Table Saw Blade

[Goldenwing]

I have a Ridgid 2424 table saw....anyone have a recommendation for a new blade?....I will be cutting probably 60% hardwood, 40% pine, if that makes a difference....thanks....Murray

[Steve S.]

Murry,

You going to cross-cut, rip, any laminates, partical board, whats the thickness your thinking? There are a number of options for diff types of blades. Mabey if you could be a little more spacific, the guys and gals here will be able to help you better.

Steve

[spacebluesonoma]

I started out with the CMT GENERAL. No one blade does everything....but the general is a great blade for the money as compared to the others. what other shop tools do you have? if you plan on ripping a lot of hard wood, you will need a dedicated rip blade. i also recommend the CMT> But if you are looking for your "first"blade to do a good job and get you by until you can afford to purchase dedicated blades...the CMT General can not be beat!

[Goldenwing]

A little ripping, but mostly crosscutting....hardly no laminates or other type materials except hardwoods: oak, maple cherry, cedar, and softwoods:...pine, etc.....I seriously doubt I will cut anything over 3/4" thick, but if I do it will probably be 7/8" cedar....its not easy to figure every scenario but the above should cover what I will be doing, with an exception here and there....Murray

[Steve S.]

Murry,

My first real blade purchase other than the stock blade was a Oldman Signiture series 40 tooth combo blade. Worked great for all around stuff. My next blade was a Frued 60 tooth finish blade. I found myself working with more laminates and melimene coated press board. It cuts that stuff pretty well.

I'd stick around a 40 tooth combo if you want one blade to cover several tasks for now. But dont be cheap, the blade makes ALL the diff. I'm not saying, go out and spend $100 plus on a woodworker II. But dont grab the first thing you see at home depot either. I'v never had any expirience with CMT, so I cant help you there. I just have Frued and Oldman. and they both serve me well, I think Oldman is a step below CMT if the prices reflect performance. There are a few good manufacturers out there. Try to look for good quality in the carbide and a good guaranty. Frued offers a life time warranty on a lot of their stuff.

Good luck and happy woodworking.

Steve

[spacebluesonoma]

i have had both freud and oldham in my tablesaw. neither of which came close to the CMT General. This is before freud came our with the teflon coated blades and the glue line rip blade.

As i mentioned eariler no one blade will do it all 100% The CMT General, for the money (it is a bit pricey), is an awesome blade. Rockler has 25 % going right now...might be worth a trip?

or via mail order.

regular price on the cmt general can not be beat at sommerifeld tools.

as long as you are working with primrily soft woods you will be fine. you can occasionally rip that piece of oak from time to time, but that is when i bought my CMT rip blade...when i found rough sawn oak at /60 a board foot!

well worth both investments.

back to the topic......if you can afford the CMT General buy it! best blade you will ever own and will serve you great

[imported_Knot Me]

If you want top notch performance, I highly recommend stepping up to a Forrest WWII. If "very good" is good enough, I've had good results from my Freud LU84R011 too.

[woodslayer]

"If you want top notch performance, I highly recommend stepping up to a Forrest WWII. If "very good" is good enough, I've had good results from my Freud LU84R011 too."

I'll second that!

Woodslayer

[BadgerDave]

Originally posted by Knot Me:
If you want top notch performance, I highly recommend stepping up to a Forrest WWII. If "very good" is good enough, I've had good results from my Freud LU84R011 too. I would also put the Freud F410 in the same class as the Forrest WWII.

I'm currently using the Freud LU84R011 combo blade in my tablesaw and find it does a very good job on both rips and crosscuts. If most of your cuts will be crosscuts and you don't mind changing blades when you want to rip something, you may want to consider the Freud LU85R010. I currently run the chrome plated version of this blade on my CMS and it produces glass like results. I wouldn't advise using it to rip though.

[spacebluesonoma]

Goldwing...

If you have a jointer then why waste your money on a forrest woodworker II?? One of the other disadvantages of the WW2 is that because of the way the blades are cut, as i understand it, dull rather quickly and need to be sharpened quite a bit more than other blades out there.

I personally have tried a few combo blades on my Table Saw and the CMT GENERAL by far beats them hands down! You wil not find a better blade for the money in my opinion. and you will not likely find anywhere cheaper to buy them then sommerfield tools (do a google search, they have a website). For what you are looking to do, the general will hold you for a while. once you start ripping a lot of hardwoods you dont necessarily need to purchase a rip blade. One of the other advantages to the CMT (and likely any other blade that is teflon coated) is that it is easier to clean. I have a bottle of CMT 4050 cleaner and all you do is spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe the pitch and resin off the teeth/blade.

Now I must admit i did buy my General prior to Freud coming out with some of their newer blades, and ridgid's teflon coated blades were not out yet either. So there may be as good of a blade out there as the CMT today. But at the time, you could not beat the quality for the money....and in all honesty, if i had to buy a new combo blade today, I wouldn't think twice, even with all the new freud and ridgid blades out there, i would buy another CMT General! No I dont work for them:) I am merely giving my opinion on what i feel to be the best combo blade out there for the money! If you choose to go with it, you won't regret it!

If you dont want to wait for shipping, and are near a rockler or a berlands, they both carry them. If you are not far from the chicago north suburbs, i can turn you onto a small mom and pop woodworking shop who matches sommerfield's price.

