Which Full Kerf TS Blade

[Alan Trout]

I am in need of a good general purpose 10" TS blade. I have a 5HP saw so full Kerf it is. I have seen good reviews on Tenryu Gold Medal, Forrest WWII, and the Ridge Cabide TS2000,.

I typically use a 23T ripping blade when I rip rough stock. But I would like a bit smoother cut than the 23T rip blade gives me when I rip milled stock. Although my rip blade does pretty well when sharp.

I would also like a blade that does pretty well on cross cuts on both solid lumber and sheet goods. I understand a dedicated cross cut blade would be best, however there are just days that I am lazy and just don't feel like changing a blade.:)

Any suggestions or experiances with these blade or others is greatly appreciated. I just don't feel like regretting a poor purchase decision on a $90+ dollar blade.

Thanks,

Alan

[Bob Vallaster]

Alan,
I am using the same Woodworker-2 I picked up ~20 years ago. Only hobby use, but occasionally heavy. It has worked on 3 table saws owned over that time span. It has been back to its maker 3 or 4 times for sharpening. I got my money's worth out of it long ago, and will have no regrets about buying another....someday.

Bob

[scott spencer]

Hi Alan - I've used (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=61724&highlight=blade+turns) all 3 of the blades you mentioned above and all are a great choice. It's very hard to distinguish differences in cut quality between them. It's worth noting that the Tenryu GM is a "mid" kerf blade at ~ 0.111" vs 0.125" for the others. The TS2000 is every bit the equal of the WWII, plus it has thicker carbide....very nice blade IMHO. (Holbren (http://www.holbren.com/product.php?productid=120&cat=51&page=1) sells for ~ $80 shipped with the "SMC10" discount).

A couple of months ago I bought a WWII 30T (http://www.epinions.com/content_384567447172) that I'm thoroughly impressed with. It loafs through thick stock like a ripper, yet leaves a cut that's nearly impossible to tell apart from the 40T (http://www.epinions.com/review/Forrest_Woodworker_II_10_inch_Saw_Blade_40T_Thin_K erf_W21014/content_145552674436) version. Great choice if you're looking for one blade to cover a wide range.

Other full kerf considerations:
Infinity Combomax (http://www.epinions.com/content_380232306308)
DeWalt or Delta 7657 (http://www.epinions.com/review/DeWalt_40T_General_Purpose_Woodworking_Saw_Blade_D W7657/content_220309917316)
Tenryu RS25550 (http://www.holbren.com/product.php?productid=125&cat=0&page=1)

[David Tiell]

I'm with Scott on the 30T WWII. Plus, if you watch, Amazon has the WWII on sale quite often. I think right now they have the full-kerf 40T for $79 and free shipping.

[Todd Burch]

I used a few different blades.

I have some old SYSTEMATIC 55T blades that are good. The newer ones aren't anything to brag about though.

My current General Purpose blade is a LEITZ. Don't remember the model#. Ask your local sharpening service which one they recommend. That's what I did to find good blades. That's their business.

Todd

[Gary Keedwell]

I think the Forrest 2 is way over-rated. Sometimes when I have a choice I grab the Freud instead of the 40 tooth Forrest. I never lost a tooth on a Freud but lost one on the Forrest after a short time. I know it is all relative....just my 2 cents...that's all...:)
Gary

[John Hedges]

Of that bunch I have a WWII which was my primary blade until I tried the 40 tooth FS Tools blade which is now my primary general purpose blade. The best part is that it is on sale at Carbide.com for $51. See below. As a note I was not as impressed with their 50T blade nor their glue line ripper, but the 40T is a Gem.

http://www.carbide.com/catalog/CTSB_details.cfm?ID=FST%2DL03250

[Jim Becker]

I pretty much only use Forrest blades and have two WW-II 40t GP blades. (I also use their WW-II 20t ripping blade for rips in thick stock) I've been very pleased with these blades no matter what kind of material I'm cutting with them.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Lowes sells the Delta 7657 for $39.99. Comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarentee, unhappy, take it back- no questions asked. Hard to go wrong. I have both this blade and a couple Forrest WWII's. IMHO the WWII is WAY over rated. Hit one of those little staples that holds tags on end of boards- lost THREE teeth. Sent it back to Forrest, and I could have bought a new WWII from Amazon for less. Last week, I was ripping 12/4 white oak laminations for legs. Jointer quality cuts. The blade- DeWalt/ Delta 7657. If I was going to spend the money for a Forrest, I would spring for a Ridge Carbide TS 2000 instead.

