# Forrest Woodworker II 10" 48 Tooth Thin Kerf



## Bertha

Thanks for this. I almost bought one.


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## Cosmicsniper

One of my pet peeves about reviews here at LJ is that everybody tends to give 5 stars for everything, which to me doesn't leave much head-room for truly perfect tools (if such exist).

I don't own a WWII, but I can't imagine it working any better than my Freud combo blade…and if both are compatible in performance, then I'd be down-rating the Forrest blade as well…it just wouldn't represent good value.


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## agallant

It is a really well constructed blade. It would probably last longer and take more abuse than other blades but I just don't think it is this holy grail of saw blades that it has been made out to be.


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## Brad_Nailor

I like both blade companies. Allot of people think Forrest blades are overpriced, but i think you get what you pay for. I have this 40T thin kerf, and a 30T full kerf, and I also have a Freud 80T plywood blade. They all perform well, and the Forrest's have stayed sharper, while the Freud has been sharpened once..but I use that blade more often.

I have found that once I upgraded to a 3HP Unisaw, I started to have a problem with the thin kerf blade deflecting slightly while cutting maple or walnut over 4/4 in thickness. I use a stiffener plate with the thin kerf blade but it didn't seem to help in those situations. It doesn't deflect when I use it for anything thinner than 4/4. I originally bought the thin kerf blade for use on my smaller BOSCH jobsite saw and it worked well on that machine, but i think the combination of the extra power and the thicker harder woods causes it to deflect.


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## Cosmicsniper

Good poiint about durability.

Good point also about the full kerf blade, Brad. I really need one for my Unisaw…and since I put the Incra fence on it, I'd like to have a full kerf blade for when I make cuts off the outside of the blade.


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## Dcase

Your review seems to be in line with what most say about this blade. I have both a couple Forrest blades and a few of the cheaper Freud blades, not the pro series ones. I agree that when first using and comparing they both seem to cut with the same performance. However the Forrest blade will hold a sharper edge much longer then the cheaper Freud blades. The big advantage to paying for the Forrest blade is you will have a blade that is not only really sharp but it will remain sharp for a much longer time.

I am really happy with both my Freud and Forrest blades. I think the Forrest blades are best for those who put a ton of cutting hours on their blades.


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## HokieMojo

An anecdote that may explain the price difference. I'm under the impression that the Forrest has much thicker carbide. If that is the case, you could get many more sharpenings from a single blade. If you were really using the blade a lot, it might pay for itself because it has a longer life. Just a potential explanation. I don't own a Forrest blade, yet…


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## pintodeluxe

The Freud industrial blades have thick carbide as well. They run $40-70, and have held up well for me. They may be able to sell the Freud diablo blades for less by using thinner blades. I have had good luck with both. 
The reason I don't like the Forrest Woodworker II, or the Freud Premier Fusion is because they do not have flat teeth and therefore cannot be used for joinery. I like combination blades with a triple chip grind that can cut plywood without splintering, but can also run dados for drawers and cabinet work. 
Clean those blades with Simple Green HD (the purple stuff at Home Depot) and whatever blade you use will cun better.
Thanks for the review!


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## Darell

I'm also not that impressed with my Forrest WW2 blade. The first one I got had to be sent in for replacement as it cut very rough edges. The replacement is OK but no better than the Freud or for that matter the SawStop blade that came with my SawStop contractor saw. I use the SawStop blade the most as it seems to cut the best.


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## SPHinTampa

I think a recent comparison of blades in FWW agrees with you … that cut quality of the WW II is similar with Freud's up end blade ($80).

My experience is different. I have used both types of blades for my tablesaw and the my RAS. I notice a difference in the quality of the cut, particularly when cutting tougher or thicker stock, and the length of time between sharpening.

Just my opinion.


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## tenontim

I have 5 Forrest blades, WWI and WWII's, 30T, 40 T, & 48T. I also have a Delta 80T and they all get sent into Forrest for resharpening about twice a year (I use them all alot). The Delta blade will not hold an edge as long as the Forrest blades, and it doesn't get used as much. I'm setting up a radial arm saw and also plan to buy a chopmaster for it. Forrest claims that you can get about 15 sharpenings before the tips have to be replaced. That's reasonable mileage. Forrest will also custom grind any kind of tip configuration that you want. I don't care for the thin kerf blades either, they seem to have too much movement going on. There are a lot of blades out there making the same claims, but for my money, I think the Forrest blades deliver.


