Even in a bad saw, it makes great cuts

When I first used my POS Firestorm circular saw, I had problems with it binding up during rips. Well, I blamed the blade and went to Lowe’s for a replacement. I came across the Freud Avanti blade. Since I didn’t want to switch out blades for different functions, I went for a good combination blade. The blade I picked up isn’t the one in the picture (courtesy of the internet), as mine is a 40T combination blade, but the important thing is the cut.

The Avanti blade was affordable, which actually scared me before making my first cuts, but it proved itself wonderfully. The edges left by the blade were smoother than the factory edges on the premilled boards. While there was still binding, that’s the saw’s fault, not the blade. The rip up the whole length was smooth, except for the binding.

In hindsight, a dedicated rip blade may have done the job better, the Avanti is still one heck of a blade at a darn good price. I just can’t see many $100+ blades doing a better job.

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!