combination table saw blade vs switching blades out

[Simon MacGowen]

Simon, all of the Forrest blades I've owned have been dead on 1/8" kerf...it's one of the things that actually keeps me from trying other brands because so many of them are slightly different width of kerf. I don't want to have to deal with that since the Forrest is dead on lined up with both my riving knife and my scoring blade which is exactly 1/8" kerf. I'm using the 12" WW-II 48T most of the time now, but also have a couple of 10" 40T and the aforementioned 20T ripping monster.

Thanks. A quick search found it...It is cheaper than a 40T, but it says it is for stock over 2" thick. In your experience, is it as good for 1" stock (50% of the lumber I use fall into this spec.) as a 40T WWII is?

Simon

[scott spencer]

That is interesting. Is 30T WWII available in 1/8" kerf?

My riving knife is set to the right towards the fence side and I don't want to reset the riving knife when I use different blades; mine is a 40T WWII.

Simon

Yes....available in both 3/32" TK and 1/8" full kerf.

[Jim Becker]

Simon, I have been buying my Forrest blades from SilversMill these days as their pricing is a lot more attractive than "direct". And yes, you can use the blade for thinner stock, just understanding that the aggressive cutting action designed to power through thicker material isn't going to leave as smooth of a surface as you will get with more teeth on the 1" stock..

[Ron Citerone]

One advantage of a straightup rip is the flat tooth makes a square bottom kerf which is nice for cutting splines in boxes and such. Not a reason alone to have one, but an added perk.

I did woodworking on the cheap most of my life and there is nothing wrong with going that way. Now that I am older, I still watch to dollar, but like to splurge on some quality stuff now that I can afford it. Prioritize!

[Nick Decker]

One advantage of a straightup rip is the flat tooth makes a square bottom kerf which is nice for cutting splines in boxes and such. Not a reason alone to have one, but an added perk.

I did woodworking on the cheap most of my life and there is nothing wrong with going that way. Now that I am older, I still watch to dollar, but like to splurge on some quality stuff now that I can afford it. Prioritize!

Don't want to die with too much money in the bank. Somebody might spend it foolishly!

[Randy Heinemann]

The April, 2018 issue of Fine Woodworking has a review of 40-tooth full kerf combination blades. It might be worth reading. The bottom line results were that the Freud Premier Fusion produced the best cross and rip cuts, but made ripping 8/4 hard maple slow. The next choice would be the Forrest WWII or Ridge Carbide TS2000, but these did not produce cuts that were as "perfect" as the Freud blade. I have a couple of Freud blades and always found their Fusion blades to be great for the majority of cross and rip cuts. Freud blades are generally reasonably priced also. However, no matter which blade I've used, if I'm ripping 8/4 hardwood, a good quality rip blade makes the job much easier and probably a little safer. I usually clean my rip cuts up on the jointer anyway.

[Mike Wilkins]

Just get another saw and use a cross cut on one machine and a rip on another.
I currently have a sliding table saw and a conventional cabinet saw. Kind of overkill for a small shop, but what can I say; I'm a tool junkie. I switch out between a rip blade and a combination on the cabinet saw, and keep a cross cut on the slider.
Change over on the cabinet saw is just a 2 minute drill. I believe your best cut quality will come from using a blade for it's intended purpose.
Kind of a pain switching around, but it forces you to think ahead to your cutting operations.

[Rod Sheridan]

Thanks. A quick search found it...It is cheaper than a 40T, but it says it is for stock over 2" thick. In your experience, is it as good for 1" stock (50% of the lumber I use fall into this spec.) as a 40T WWII is?

Simon

Simon, do you use your ripped material without any further processing such as jointing or planning?

I don't so I use a 24T rip blade, material after that is jointed or planed.

Regards, Rod.

[Prashun Patel]

I find that a cross cut or general purpose or combination blade does a passable job on rip cuts < 1.5". On thicker material, these blades just don't work that well.

A rip blade, however (30/24t) cuts thick stock all day long, effortlessly, and does a passable (for me) job on cross cuts, so my saw is permanently chucked with a ripping blade.

I am running a 3hp saw.

[Simon MacGowen]

Simon, do you use your ripped material without any further processing such as jointing or planning?

I don't so I use a 24T rip blade, material after that is jointed or planed.

Regards, Rod.

Almost without exceptions, I edge joint boards (mostly 3/4" and 1" hardwood) on the tablesaw with a WWII 40t and go direct to clamping. Any machine marks on outside edges are handplaned off. Dominoes are also often used for large pieces.

Simon

[William Chain]

I've been running a Freud Premier Fusion for cross cuts and rips up to 8/4 (might get a dedicated rip blade if I keep up the 8/4 work), and a WWII flat tooth grind for cross cuts and flat bottomed grooves and such. These two in a pair seem to cover a lot my needs.

[Marc Donnelly]

Just got home from work, wow what a great response. Thanks for all the info.

I feel the time spent changing blades will be worth it. I rip alot and cross cut just the same. So having to change blades will be and standard practice till I can get two cabinet saws. Lol.

[David Kumm]

I have several saws and lots of industrial blades but I have to admit the WW2 stays on the big saw most of the time. Not because I think it to be the best brand, but because the scoring blades are matched to them. I spent a couple of hours ripping 4" oak with a 40T WW2 ( 16" and 9/64 ) and it worked well enough that I didn't bother with the rip blade. I rip faster with more teeth and have 9 hp so that helps but I also use the blade for panels with scoring and don't see enough difference with my panel blades to change either. Dave

[Brad Cambell]

Buy another saw.

[Joe Spear]

That is interesting. Is 30T WWII available in 1/8" kerf?

Yes, it is. I've had one for several years, and it rips well and crosscuts almost as well as the 40-tooth.