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## Routerisstillmyname

I have to agree, just a hype.For the price, sharpens, durability Freud can't be beat.


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## JoelB

I have a Ridge Carbide and often wondered if I should have gotten a Forrest. Sounds like I made the right decision when I bought the RC.


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## ND2ELK

All I use is Forrest blades and Dado head. Great blades. They cost more but last longer than the other blades.


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## JasonWagner

I have both the thin kerf and regular kerf WWII. They were both around $80 on Amazon. They are the best blades I have used although I have never tried high end Freud blades. I buy Freud ripping blades or blades to beat up. I just know I can always rely on the WWII for a glue line cut, I can rip a 1/32" strip, and there's tons of carbide to be sharpened over and over. I do think the dado stack, chopmaster and some other blades are over priced for my needs. But if I did fine furniture dados all the time I would tend to trust Forrest.


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## jm64

I have a benchtop Craftsman tablesaw. I used whatever blades from the big box store I could get, with less than stellar performance.

After taking a tablesaw class I upgraded my blade to a Forrest WWII 40 tooth think kerf. I have been extraordinarily pleased with it. I've used it over the last year on 5 or 6 projects and cleaned it once or twice. It is still sharp enough to cut a really nice line through 3/4 in birch and popular cabinent grade ply, as well as 4/4 maple and oak, rip or cross cut. On sale at Rockler I paid $80+ for the blade.

I have the Freud dado set, which works fine. But based on the performance of the WWII, if I could spend the $ for the Forrest dado set, I would. It just works great. No regrets.


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## davidroberts

Wait, I'm confused. I thought this was going to be a thoughtful, critical review of what many professionals consider one of the very best blades on the market for the money. Boy was I wrong. It's a blog to rant about a perceived overpriced blade.


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## agallant

If all you want to read is long written reviews praising this blade there are plenty of them out there. All I was saying that yes it is a good blade but it is no miracle blade. If you have $130 to throw down on a blade it is not wasted but if you have to save up for this blade your money may be spent better on other equipment. Sure it may last longer than the $40 Freud at HD but I don''t think it cuts any cleaner or faster.


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## davidroberts

"but I don''t think it cuts any cleaner or faster" Probably because your experience with using the WWII can be measured in minutes, maybe hours.

"If all you want to read is long written reviews praising this blade there are plenty of them out there." Hey please just shoot me for wanting to read a critical, thought provoking review, of any woodworking tool, whether I agree with your assessment or not. I mean really.


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## Ken90712

I have to disagree on this one. When I cut 8/4 Purple Heart, Rock Maple, Black Walnut ect ect my Frued blades don't last. I have cut so much wood with my Woodworker II its amazing. The glue Joints it produces can not compare as well. I had a slight vibration in my W II and they sent me a new blade. I had a carbide tip come off on a frued and they told me sorry! I have made over 100 end grain cutting board and would not trade me forrest balde for anything. I have 7 frueds and they sit in the cabinet. I'm even buying a Forrest for my skill saw.

Sorry just my 2 cents worth.


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## NBeener

I have very little to compare it to … which … is very important.

But my WWII cuts beautifully, no matter what I throw at it.

Based on THAT blade, I saved my pennies for a Dado King, which … cuts beautifully no matter what I throw at it. Dead clean, flat-bottomed dadoes with no tear-out, even on cheap BORG ply.

Based on THOSE TWO blades, I'm awaiting the arrival of my negative hook WWI for my RAS. 4" stiffener, too !

Would I buy another brand ? Yup. Sure. But my luck has been exceptional with Forrest, so far.


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## pintodeluxe

Deke,
The Freud industrial blades use a thicker carbide, and have the red anti-friction coating. Those are two differences I have seen between Freud industrial (sold at woodworking stores), and the Avanti / Diablo division of Freud. Also, the industrial 50 tooth combination blade has a triple chip grind. One tooth angles left, one tooth angles right, the third tooth is flat, then the pattern repeats. This gives it the distinct advantage over blades like the Forrest WW2 and the Freud premier fusion(which use a high angle alternating bevel grind), because it produces a flat-bottom kerf. Interestingly, the industrial 50 tooth combination blade crosscuts every bit as well as my 80 tooth Freud crosscut blade. 
Best of luck and happy woodworking!


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## agallant

No I did not use a stabilizer nor did I mention any flex an my review. I was just simply stating from a quality of cut point of view the wood worker II is no miracle blade. Like I said it is a great blade but there are others out there than cut just as nice. I can tell that this is going to head in the direction of one of those 'saw stop debates'.

