Good Radial Arm Saw Blade

[Bob Aquino]

First of all, stick with a 0 or negative hook angle on the blade. You won't notice it pulling much going through 3/4 stock, but try it with say 12/4 and it will surprise you some. Then the difference will really stand out.

As for blades, take a look at ones made by Hitachi. They are actually French made blades and very high quality especially considering the cost. I have bought 3 different sizes over the last couple of years, the last two for radial arm saws. I am running this blade http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product on my Delta 30c and ran an 8.5" on a Delta Super 900 I sold about a month ago. Currently the 10" blade which is sold as a non-ferrous metal and plastic blade has 72 teeth and triple chip grind (it cuts wood just fine). Its currently 29.95 on amazon and worth every penny. It goes through maple over 3" thick with very little pulling. Here it is mounted on the 30c:

[Mike Heidrick]

I use a WWI on my Delta. Works great.

[Thomas L. Miller]

Thanks everyone! I knew I could count on you folks for lots of good information. Have a good weekend!
Tom

[Erik Christensen]

I recommend Ridge Carbide - made in the US and built like a tank. beefy carbide teeth and razor sharp - I use mine a lot and have yet to send it out for sharpening. worth the premium price which becomes inconsequential when you consider the cost of wood you put through it and how much you save with accurate splinter free cuts

ymmv

[Erik Lindseth]

I bought one recently, a RIDGID RS1000. Never owned or used one before, but was fed up of sloppy miters and crosscuts on my abortion of a SCMS. Table saw was not much more accurate, and certainly less convenient to use.

The RAS was a revelation. I expected it to climb a little, with a 50T Table saw blade on it for now, but it's controllable. Easily controllable even. The saw is accurate beyond belief, I've been trying out the different features, bevel angles and so forth, and it always come back to dead-on 90 degrees.

I know I need a proper blade for it, and this thread has been useful. However, in the meantime, I don't see it as any more dangerous than any other power tool with a blade and motor big enough to sever digits and limbs. Treated with respect, it's great. Wish I had bought one years ago.

I have to agree with this. My father is a carpenter and professional cabinet build and I grew up watching him do a lion's share of his crosscutting with a dewalt RAS. My father says he actually built an entire home and the cabinets using that RAS and no other saw (ripping and cross cutting). My dad still has all his digits. I actually picked up a Craftsman RAS in great condition for $80 that had probably only been used about 3 times. I have played with this thing a lot doing bevel cuts and miter cuts, swinging the arm back and forth and it is still true with no problems getting it back to a true 90 degrees.

Its true without a negative rake blade and someone not paying attention it can climb. I have found that being aware of this information, I am able to control it well and I never begin a cut without looking where all my digits are, of course, this is true anytime I use a power tool.

[Dan Chouinard]

I wonder why Mr. Sawdust recommends the Forrest WW1 rather than a blade with negative hook?

While on the subject....
How do you detect if RAS blade is cock-eyed (not parallel with arm). According to Mr. Sawdust, this adjustment is very important but his book gives precious little advice regarding this issue. The slightest amount is too much. How should I test for and correct this condition?

[Bob D.]

I use the Ridge Carbide RS1000 blade which is made for RAS and SCMS and has received favorable reviews from several WWing magazines. Made in America as all their blades and bits are and they offer sharpening service for any make blade by mail at reasonable rates.

[david brum]

I wonder why Mr. Sawdust recommends the Forrest WW1 rather than a blade with negative hook?

I just had that exact conversation with one of the guys at Forest last week. I had bought the special Mr Sawdust WWI TCG blade and it behaved very badly on my older Dewalt RAS. He told me that the Mr Sawdust blade was a revelation when it was initially produced because it was much better than anything else at the time. There are much better designs available now, however. He specifically recommended the standard WWI for general purpose (crosscutting and ripping) or the Chopmaster for crosscut and miter.

Forest was kind enough to allow me to send back my Mr Sawdust blade in exchange for a Chopmaster, which I'm waiting for with high hopes. Meanwhile, I'm using the 2 for $24 Avanti 60t blade from HD, which actually works very well.

While on the subject....
How do you detect if RAS blade is cock-eyed (not parallel with arm). According to Mr. Sawdust, this adjustment is very important but his book gives precious little advice regarding this issue. The slightest amount is too much. How should I test for and correct this condition?

This is pretty goodhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKSkZ1vAzNc

[Jack Pinkham]

I use a Forrest ChopMaster which is a bit over $100.

The Freud LU91R010 is $65 at Amazon. It's a thin kerf, 60 tooth blade with a -5° hook angle. They also make the same blade without the red coating, LU91M010, which at Amazon is $54.99

Freud describes them as;

"Fine Finish Blades For Sliding Miter & Radial Arm Saws"

Current price for the LU91M010 at Amazon is $49.15 with free shipping.

[Homer Faucett]

I have 2 DeWalt RAS's with a Forrest WWI blade (5 degree hook angle)--a 16" and 14" blade, respectively. I have a small DeWalt MBF with an 8" Hitachi blade as discussed above, which I believe has a negative 5 degree hook angle. The WWI works very well, and I have not had the walking issues with this blade that I recall on my dad's Craftsman RAS.

I had originally wanted to use a Chopmaster for the very reason that it has a negative hook angle while the WWI has a positive hook angle (although not very large). However, I was able to pick up the WWI blades for much less than half that of the Chopmasters of the same size, or their Freud counterparts, and I was assured by several that a very low positive rake angle will not result in a harsh climbing action. I'm glad I took their advice, as the WWI has done everything I've asked of it, especially for the $60 I paid for the 16" behemoth. Don't get me wrong, if I could choose in a vacuum, I would have gone with the Chopmaster or the Freud equivalent (I'm partial to Freud), but I haven't regretted going with the WWI.

[Oliver Colladay]

Negative rake is not required on an RAS. However, do avoid blades with high positive (i.e. +10 degrees and more) rake angles designed for the table saw. Any blade with a rake between +5 and -5 degrees will work well on the RAS. I have been using RAS's for 25+ years, in sizes ranging from 10" to 22", and have tried countless blades. I currently use a Forrest Woodworker with a +5 degree rake and triple-chip grind on the carbide. The triple-chip grind helps when using a positive rake, as it's a little less grabby than the ATB grind.

The slightly positive hook (eg. +5 degrees) will give you much better performance when ripping than a negative hook, which tends to beat it's way thru the cut. With a triple-chip grind, you will not see the climb cutting and rip-lifting so often associated with RAS's with any hook of +5 or less.

That said, I do use zero-rake on my dado stacks. I am currently running a 16" RAS, and use a 12" dado on it. No need to go positive hook on a 12" x 13/16" dado.

Call the Forrest factory in Clifton, NJ, and ask to speak with Charles about RAS blades. He will set you up with a time-proven solution for your saw.