New saw blade recommendations needed

[Newman39Fan]

Since it is supposed to actually reach 50 degrees this weekend, and hopefully melt all of the remaining snow, it is close to build time. So I decided last night that I should get new blades for my table saw, jig saw and circular saw. All of these blades were the blades that came with these saws, so it is time to replace. I figured newer blades would help with cleaner cuts on my TD.
After removing the blades I went online to see what the replacement cost would be. This is where my building/tool inexperience comes into place. I figured this would be an easy purchase, but nooo. There are sooooo many types of blades out there. Duh! I should have known that. Some blades have 60 teeth, some 25, some are for ripping. some for smooth cuts, etc.

So without buying a blade for every application, any recommendations on the type of blade to buy and the amount of teeth? I assume (probably wrongly again) that the jig saw blade will be easy, one metal cutting blade and one for wood. But for the table saw and circular saw I would like your opinions.

Thanks

[satch]

Jig saw blades are not expensive, so I usually buy multiple packs for differant cuts. For my table saw, I like useing a blade with 60 teeth for general cutting,80 teeth for fine cuts. They all must be carbide tipped, but the most important is that they are sharp, dull blades not only wreck a work piece, they can be dangerous. When it comes to buying, I like Freud, they may be pricey, but I've had no problems. DeWalt is'nt bad, but they dull out faster.

[gregp136]

I like Freud also, and I need him to help me deal with my Teardrop obsession....

But what does that have to do with saw blades?




Greg (and Laurie)

[Juneaudave]

If I only had one blade for my jig saw...I would buy one for cutting ply with the good side up. I like the reverse tooth blade that cuts on the down stroke...the Bosch blade would be T101BR.

[afreegreek]

one Forrest 40 tooth blade will do what you need most of the time. it's pricey but you only need the one blade..


http://www.forrestblades.com/woodworker_2.htm

[Gary and Cheri]

I spent the $100+ price on a very nice Forrest combo blade and then read wood magazine's test of blades. They rated the comparable tooth Rigid blades (Home depot) as a better blade at a $40+ price, so I bought one. It is a much narrower blade and makes a smoother cut. I use the Rigid blade most of the time and reccommend it when ever asked. You can purchase almost 3 blades for the price of one Forrest (which is a great blade). When the Rigid blade gets dull I intend to chuck it. The Forrest blade need special sharpening.

Gary

[Larwyn]

Anybody ever stop to think that a blade which can be easily sharpened by the user might be a better choice for the non professional (maybe even the pro)? Could be that $20 for a blade, $5 for a file, $0 per hour = a bargain for a home woodworker. I'm just curious, not trying to change anybody's mind. I have used good Freud carbide blades all along, but now that I no longer make "half a blade per hour", I'm thinking I might just be better off with somthing I can sharpen myself? I know I have a renewed apreciation for the older pocket knives I have which are made of high carobn steel as opposed to the high dollar oens I have with more exotic steels which hold an edge for a long time but are quite difficult to sharpen when they do dull.

[toypusher]

I have used 10" blades and 12" blades from HF without any problems and they seem to last plenty long for what I paid! I can in no way see paying big bucks for something that can potentially get ruined most any time. Just my opinion and experience. Also, I usually buy DeWalt blades for my 7 1/4" circular saw!

[afreegreek]

I spent the $100+ price on a very nice Forrest combo blade and then read wood magazine's test of blades. They rated the comparable tooth Rigid blades (Home depot) as a better blade at a $40+ price, so I bought one. It is a much narrower blade and makes a smoother cut. I use the Rigid blade most of the time and reccommend it when ever asked. You can purchase almost 3 blades for the price of one Forrest (which is a great blade). When the Rigid blade gets dull I intend to chuck it. The Forrest blade need special sharpening.

Gary

actually the "special" sharpening a Forrest needs is called a finer grit grind than what other blade companies and sharpening services use.. the sharpening service I use will do it if requested for a few dollars more.

