Thoughts on this blade???

[DaveO]

Anyone use this blade or something like it. I am thinking of getting a new combo blade for my TS and I have to shop Amazon and keep it under $100 (SWMBO's rules :crybaby2: )

I can get it for $60, and I have been very happy with all my Freud blades in the past. CharlesM, your opinions are always greatly valued:-D

Dave

 

[WoodWrangler]

Hey DaveO,

I don't have that blade, but have heard okay things about it. I'm sure it would be good. HOWEVER, if you want a GREAT blade I would HIGHLY recommend the Ridge Carbide TS2000 10" x 40T x 5/8" 1/8" Kerf Combination Blade (use this link for the best price I could find).

It is the same (if not higher) quality than the Forrest Woodworker I/II blades at a lower price. This company spent their money in their product rather than marketing. Ridge Carbide is not as well known by hobbiests, but is a well known name in the business of woodworking & cabinetry.

I recently purchased one and have been AMAZED by the quality of cut.

 

[DaveO]

I would love a blade like that but I am limited to what I can get from Amazon. I have a gift certificate that I need to use there.
Your OK comment makes me think that I should look some more. I am currently using a Freud 60t thin kerf combo and have been happy with it for ply, but not as much for solid stock. I have been getting a little burning (might just need to clean the blade, it is 6 years old)
Dave

 

[michaelgarner]

well there you go bro,,invest is some blade cleaner,,case closed.

 

[WoodWrangler]

Ahhh... I didn't catch onto the must be from Amazon.com part!

I'm not saying the Freud blade is bad, but I've never heard it quoted as the "best". I have a DeWalt & another one that the name escapes me at the moment and both are OK (nothing to write home to mama about!). The sad part is that each of those blades cost $60ea. for "OK" performance, but spending a couple more bucks ($80) I got "GREAT" performance.

If you must keep with Amazon, then NO DOUBT I'd pick up the Forrest WW10407125 Woodworker II 10", 40-Tooth Blade for Table Saws (1/8" Kerf) blade (they have it for less than $100).

Good luck!

PS - the blade cleaner is a good idea too!

 

[Charles M]

Dave,

With all due respect to Jeremy, he doesn't own the blade and is only telling what he has heard. The LU84 is a combination blade and will give excellent crosscuts and rips in a variety of materials. Will it give crosscuts that rival a high quality crosscut blade? No, and neither will the Ridge or Forrest GP blades. Will it give the fastest or best quality rips? No, and again neither will the Forrest or Ridge GP blades. Can you put this one blade on your saw and make nearly every cut you want to on your table saw with very good results? Definitely! If you want a GP blade that is more comparable to the Forrest WWII or the Ridge TS2000 check out the Freud F410:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T7PV/qid=1144843976/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-7472584-2541403?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013

BTW, does anyone actually believe that a company like Ridge is making less profit on their blades so they don't have a big marketing budget? AFAIK, Ridge still buys saw blade plates precut and carbide tips preformed. They braze the tips onto the plates and grind them. How much control do they actually have over the end product? We start with rolled steel which we laser cut in our own factories and formulate our own carbide in our foundry. We have control over nearly every aspect of the production. That is what spending money in a product is about. Sorry, I mean no disrespect to Jeremy, just wanted to vent for a sec.

 

[DaveO]

Thanks Charles M, any idea when it may become available?
Dave

 

[Charles M]

Dave,

They're in stock in my warehouse here so Amazon should be able to have it for you very quickly. They normally stock them so it's a mystery to me why they don't have stock now.

 

[WoodWrangler]

With all due respect in return to Charles from Freud, I agree in that I do not own the blade (though I do have a miter saw blade from the company) -- however, at the same time it appears & sounds as though Charles works for Freud -- so I would only expect a raving review (which may be rightfully deserved?) of their blades -- but I have never personally seen any comparison where the Freud blade got better reviews when compared side-by-side with a Ridge or Forrest. Ok ... that's my vent

Now back to DaveO ... Charles is 100% correct in that the blade from Freud is one of the better blades on the market and will do everything that you will probably ever need. Personally though, I'd still spend the couple extra bucks and get the Forrest blade if I could afford it.

And if Freud really wanted to make an awesome statement in this forum (a target market), maybe they will send you a blade for free to test and review for all of us! Yeah right! :lol:

 

[Charles M]

You mean I'm biased toward Freud? Oh yeah, I forgot. I am biased toward Freud :slap:

 

[ashley_phil]

I have that blade and love it. Cut Lyptus well and much better than the FORREST WWII we were using before buying the FREUD Blade.

