Glue line rip blades

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
My 24T Forrest rip blade needs to be sharpened. It has been good.

But is it worth more than twice the price of a similar Freud when purchased new?

BTW, for a perfect smooth glue line cut, I have never had the same performance with a sharpened blade compared to new.

Sending the blade back to Forest for sharpening which hopefully will give factory performance is not really worth the effort. With shipping costs to and back from Forest for a few bucks more a new Freud arrives UPS at my door.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I've never used a Forrest and probably never will. I use 24T Freuds either full kerf or thin kerf. My little 1.75hp SawStop seems to want a thin kerf for the most challenging cuts (deep and with warping wood) but normally handles a full kerf fine. I just do not see the point of paying twice or more for "better" blades. But I had one of my Freud combination blades sharpened by Ridge one time and it came back cutting better than new. But the sharpening cost what a new blade would cost too (shipping included). Even Freud Diablo seem to work well, at least on circular saws. I may try one on my table saw too. I don't get them sharpened so what's the point of buying a blade with more carbide?
 

bowman

Board of Directors, Webmaster
Neal
Staff member
Corporate Member
Check out the saw blades from Klingspors: Search

I have a couple of their branded blades and am very satisfied with them
 

Chris C

Chris
Senior User
I've run several brands on my 3hp Jet and currently run a Freud. No complaints. I'd never spend the money to buy a Forrest. Not saying they aren't worth the cost but I can't justify it given my level of usage.

I'm thinking about picking up a Bauer blade at HF. My builder told me to try one in my circular saw so I bought a fine finish blade to cut the laminate countertops I just installed. I was very surprised at how well it cut. I'd buy another if it holds up. Time will tell.
 

wbarnes

Will
Corporate Member
I normally use Freud blades also and don’t have any complaints. I think I’m going to give Ridge Carbide a try with my next blade though to see how they do compared to Freud.
 

BKHam

Bradley
User
I've never used a Forrest and probably never will. I use 24T Freuds either full kerf or thin kerf. My little 1.75hp SawStop seems to want a thin kerf for the most challenging cuts (deep and with warping wood) but normally handles a full kerf fine. I just do not see the point of paying twice or more for "better" blades. But I had one of my Freud combination blades sharpened by Ridge one time and it came back cutting better than new. But the sharpening cost what a new blade would cost too (shipping included). Even Freud Diablo seem to work well, at least on circular saws. I may try one on my table saw too. I don't get them sharpened so what's the point of buying a blade with more carbide?
+1 for the Frued 24T Full Kerf. I have had this and an 80T full kerf Freud sharpened a few times. I really like the square bottom the full 1/8 kerf leaves, good for joinery.
 

jlwest

Jeff
Corporate Member
I like Forrest and usually send them back to Forrest for repair and sharpening which is not very often.
 

Skymaster

New User
Jack
FREUD FREUD FREUD FREUD FREUD for the dollar overall it is the best. Cut fantastic lasts for a year or more steady working. Glue line rip is fantastic, fine cutoff also fantastic. They make a better line than the boxstores however I can tell you that the boxstore line also is superb. Nothing but Freud in my shop blades, router bits etc
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
I have migrated to the CMT camp. Never been happy with about any Freud except the Hardi-board blades for my circ. I had a Ridge wonder something or the other and it was a do all but nothing as well as correct CMT's made for the job. I like my 80 tooth Amana on my miter but the hole size is snug enough to be a pain to change blades on the TS, so I use CMT.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I have migrated to the CMT camp. Never been happy with about any Freud except the Hardi-board blades for my circ. I had a Ridge wonder something or the other and it was a do all but nothing as well as correct CMT's made for the job. I like my 80 tooth Amana on my miter but the hole size is snug enough to be a pain to change blades on the TS, so I use CMT.
I have a machinist's reamer for saw blades that are a little snug. I bought it especially for that purpose and I'm happy to fix any blades that need it.
 

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
Freud Fusion is my go to. I have a couple of the klingspor blades and they are good quality. For general purpose and pine the Irwin Marples 50t is a great blade
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Just my experience, the Fusion was one of the worst blades I ever had. Threw teeth.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I like my Freud Fusion but it seemed to dull pretty quickly. My go to all around blade is a 50 tooth combination with 40 ATB and 10 rakers. I have a CMT in that pattern as well as a DeWalt. They and the Freuds all work well. Not a lot of difference between them I could see. Shouldn't be. Nothing magic about a saw blade.
 

srhardwoods

New User
Chris
Hello Willem, Amana glue line rip blade all day long. I have a dedicated sawstop with that blade on it, and I've been running it for nearly 2 years still ripping nicely. I run a pile of lumber through it. Holds its edge. I was selling Amana a while back and hey wanted me to try it and I was sold. Not sure who is doing your sharpening, but it will vary from company to company but I get a better cut from my blades after being sharpened by my local company that new. I have 15 different blades I send to them and they have all performed better than new. Do you have any other local options for sharpening?
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Before sending anything to Forrest, check out Dynamic Saw in Buffalo. Don't forget Union Grove Saw either
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
My 24T Forrest rip blade needs to be sharpened. It has been good.

But is it worth more than twice the price of a similar Freud when purchased new?

BTW, for a perfect smooth glue line cut, I have never had the same performance with a sharpened blade compared to new.

Sending the blade back to Forest for sharpening which hopefully will give factory performance is not really worth the effort. With shipping costs to and back from Forest for a few bucks more a new Freud arrives UPS at my door.
I would try the Freud while the Forrest is out for sharpening, then youll know for sure!.
 

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member
Before sending anything to Forrest, check out Dynamic Saw in Buffalo. Don't forget Union Grove Saw either

I'm surprised they have made inroads in the NC market, but yeah Dynamic Saw is my local shop and they do a great job.
 

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