OH, and if you're getting better cuts from a $40.00 blade, there's something wrong with your saw or you have a crap saw because on a good cabinet saw the Forrest blade will make a smoother cut per tooth than ANY blade out there. I get as advertised, smooth as sanded surface with no tear out. in fact the difference is so great that I bring my own blades to work and pay to have them sharpened myself just so I can have the quality of cut I've become used to from them..

most of there blades styles are available in the thin (3/32) kerf too.

[afreegreek]

Anybody ever stop to think that a blade which can be easily sharpened by the user might be a better choice for the non professional (maybe even the pro)? Could be that $20 for a blade, $5 for a file, $0 per hour = a bargain for a home woodworker. I'm just curious, not trying to change anybody's mind. I have used good Freud carbide blades all along, but now that I no longer make "half a blade per hour", I'm thinking I might just be better off with somthing I can sharpen myself? I know I have a renewed apreciation for the older pocket knives I have which are made of high carobn steel as opposed to the high dollar oens I have with more exotic steels which hold an edge for a long time but are quite difficult to sharpen when they do dull.

yes and no. a very good high speed steel blade well sharpened will cut smoother than a comparable carbide blade but for next to no time and will dull in a few cuts when cutting anything but solid wood. plywood, particle board, MDF OSB paralam etc will kill them right away.. they also take a good level of skill to sharpen and need something a lot finer than a file to do it. a stone is what you need to finish it up after filing/grinding and if you can do that, you can do a carbide blade as well you just need the right stone or use diamond abrasive disk (like I do) the process is simple though, all you do is joint the tips (grind a flat on the tips all around the blade) and file/grind the face and the top of the tooth until the flat barely disappears. simple but it's a skill and it takes time to do it. I have an old European veneer blade about 6 inches in diameter and has 200 teeth. it takes me about 4 hours to do it.

anyway, there's not many times a person needs a 10 inch blade. for general hacking and breaking out stock I use 7-1/4" inch blades and chuck them when they're dull. I save my good blades for finish cuts so they stay sharp. 9 times out of 10 if you looked at my saw you'd see a 7-1/4" 40 tooth Diablo (about $20.00 CDN or the cost of sharpening) there is no need to buy a 10 blade to do 90% of the things a person will do on a table saw. a 7-1/4" will cut material 1-3/4" thick or more on most saws and you can get 60 tooth models that will cut as fine as anything else in the 10" size.

[Larwyn]

I spent the $100+ price on a very nice Forrest combo blade and then read wood magazine's test of blades. They rated the comparable tooth Rigid blades (Home depot) as a better blade at a $40+ price, so I bought one. It is a much narrower blade and makes a smoother cut. I use the Rigid blade most of the time and reccommend it when ever asked. You can purchase almost 3 blades for the price of one Forrest (which is a great blade). When the Rigid blade gets dull I intend to chuck it. The Forrest blade need special sharpening.

Gary

actually the "special" sharpening a Forrest needs is called a finer grit grind than what other blade companies and sharpening services use.. the sharpening service I use will do it if requested for a few dollars more.

OH, and if you're getting better cuts from a $40.00 blade, there's something wrong with your saw or you have a crap saw because on a good cabinet saw the Forrest blade will make a smoother cut per tooth than ANY blade out there. I get as advertised, smooth as sanded surface with no tear out. in fact the difference is so great that I bring my own blades to work and pay to have them sharpened myself just so I can have the quality of cut I've become used to from them..

most of there blades styles are available in the thin (3/32) kerf too.

If a saw can have a defect that would cause it to cut better with a cheap blade than a "better" blade I want my saw to have that defect!! What is it and how can it be induced in a saw which, unfortunately, is not defective?

[RichAFix]

Forrest Woodworker II. Best blade I have ever used. Keep it clean (oven cleaner to remove pitch) and mine has been a champ for a long time (never had any tear out, never burns and cuts are as good as any edge off my jointer) without sharpening. Yes it is a bit expensive for the average woodworker and the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference but for a guy that does a lot of woodworking I wouldn't buy anything else. I do have a couple of those throw away blades for when I am cutting wood that is a little questionable or precision isn't important.

Any sharp blade will work for the average person though, the good blades stay sharp longer.

