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm a believer. I almost never take my WWII off, except now to install my Forrest plywood/laminate blade which is also well worth the premium price.

[Richard Neel]

I just used mine (mounted on a contractor saw) to cut some 12/4 cherry. I am a believer.

[John Miliunas]

Before I go and spend $100 on one of these, is it really that much better of a cut? If not, what are some other, less expensive options? I don't mind spending the money if it's that good, I just don't want to be disappointed.

In a word, "Yes!" :) :cool:

[Larry Fox]

John summed up my fellings as well.

[Pete Harbin]

Well I've not used one yet, but now I want to! :)

Pete

[Maurice Ungaro]

I have two WWIIs - a regular and a thin kerf. Glass smooth cuts.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Silas, I'll give another vote for the WWII! I also have two. I messed around with other blades for along time. I'll never go back.

[Mike Goetzke]

Before I go and spend $100 on one of these, is it really that much better of a cut? If not, what are some other, less expensive options? I don't mind spending the money if it's that good, I just don't want to be disappointed.

Actually you can sometimes get them for well below $100 ($75-$85?). I have a tenryu 40 tooth combination blade that comes close but only has about 60% of the carbide the WWII has. In the long run this extra carbide will more than pay off the price difference. I also recently measured the runout on a couple of my blades and the WWII was by far the best at only slightly over 0.001".

[Scott Donley]

It has been for me....I'm amazed by the Forrest. I was fortunate enough to get it as a gift or I would have been hesitant to spend that much money for a blade. Having now tried a WWII and also a Ridge Carbide 40T, DW7657 40T, Leitz 40T, Leitz 50T, Freud LU82 60T, Freud LU84 50T, and a DW7646 60T (haven't tried my Leitz 60T yet, but soon...), I can honestly say that only the Ridge Carbide TS2000 and DW7657 are in the same league as the Forrest IMHO, although the others were very good. If it's a high performance bargain you're looking for, the DW7657 is a real darkhorse and terrific value @ ~ $50 but isn't available in a TK that I know of, so that may not be an option unless you want full kerf....check Ebay for good deals. I've also heard the Freud F410 40T and Tenryu Gold Medal 40T are similar in design and cut quality to the Forrest, but those run near the same price range.Hi all, Scott, I orderd the woodworker the same time as my saw that came with the Leitz 40T blade, the saw got here first so I have been using the Leitz. Do you think there is enough of a difference to swap it out ? I have been happy with the Leitz as a combo blade. Did you see that much of a difference ?

[Dave Falkenstein]

Oh yes - the Forrest WW II is the best blade I have tried in over 25 years of home shop woodowrking. The blade that comes closest in my experience is the Freud F40, now called the F410. The Freud F410 is about the same price as the WW II. I have Forrest blades in my table saw, circular saw and SCMS. They seem to stay sharp forever, and the cut quality is terrific. I'm sure there are other blades that perform as well, but I have no reason to experiment since I am totally satisfied with the results I get using Forrest blades.

[Stephen Dixon]

One of the woodworking mags recently did a saw blade test where they compared general purpose and combination blades to dedicated rip, crosscut, and plywood/laminate blades in new, sharpened, and dull conditions. The recommendation was to buy 2 premium general purpose blades and run one till it gets dull, and switch to the other, while you send the first out for sharpening.

They noted while trying to dull the blades that it took much longer to dull the more expensive blades. You do get what you pay for.

[Jim Tobias]

YES!! I have thin kerf and reg kerf. They have been excellent!!

Jim

[Jerry Olexa]

Yes its a great blade..

[scott spencer]

Hi all, Scott, I orderd the woodworker the same time as my saw that came with the Leitz 40T blade, the saw got here first so I have been using the Leitz. Do you think there is enough of a difference to swap it out ? I have been happy with the Leitz as a combo blade. Did you see that much of a difference ? Hi Scott - Might as well give the WWII a try and see for yourself. From what I've heard, it sounds like there was more than one variation of the Leitz 40T on the 22124....some got full kerf, others got a TK. Mine came with a TK made in China...most of the good Leitz blades are made in Germany. I wonder if the FK's were made in Germany b/c some of the owners swore by them. I thought mine was pretty good...excellent as stock blades go, but I never considered replacing my WWII with it. I ended up selling it.

