TS blade usage...

[Jason Morgan]

My previous posts on table saw alignment and burning problems got me to thinking about blades. This is kind of a newbie type question, but Ive been woodworking for a few years now and have only really used two blades, a frued chopsaw blade and a forrest WWII combination blade. What I am wondering is how many of you use specific blades for crosscut and rip and how many just put one combo blade in and leave it. Also, how often do you sharpen and how do you tell when its time to sharpen.

[Chris Giles]

I use an Everlast thin rip blade with stabilizer discs on my 10" TS, which I use mostly for ripping, and it works very well. I do crosscutting on my SCM slider or on the miter saw, so the only crosscutting my 10" TS sees is with the dado blade. All but a couple blades are Everlast. I think it is worthwhile to change out the proper blade for each operation. Try to organize your operations into a sequence that will minimize the number of blade changes required, rather than skipping the change-over and using the wrong blade. A good combo blade will do just fine, but the specific blades will do even better and allow you to get the most performance out of your TS.

[Lee Schierer]

I use dedicated blades. In my opinion, a combination blade is a compromise so that it doesn't rip or crosscut as well as a dedicated blade will on the same saw. Yes you can get pretty decent cuts with a combination blade like a Forrest Woodworker II and maybe you save a bit of time. A 60 tooh blade will give a better quality cross cut than a 40 tooth blade will. Likewise a 24 tooth rip blade will cut faster and cooler than a 40 tooth blade. I've done cross cuts with my 24 tooth ripping blade and it will do the job, but the finish is not as nice as I get with the 60 or 80 tooth blades I have.

You can buy two Freud blades and have dedicated blades for nearly the same cost as one woodworker II blade. It takes less than 2 minutes to change from one blade to another on my saw so I don't look at it as a big deal to change blades.

Lower horsepower saws will give better results when ripping using thin kerf blades. Saws with 3Hp or more can use the full kerf blades with much less problem. And even the most expensive blade won't do a good job on a poorly tuned (aligned) saw.

Do what suits your woodworking style and pockey book the best.

[Steve Cox]

For most cutting I leave a WWII on the saw. If I am ripping thick wood (8/4 +) I will change to a rip blade. I also use a triple chip if I'm cutting melamine or plywood. I have an older CMT combo I use for things like exterior ply or particle board where metal might be present. I have not found the need for a crosscut blade, the WWII does fine for me.

[Dave Falkenstein]

As a home shop woodworker, I like to use a Forrest WW II most of the time in the cabinet saw. I'm not inclined to change blades frequently, so a combo blade serves my purpose. For thicker rips I switch to a Freud 24 tooth rip blade. I also use an Amana melamine blade if I have lots of pieces of melamine to cut. I have an older Freud F40 (the predecessor to the F410) that I use as a backup to the WW II and for cutting materials that are hard on the blade.

As for sharpening, I think that depends on how much you use the blade and what materials you typically cut. The WW II lasts me well over a year between sharpenings. The blade begins to cut less smoothly when it needs sharpening. If I have one or two blades in for sharpening, I take several in to the local sharpening shop (Scott Whiting's) and ask him to look them over with his magnifying glasses. He can quickly tell me which blades need attention.

[Lou Morrissette]

I like to use dedicated blades for better finish and as already pointed out, it only takes a few minutes to change the blade. I use a Freud thin kerf rip, a 60 tooth Freud for general crosscutting and an 80 tooth negative rake on my CMS. It's worked very good for me.

Lou

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Interesting timing on this thread.

I use dedicated blades for ripping, crosscutting and manmade materials. After 20 years, I've had enough. I've decided to buy a combination blade and just a few moments ago, it arrived at my door!

I ordered a Freud F410 which I had heard is very comparable to a WoodWorker II. It was on sale at Amazon for $75 shipped. So...we'll give it a spin!

By the way, I hold this forum responsible for my spending problem!

cheers, Jeff

[Vaughn McMillan]

Freud thin kerf rip and thin kerf 60-tooth crosscut here. I also use the blade that came with the saw (Ridgid) for cuts in questionable wood.

- Vaughn

[Jim Becker]

On the table saw, I use my WW-II 40t blade for the majority of cutting (no problems with burning or rough cuts) and put on a WW-II 20t ripping blade for heavy ripping or working with knarly, rough stock. I have Forrest sharpen them when they need it...usually evidenced by deteriorating cut quality or increased feed pressure.

[Michael Gabbay]

I have a DeWalt 80 tooth ATB for plywood and cross cuts. It works great when it is sharp and clean.

I have a CMT thin kerf rip blade for rip cuts. It is very nice. Leaves a nice smooth edge.

I should get a back up ATB blade since I tend to use it the most and plywood can be fairly hard on blades.

Mike

[tod evans]

i`m in the dedicated blade camp......02 tod

[scott spencer]

It's hard to argue against the theory of a dedicated blade doing the task better than a combo blade, but it seems logical to me that the theory only holds true if the same quality level is maintained. I've tried several other "better" 60T blades from Leitz, Freud, DeWalt, and Oldham and none has cut as well as cleanly as my WWII...at least in my experiences. I do use a 24T Leitz FTG TK ripper for thick stuff.

[Brian Hale]

I use a rip blade (24T) for ripping and a crosscutting blade (80T) for crosscut, both Freud. I keep a laminate blade on hand for melamine. I also have a 50T combo for recycled wood and rough plywood cuts. I keep putting my WWII in but find the dedicated blades are noticeably better.

Maybe it just a mind set on my part but ..... If something is designed to do everything, it doesn't anything well.

Brian

[Andy Fox]

I have a 1 1/2 HP contractor saw. I use a 24T CMT standard kerf rip blade and a 80T CMT crosscut blade.

I might try a thin kerf some day, but I just feed rip cuts as slow as I need to without burning them, and have had no problems, even in 8/4 hard maple.