If you have a saw that isn't balanced, no good blade will give you a good cut. You are only as good as your weakest link.

[aggie79]

I also like the Forrest WW II blade, thin kerf with stiffener. I have a hybrid TS and cutting with the Forrest does not "pull down" the saw motor as much as a full-kerf standard blade. That said, most of the time I keep a no-name 10" blade in my table saw.

[afreegreek]

I spent the $100+ price on a very nice Forrest combo blade and then read wood magazine's test of blades. They rated the comparable tooth Rigid blades (Home depot) as a better blade at a $40+ price, so I bought one. It is a much narrower blade and makes a smoother cut. I use the Rigid blade most of the time and reccommend it when ever asked. You can purchase almost 3 blades for the price of one Forrest (which is a great blade). When the Rigid blade gets dull I intend to chuck it. The Forrest blade need special sharpening.

Gary

actually the "special" sharpening a Forrest needs is called a finer grit grind than what other blade companies and sharpening services use.. the sharpening service I use will do it if requested for a few dollars more.

OH, and if you're getting better cuts from a $40.00 blade, there's something wrong with your saw or you have a crap saw because on a good cabinet saw the Forrest blade will make a smoother cut per tooth than ANY blade out there. I get as advertised, smooth as sanded surface with no tear out. in fact the difference is so great that I bring my own blades to work and pay to have them sharpened myself just so I can have the quality of cut I've become used to from them..

most of there blades styles are available in the thin (3/32) kerf too.

If a saw can have a defect that would cause it to cut better with a cheap blade than a "better" blade I want my saw to have that defect!! What is it and how can it be induced in a saw which, unfortunately, is not defective?

OK, lift the throat cover and remove blade. take cold chisel and hammer. place chisel against arbor flange and give good firm hit with hammer.. the harder the better. enjoy equally crappy cuts from every blade you ever buy..

[Larwyn]

I spent the $100+ price on a very nice Forrest combo blade and then read wood magazine's test of blades. They rated the comparable tooth Rigid blades (Home depot) as a better blade at a $40+ price, so I bought one. It is a much narrower blade and makes a smoother cut. I use the Rigid blade most of the time and reccommend it when ever asked. You can purchase almost 3 blades for the price of one Forrest (which is a great blade). When the Rigid blade gets dull I intend to chuck it. The Forrest blade need special sharpening.

Gary

actually the "special" sharpening a Forrest needs is called a finer grit grind than what other blade companies and sharpening services use.. the sharpening service I use will do it if requested for a few dollars more.

OH, and if you're getting better cuts from a $40.00 blade, there's something wrong with your saw or you have a crap saw because on a good cabinet saw the Forrest blade will make a smoother cut per tooth than ANY blade out there. I get as advertised, smooth as sanded surface with no tear out. in fact the difference is so great that I bring my own blades to work and pay to have them sharpened myself just so I can have the quality of cut I've become used to from them..

most of there blades styles are available in the thin (3/32) kerf too.

If a saw can have a defect that would cause it to cut better with a cheap blade than a "better" blade I want my saw to have that defect!! What is it and how can it be induced in a saw which, unfortunately, is not defective?

OK, lift the throat cover and remove blade. take cold chisel and hammer. place chisel against arbor flange and give good firm hit with hammer.. the harder the better. enjoy equally crappy cuts from every blade you ever buy..

Those are not the symptoms Gary stated. He seemed to be getting satisfactory cuts with with either blade, but a better cut with the cheap blade than the Forest. If there is a defect with his saw which is causing that, then that is the feature I would like for my saw to have. My saw is not up to your standards anyway and I doubt that it would benefit greatly from a Forest blade. I have owned better saws and better blades than I do now, I know the difference and I know how little that difference matters to the end product for my purposes. My "Unisaw money" is tied up in welding equipment and I prefer it that way. MY DeWalt 744 table saw with a Freud 10" combo blade is good enough for what I do, and it works well with my dust control system, which consists of moving the saw outside when making lots of cuts. If I need the freshly cut edge to look like it has just been run across the jointer, I simply run it across the jointer.