Table Saw Blades

Definitely the WW2. For me, it is the “don’t leave the home show without it” product.

Everything else has to depend on what it is you plan to do with your 3 blades. If you ask me what vehicle I want and don’t tell me that I’ll only be driving in the swamps or in the deserts, I’m going to be in trouble if I ask for a limo, right?

If you do a lot of plywood work or laminate work, yeah, you need to include that in your equasion. If you do nearly all smooth ripping and crosscut work, do you need more than 2? 8^) Is one of them for a chopsaw? Are you talking about a 10 or 12” machine??

Tell us more of what you want to do with these 3 blades.

-- Dean, Missouri

Well, here’s the three I’d buy…

2 x Forrest WWII Blades…one is always sharp
1 x Melamine Blade

I may be coerced into trading one of the WWII’s for the Freud Glue Line Rip. However, I have that with my jointer.

I have 2 WWII’s and that melamine blade and am very happy with that combination.

Cheers!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

For my 2 cents, I use the WWII blades for almost everything that I cut (wood that is). I have just recently acquired the Freud Thin Kerf blade and am impressed with it. That one will be for certain rips, and for any resawing that I may feel is safe to do on the TS. For any cuts in Melamine, MDF, etc. I use the Bosch blade that came with my TS.

I agree with Mot and Dean – that third blade you talk about would be dependent on the particular material you want to cut.

Personally I think the WWII will handle anything wood that you ever wanted to cut (assuming that you TS’s power is up to the task).

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Hi Tom;

Mot hit it right on the head. You can buy cheaper, but not better. Some of the cheaper blades start out great, but dull quickly.

Forrest’s Duraline Hi AT blade, designed for melamine, is what we use for cutting furniture grade plywood, veneer covered sheets, and melamine with perfect results on both side of the sheet.

If I were to change anything about Mots’ choice, I would get one regular WW2, and one WW2 thin kerf. The standard blades stand up to heavy duty use for a longer period of time. Ripping thick lumber for example.

I would also always have Forrest sharpen any brand of blade.

If you are considering a dado set, their’s is the best as well.

Believe me, I have tried about every blade out there, and Forrest really is the best!

Lee

LJ the LJ

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

I don’t own a Forrest blade, because my saw won’t accept them but I’ve used one at the toy workshop and it’s a great blade.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Thanks, Lee.
I appreciate quality blades, like sirloin, but with my round steak budget, I may never get to buy a WW II.
I use a Freud Glue line when I want to save time on glue-ups.
I have a Ridgid 50 tooth combo blade for accurate crosscutting with minimal splintering.
I use an Oldham 200-tooth malamine, plywood blade for cutting, well, melamine and plywood. If you want splinter-free plywood cuts it is well worth the time to change to this blade.

Total cost for all three: about $100.00! (I picked up the Freud Glue Line for $40.00 from Amazon when they had it on sale. The Ridgid cost $40.00, and the Oldham cost about $20.00)

I use the Ridgid about 80% of the time, and have had good results so far.

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

Woodminer,

I have a 10” Sears saw with a 1 hp motor. As I said in my post, I’m looking for “blades to do everything you needed to do on your table saw.” In my case that would mean cutting solid wood, cabinet grade plywood, , melamine, or whatever a woodworker (non-professional) might need to cut. That’s why I thought that you might need (3) blades to do that.

I may even want to cut some treated 2×4’s someday. I thought that 3 blades might be able to get the job done. I’m sure it would be nice to have a lot more, but maybe if you bought the right (3), and if you have a limited budget, you may be able to do just fine with (3) blades.

So I guess, we get one solid vote for the Forrest Woodworker II from you.

Thanks a lot!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Mot,

Until I came to this site, I had never even heard of a Forrest blade. Lowes and Home Depot don’t sell them, and where I live, I don’t think ANY place sells them.

Where would you go to get the best price on these blades?

How much do they charge to have them resharpened?

Thanks Tom.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Bill,

So you like the Forrest WWII, but would change the blade to your Bosch if you needed to cut some cheaper material like melamine or MDF. That was one of my thoughts; that you might want to use a cheaper blade at times when cutting wood products that would dull your expensive WWII blade prematurely. I’m thinking that it would be prudent to use a less expensive blade to cut things like melamine, etc.

