Need Recommendations for TS Blades

[Mark W Pugh]

OK, if I wanted to buy a blade for ripping hardwood and a blade for cutting sheet goods, which blades would I go with?

For ripping, I don't see ripping anything thicker than 1", for now.

Sheet goods, usually 3/4" and 1/2" ply.

I know there is a plethora of blades out there. I don't want to break the bank, but I don't want a throw-a-way blade either.

Thanks

ps I know this has been covered in various threads, just trying to consolidate to one specific thread.

[scott spencer]

For ripping, any of the 24T to 30T rippers from top brands should be fine....Infinity 010-024, Freud LM72 or LM74, CMT 201.024.10, Forrest 20T, Ridge Carbide, Tenryu, etc....~ $45-$90. The lower the tooth count, the easier the cut...the higher the tooth count, the cleaner the cut as a general rule of thumb. Full kerf for 2hp+, 3/32" TK for smaller motors. If you have a 3hp+ saw, you could easily rip 1" with a good 40T blade....the Delta 35-7657 is the best bang for the buck going at ~ $30 shipped from Cripe.

For sheetgoods with typical hobbyist volumes, I'd go for a 60T to 80T Hi-ATB grind. It'll have the lowest tearout of any grind, but will have the shortest edge life. A typical hobbyist should still get plenty of cuts between sharpenings....blades like this can last me a few years. Infinity 010-060 or 010-080, Freud LU80, CMT 210.080.10, Forrest WWI 60T or Duraline 80T or 70T Ply blade - ~ $65-$125.

Bargain Blades - 80T Oldham Pro (made in the US), precision 80T ATB - ~ $32 shipped from Cripe

You could always go with the inexpensive Irwin Marples or Freud Diablo series blade made in Italy. Both offer decent 24T, 40T, 50T, 60T and 80T options for ~ $30-$50 each.

[Robert Engel]

Scott pretty much summed it up. Generally you can't go wrong with a Freud blade and they are available at Home Depot.

I picked up a Freud Industrial glue line rip for doing some tenons I was very impressed.
I also like the CMT blades.

If your saw is less then 1 3/4HP thin kerf blades are the ticket.

[Lee Schierer]

I use mostly Freud blades and have not been disappointed with how they cut. I just purchased a glue line rip blade to replace a thin kerf rip blade and have not noticed any bogging down on my saw, which is a Craftsman 1-1/2 Hp saw.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

For general purpose ripping, I use a 9" thin kerf Freud ripping blade. It can cut close to 2-1/2", and is a bit cheaper than a 10" blade.

"Sheet goods" covers a lot of ground. For MDF, particle board or cheap plywood, I use a 60 tooth ATB blade. For anything with high quality veneered faces, I use a Freud LU85 Ultimate cutoff blade.

[Jim Finn]

I use 10" thin kerf blades from Diablo. 24 teeth. I only rip or re-saw on my table saw and these blades give an excellent cut. Good enough for a glue up , skipping the jointer altogether. I found combination blades will not give me as good a cut surface. I seldom cut plywood.

[Martin Wasner]

Anybody ever use a hollow tooth blade in a tablesaw for cutting sheet stock?

[Jon Endres]

For ripping, I have a Freud LM74R010 30 Tooth TCG Glue Line Rip blade. I don't use it very often unless I have large quantities to rip - one or two boards doesn't count. For almost everything else, I keep a variety of 40-60T crosscutting blades in the saw. I don't have any special preferences although I am partial to Freud blades, even the Diablo line. I do have a new Ridge Carbide TS2000 Super Blade but I haven't used it yet.

[Cody Colston]

For 1" hardwoods and 3/4" plywood, what about using 7 1/4" blades? You can get the Freud blades for just about any application at the box store and HP wouldn't be an issue. They are also very cheap <$10 compared to a 10" blade.

I'm just asking, not recommending.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The Delta blade (7657) that Scott mentions is what stays on my saw most of the time. I've even got an older one made under the DeWalt name. Same blade, but different labeling. Order two from Cripe, and your per blade costs drop by about 40%.

[Allan Speers]

Mark,

Good suggestions all around, but as always I recommend you simply call Carbide Processors and ask them. They have a large selection of top (pro quality) brands, very competitive prices, and excellent tech support.

- They don't even mind dealing with us lowly hobbyists.

[scott spencer]

For 1" hardwoods and 3/4" plywood, what about using 7 1/4" blades? You can get the Freud blades for just about any application at the box store and HP wouldn't be an issue. They are also very cheap <$10 compared to a 10" blade.

I'm just asking, not recommending.

Most 7-1/4" blades are thinner than even a typical 3/32" thin kerf blade, so will require an extra thin splitter or riving knife if you use one.

[Earl McLain]

Mark,

Good suggestions all around, but as always I recommend you simply call Carbide Processors and ask them. They have a large selection of top (pro quality) brands, very competitive prices, and excellent tech support.

- They don't even mind dealing with us lowly hobbyists.

What he said. And their web site is a great resource as well. Good people to work with, knowledgable, and a Friend of the Creek.

Also--through this forum i've picked up several really nice used blades from folks changing direction in either work or tooling. All have been well-cared for and arrived sharp (possibly sharper than new--thanks Andrew!!) That has allowed me to build on the few Freud Industrials i had bought new to put together a great assortment of top-quality blades over the past 3 or 4 years at a cost that would rival buying new mediocrity. The downside, of course, is that i've developed a taste for good blades--so when i do need to really buy one new it hurts!!
earl

[Kevin Jenness]

Martin, at my last gig we had several hollow ground blades from Leitz that worked fairly well for veneered panels, though not as well as a high angle ATB. They came with a slider from a shop that used them for melamine, Since we rarely used that material I can't comment on that aspect. They were a triple chip design with every third tooth a trapezoidal shape and every tooth face concave which made for very sharp points. The downside was that they dulled fairly fast and we had to ship them back to Leitz for sharpening.

[Mark W Pugh]

For ripping, any of the 24T to 30T rippers from top brands should be fine....Infinity 010-024, Freud LM72 or LM74, CMT 201.024.10, Forrest 20T, Ridge Carbide, Tenryu, etc....~ $45-$90. The lower the tooth count, the easier the cut...the higher the tooth count, the cleaner the cut as a general rule of thumb. Full kerf for 2hp+, 3/32" TK for smaller motors. If you have a 3hp+ saw, you could easily rip 1" with a good 40T blade....the Delta 35-7657 is the best bang for the buck going at ~ $30 shipped from Cripe.

For sheetgoods with typical hobbyist volumes, I'd go for a 60T to 80T Hi-ATB grind. It'll have the lowest tearout of any grind, but will have the shortest edge life. A typical hobbyist should still get plenty of cuts between sharpenings....blades like this can last me a few years. Infinity 010-060 or 010-080, Freud LU80, CMT 210.080.10, Forrest WWI 60T or Duraline 80T or 70T Ply blade - ~ $65-$125.

Bargain Blades - 80T Oldham Pro (made in the US), precision 80T ATB - ~ $32 shipped from Cripe

You could always go with the inexpensive Irwin Marples or Freud Diablo series blade made in Italy. Both offer decent 24T, 40T, 50T, 60T and 80T options for ~ $30-$50 each.

Thanks for the input. When I get the time, I will look everything up. One other issue is a blade that you will have sharpened, or a blade you'll just buy again. Some wouldn't be worth sending to the local guy to sharpen. Does all that make sense?