How about this lets look at the price for the WWII with the stabilizer
Blade $138
Stabilizer $20
Total Blade: $158

That is allot of Freud blades.


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## 280305

As a side note, a great supplier of Forrest and Whiteside products is Librawood.

For example, the Forrest 8'' Deluxe Dado King at Rockler is $299.99. At Librawood, it is $240 with free shipping. The blade being discussed here is $108.

I am not affiliated with Librawood, but I am a regular customer.


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## agallant

I never said the quality of the cut was subpar I just said it was not any nicer than other blades I use.


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## agallant

You are not listening to what I am saying. It is rather simple. The blade cuts very nice, the blade is quality construction grant it that the $40 Freud is not built as well and will not last as long but the WWII cuts just as nice as my Freud. No mirical cuts going on here. I guess an argument could be made that buying a WWII would last longer and save money in the long run. I just don't think it is this make a mess in your pants blade that everyone makes it out to be. Yeah it is nice, really nice but someone with a limited budget may be better off sticking with the $40 Freud and getting a disk/belt sander or what ever for the same money.

If you love the blade that is fine. I am not saying it is a crappy blade. Hey I love my BMW but my Chevy gets me around town just as well as the BMW does.


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## Brad_Nailor

Garage..I used this blade with the recommended stabilizer, and while I had excellent results with woods thinner than 4/4 or 5/4, anything real thick (8/4) or real hard (Maple, Purpleheart) the blade did have a tendency to deflect slightly when used on my 3HP Unisaw.. This may not be a real big deal in certain circumstances, but I was building end grain cutting boards and the slightly angled cuts showed up like glaring mistakes when pieces were flipped and combined. I still love Forrest blades..I just bought a full kerf, 30T for ripping the big thick stuff. And I must say, that even though I had the deflection problem, the blade still performed excellently in all other ways, and with other thinner stock. I have had that blade for almost three years, used it allot cutting mostly Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Purpleheart, and it,s still sharp as hell!


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## steliart

Not used the thin kerf but the combination WWII is the best blade in the long run and will never let you down.


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## jterry

question for Nbeener and others who didn't mention what table saw they are using.
What saws are you using? I'm not familiar with wwII nor Freud. I think using a 40t blade of any make to rip 8/4 hardwood is asking a lot. Maybe use a rip blade? Is the 30T blade considered a rip blade and how does it perform when ripping? Some of you seem to be full time professionals and others just cut once in a while like I do. Seems like a lot more detail of what is really going on would be helpful in making decisions about what blade to purchase. A poorly set up table saw is going to keep any blade from living up to it's potential.


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## NBeener

I'm running a Bosch 4100 contractor's/"jobsite" saw.

So … in theory … a good blade should make a BIGGER difference in MY application, since … my Bosch can't just muscle its way through stock.

I recently bought a Freud D1024X 24T ripping blade ... for the next time I have a LOT of bf to rip through … just for the sake of speed.

But I don't work in a production environment. I don't have to crank out volume. I don't have any time constraints.

So … while it MAY require a MUCH slower feed rate for ME to rip, using my WWII (I have no idea, truthfully), I've never considered that a limitation.

Others-for good reason-certainly could.


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## agallant

Sawstop 1.75 HP. I use it about 2 hours a week.


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## davidmicraig

Let me offer the following, before the responses get very ugly 

Based on this review, and the responses given, I would make the following conclusion -

If I was going to be hitting the TS for multiple hours and making a ton of cuts, I would probably be better off investing in the dollars for a WW II blade. Longevity of the sharpness of the blade, the construction, all make it worthwhile for the long haul.

If I was a light TS user and I was stretching my bank solely for a blade that I think will work complete miracles, then I probably should just buy a Freud because I would be misinformed on where the value and quality of the WW II comes in.

Sound accurate?

David


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## jterry

Yes, I like that answer, because we are all wood working the way we like. If not, then we will persevere in getting a lot better techniques and better tools.


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## agallant

@Dave - I could not have summed it up better than that.


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## Brad_Nailor

As far as what type of saw I was using…
I was first using a BOSH 4000 jobsite saw, when I purchased the WW2 40T thin kerf. The thinner kerf helped with cutting harder woods, and it performed excellent. When I traded up to my current saw, a 3HP 240V Unisaw I tried using the thin kerf blade on it cutting some really thick 6/4, 8/4 maple and Walnut. Like you said, it was asking allot of a 40T to rip that thick of stock, and the thin kerf blade was deflecting slightly. I have since purchased A Forrest [email protected] 30T and use that for ripping the thicker stuff and it sails right through the hardest maple no problem.Both blades perform awesome, no burning, with sweet glue line rips.