[Scott Donley]

Hi Scott - Might as well give the WWII a try and see for yourself. From what I've heard, it sounds like there was more than one variation of the Leitz 40T on the 22124....some got full kerf, others got a TK. Mine came with a TK made in China...most of the good Leitz blades are made in Germany. I wonder if the FK's were made in Germany b/c some of the owners swore by them. I thought mine was pretty good...excellent as stock blades go, but I never considered replacing my WWII with it. I ended up selling it.Thanks for getting back, mine is a FK. I guess I will go out and try it, I was just out ripping some 5/4 maple, 3 footers, got a couple more to go so I will give it a shot and get back. Scott

[Jim Davenport]

You can't go wrong. I've had a thin kerf on my Jet contractors saw for years, I seldom use anything else.

[Tom Pritchard]

Before I go and spend $100 on one of these, is it really that much better of a cut? If not, what are some other, less expensive options? I don't mind spending the money if it's that good, I just don't want to be disappointed.

Yes, it is that great. I've never used one as good or better.

[John Hedges]

Got a TK and FK as well. Fantastic blades which barely ever leave my saw. Also use the Chopmaster on my CMS

[Brian Hale]

Gosh, i guess i'm the Od Man Out...... I run a Freud 24t Glue line rip blade and an 80t finish cut blade. They're as good if not better than my WWII. (All 3 are ~.125 kerf, not the thin kerf.)

Brian :)

[Dev Emch]

You mean there are other saw blades than Forrest? WOW! I didnt know that!

Joking aside, the answer is Y-E-S!!!!! These are the only saw blades I use and they are brain dead simple in terms of use.

There are other blades out there that are better than forrest but they tend to be engineered for specific uses only and they are no where cheaper than forrest! Leitz makes a boat load of saw blades and these are comparable if not superior to Forrest. But Hear This! You will need an engineering degree in saw blade technology to truely understand how to apply all these various blades.

So the simple answer is get the Forrest. Your better off in the long run both in terms of minimizing confusion and minimizing your blade investment.

[JayStPeter]

Another thumbs up here ... like many others I have two. If you can wait you can get it for less than the $100 price. 3D has discounts at the show (and sometimes online) that wind up in the $80s. My other was an emergency purchase and I paid just under $100 with only a minor discount from amazon.

Jay

[Joe Spear]

I have used 20 different blades. The 40-tooth WWII is my favorite. I also have the Ridge Carbide and the DW7657. They are excellent blades, but the WWII cuts smoother. I used a thin-kerf when I had a contractor saw. I got a regular-kerf and tried it. The thin-kerf gave a better cut on that saw. But now that I have a Jet cabinet saw, I find the regular-kerf cuts just as smooth with the increased power.

Some people like the top-shelf Freud best, but that blade is at least as expensive as the WWII. I have a Systimatic 24-tooth glue-line rip blade I had been using for thicker stock. I learned about the 30-tooth WWII and got one. This past week I have ripped 1 3/4" beech and 1 3/4" purpleheart with it. It puts the same kind of surface on the thick stock that the 40-tooth does on thinner stuff and cuts smoother and easier than the Systimatic. I also have a WWI, which I occasionally use for crosscuts, but with no significant improvement over the WWII crosscuts. I also use the Forrest Duraline HI/AT for plywood. Even though the WWII does a really good job on plywood, with very little tear out, the Duraline cuts even smoother. I even got the Forrest 6" dado set when Hartville Tool had it down around $200 last year. It's also excellent.

Now that I have sorted out my preferences, I may have a few blades to put on ebay, or to sell to anyone here who is interested. By the way, when the subject of the Forrest WWII comes up on the WoodNet Forum, there are not lot more negative comments than here on Sawmill Creek. I wonder why.

[Dan Larson]

Gosh, i guess i'm the Od Man Out...... I run a Freud 24t Glue line rip blade and an 80t finish cut blade. They're as good if not better than my WWII. (All 3 are ~.125 kerf, not the thin kerf.)

