newbie saw blade assortment questions

Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.
I’m fairly new to this as well. Until recently, I only used the combination blade that came with my Bosch table saw. It worked fine for ripping and crosscutting pine as well as plywood. This past Summer, I bought a thinner kerf Canadian Tire blade (in the upper price range for their brand) and then finally sprung for a Freud dado set.

I don’t have any project on the horizon that would require any more blades than I currently have. I’ve used all three, and have no complaints.

Good luck

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

Have you gotten around to making zero clearance inserts for the saw yet? The opinions on whether it is better to go with dedicated rip/crosscut or with a combination blade will vary. One thing that should stay consistent is the agreeance that a zero clearance insert will elevate the cut quality on any blade you stay with. I would definitely make or purchase one before getting into the endgrain cutting boards.

Freud is a good company and you should be happy with the blades, no matter which way you go. And, I do agree that it is handy to have a stock blade handy for construction projects that require less intricacy and more abuse to the nicer blades.

-- There is little that is simple when it comes to making a simple box.

I have had the same three Freud blades for over 20 years. An 80 tooth crosscut, a 40 tooth rip, and a combination. Don’t remember the part numbers off hand, but they have served me well. The combination is on the saw the most, but if I’m going to make critical cuts, or make a lot of the same cuts (cross cut or rip) then a put on the appropriate blade. Almost forgot, I also have an Oslun 8 inch dadoe set

I heartily agree that a zero clearance insert is critical to making good cuts, to say nothing about safety.

PS – I have a no name Taiwanese contractor saw (basically a knock-off of the old Delta contractor saws.)

-- Joe

Some combination blades, like Forrest’s WW II, are amazingly good at just about anything. I use an old blade, maybe even with a tooth or two chipped, for carpentry work or when cutting boards that are maybe a bit suspect.

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""

you can buy the 24T Frued rip at home depot for like 28 smacks, I have a 1023sl but I really am leaning toward thin kerf blades, I use to use full kerf and then some of the amana blades screw that go with thin kerf much easier to push and leaves and fin finish, if it dont hit it with a jointer or jointerplane. My next purchase will be a Forrest thin kerf ww2 I think they make that just to say I have one but I have 7 but my favorite is a frued 50 combination, smooth cutting blade cuts even better when I take it to my man and get it juiced up when he puts a supersharp grind on it

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

Consider Freud Fusion 8” blades. Just as good as 10” anythings 95% of the time, and much friendlier.

-- Clint Searl.............We deserve what we tolerate

I am in line with MonteCristo. I have a regular kerf and a thin kerf Forrest Woodworker II and love them both. They stay sharp a very long time and give outstanding results cutting all kinds of wood and plywood. Simply put, buy one of these and quite worrying about saw blades.

-- Roger M, Aiken, SC

Tips for picking saw blades (I’d suggest reading this before making your purchases)

I’d skip the LM75 unless you plan on setting your saw up for rip only operation in matierals 1” or less….it does what it’s intended to do, but it has a very limited operating range….You don’t really gain anything with the LM75 that a decent 40T or 50T combo blade won’t do. The LM75 is intended to rip in materials of 4/4” or less so you still need a bulk ripper for thick ripping, and it doesn’t crosscut well. A good general purpose or combo blade will leave a glue ready edge too, but will also crosscut pretty well, and will rip efficiently in ~ 6/4” and sometimes more depending on the material and the saw. You might want to consider the LU87R010 for thicker ripping in addition to a general purpose/combo blade like the Freud Fusion, LU83, LU86, Infinity Super General, Combomax, WWII, Ridge Carbide TS2000, Tenryu Gold Medal, etc.

The LU79 is an incredible crosscut and plywood blade…I’d opt for this one over the LU74 for the benefit of less tearout.

Freud has some great blades, but I wouldn’t pass up a super deal on several other brands just to stick with the Freud name….Infinity, Forrest, Ridge Carbide, CMT Industrial, Tenryu, Amana Tools, Irwin Marples, etc, also have some excellent blades.

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

Just an update, I bought two saw blades the other day. They are Freud Diablos and they work awesome!!! The crosscut blade I bought is item number D1080X. Its a 10” 80 tooth ultra finish blade and the cross cuts in walnut and maple were amazing! I also bought a D1024X which was a 10” 24 tooth ripping blade. It too works amazing. Best two saw blades I’ve ever had, but not saying much as I don’t think I’ve ever had anything other than a cheap combination blade. Just htought I’d share.

Congrats rlrobinhood!

Sure makes a world of difference don’t it? Some folks rip on the band saw
to relieve tension and then size to fit on the table saw.

Basically the same here, I have 2 Diablos not sure which models, one is a 60t thin kerf combo blade that does a nice job and a 24t rip blade that powers through thick boards like nothing. My miter saw has a Dewalt 80t blade that leaves glass smooth cuts, I might try it on the tablesaw some day.

-- -- Rick M.

Check out my reviews on the Irwin Marples blades. At the price you really have nothing to lose. I had and sold the LM75. Like knotscott said, it really is a specialty blade and only good at ripping 4/4 or less stock. I have some pricey combo blades and cross cut blades, but The 24 tooth Irwin marples blade gets the job done and is really close to a “glue line” cut.

-- http://www.etsy.com/shop/KandJWoodCrafts

I use the same as MonteChristo, “some combination blades, like Forrest’s WW II, are amazingly good at just about anything.”

I have two WW II’s and one of them is over 25 years old (sharpened by Forrest once). I used to have all kinds of Craftsman blades which I gave away when I got my WW II (I kept one for cutting salvaged wood)!

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