table saw blades

[levon]

ive had several blade recommendations given to me on the forum. well i picked up a freud premier fusion combination blade. has anyone on the forum used one of these blades?

[BadgerDave]

Not really an answer to your question because I've never used one but on the other hand I've never seen a bad word written about the Freud Fusion either.

[levon]

thanks Badger Dave

it was highly recommended at woodcraft. i havent had a chance to even try it, because i have to make a couple of new zci inserts. i also picked up a tapering jig and some of the clamps to attach auxilliary fences and today i picked up a ridgid featherboard that is magnetized, cant remember the name of it. the guy at the hd flooring department gave me a piece of laminate flooring. i plan to use the flooring for 2 or 3 zci inserts. the only problem is weve had 7 inches plus of rain from "fay" and so im sort of stuck in the house, darnit!

[Bob D.]

But you are needing rain like crazy down there aren't you?

Or is the drought over?

[levon]

Bob D

we are in a drought. we have had more rain this year, but we are glad to see this rain to help bring us out of the deficit. im definitely not complaining. we are in an area that is that is very much dependant on farming and agriculture and this definitely has a large effect on our economy here.

[KenM]

After using Forrest WWII's for a few years I bought a Fusion a few months ago. I have to admit that as happy as I have been with the WWII's the Fusion is now my favorite. I'll not be buying any more WWII's.
ken

[hewood]

Hi Levon - I've watched a demo of the Fusion at a show, talked with Jerry Coles from In-line Industries about it, looked it over well, and I've used a very similar Infinity Super General 010-044. The steep bevel of the Hi-ATB grind gives these blades superior tearout characteristics (or basically "lack of"), which means they excel in crosscuts, ply, veneers, melamine, etc. The positive hook and the moderate tooth count aids feedrate and ripping somewhat, but the Hi-ATB teeth don't remove the chips as efficiently as a flat top grind, or even a more standard ATB grind. Those sharp points will also abrade more rapidly than any other grind but you should still got a year or two of average homeowner use between sharpenings....YMMV. The Fusion and Super General also feature a dual side grind with a very low side clearance that results in a nice polished edge. That same feature will also have a tendency to go from "burnished" to "burned" if all is not right with the cut, especially true in woods that have more tendency to scorch. Both are only available in full kerf which isn't always the best choice for smaller saws.

Because of their remarkable similarities, I assume performance of the two blades are similar. My Super General (http://www.epinions.com/review/Infinity_Super_General_10_40_Tooth_General_Purpose _Blade_epi/content_420337454724)is the cleanest cutting general purpose blade I've used to date, though not necessarily my favorite blade depending on the circumstances. You may find you don't need a special ply or crosscut blade with the Fusion, but you may find a need for a dedicated low tooth count ripping blade for thick dense rips.

For folks with smaller saws who are intrigued by the performance of the Hi-ATB grind on the Fusion and Super General, and are considering getting two blades to compliment each other, you might do well to get the Infinity 010-060 (http://www.epinions.com/review/Infinity_10_60_Tooth_General_Purpose_Saw_Blade_010 _060_epi/content_422331125380) 60T Hi-ATB blade, along with a 24 tooth TK ripper (Frued LU87 (http://www.amazon.com/Freud-LU87R010-10-Inch-Ripping-PermaShield/dp/B0000225UH/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1219604118&sr=8-1) or Infinity 010-124 (http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1195)) or 30T TK ATB general purpose like the Forrest WWII TK 30 tooth (http://www.amazon.com/Forrest-WW10307100-Woodworker-10-Inch-Circular/dp/B000ONEMRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1219604154&sr=1-1) (currently on sale for ~ $62 shipped).

Enjoy...

[levon]

i already was thinking of getting a glue line rip blade as a next step . thanks for the information.