Whichever blade you pick, as long as you dont mind spending a few bucks, it will serve your purpose well.....but if you want to buy ONE blade for now, and have it last, the general is the way to go!

[imported_Knot Me]

Originally posted by spacebluesonoma:

One of the other disadvantages of the WW2 is that because of the way the blades are cut, as i understand it, dull rather quickly and need to be sharpened quite a bit more than other blades out there.

Spaceblue - This is not true. In fact, the truth is quite he opposite from that statement. WWII's are known to hold their edge for a very long time b/c of the hardness of their carbide and the degree they're honed at the factory. Not sure where you heard that, but it'd be a disservice to all to repeat it.

[spacebluesonoma]

i heard that from two different retailers in california both carried forrest blades. one asked me if i had a jointer. he told me the WWII is a waste of money if you have a jointer because you can clean up the edge and the WW2 needs to be sharpened more often than most other blades out there. the other retailer also carried the WW2 and told me the same thing. No disrespect to the blade, or the company, and seeing as how i have never personally owned one...i cant speak from personal experience...but from word of mouth. and in my mind...when i have 2 seperate retailers that can sell me a WW2 and they sell me a different blade because i have a jointer and i can get as good a blade at almost half the price....that holds merit in my book. i think i read that somewhere too. I have to go through my wood working magazine collection, but i could swear i read this somewhere.

the other drawback to this blade is that if you dont send it back to forrest it will not be sharpened properly and could in fact get ruined.

now my apologies if i am posting incorrect data...never owned one personally just going off of what i have read/been told

ed

[BadgerDave]

Any qualified sharpening service should be able to sharpen a WWII or any other blade for that matter. There is nothing uniquely different about the Forrest blades that require them to be factory resharpened only.

[imported_Knot Me]

Originally posted by spacebluesonoma:
i heard that from two different retailers in california both carried forrest blades. one asked me if i had a jointer. the other retailer also carried the WW2 and told me the same thing. the other drawback to this blade is that if you dont send it back to forrest it will not be sharpened properly and could in fact get ruined.

now my apologies if i am posting incorrect data...never owned one personally just going off of what i have read/been told
ed No apologies needed....I wonder if your retailers make higher margins on other names. I've seen that happen in other industries...carry a big name for name's sake, and sell another name for profit. I could be wrong about the WWII too, but my experience and feedback from other owners tell me that it stays sharp extremely well.

[Cuj0HD]

You might give the Ridgid 1050 combo a try I think you will be very satisfied with the performance.
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Combination-Saw-Blade/

[imported_Woodrat]

Goldenwing: FYI, I just got a Woodworker II, and all I can say is WOW!!! Rips and crosscuts in 3/4 inch cherry smooth as glass, and not a hint of burning.

I was looking at the CMT General, but after looking at a comparison of the carbide I decided on the WWII. Checked with my blade sharpener, and he advised no problem sharpening it. Definately don't regret the decision.

Got it from 3D Saw Blades for $89.95. About $30.00 more than the General.

Quick service also. Ordered it monday morning and go it today.

Just my two cents worth.

Woodrat

[spacebluesonoma]

Knot

the majority of the people i have talked to that have also spent the money on a jointer feel that they overspent. Although I have never personally cut with a WW II those whom i know have, swear they have no need for a jointer.

The difference in the sharpening as i have read/understood is the angle of the teeth. the reason it cuts so smooth is the more agressive hook angle. And although carbide tipped, acts more like a steel blade, meaning it cuts nice, but dulls more quickly and needs to be factory sharpened for best result. now granted part of this is a profit issue,

I don't know about you, but if I own a GMC and even if i know a reputable local mechanic, if the vehicle is in need of a serious repair, and my local mechanic can do it, but the dealer can do it to their spec's and quicker, I am going to see the dealer! And i will pay a few extra bucks for the peace of mind!

Again i do not personally have any experience with the forrest line of blades and my opinion is just that, opinion based upon what i have read and/or heard from others who have used them.

I was getting ready to buy the WW2 and the there were 2 things that stopped me. first off, the fact i had a jointer. but more importantly the testimonials i received, that they dull more quickly than anything else out there.

that is what i read/heard! Had i not owned a jointer at the time i likely would have bought the WW2.

now this was before freud came out with their "glue line rip". I would love to see a comparison between this blade and the WW2, or even my CMt 24t rip blade.

The forrest just seems like a lot of money for what you get!

and a quick dulling blade is not something i am interested in. i am not interested in finding out if the reviews are accurate for that kind of money!

[papadan]

I am now using the Freud blades that Lowes carries. Don't know the model#s but got a 60 tooth and combo for 20 percent off and they work great. The 60 says No Sanding needed and it is almost true. MHO

[George]

Tell you what, I love the new Razor blades from Porter-Cable. For a general purpose blade, they will do fast ripping (smoother than any other I've used) and will shave potato-chip-thin slices off the end of a 2x4 and make perfectly smooth cuts for accurate trim work.

I have a 12", a 10" and two 7 1/4". I haven't given the new Ridgid blades a try but I have no incentive to give up my new Razors.

[Goldenwing]

I purchased a couple of different blades recommended here...want to thank everyone for their input...and I am not sure about anyone else, but I sure learned a lot about saw blades from this thread....thanks everyone...Murray