 

[SteveColes]

Gentlemen, this is NOT that other site, so let's remember, we all have our opinions. It's fine to argue opinions, but let's keep it to the opinion and not the people. 'nuff said.:eusa_naug

Now to the only opinion that really counts, mine:lol:

I have not seen any review that has actually compared all 3 blades. An the only person I know who might have all three blades and used and compared them is WG. So I'll be interested in his comments.

But here is what I suspect the WWII (new version) and Freud f410 are very close to each other. Probably, can not make a mistake with either. From other people, the impression I get is the f410 is definetly better than the WWII ( old version) but the difference is not that obvious compared to the WWII (new version).

I bought the Rigid at the last show at the urging of WG, but haven't used it yet. So I can't comment on it.

Also, I notice that no one has mentioned the Amana and Infinity combo blades that are supposed to be on a par with the WWII (old version)

 

[WoodWrangler]

It's all in good fun ... nothing personal meant by any of it, ever. Just some good ol' debate ... internet style!

 

[Charles M]

I agree. Just clean fun and some advice thrown in for spice.

 

[woodguy1975]

Ok, one of my favorite subjects in the world. Everyone here knows me and my weakness for equipment, but not everyone knows I have a weekness for tooling as well. I have owned almost every general purpose blade made. Frued F410, Forrest WWII, Ridgid TS2000, Oldham signature, CMT general, Leitz, and Schemacher and Sohn. (Can you tell I love TS blades) The first three blades I listed rated very similar in my book. The reason my vote leans towards the TS2000 blade is based on the amount of carbide and initial sharpening. Eliminating the blades you can't get off amazon leaves primary the Frued and Forrest. Both are equally quality blades. Forgetting about the label I found them to be absolutely equivalent in carbide amount, initial sharping, and life. You won't go wrong with either blade there. Both are the same ATB design

Now days I prefer the Schemacher and Sohn blades. They have a variable tooth design which completely eliminates the blade ring. Cut quality is not any better than the others listed above, but the noise makes a difference to me. If you do a lot of plywood work a good Hi-ATB plywood blade will make a world of difference in your cut quality over a general ATB or ATB-R blade for plywood.

Good Luck,

John

 

[DavidF]

Just to add a small comment; when I bought the Dewalt 746 TS I was concerned about the small hp rating (1 3/4) so I bought the Forrest WWII thin kerf. I wouldn't do that again for two reasons. 1 - I don't like to have to remember that with the recommeded blade stiffener, the DOC is MUCH reduced so I would need to keep taking it off or changing blades. In addition; when sawing down the centre of a piece or where there is a substantial off cut, the WWII TK is fine, but on a full depth trim cut the blade does deflect away from the cut very slightly.

2nd - The GP Dewalt blade that came with the saw is a superb all purpose blade and is actually on the saw 90% of the time. I would like to compare to the full kerf WWII.

And 3rd (yes I know) I have found the power of this saw MORE than adequate for full depth almost 3" cuts in anything I have so far thrown at it.

 

[cpowell]

Dave,

I used the Freud LU84R011 full kerf combo blades for three years and have had great results. I did buy a glue line rip which is definitely superior for creating a finished straight line for panels but I used the LU84R for a long time before buying the rip blade.

I now have a WWII and it has a very good quality cut. Certainly a little better than the LU84R. I can't say which one will last longer between sharpening yet since I have only cut a few bd ft on the new WWII.

Chuck

 

[Mark Fogleman]

Any update on this thread?
My latest power tool purchase

(small gloat:eusa_danc)
needs a new blade, a little bit of elbow grease and a few missing parts replaced (...anybody know of one of these being parted out?).

Amazon has a deal now on saw blades ( http://www.amazon.com/b/103-9880307-9103836?ie=UTF8&node=552286) and I would be interested in what is working well for you all even if it's not from Amazon. I'm looking for a good combination blade and a dado blade set.
Thanks! (and be nice )
Mark

 

[junquecol]

My Forrest WWII sits silenty in box and rusts (Did anyone ever tell Forrest about vapor emiting paper?), while Freud combo runs on saw most everyday. IMHO, Freud blade is a better deal. What really hurts is that I just had a Rockler store coupon for 20% off any blade that someone could used.