Best blade for my TS3650

[Rick Peek]

I want to get a good blade for my TS3650 table saw. I mainly rip
hardwoods,but use it for all purposes. The ridgid blade that came
with it worked pretty good. After trashing that blade I bought a
Frued Avanti 40t combo blade. I hate it. It cuts slow and burns the
wood. I was thinking of buying a WWII. Whats your opinion of
this blade with this saw. Also do you recommend a thin kerf or
standard. With a without a stiffner. As always thanks for
you opinions.

[John Kain]

Many many many threads here about blades.

In summary, most here support the Forrest WWII if you want to pony up.

After that, most support Freud blades, full kerf, depending on the cuts you perform most often. Many also support the DW general purpose blade.

That's just my recollection of all the many previous posts. Unless you have a saw that's underpowered for your needs, go with the full kerf.

If you aren't impressed with your Freud combo, then you might need 2 separate blades for rip and crosscuts. Or maybe try the DW for less money, or go with the FWWII..........which 99% of everyone seems to like.

Amazon has (it seems) sales on a standard 1/8 kerf WWII blade all the time.

[Rick Peek]

Many many many threads here about blades.

In summary, most here support the Forrest WWII if you want to pony up.

After that, most support Freud blades, full kerf, depending on the cuts you perform most often. Many also support the DW general purpose blade.

That's just my recollection of all the many previous posts. Unless you have a saw that's underpowered for your needs, go with the full kerf.

If you aren't impressed with your Freud combo, then you might need 2 separate blades for rip and crosscuts. Or maybe try the DW for less money, or go with the FWWII..........which 99% of everyone seems to like.

Amazon has (it seems) sales on a standard 1/8 kerf WWII blade all the time.
What is the overall difference....performence wise....between the thin
and regular kerf?

[glenn bradley]

I was disappointed with my TK WWII 40T for the same reasons you dislike your Avanti. My Freuds cut clean and my WWII will often burn when changing nothing but the blade (Frueds are task specific and WWII is multi-purpose). Other folks here more experienced than I swear by WWII's though.

With 1-2 HP saws I use TK and have no problems other than those stated. More importantly I find task specific blades work better than anything; 24T for ripping, 60T or 80T for cross cuts. I've also had good luck with Lietz and Amana 40T for general stuff. Bosch is pushing their blade products right now and are getting very good reviews with a nice price. Just my experience.

[John Kain]

What is the overall difference....performence wise....between the thin
and regular kerf?
Stability of cut. Standardized cut width. Less vibration. Ease of cut with larger HP through thick wood.


Do you have a gauge to measure your blade angle? Maybe your blade isn't running true to your fence or your miter slot???????????

[Nick Clayton]

I'll jump into the fray as you'll get many reply's. First If your getting burnt wood you may want to recheck your blade and fence alignment with a caliper. As far as blades go if you do a fair amount of ripping purchase a dedicated blade; heck, even if you don't buy a dedicated blade. In all seriousness moving to dedicated blades made all the difference in the performace of my work and I only wish I had done it sooner. Don't forget to perform regular maintanance (cleaning/sharpening) on your blades too. As for brands, I like Amana, but there are a lot of good ones out there.

[John Branam]

If you liked the Ridgid blade that came with the saw you should look at another ridgid blade. American Woodworker (I think it was them) had a recent review in thier mag. a month or 2 ago and the ridgid blades were among the top blades they tested.

[Ned Bulken]

I've got the predecessor to your saw, the 3612. I had great luck with the stock blade, then I picked up a CMT Cabinetshop blade. I would look hard at a CMT rip blade when I get around to needing one. (my tools are NOT gathering any dust in storage at the moment)

[scott spencer]

Hi Rick - Based on your complaint of slow feeding from the Freud, I'd definitely stick with a thin kerf for that saw because it's easier on the motor. Your complaints should be remedied by a lower tooth count blade with a fairly steep hook angle too. If you stay with higher quality lines, blade deflection won't be an issue, but you'll benefit from a faster feedrate than you'll get from a full kerf.

A 24T ripping blade should increase the feedrate, but will result in a rougher cut....whether or not the cut quality is acceptable is your call. IMO the WWII 40T is better made blade than the Avanti, but it's similar enough in design that I don't think you'll see enough of a difference to be satisfied with a faster feedrate....but I'm just guessing based on your comments...it's possible you'd love it. An excellent altnerative is to consider the WWII 30T TK....smoother cuts than 24T rippers, faster feedrate than most 30T rippers, and you still get that top shelf Forrest quality. Unlike many 30T rippers, the WWII 30T still has an aggressive hook angle for good ripping qualities in fairly thick wood. If that's more than you want to spend, a Freud LU87 24T TK with the ATB grind might suffice, but I'd guess the 30T WWII is your ticket.

