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I have 2 young relatives just getting started into woodworking. I (we) would sure like to hear of some recommendations for general purpose or combination blades for a couple recent college grads on very tight budgets.
Please post some options for these young guys looking for the best bang for the buck. (They are both looking for new purchase options, not kind donations from the members here. :) I've already got them both started with several tools.) Thx!
Kev
I know there will be some who disagree, but the 10", 60 tooth Carbide blade that Harbor Freight sells for $10-15 depending an the sale they're running cuts pretty darn good when it's new, but does dull faster than better brands. For a dado stack, if needed, the Oshlund set from Rockler is just superb.
Freud Diablo. Very good blade for the money.
Delta 35-7657 from Cripe Distributing on the Bay for $18 plus ship.
check out wood magazine. over the past ~3 years they have twice tested 10" TS blades under $50. lots of good choices out there.
Believe Lowe's has a DeWalt combo pack (1 - 40T and 1 - 60T) for about $40...maybe a little more either way depending on where you live. Craftsman blades will get the job done on a budget too.
I have had excellent results with the Freud Diablo line from Home Depot. Nice and affordable, and a very nice blade. No $100.00 Woodworker II, but then again, I can't imagine the WW2 offers enough more to get me to cough up the extra bucks either...
+1 for Freud Diablo. I have the 50 tooth combo blade and it makes very smooth cuts. Very little tear-out when crosscutting plywood as well.
The Delta from Cripe is an excellent blade. Sears is closoing out their Professional line of 10" saw blades - made in Italy and comparable to their industrial line (slightly larger carbide teeth that the Diablos).
For those not on a budget, Forrest Woodworker II's 40T standard kerf is under $90 shipped at librawood which was recently bought out by holbren. (Which has great customer service).
When I was broke in college I bought a double pack of cheap irwin 10" blades from lowes using a $10 off $50 coupon. They are very loud and the cut wasn't that great but it did the job. The double pack came with a crosscut blade, and combo blade.
If you plan to go to lowes for a saw blade, then you might as well bring with you a 10% coupon: https://secure.isat-tech.com/banners...nner.swf?c=419
I would agree that Diablo does a decent job. On the other hand, a good quality blade like infinity, freud, Ridge Carbide, on up to Forrest will end up paying for itself. I would urge the buy the best and cry once mentality on this. Great blades can be had for well under 100.
Ryan
I bought some Irwin's on a closeout (at WC I believe) and use them for junk cutting (MDF, construction grade lumber, PT stuff). I agree with the pay a little more and cry once suggestions. Freud blades don't draw quite so many tears...
The best cheap blade that I know of are the Freud Diabalo 7 1/4" circular saw blades. You can get them for $10-$20 at the BORG and they're big enough to cut up to 2" material on most 10" table saws. They work just as well as the standard 10" blades for about 1/3 the cost.
+1 on Freud Diablo line, +1 Oshlund stacked dado - check the price on Amazon vs. Rockler.
Cheaper to resharpen these than to buy the throwaways. I still use the WW2 for my cabinet saw, but even resharpening that is cheaper than constantly buying cheap blades that don't give a good cut.
Avoid the cheaper line at HD, at least in my experience.
Of course it is better and cheaper in the long run to spend more up front. But for someone just starting out, that is just not an option. If you think it is, you haven't lived in my shoes. Trying to scrape together close to $100 for a saw blade is impossible. That $100 is needed to pay the rent, utilities, or buy groceries. For me, the decision was to either buy the cheap stuff or not buy at all. These guys need to find a $5-$10 blade. I think the 7 1/2 inch blade idea is pretty good one. There is always a good variety of these blade at HD or any hardware store.
Latter on in life, the money will not be as tight. Then when you do get the good stuff, you can appreciate it more. If you only start with the best, you will never learn to appreciate it.
The Delta from Cripe Distributing, mentioned above, provides an excellent cut when new. I haven't had it long enough to comment on longevity, but the price is right, and at the $17, I'm not even tempted to have it sharpened - it's a dispoblade.
I like the Oshlun blades. They have a full line on amazon. Their 50 combo is 3/32" everything else is 1/8"
The best deal going right now has got to be the German made Onsrud blades by Leitz being clearanced on Ebay. Very good industrial grade blades for up to 80% off street pricing....much better quality than the Chinese cheapos. They're auction style but most sell at the listing price uncontested...free s/h is just icing on the cake. German precision, Chinese pricing!
You didn't mention what saws they have, but most saws with motors less than 3hp have an easier time spinning a 3/32" thin kerf blade.
My nephews went together and bought a very lightly used Grizzly G0575 (left-tilt) for only $150. I knew the guy who had the saw and it didn't have more than a few hours of run-time before he passed away.Quote:
Originally Posted by scott spencer
Sure appreciate the recommendations as well as any others to be offered.
Above I saw mention of using 7-1/4 in blades on a TS. Is this safe given the RPM's of a TS? Never thought or heard of this. Thx.
Kev
I don't chime in here often, but these are great blades. Got my first one from Peachtree direct then just got three more via Amazon (they don't list them on their site since a blowout sale a couple months ago). One or two will go out as gifts. They are inexpensive enough I'll probably never sharpen them, just replace them (as long as I can). I've used Forrest WWII and some other blades and these cut just as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Falk
The frued diablo line I'd have to agree on, the Fusion blade to be exact... if you have a 1 1/2 HP or less use the thin kerf... or if you have a Cabinet or hybrid saw, use the full kerf or the thin... your choice...
this blade goes on sale on Amazon all the time for around 50 dollars...
cheaper than that, Dewalt actually makes a decent blade believe it or not....
I was looking 2 get a couple more of these blades. Cripe looks to want $11 to ship. I think it was $6 last time I got one. Tool Barn wants $19.99 per blade for the DeWalt DW7657(Scott says it is the same blade) and $0 to ship if you have an order over $25.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Falk
AFAIK They are safe and perfectly acceptable to run in a TS. Dado blades are smaller diameter and have no problems. Does a TS have a higher RPM than a circular saw? I have run the 7 1/2 blades in my table saw several times without a problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kev Godwin
Yes - it's safe.Quote:
Above I saw mention of using 7-1/4 in blades on a TS. Is this safe given the RPM's of a TS? Never thought or heard of this. Thx.
I asked about this some time ago and was assured it was fine.
There is a catch though. (actually two)
- The smaller blade will have less speed at the tips.
- Crosscut sleds may not be practical w/the smaller diameter blade.
Same blade, same design, but is now made in the US vs the UK.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Falk
Cripe's shipping goes down with additional blades. First blade is $11, and additional blades run a bout a buck each. I own WWII's, Freud LU84's and a bunch of 7657's. 7657 is what is one the saw most of the time.
Kev, the best bang for you buck is to get a combination blade. They do well with both ripping and crosscutting. HD sells the Ridgid one for about $50. Yeah, $50 is a lot when you are on a tight budget, but when you think that it might be hard to find two decent blades (one ripping and one crosscut) for $25 each, it isn't so bad. Maybe if you hit a sale, you could get it even cheaper...
$17 from their web site. It costs to do Ebay.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Falk
I like the 7657 too, and agree it's a great deal at $28 shipped. However, it is a full kerf blade which will be a bit tougher for that G0575 to spin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn