Recommend me some table saw blades that won't break the bank

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Carl Fisher

Carl Fisher

New User
Carl
Forest blades are out of the budget, so let's get that out of the way now :)

I'm looking to put a good selection of blades in the shop. Here are the typical uses I need in priority order.

1. 1/8" - 1/4" thin stock wood and plastics with as clean of a cut as possible
2. 4/4 hard woods all purpose style rip and cross
3. acrylic turning blanks (3/4 to 1 1/4)
4. 8/4 hardwood ripping (hard maple, purple heart, etc...)
5. 8/4 hardwood cross cutting

Thin kerf

Hoping to get by with no more than 3 blades. If I can factor in one of them as a glue line blade or at least leave me a flat bottom cut for segmenting work in the 3/4 acrylic and 4/4 wood stock that would be awesome as well.
 
KenOfCary

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
Some of your goals are at cross purposes. Inexpensive versus Quality - I find you usually get what you pay for. Glue-line finish versus thin kerf - steady wins the race.

For segmented turning I use a Freud Fusion LU80R010 80 tooth ATB blade, full kerf (the thin kerf equivalent - LU79R010 does not produce the same quality cut.) This blade is extremely sharp and exacting. It doubles as a Plywood/Melamine blade.

Personally I would cut acrylic (if I did so) on the band saw with a jig or fence. I made a small adjustable sled for cutting pen blanks to length on the band saw.

For ripping hardwoods I use a Freud LM72R010 24 tooth 20 degree hook blade with flat top teeth. Also full kerf. Never use an all-purpose blade for Rip cuts - you won't be happy with the results.

Just my humble opinion - YMMV.
 
MarkE

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
I have found Freud blades offer the best value. There are not expensive but are very good quality.
 
JohnW

JohnW

New User
John
Carl,
I just saw several Trend 80 tooth 10" carbide blades on the clearance table at Woodcraft in Charlotte. Don't remember the price but remember thinking it was a good bargain...if i needed one, which i don't. They were negative angle and would be a good cross cut blade.

FWIW All my blades are Freud. I keep a Glue-line rip, 40 tooth combination, cross cut and dado set all sharp and ready when needed.
 
Stuart Kent

Stuart Kent

Stuart
Senior User
Freud Diablo blades are priced well on Amazon and usually free shipping.

I use them everyday, all day, and have for years. Forrest are my favorite but when price is the issue I think the Freud blades are the best choice out there.
 
J

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Delta 35-7657 from Cripe Distributing for $18 plus shipping. I own TWO WWII's, and a bunch of other (Freuds, Amana, DeWalt, Delta, Leitz) blades, but the 7657 is my do everything blade. Stays on the saw 90% of the time. WWII's are over rated, and over priced, IMHO.
 
Skymaster

Skymaster

New User
Jack
freud,freud,freud,freud, Did I mention that my go to blades in my shop happen to be freud,freud,freud etc etc etc
 
golfdad

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
Has anyone said Freud yet.....If your just doing some rough cutting the Irwin Marples blade sold at Lowes is much better than the price you pay for it
 
Carl Fisher

Carl Fisher

New User
Carl
LOL, Freud was my initial choice, but when I got into looking at which models from the lineup, there were so many that seemed to cross over each other with only slightly different model numbers.

Ken, for the acrylics I do 90% of my cutting on the band saw but where I need the table saw is to give me a kerf width cut not completely through so I can inlay the segmented piece without having to mess up my indexing and alignment which can happen if you completely cut a piece away and then have to reattach.

Looks like I was on the right track.

So it sounds like a 24-tooth for rips, an 80 tooth for the thin stock and plastics and then some purpose built cross cut blade? I have the dado covered already.
 
K

Kent Adams

New User
Kent Adams
I'm going to be contrarian here. I think its better to buy one blade a month to get a quality blade that can be resharpened. Carbide Processors or Forrest. I have about 10 Forrest blades and each one delivers exactly what I expect. Cheap blades can cause deflection in your stock and you'll never get as accurate and clean a cut as you will with a good blade.

P.S. I'd be scared to death to cut pen blanks on a TS. I'd use a bandsaw or jigsaw for that.
 
Barry W

Barry W

Co-Director of Outreach
Barry
Corporate Member
NOTW said:
I am a huge fan of the Freud blades, however after reading a review from Lumberjocks I gave the Irwin Marples a try and so far have not been disappointed. http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2905
Click to expand...

I am no expert, but have used several Marples blades and am impressed with their performance. I bought my first ripping blade, Marples 24T, and now see the advantage of not using a combination blade. I have a Freud LU80R010 80T Hi-ATB on the way and am interested how it will compare to my Marples 1807370 Laser Cut 80T Hi-Alternate Tooth blade.[h=1][/h]
 
ste6168

ste6168

New User
Mike
I have an Irwin Marples on my saw at the moment, and I use it for everything. So far so good.
 
Carl Fisher

Carl Fisher

New User
Carl
Kent Adams said:
P.S. I'd be scared to death to cut pen blanks on a TS. I'd use a bandsaw or jigsaw for that.
Click to expand...

This is all about the jigs and sleds. I have purpose built sleds for certain cuts that keep me well clear of the blade and only expose what is needed for the cut.
 
Carl Fisher

Carl Fisher

New User
Carl
I've also learned that a multi-purpose blade is so bad for ripping hardwood. As I'm making tap handles and such, I'm still doing segmenting work on a larger scale and trying to rip 8/4 hard maple is downright miserable with my current "multi-purpose" blade even in several passes.
 
KenOfCary

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
I've heard good things about the Marples blades (mostly here) but I have no experience with them so I cannot compare. I've found good quality blades in the Freud Fusion or Industrial line of blades so I stick with what works. I've had problems with thin kerf blade with deflection or bent teeth so avoid them now, regardless of brand. Freud also has a Diablo line that is cheaper, consumer oriented and has less carbide which equals less re-sharpenings. I also have not bought these nor do I plan to so have no basis for comparison.

I buy quality that I know works and have not been disappointed by doing so.
 
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