Thanks Bill.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom,

You can find a Woodworker II in the lumberJock store…

http://store.lumberjocks.com/shop.php?c=toolshardware&n=541016&i=B0000223VQ&x=Forrest_WW10407125_Woodworker_II_10_Inch_40_Tooth_ATB_125_Kerf_Saw_Blade_with_58_Inch_Arbor

Guessing Amazon will hard to beat.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Lee,

So you think that it’s worth the extra money in the long run to buy better blades. I saw your post the other day in regard to the Forrest blades and it kind of prompted this discussion.

If the concensus here is that I could buy one blade and not three, then I will be glad to need just one blade.

I am just getting back into my woodworking after several years of “dormancy,” while we were raising our children. Most of the blades that I have now aren’t even carbide tipped. That’s why I thought that I would get some “education” here on the subject.

Thanks a lot, Lee.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Karson,

Why won’t your saw accept a Forrest blade? Will mine?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hawg,

Can you actually skip the jointer when you rip with your Freud Glue Line?

Here again is why I thought this discussion would be helpful, not only to me, but to others who needed some knowledge on table saw blades. If you could just run boards through your TS and glue them up, that would be worth having an extra blade to me.

Thanks much, Hawg.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Wayne,

So is this the WW2 that would be recommended?

”Forrest WW10407125 Woodworker II 10-Inch 40 Tooth ATB .125 Kerf Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor”

So, this 40 tooth blade will be great for ripping or crosscutting any material?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

This is the thin Kerf model. I’m assuming your saw takes a 10” blade and is a contractor saw. How big is your saw moter?

There are other kerfs available. Anyone else have an opinion?

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Wayne,

When I bought my Sears saw, it was called a “deluxe.” It has a (1) hp motor.

What’s the consensus on thin vs. standard kerf blades? Does a “standard” blade last longer before it needs to be resharpened?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom, I buy my blades at Lee Valley as I can get them mail order. I use the one WWII until it starts to show signs of dulling, I then put in the other blade and within a day or so send my dull blade to Forrest for resharpening. Their turnaround for me, with mailing, is about 2 weeks. It takes me a couple of months to dull a blade. Lee makes a very good point regarding the thin kerf blade.

I’ve never tried the melamine blade that Lee mentions, but my bet would be it’s the one to get.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Mot,

Thanks. After rereading Lee’s post on the thin kerf, I realize that he answered my question.

These WW2 blades sound great – I sure wish Walmart sold them!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Im in the same delimna. I now have a Delta 60T Sidekick blade in the table saw an mitre saw.

I have been eyeing the Freud for my TS as I may be upgrading my MS soon to a 12”. I have some gift cards from Home Depot and may have to visit them to take a closer look.

I heard the Ridgid blades are made by Freud???

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

On the Kerf selection, Given Tom has a 1hp saw which blade would folks recommend? 1/8” or 3/32”

If he was going to use a thin kerf, would you recommend a dampener/stiffener?

http://store.lumberjocks.com/shop.php?c=toolshardware&n=541016&i=B0000223VT&x=Forrest_STIF05_5_Inch_Saw_Blade_Dampener_and_Stiffener_with_58_Inch_Arbor

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I have a thin kerf WWII and it sliced through a 12/4 piece of cocobolo like butter baby butt smooth cuts also, 1 1/2 HP Sears saw.
I use the blade that come with the saw for 2X4 type jobs
An 80 Tooth Freud ultimate crosscut !/8 kerf I wish I never bought (the WWII does almost as good on cutoff) I would change the Freud for a Ply Laminate blade
My 2 cents
I’m far from an expert, BUT I could not live without the WWII, really you need one!! you will never regret buying it, got mine at rocklers on 25% sale, Amazon has then for about $98.00 shipping free.

Mark

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

The testimonials on this Woodworker II blade are kind of like what you read on the Dowelmax. You can’t find anybody that is less than satisfied.

This guy says to buy the 1/8” instead of the 3/32,” unless you have a “marginal” motor on your saw.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Yeah, I was poking around the marginal motor idea a bit. Once upon a time, I had a cheap Craftsman direct drive saw with a “3HP” motor and it used to scare me to rip 8/4 oak on it. Horse power rating can be missleading, but what is “marginal”?

