Freud LM74R010 10-Inch 30 Tooth TCG Glue Line Ripping Saw Blade

[Raymond Fries]

Has anyone used this blade? I need a good rip blade and was wondering if this is a good choice. I have two Freud blades, 50 and 80 TPI, from the Industrial class and I have been very happy with them. I have never used a blade from this class. Is this a good rip blade?

I thought this was a good deal at Amazon for $41.99 and I don't think you can go wrong with Freud.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Dave Laird in NM]

I have the LM74m010 and love it. Great rip blade with a great finish.:D

[Doug Shepard]

Although I did finally pick up a Forrest WWII, for years the only blades on my saw were that same rip blade and a Freud 80TPI for all the crosscutting and sheet stuff. It's a great rip blade although I think the claims of "glue line rip" with no edge cleanup are exagerated. It's very minor but I think you still need to hit them with a hand plane or jointer before gluing.

[scott spencer]

It does pretty much what it claims, though it's worth noting that it's not designed to cut materials over 1" thick and doesn't offer much versatility due to poor crosscutting capability. So my question is what does the LM74 offer on rip cuts that good 40 or 50T general purpose/combo blade doesn't? You can get glue line edges from a number of very versatile combo blades including the LU72, LU83, LU84, LU86, F410, and P410 which all crosscut pretty well too.

It seems to me that it'd be a great choice for a dedicated ripping operation for materials 1" or less, but I'm not sure how it benefits someone using a good combo blade for general work who already has the capability of getting clean rip cuts in moderately thick stock. Have I missed an aspect of the LM74's range?

[Doug Shepard]

I dont know about not being designed for stuff over 1" thick. I've cut wood up to the max capacity of my saw with no issues, and it's wood that I would have hesitated to cut at that thickness with a combo blade. Ipe 4x4's for example or 12/4 cherry for leg stock. The fewer teeth means bigger gullets and it's going to clear chips out of the cut faster, where the finer blades might tend to burn or even stall especially on lower powered saws.

[David Giles]

Top quality blade IMHO. I've been known to crosscut with it using a backer strip to avoid tearout when I'm too lazy to swap blades.

[Charles McCracken]

Scott,

The LM74 will easily rip to 1-1/2" and thicker but is marketed that way to avoid confusion with the LM72 which is better for thicker stock. Also, the TCG will outlast the ATB of a general purpose blade. Some people prefer one blade for all and others like application-specific blades. The ones using specific blades have their's sharpened with much less frequency.

[James Phillips]

I have it and really liked it before I got my WWII.

[Gary Keedwell]

Scott,

The LM74 will easily rip to 1-1/2" and thicker but is marketed that way to avoid confusion with the LM72 which is better for thicker stock. Also, the TCG will outlast the ATB of a general purpose blade. Some people prefer one blade for all and others like application-specific blades. The ones using specific blades have their's sharpened with much less frequency.
I use that blade and have no problem with it. I am an application-specific sorta guy, myself. I like to change blades for better machining and also it gives me the opportunity to do a quick blade cleaning.
I'm a firm believer that clean blades will last alot longer between sharpenings.:)
Gary K.