[Alan Trout]

I pretty much know the reputation of the Forrest blades. But I have seen such good reviews on some of the others it has kind of muddied the water.

I have kind of been leaning towards the Ridge Carbide because of the good things I have read. I understand that it was started by some former Forrest Employees. If that is true I am not sure. But the reviews have been excellent.

How about any of the infinity blades. I really like their router bits. If they are as good as thier bits they should be a excellent product, but I have not seen many reviews. Right now they have there proffesional saw blade package of 80T a 50T combo and a 24T rip blade for $159 which seems pretty good.

My ripping blade is a Leitz which has been a great blade. It has lasted a long time and is in for a sharpening right now. It has held up very well.

I had the chance the other day to use a Tenryu 100T 12" miter saw blade it was probably the quietest smoothest cutting blades I have ever seen. I was very impressed. That is what got me thinking about the Gold Medal blade.

I have really appreciated the comments so far. Any more real life experiances with these blades or suggestions of others are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Alan

[scott spencer]

...
How about any of the infinity blades. I really like their router bits. If they are as good as thier bits they should be a excellent product, but I have not seen many reviews. Right now they have there proffesional saw blade package of 80T a 50T combo and a 24T rip blade for $159 which seems pretty good....

Anything I've tried from Infinity has been top notch....both blades and bits. The Combomax is the best of the 50T blades I've tried, and is on par with the best 40 tooth general purpose blades I've used IMHO. That package deal is pretty attractively priced, plus gives you the benefit of the dedicated blades....that lineup should cover just about any cutting task you'll ever encounter.

[Bill White]

Maybe I'm just a scrooge, but I've been using a Freud combo blade for a long time with good results. Now, if I'm gonna do a lot of ripping, I will change to a rip blade (Infinity), or a crosscut (80 tooth) if I need to get a clean cross cut end.
Bill

[Lee Schierer]

For the price you pay, it is tough to beat the quality of cut and performance of Freud blades. Their glue line ripping blade leaves a very smooth edge on a tuned up saw. Their 60 tooth crosscut blades give amazing quality cuts as well. You can usually find them on sale in the $40-50 range. Their blades are vibration free and nearly noise free.

[Greg Cole]

'Nuther vote for the Freud 24T for a ripper. I opt for full kerf on all blades.
Can't say as I call the surface "perfect" off the TS as some claim to skip edge jointing after using a rip blade.... but the finish from a good rip blade is much much nicer than any combo blade.
I've almost bought one of the $$$ blades a hundred times now, but seems to slide off the short list when I spend $$$. Is a $100 blade going to make my jointer work any better...?
Scott Spencer put up a great bunch of info on saw blades if you want to dig in a little deeper....

Cheers,
Greg

[Hank Knight]

I have used both Freud and Forrest blades for years and I like the 40T WW II. I bought the new Freud "Fusion" combo blade a couple of months ago and I really like it. It's at least equal to the Forrest WWII so far. We'll see how it does over the long haul. Generally speaking, however, I find I get longer life from my Freud blades than I do from the Forrest, so I'm looking forward to really enjoying the new Fusion blade.

[Todd Burch]

I bought the new Freud "Fusion" combo blade a couple of months ago and I really like it.

What marketing idiot would name a blade that is supposed to cut something in half with a term that means the exact opposite? It's like I just got married and at the wedding we put on our Divorce rings.

Todd

[Alan Trout]

Well, I think I have made my descision. I am going with my first thought. I got a smoking deal on a 80T cross cut blade, and I have a great ripping blade at the sharpener. I am going to buy the Ridge Carbide T2000. I have talked to many people that really like theirs.

With the new cross cut blade, the T2000, and my rip blade with a freshly sharpened I think I should be able to handle most of the wood that I come across.

Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it.

Alan

[Charles McCracken]

What marketing idiot would name a blade that is supposed to cut something in half with a term that means the exact opposite? It's like I just got married and at the wedding we put on our Divorce rings.

Todd

We hired the same guy that named the Fusion Razor which obviously makes hair stick to your face :D

Actually the name is Premier Fusion and is intended to describe the combining of HiATB grind with our Double Angel Side Grind.