Well, I'm hoping some of you folks can cut through the confusion for me a bit.

I've been reading about different saw blade types on here for a while but can't seem to settle; I'm a bit unclear on blade types. The first blade I bought was a Freud D1040X 40T ATB General Purpose. It does well with general cutting, but the finish definitely leaves something to be desired, even when the feed rate/pressure is babied.

For an improvement, I originally settled on an 80T from Freud, but then saw many folks recommending the Forrest Woodworker II and a Forrest 80T. Do I need high tooth count for ripping, or is that for crosscutting? It seems "smooth" rippers have low tooth counts.

I suppose I'm looking for two things:
  • A better general purpose blade (this D1040X seems a bit rough even for a combo/general purpose)
  • A better "finishing" blade (for jointing without a jointer and cleaning up edges of rough stock)


I was hoping I could get by with one, but if it takes two blades to do these two tasks well, that's totally understandable.