To solve this I decided to upgrade the blade and chose a stock delta blade which is working fine. (as long as it stays attached to the X5 Unisaw attachment that came with it)

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Tom, Amazon has a sale on Table saw blades! It is like 20% off, I think. I bought my glue line when they had it earlier. Check out the WW II with free shipping, too.

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

If you use any blade on a table saw when the table’s miter guides and fence are not really, REALLY closely aligned, it’s a scary thing. And ripping longer boards of oak can be scary, too, especially when they start to close up and funny blue smoke starts pouring out of that now blackened slot because your blade is not sharp enough to remove corn from the cob. Been there, done that.

WWII blades come to you SHARP, not merely sharp. They are well constructed and then sharpened correctly. That’s part of why you pay more. Many carbide tipped blades will do really well when they are sharpened and the sides of the tips are properly “tuned” so they slip appropriately through the wood. Not something that the average LumberJock can do on his or her own.

If I could only have 3 blades per your latest posts, I’d probably want a blade that would do well on melamine/plywood. And because of my experience with Forrest’s WWII, I’d want to do their AT blade for ply/mel.

Karson’s saw will take a WWII, but he may have to have it bored to fit. They’ll do any size hole he wants for a few extra bucks. Shopsmith’s “standard” is a 1-1/4” hole. Some others have used a 1” hole. I’m betting that others have used…well, other sizes. 8^)

As for construction cuts on 2x stock, use the buck two eighty dime a dozen blades for that. Tear out is not an issue there. They’re designed to use and through away when the teeth fly. IMHO.

-- Dean, Missouri

Wayne,

Good point on what is considered “marginal.” I have often noticed that direct drive saws / compressors, etc, usually have bigger motors, but the belt driven ones with smaller motors cost more and are better. I’ve never had a problem with my belt driven saw not having enough power (I think…), so I’m guessing that the standard WW2 blade would do fine on my saw.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hawg,

Thanks for the tip! You seem to have an eye for the good deals (like the planer you just got).

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Woodminer,

Thanks for the good advice. That seems to be the consensus on the (3) blades.

• (1) Forrest Woodworker II
• (1) quality blade for melamine / plywood (Forrest’s Duraline Hi AT blade, or the one Mot linked to above)
• (1) Average quality blade for general construction projects

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom: My blade arbor is 1 1/8” and it’s a 16” blade.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Karson,

That is one HUGE SAW!!!

Sounds more like a saw mill than a table saw. I’ll bet it’s got plenty of power too!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

5 HP at 3 phase. Running with a phase converter so probably a 25% or so reduction in HP. The motor shaft is the blade arbor so no belts.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

That doesn’t sound like it would be considered a “marginal” machine ;^D

3 phase service – I guess your shop isn’t located at your home. That sounds like a commercial location.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

No its in my workshop. I use a phase converter to convert 2 phase power to 3 phase. I’ve been using phase converters for 30 years on my equipment. Metal lathes, planers etc. This saw and a planer I don’t use ofter are my only 3 phase equipment left.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

So Karson,

You haven’t weighed in on this. What blades would you recommend?

I think that Hawg’s post has a lot of merit to it, in that, everybody doesn’t have the cash to lay out $110 for a WW2 blade. Some guys have families and are on a tight budget.

Is there an economy approach to this question?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hey Tom! I asked a simlar question not too long ago. Funny thing is, those three blades were the most suggested so I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. I first bought the Freud Combo (10” 40T) down the the street from you in Surfside. I’ve had it since about Feb. of this year and it’s still going strong. I cleaned it at one point but have yet to sharpen it. I bought the Freud Glue-Line here in Columbia (Go Cocks – whooped Georgia!) because I haven’t saved enough for the jointer I want. That blade does very well at cutting a clean line when using a jointing jig. I try to joint as many boards as I can in a run, so I really use the combo 90% of the time. My Brother-In-Law used the WW2 and swears by it. He chipped a tooth on a hidden nail though (Tough break for an expensive blade). He’s a smart guy, so I’m pretty sure he’s not still using it. High speed flying carbide, hmmmm. That’s a Darwin award in the works.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Jeff,

Do you have to use the “jointing jig” to get a good cut? Or, is that only if you don’t have a good edge up against the fence?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28