Table Saw Blades - Specialty or Combination?

[rick7938]

When I get back from a trip in a few days I will be finishing up my first cross-cut sled. To make the jig work as effectively as possible, I want to buy a new blade(s) for my table saw. I am wondering what blade combination most of you who have cross-cut sleds use with your jigs.

Should I buy a nice 50-tooth combination blade or should I buy a rip blade and a cross-cut blade - and then buy the combination blade too? Who can have too many!

Thanks for any input.

 

[Travis Porter]

Junquecol gave a very positive review recently on a Freud blade. I would have bought one, but I already have 2 Forrest WWII's and love them. I will no longer buy thin kerf blades for a number of reasons primary one being that they won't work with my splitter.

 

[DaveO]

I use a Forrest WWII and have found it to be the best combo blade that I have used to date. I do use a Freud Glue Line Rip blade when I know that I am going to be doing a lot of ripping. But the WWII stays on my saw most of the time.
Dave

 

[cpowell]

I bought two more full kerf Freud blades (LU84R011) last month on an Amazon deal (64 dollars for two blades including shipping). I now have 4 of the Freud LU84R combo blades. I like them. I also have a Freud glue line rip, which I will put on for ripping thick stuff or if I have some "production ripping" to do.

I have a Forrest WWII and believe it holds its edge a little longer than the Freud combos.

I have found that either the Freud or WWII provide a clean crosscut. For my usage I'd rather have two combos and a rip blade, so you'll have a decent blade to use while the others are getting sharpened.

Xcesstooling on WN sells Leitz blades at a [STRIKE]pretty good[/STRIKE] great price. I have one or two of those in full kerf combo.

I don't have any thin kerf blades.

Chuck

 

[McRabbet]

I've had very good results from my Woodworker II blade with my crosscut sled for delicate tablesaw crosscuts with my sled (such as trimming panels, cheek cuts, etc.). I also have a 10" Stehle 50-tooth combination blade that I bought for $28.60 at the Greensboro Expo in early February and I just finished using it for ripping about 300 lineal feet of 8/4, 5/4 and 4/4 white oak without a burn mark or fuzzy edge anywhere! A good blade purchase from Woodtech Enterprises of Fairview, NC (just outside Asheville). And, I have a Freud 96-tooth LU85R012 Ultimate Cutoff Blade in my 12" Miter saw for crosscutting long stock (current price is $114.99 on Amazon.com - I bought it with a package discount for $69 last June) -- ultra smooth cuts every time.

My recommendation parallels Chuck Powell's -- use a good combination (or rip) blade for ripping and a Freud or WWII blade for good clean crosscuts.

Rob

 

[dancam]

I'd also vote for the Forest WWII blade. I've used mine for many years and haven't found a better replacement. I do have a Freud thin kerf blade that I use occasionally but since my splitter doesnt work w/it I tend to not use it.

I also have a Forest WWI mounted on my old DeWalt RAS and it cuts really clean smooth cross cuts (do not attempt to rip w/a RAS).

Anyway, just my additional .02.

Dan C.

 

[4yanks]

I have a couple of Freud combination blades as well as one of their ripping blades and an 80 tooth crosscut blade. The only thing I use the crosscut blade for is cutting expensive plywood. My recommendation to anyone would be to get a premium combination and a ripping blade. You will use the combo most of the time, but you'll want the ripping blade anytime you have more than 1 or 2 light rip cuts to make.

 

[DavidF]

I have a couple of Freud combination blades as well as one of their ripping blades and an 80 tooth crosscut blade. The only thing I use the crosscut blade for is cutting expensive plywood. My recommendation to anyone would be to get a premium combination and a ripping blade. You will use the combo most of the time, but you'll want the ripping blade anytime you have more than 1 or 2 light rip cuts to make.

I have a newly sharpened (dynamic saw) dewalt combo that came with the saw and it never comes off it makes a good job of everything. In small hobby shop like mine I would be changing blades all the time if I was to swap between rip and crosscut everytime I made a few rip cuts. I am thinking of getting the new frued fusion as a backup for when the dewalt is out being serviced. My thin kerf WWII stays in the cupboard - Anybody want to buy it?

 

[junquecol]

Lowes stocks the rebranded DeWalt 7657, 40 tooth general purpose blade for $39.99. It is now a Delta blade, only the name has been changed. I have a couple of these along with Freud LU84s, and a Forrest WWIIs. There is very little difference in the quality of cut. The 7657 has often been refered to as the "poor mans WWII". For basically forty bucks, it is hard to beat. Recently when ripping 1/4" edging from 3/4" stock, the Freud LU84 did the best job. Norm, on NYW has been running the LU84 on his saw since 2002, at least according to one of my videos of the NYW.