Brian :)
Same here. I use exactly the same blades as Brian. They all work extremely well.

Dan

[Scott Donley]

OK, just did the test, would I buy another WWII, Yes, would not say the Leitz is not close. The feed rate was about the same, the cut looks about the same, but to run my finger down the cut a big difference. The WWII is as smooth as I had just jointed it, the Leitz was a bit rough to touch. To be fair the Leitz has a couple hundred ft run through it. I would glue both without jointing. So in the end it amounts to, do want good or better, I will add the Leitz was not real great on ply so I just ran out and ran a piece through, much better better job. I'm sold.

[Dave Falkenstein]

By the way, when the subject of the Forrest WWII comes up on the WoodNet Forum, there are not lot more negative comments than here on Sawmill Creek. I wonder why.

Joe - Whatever it was you intended to say about Woodnet, the difference is the pervasive negative attitude of a number of people that hang out there. Of course, not everyone is negative, but I found the tone of a lot of posts on Woodnet unnecessarily critical and sometimes downright nasty. I pay a lot more attention to the much more civil postings here at the Creek.

[scott spencer]

Joe - Whatever it was you intended to say about Woodnet, the difference is the pervasive negative attitude of a number of people that hang out there. Of course, not everyone is negative, but I found the tone of a lot of posts on Woodnet unnecessarily critical and sometimes downright nasty. I pay a lot more attention to the much more civil postings here at the Creek. There seems to be a fair number of WWII lovers on WN too, but like here, there are those that are just as happy with an alternative from Everlast, Amana, etc.

[Dwayne Payne]

Not trying to hyjack this thread...but would like to know how many of you use dampener/stiffeners?

Dwayne

[Matt Meiser]

I just started using the Forrest one with my TK WWII and it did make a noticable difference.

[Scott Brihn]

For me the WWII (.125 kerf) did not meet expectation. I suspect the blade I have is an aberration for Forrest and not indicative of the quality they typically turn out.

A couple years ago I sent my WWII back to Forrest for sharpening and inspection; when it came back it really hadn't improved. Since that time it has spent very little time on the saw. I switched to a Freud LU84R as my primary combo blade.

At this point, I tend to use dedicated rip and cross-cut blades more and more. I'm a hobbyist (not on the clock when in the shop), so the time it takes me to switch the blade and throat plate is not a factor.

[Dev Emch]

OK, just did the test, would I buy another WWII, Yes, would not say the Leitz is not close. The feed rate was about the same, the cut looks about the same, but to run my finger down the cut a big difference. The WWII is as smooth as I had just jointed it, the Leitz was a bit rough to touch. To be fair the Leitz has a couple hundred ft run through it. I would glue both without jointing. So in the end it amounts to, do want good or better, I will add the Leitz was not real great on ply so I just ran out and ran a piece through, much better better job. I'm sold.

This is part and partial of the problem with Leitz. They have so many different designs that slight variations can make this type of difference or even worse or much better. I think there is a whole chapter dedicated to just saw blades. Its like drinking from a fire hydrant.

What I like about the WWII is its brain dead application ability. You can go out and buy one or two blades and be able to do 90 or more percent of your jobs with the finish of a pro. And they do custom work as well at very reasonable prices. I think it costs me seven bucks to punch a hole to 1.25 inches. And I am in the process of putting a woodworker one on my cuttoff spindle on my oliver tenoner. They are drilling the hole pattern for the tenoner flange. This is a much nicer blade than oliver ever had on this machine!

Tony in customer support knows his stuff and he is a pleasure to deal with. Now that is something I have not been able to say about customer support in a very long time. Usually I hang up yelling four letter words and cusing out automatic answer machines telling me how important my phone call is to them.

So do yourself a favor and call forrest and ask for help by Tony! It will be the last blade company you need to deal with.:D

[Dev Emch]

Not trying to hyjack this thread...but would like to know how many of you use dampener/stiffeners?

Dwayne

That is a loaded question. Some saws like olivers and martins have massive arbor collars. The collars on an oliver are something like five inches in diameter and machined from thick steel. They weigh a bunch! Same with the martin. You have to use these to get the blade on. So these natually function as dampeners. Lighter saws have smaller and lessor arbor collars so these dampeners will have a greater effect on say a contractor saw or a light duty cabinet saw like a grizzly. They have almost no effect on an oliver as the functionality is already built in.

