Glue Line blades any good for crosscutting?

Most “glue line” rip blades have 30 teeth and a triple chip grind (TCG), which is not a design that’s overly condusive to clean crosscuts, but in this case, it’s a higher tooth count blade with an alternate top bevel (ATB) design, which should be good for crosscuts….I counted 48T in their pic.

With that said, a couple of red flags would wave me off….$66 isn’t a high price for a blade, but it’s not exactly a bargain blade either…..$66 should buy a very nice, well proven blade in today’s market if you’re a little selective. There’s no shortage of good blades, so there’s little incentive to venture out for less known at that price. My understanding is that Guhdo makes high quality industrial blades, but I’m unsure what market this blade is aimed at….many manufacturers offer different lines to different markets, so you really can’t buy with confidence based on brand name alone without knowing where their lines fall. While it does indeed appear to be well made, for $66 I would be looking for a known winner like Infinity, Freud Industrial, CMT Orange, Amana Tool, Tenryu, Onsrud, or Delta Industrial are all excellent possibilities near that price point or less (I omitted Forrest and Ridge Carbide because it’s unusual to see suitable blades from them under $70). If you mention what saw you have, you might get some specific recommendations that are suitable….since you’re in British Columbia, you might find a nice deal on a Blue Tornado or Royce too.

I’m also very puzzled by the picture online…it shows 48T, is listed as a 50T “Glue Line General Purpose” blade, but the printing on the blade states that it’s 8”x24Tx5/8”, while clearly showing 48T. I understand that vendors often use the same pic to list multiple blades, but this one has a description printed on the blade that doesn’t even match the configuration of the blade it’s printed on, regardless of which model the pic is supposed to be representing. Hiccups happen to every manufacturer, but the new kid on the block usually needs to put their best foot forward and be better, cheaper, or both when entering a well established market.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

I don’t know anything about the blade you mention, but, for just about the same money I can highly recommend the Infinity Combo Max. Basically the same blade specs, but I have the Infinity and it’s a very nice blade.

http://www.infinitytools.com/Combination-Saw-Blades/products/1196/

-- John

Oh, direct answer to you question, glue line rip blades are not really designed to crosscut. Will they crosscut; Yes. But, it won’t be the best, cleanest cut. Better to use a combo blade or a dedicated crosscut blade.

Likewise, a crosscut blade will rip, but not great. If you don’t want to swap blades, a combo is a good choice. Dedicated rip and crosscut blades will give the best relative cuts, but at the cost of extra blades and having to swap.

-- John

In a word, NO.
Check out the “Bay” for Onsrud saw blades. There were some really good deals. I bought 2 10” blades for less than $60.00 and paid no shipping.
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

I use Forrest blades for both rip and cross cuts. I have two of these 10” blades one is about 18 years old (my Dad bought this one for me) and has been sharpened by Forrest once for a very reasonable cost. The other blade is only 5 years old and it is my spare in case something catastrophic happens to the other as I do a lot of work with recycled wood!

Obviously your use may be heavier than mine and he sharpening cycle will be different.

On rip cuts the finish is super smooth and can serve as a glue line!

These blade are not cheap but worth every penny!

-- "I never met a board I didn't like!"

Tyrone – Are you still pondering blades? I’d be interested in knowing what you decide.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

No.

A 50 tooth blade is not what I would consider a glue-line
blade however. If I’m ripping glue joints I want big
gullets and I want to feed fast. Any tooth count over
30 on a 10” blade reduces glue-ripping performance in
my experience.

The Forrest 40 tooth combo blade works ok but the
30 tooth works much better for this sort of rip.

Glue-line performance in a blade has a lot to do with the
flatness and tension in the plate. Forrest is known for
getting this right but people are saying the quality
went down after the old man passed.

Any OP’s home in here?

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

For what it’s worth , I just ordered these for my recent Craigslist saw…an old Craftsman , figuring the thin kerf would help the old girl get through the cut easier with her 1hp motor : )

http://www.ptreeusa.com/edirect_060812.htm
cost me $6.99 for shipping

-- When did quiet and quite become the same word ? I'm guessing about the same time as your and you're did.

I’m still deciding on a blade. It’s the weekend so ordering is going to do nothing until Monday.
I already have a good 24T ripping blade and I remembered that I have a Royce combo blade that came with the saw. I also have an 80T Irwin Industrial blade that’s about four years old. It’s my father’s and I’m not sure if it is any good as it’s dull as a butter knife now.
I also have a 90T Ridgid titanium coated blade but it’s a thin kerf blade. All of my blades are full kerf. Using the blade on my tablesaw means I can’t use the gauge, which I use often.

I’m taking some blades in to get sharpened today; I might get the Irwin sharpened and see if it’s any good.

-- Tyrone - Canada, BC

A lot of folks report getting outstanding results with that 90T Ridgid Titanium….it’s made by Freud AFAIK. If you want a good bargain, the German made Onsrud 60T is $22 (free s/h to the US, but he may ship to Canada for a little extra if ask…it’s a good enough bargain that it’d be worth paying the extra for IMO). The older Irwin “Woodworking” series was actually made by the same company that makes the Onsruds (Leitz), but I’m not sure if your 80T “Industrial” was made by them. Royce has some good blades, but I’m not familiar with their whole line. This 80T Blue Tornado is a decent blade, also made by Leitz but is manufactured in China vs Germany….available as Busy Bee.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

How can the Onsrud be so cheap? Did the company go out of business?
I do like the 3-8 decibel noise reduction.

-- Tyrone - Canada, BC

Excellent clearance pricing on those blades….I’ve bought 3 that have been great, and have read dozens of positive comments from others….nary a negative comment so far.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....