AFAIK, the Ridgid blade mentioned is made by Freud to similar standards as the Avanti blade you have...not quite at the level of the Freud Industrial line. The ratings in that comparison get a little fuzzy because they used a price factor in the end rating which really changes the results....In terms of absolute performance without price considerations, the Ridgid ranked reasonably well, but not on par with the better performers like the Forrest, Freud F410, and a couple of CMT's, etc. I wouldn't expect a big gain over your current blade from it.

[Charles McCracken]

I want to get a good blade for my TS3650 table saw. I mainly rip
hardwoods,but use it for all purposes. The ridgid blade that came
with it worked pretty good. After trashing that blade I bought a
Frued Avanti 40t combo blade. I hate it. It cuts slow and burns the
wood. I was thinking of buying a WWII. Whats your opinion of
this blade with this saw. Also do you recommend a thin kerf or
standard. With a without a stiffner. As always thanks for
you opinions.

If your Avanti blade is burning and difficult to feed you likely either have an alignment problem or you are trying to cut material that is too thick for the number of teeth. The WWII and its ilk have the same number of teeth and most have less side relief so they would only compound the problem you have. As others have mentioned a dedicated rip blade (preferrably in the 24T range) will help if the problem is related to the application. Anyway, start by checking the alignment. Also, stiffeners and stabilizers often add more problems than they correct and you don't need them with Freud thin kerf blades.

[Jesse Thornton]

Also, stiffeners and stabilizers often add more problems than they correct... What sort of problems?

[John Gregory]

If your Avanti blade is burning and difficult to feed you likely either have an alignment problem or you are trying to cut material that is too thick for the number of teeth. The WWII and its ilk have the same number of teeth and most have less side relief so they would only compound the problem you have. As others have mentioned a dedicated rip blade (preferrably in the 24T range) will help if the problem is related to the application. Anyway, start by checking the alignment. Also, stiffeners and stabilizers often add more problems than they correct and you don't need them with Freud thin kerf blades.

I got an newsletter from Freud announcing a new blade "Freud's Premier Fusion Saw Blade - The New Standard in General Purpose Saw Blades" What is the story on this new product?

[Charles McCracken]

What sort of problems?

Increased runout is the most common problem. Another small issue is that stabilizers (the ones that are sold in pairs) also move the blade away from the original location and throw off the scale on the saw fence.

[Charles McCracken]

I got an newsletter from Freud announcing a new blade "Freud's Premier Fusion Saw Blade - The New Standard in General Purpose Saw Blades" What is the story on this new product?

John,

The new P410 Premier Fusion blade is replacing the F410 Premier Series blade as our top of the line General Purpose blade. It is 40T and combines many of our key technologies: PermaSHIELD coating, laser cut anti-vibration, HiATB with double side grind. We intend to raise the bar in the GP blade market with this one.

[Jesse Thornton]

Increased runout is the most common problem.

Thanks for your quick reply.
Just wondering though, isn't runout one of the problems that stabilizers are supposed to correct? Do you mean that the stabilizers themselves might have more runout than the table saw's arbor washer, and if so, would that be an issue with a high end stabilizer (like Forrest's).
Why is it that Freuds TK blades don't benefit from stabilizer/stiffeners?

[scott spencer]

John,

The new P410 Premier Fusion blade is replacing the F410 Premier Series blade as our top of the line General Purpose blade. It is 40T and combines many of our key technologies: PermaSHIELD coating, laser cut anti-vibration, HiATB with double side grind. We intend to raise the bar in the GP blade market with this one.

I saw that blade demonstrated at a WWing Show. (Jerry from In-line Industries was demoing it on his old Craftsman contractor saw). The blade is extremely impressive for a GP blade...I love the Hi-ATB concept on a GP blade. Not sure how long it'll hold an edge but it sure cut well. I don't recall whether it was full kerf or thin, or available in both.

[Charles McCracken]

Jesse,

Even the best quality stabilizer will have some runout. You would have to take a great deal of time setting up the stabilizer or stiffener (or be very lucky) to ensure that its runout counters the runout in the saw and blade. Otherwise, the best case scenario is that you will not increase the runout but you will more likely add to the runout.

Freud blades are made from extremely rigid steel that will keep them flat and true in use so additional support is not required.

[Charles McCracken]

I saw that blade demonstrated at a WWing Show. (Jerry from In-line Industries was demoing it on his old Craftsman contractor saw). The blade is extremely impressive for a GP blade...I love the Hi-ATB concept on a GP blade. Not sure how long it'll hold an edge but it sure cut well. I don't recall whether it was full kerf or thin, or available in both.

Scott,

Initially it will only be available in full kerf (I don't know if there are plans to produce a TK version yet) and the carbide is the smallest grain size we offer so it is extremely durable.

[scott spencer]

Scott,

Initially it will only be available in full kerf (I don't know if there are plans to produce a TK version yet) and the carbide is the smallest grain size we offer so it is extremely durable.

It was great to see some innovation in new sawblades.

[John Shuk]

WWII is on sale at Amazon right now. Might want to strike while the iron is hot.

[Rick Peek]

Thanks for all the info. Its really appreciated.