Also if your blade sounds like a 10,000 decibel jet engine, then the blade was not laser cut. Some blades are laser cut to eliminate natural harmonic vibration. You can see these cut patterns. Some even have copper slugs pushed into holes. These features naturally dampen the blade as well.

So if your running a light duty saw with a solid, non laser cut blade, these dampeners are a gift from heaven. If your using a heavy duty industrial saw with laser cut blades, save your money.

[Dan Owen]

I use the stiffener and notice quite a difference in the cut. No detectable saw marks and much quieter.

Dan

[Marcus Ward]

I bought a dewalt blade and it's really good, but I saw some cuts from a WWII blade at a woodworking show and wish I had gotten it now. The finish was UNBELIEVABLE. Seriously. I'm going to buy one as soon as I can.

[Reg Mitchell]

I was hasitant to get it because of the price....I will buy another one if and when i wear this one out....:D

[Dale Thompson]

Silas,
With that said, however, I think that the WWII has a SERIOUS competitor in the Everlast AGP 1040. :) My WWII is back on my saw for the first time in about three months. In the interim, I've used the Everlast and never noticed the absence of the WWII. :confused:

In my opinion, you could save a few bucks with the Everlast and still produce the results that you are demanding. :cool: :)

Whatever, you may want to check out their website at: www.everlastsaw.com.

By the way, yours is a VERY tough question!! ;) :) I'm a sensitive guy and don't wish to dodge, "The slings and arrows of outrageous fate (or is it "fortune"?)"! ;) :eek: :)

Dale T.

[Brandon Shew]

Gosh, i guess i'm the Od Man Out...... I run a Freud 24t Glue line rip blade and an 80t finish cut blade. They're as good if not better than my WWII. (All 3 are ~.125 kerf, not the thin kerf.)

Brian :)

Your not the only one in that boat. Freud 24T Glue Line Rip and a DeWalt 80T WW crosscut blade for me. I've never tried the WW2 or any "all pupose" blade, but I've never had the need to either as I get perfect results with what I am using.

Given the nature of the differences between crosscutting and ripping and the vast differences in construction design between most crosscut and rip blades, I would find it hard to believe that an "all purpose" blade would do either task equally as well as a blade specifically designed for the purpose at hand.

[Matt Meiser]

The only problem with Everlast is that they don't have very many distributors. I called the one that used to be listed in Toledo. They said they'd get back to me on pricing but I never heard from them and now they are off the site. The next nearest distributor to me is 2 hours away and I ended up buying a Forrest blade for a laminate/plywood blade instead.

[Silas Smith]

Wow, I can't beleive that Forrest has so many die hard fans! While I'm not into buying a name brand, for an extra $30 or so, I'd be hard pressed to find a reason to take a chance on another blade. I have a Uni and have been less than impressed with the stock blade that came with it, even though it was supposed to be better than average. I guess I'll have to take the plunge and join the Forrest crowd. I'll still spend a little time looking at some of the other suggestions before I actually pull the trigger. thanks for all the great advice.

[Jay Albrandt]

Yes it is!

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I recently did a little research on some of the forums and found that the Freud F410 is a very comperable blade with nearly the same design features, and this opinion came from folks that used Forrest WW2 blades. I understand that this blade is fairly new and was derived from a previous similar version that Freud no longer makes. So I ordered one for $75 including shipping. I figured it was cheaper and Freud blades have been good to me. But I haven't tried it out yet.
cheers, Jeff

[Charlie Plesums]

(...snip...) Tony in customer support knows his stuff and he is a pleasure to deal with. Now that is something I have not been able to say about customer support in a very long time. Usually I hang up yelling four letter words and cusing out automatic answer machines telling me how important my phone call is to them.

So do yourself a favor and call forrest and ask for help by Tony! It will be the last blade company you need to deal with.:D
Agree. I have three WWII blades (2 ten inch from my old saw, that I also use on my new saw, and a 12 inch for my new saw.) Since I have a scoring blade, I don't have (or want) any other blades.