 

[Gofor]

I have a Freud TK406 60T crosscut blade that has done a yeoman's job for me building my bench out of white oak. Smooth cuts and will rip 2" thick white oak as well as resaw up to 3 3/8" with my 110v saw. Downside is that there is not a lot of carbide for resharpening, but after a whole bunch of wood, I still don't know when that will be. Price is around the $50 range but can be caught on sale for less.
I also bought a Freud LU84R011 50T full kerf combo blade. On the white oak it feeds about the same (full kerf vs thin kerf), but the edge needs work before glue-up. At more $ on sale (retail about $65) than the TK406, I now wish I had bought another TK, which is the primary blade I leave on the saw for whatever comes up.
If you originally go with a thin kerf blade for your cross-cut sled, you can always up it to full kerf if you aren't satisfied with the cut.
I have a DeWalt blade on my SCMS that also does an excellent job, but due to the small teeth, it will be a re-cycle-into-something-else when it finally dies (guess I've been reading too many of Earl's posts:lol. Built two handicap ramps and a 12' x 16 deck extension with it as well as a lot of small work and cut offs for the bench .

Note that I am still a novice and about the hardest thing I have cut is KD white oak, so please take that into consideration

JMTCW

Go

 

[Nativespec]

I have a Delta contractor's saw and I only use it for ripping. I recently bought a Systimatic 40 tooth glue line rip (about $60 at JustSawBlades) and it seems to work fine. The comination blades were no good for ripping on my saw and I was constantly running upstairs to flip the breaker. I did get a little tired of changing blades for cross cutting (I think I have a fairly new Freud 10" crosscut I could sell) so I bought the Festool 8 &1/4" circular saw and multi function table for c-cuts, not a cheap alternative,
but I now have two dedicated saw stations and I cut-up my cross cut sled which is now part of a carcass in my chest of drawers that I am currently working on.

 

[BillPappas]

This is what Dave said:

I use a Forrest WWII and have found it to be the best combo blade that I have used to date. I do use a Freud Glue Line Rip blade when I know that I am going to be doing a lot of ripping. But the WWII stays on my saw most of the time.
Dave:smile:

And I fully agree with his assessment...I keep the WWII on all the time but switch to the Freud GL Rip for heavy ripping just like Dave...:eusa_clap.

 

[DaveO]

You're a good man Bill :icon_thum :icon_thum


Dave

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

I'm a combo man- I combine extreme laziness (too lazy to change from Xcut or combo to rip) with a WWII- so the WWII stays on all the time. :-D:-D:-D

 

[stoneskippers]

I'm with DaveO & Bill. I keep my WWII on my Ridgid table saw most of the time unless I'm doing a lot of ripping, then I change to the Freud Glue Line rip blade.

 

[KurtG]

I keep the WWII on all the time as well, mainly because I don't know what else to do.:-?

At least after reading this thread I'll have an idea of what else I can use and when.

 

[NCPete]

reading this, I guess I will be getting a new combo blade to complement the Freud GLR and the Freud Plywood blade I have.... don't know if I want to swing the money for the WWII, maybe the DW/Delta Combo blade.

 

[junquecol]

reading this, I guess I will be getting a new combo blade to complement the Freud GLR and the Freud Plywood blade I have.... don't know if I want to swing the money for the WWII, maybe the DW/Delta Combo blade.

The 7657 is a general purpose blade. Fifty tooth blades are refered to as combo blades. Forty tooth blades are considered to be general purpose blades. This is a marketing ploy to seperate 40 toothers from 50 toothers. Both will cut very well.

 

[DavidF]

The 7657 is a general purpose blade. Fifty tooth blades are refered to as combo blades. Forty tooth blades are considered to be general purpose blades. This is a marketing ploy to seperate 40 toothers from 50 toothers. Both will cut very well.

That's a fact I didn't know. Good snippet of information.

 

[DIYGUY]

I too have the DCS and mostly use it for ripping as well. I also have a 1960ish Delta Rockwell RAS that I use for cross-cutting; every once in a blue moon I wish I had a sled for the extra depth. The RAS crosscuts like a champ which is one of the best things it does, but I am limited to 14" or so. It's not enough of a pain that I ever seriously considered making a sled and besides all that, I truly don't need to store another "once in a great while" contraption. So my advice is forget the blade and buy one of the used RASes that are always on CL. You will be amazed at how much better and more versatile it is than a chop saw ...

I have a Delta contractor's saw and I only use it for ripping. I recently bought a Systimatic 40 tooth glue line rip (about $60 at JustSawBlades) and it seems to work fine. The comination blades were no good for ripping on my saw and I was constantly running upstairs to flip the breaker. I did get a little tired of changing blades for cross cutting (I think I have a fairly new Freud 10" crosscut I could sell) so I bought the Festool 8 &1/4" circular saw and multi function table for c-cuts, not a cheap alternative,
but I now have two dedicated saw stations and I cut-up my cross cut sled which is now part of a carcass in my chest of drawers that I am currently working on.