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## agallant

It has been a few weeks now and I still don't think this blade is all that great. I stand by my original opinion, It is a nice blade and may last longer but it does not cut nicer than my $40 Freud.


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## HokieMojo

Thanks for the follow up. That counts for more than the initial impression.


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## knotscott

For most cuts, you really shouldn't *need* a stabilizer for a good thin kerf blade that's running on a well tuned saw that has very low runout. Forrest and others certainly do suggest them, and there are times that they may help with thick stiff grain woods, but I've seen many occasions where there was no difference at all with or without a stabilizer…a good TK blade won't flutter inherently just because it's thin kerf. It typically requires some other intervention to deflect. Keep in mind that blade manufacturers make a good buck on these stabilizers, so of course they recommend them….it's good business. Valvoline Instant Oil change always recommends a few extras for my car, but I don't take them up on every suggestion. I typically don't recommend getting a blade stabilizer unless the need for one becomes apparent…odds are good it won't.

I've compared the Freud LU84R010 50T ATB/R and the Freud LU86R010 40T ATB directly with the 40T WWII TK using the same saw, and the same materials, then compared results side by side by chalking the edges and looking at them in good light. I found that the WWII did leave slightly cleaner cuts on just about everything….less swirl marks on the edges, less tearout on crosscuts and plywood. Both Freud blades were very good, just not quite to the level of the WWII. As to why I note difference and others might not, I can't really say for sure, but there are many other variables in play besides just the blades, many of which can mask the performance of a more precise blade. FWIW, I also did the same comparisons with the Tenryu Gold Medal, DeWalt DW7657, and Ridge Carbide TS2000 TK, (and others)....for the most part, I find it difficult to discern significant differences between the cuts of these similar upper end blades. These blades are all capable of glue ready edges.


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## MicroKerf40

Greetings Woodworkers,

My twin brother and I own a saw blade manufacturing company here in Northern Wisconsin since 1986. I will shed a little light in the technical aspect of the saw blade fundamentals in manufacturing.

We sharpen and repair both of these blades in our factory and have discovered differences in the quality for each one of these saw blades.

The Freud has an excellent friction resistant coating on its blade that saves on blade life. The steel in the blade is of lower quality because it has a softer Rockwell of about 32. The tips will bend much easier in the cut and does not spring back like the Woodworker II. That's why you see it not staying as sharp. I spend more time hammering the Freud Blades flat than the woodworker II. One thing to note is the softer the Rockwell, the flatter the plate is during manufacturing. So Freud can get out more production with less or no hammering. I won't go any further in picking apart their blades because I don't want them to discover all of their flaws.
For the markets they are in, they are both good blades.

One of the problems most of you have and don't know it is; your table saw is out of alignment. We have discovered this fact since we first introduced the Micro-Kerf 40 ten inch table saw blade one year ago. We developed a video on how to properly align your table saw without having to buy precision measuring tools.
You can go to our web site www.totalsawsolutions.com and find the video there.

Since someone brought up the question on support collars, I will address this topic too.

Support collars are a needed item when it comes to thin cutting saw blades.
The thin blade alone is not strong enough to with stand the cutting forces.
One support collar is not enough to help the blade.
2 support collars are better but there is still a problem.
Both support collars and the saw blade each have their own run out issues, thus giving a bad cutting experience together.
After we fastened our support collars to the Micro-Kerf 40 and tuned it in like a musical instrument, we could hold a run out of 0.001 or less. Now our blade was more than a typical saw blade. It acted like a blade with muscle. It became a precision cutting tool!

If you take the cost of the Woodworker II and buy their 2 support collars, you end up with a blade at about the same cost as the Micro-Kerf 40 with about half the saw dust.
Look at my picture thumbnail. There are three saw blades pictured. The Micro-Kerf 40 is in the center and the Woodworker II thin kerf is on the right side at 3/32nds" kerf.

Which one would you want?

It's your choice!!!

Don't knock it until you try it!

It comes with a 90 day money back guarantee!!!

Call me at 1-800-773-3133 and I will help you through any questions or visit us on the web at www.totalsawsolutions.com

Thanks for reading my responses!

Don Angelo - President
Total Saw Solutions Inc.
1-800-773-3133


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