I don't know Tony in Forrest customer support...my man is "Charles". Great guy. Also introduced me to the "number 6 grind" which may have recently become the standard on the WW II - four ATB teeth, then the fifth is a raker, to give a flatter bottom to the kerf for folks like me who sometimes make multiple cuts with a regular blade, rather than changing to a dado blade. I suspect it also gives better rip performance, but I haven't done any formal testing.

I had used my original WW II for a couple years on my old saw, semi-professionally (I hadn't retired to full time woodworking yet), and couldn't believe it wasn't dull. I assumed it had gradually degraded, and I hadn't realized how bad it was compared to when it was new. I sent it in to Forrest to be sharpened, with a note to please let me know how bad it really was. Charles called to ask why I had sent it in... they couldn't see that it needed sharpening at all ... despite 2 years heavy use building cabinets and furniture.

[Dennis Peacock]

Did I happen to mention that I really like Everlast and Amana sawblade?!!;) :D

[M. A. Espinoza]

I'll jump in and recommend the Freud LU83. Sells for about $45 online.

I replaced a Forrest with this blade and have not noticed a difference in cut quality. Really am impressed, as I doubted the quality would be competitive.

As far as how long it last vs. Forrest I can't comment as I've only been using it about a year. But you can buy two for the price of a WWII or get a dedicated ripping blade or a TCG if you need that grind.

Good luck.

[Mark Rios]

Your not the only one in that boat. Freud 24T Glue Line Rip and a DeWalt 80T WW crosscut blade for me. I've never tried the WW2 or any "all pupose" blade, but I've never had the need to either as I get perfect results with what I am using.

Given the nature of the differences between crosscutting and ripping and the vast differences in construction design between most crosscut and rip blades, I would find it hard to believe that an "all purpose" blade would do either task equally as well as a blade specifically designed for the purpose at hand.

I ordered my WWII from Amazon and anxiously awaited its arrival. It came quickly but I didn't get to put it on for a couple of weeks. But when I did it cut really, really well through some plywood for cabinet carcasses. Then I went to rip some 3/4" poplar and I found that it didn't seem to cut as well as my Freud 30 tooth Glue Line Rip. I don' t do much cross cutting on my TS so I can't comment on that aspect. I haven't used my 24 tooth GLR yet so I don't know how it compares. The WWII does cut much better that any of the other six blades that I have though. Much better. MUCH, MUCH better. I'll keep the other baldes though for cutting regular construction lumber. I'm not sure that I want to waste the WWII on DF 2x4"s and such.

[Byron Trantham]

I have ALL Forrest blades now. I really like their products. I have two for the TS, a rip blade and the veneer blade. I have one my chop saw and skill saw as well.

[Steve Clardy]

Another odd one here I guess.
I too run freud 24T. Thats all I've run, never had a problem.
But just purchased a box of ten Leitz 24T. Have one on now, and I like the performance. About the same as my freuds.
I just can't see spending $100.00 for a ww11 when I can get two freuds for that price. Two sharp blades are going to run longer than one.
I use my tablesaw daily, and usually change out a blade about every 30 days.

[Ken Salisbury]

I discovered Forrest blades in 1990. I was so impressed that since that time I have converted all my saws to Forrest. I wouldn't consider anything else.

[Dave Harker]

I just used by FWWII (40 tooth) to cut some A2-grade maple plywood, for dressers for my sons. I got perfect cuts, no chipout at all on the top face, and very, very minimal chipout on the bottom side (facing the zero-clearance insert).

I bought it directly from Forrest (web site) since they had the cheapest price. I don't recall the URL.

I'm quite happy with mine.

Dave

[Chris Dodge]

Another vote for the Forest Wood Worker II. I have two of them and they are great! I get very fine cuts that glue up perfectly.

[John Shuk]

Forrest is my first and only choice

[Peter M. Spirito]

You guys convinced me. I just bought on line from Forrest Mfg, on sale, a WW-II for the table saw and a Chopmaster for the miter saw. I had Forrest sharpen a couple of other brand blades for me a while back and they cut better than new. ;) I can't wait to use the real thing.:)