Glue line rip blades

[Larry86]

I'm thinking about ordering a Freud glue line rip blade.
There are two different blades, one has 18 teeth and has a kerf of.153,
the other one is 30 teeth with a .126 kerf.
Which one do you think would work better in 3/4" red oak?

Is there a different brand of blade that is better at ripping a smooth
line?

[hewood]

Hi Larry - The 18T ripper would be considered a bulk ripper, not a "Glue Line Ripper" (GLR). The GLR's are almost always 30T triple chip grinds (TCG). Freud, CMT, Amana, Systimatic, and others make them. They generally work as advertised, giving a glue ready edge right from the saw with no other treatment necessary. That's all well and good, but these blades have a very narrow operating range. The GLR's aren't designed to rip over 1", don't crosscut well, and you can get the same glue ready results from several other blades that offer much more versatility. Any decent 30T/40T general purpose ATB or 50T combo blade will provide excellent glue ready edges on rips up to ~ 2" (depending on the saw, the material, and the specific blade), as well as good crosscuts, and the ability to cut sheetgoods well. Many good 24T rippers will leave a glue ready edge also, and offer the ability to rip to ~ 3". There are also several good 60T blades in the same price range that will rip up to 1.5" and offer a very clean cut. It isn't that the GLR's don't work well, but they don't offer anything unique that more versatile blades don't offer, and they have limited function for other tasks. The GLR's have good edge life and are an excellent choice if your saw is setup for ripping only operations in materials 1" or less.

If you still want to pursue one, Freud's full kerf GLR is the LM74M010 or LM74R010 (has Permashield coating). They also have a new thin kerf model LM75R010 that's a better choice for saws under 3hp.

What saw are you using, and what other blades do you have?

[Wood_Junkie]

I agree with hewood: get a high quality multiple purpose blade.

These two produce excellent smooth-as-butter cuts with (generally) ready-to-glue edges:
Forrest thin kerf WWII
Ridge Carbide TS2000

Unlike a GLR blade, however, they also excel as cross-cutting and ripping. I've ripped 6' long, 2" thick maple with my Ridge blade, though you have to feed it at the right rate (e.g. slow). I generally prefer to switch to a 30T blade for ripping, but I often forget or don't bother. :eek:

[Larry86]

Thanks for the replys!

I'm using a Forresl woodworker II 40 tooth full kerf blade on my Ridgid 3650 saw.
It dosen't work to bad for ripping, though it seems to really shine
when making cross-cuts, this is all cutting 3/4" red oak.
I notice when ripping 3/4" plywood it makes a nice smooth rip,
I thought maybe the GLR blade would do better in the red oak.

[hewood]

Thanks for the replys!

I'm using a Forresl woodworker II 40 tooth full kerf blade on my Ridgid 3650 saw.
It dosen't work to bad for ripping, though it seems to really shine
when making cross-cuts, this is all cutting 3/4" red oak.
I notice when ripping 3/4" plywood it makes a nice smooth rip,
I thought maybe the GLR blade would do better in the red oak.

The GLR has less teeth than the 40T WWII, and while it'll still give a glue ready edge, it won't do any better than your WWII. 3/4" oak should pose no problem for your current setup. Make sure the blade is clean, and it's best if the wood is flat and straight. Using a ZCI will help improve the cut also. If the saw ends up struggling, consider a thin kerf 30T WWII (http://www.epinions.com/review/Forrest_WW10307100_Woodworker_Ii_10_30_Tooth_5_8_A rbor_3_32_Kerf_Circular_Saw_Blade/content_411771899524), or a good TK 24T FTG ripper like the Freud LU87 (http://www.epinions.com/review/Freud_10_in_x_24T_Saw_Blade_Thin_Kerf_Ripping/content_427607625348).

If you're simply looking for a cleaner cut, step up in tooth count to something like the outstanding Infinity 010-060 (http://www.epinions.com/review/Infinity_10_60_Tooth_General_Purpose_Saw_Blade_010 _060_epi/content_422331125380) Hi-ATB blade, or the Freud LU88R010 (http://www.epinions.com/review/Freud_60T_Crosscut_Table_Saw_Blade_LU88R010/content_226312687236). Both will rip to 5/4" quite well, leave a super nice cut, and crosscut extremely well to boot....the 010-060 is especially adept at plywood and splinter free crosscuts.