Table Saw Blades

[MisterDrow]

Up to now I've been using an Irwin Marples 50t combination blade in my saw. It has been a good blade for all-around use but it's getting dull and I realized that I don't know much about saw blades and wanted to get everyone's input. There's a shop in town that will sharpen this one for me but I want to get a new one, as well.

I do a little bit with plywood but lately I've been building w/ pine (mostly construction lumber) and hardwoods (walnut, maple, mahogany, etc). Projects for the foreseeable future will be almost entirely hardwood.

1) What is the ideal set of saw blades I should look at having (I'm getting a dado stack soon, btw)?

2) If I could only buy one <$100 saw blade for the next few months of use, what should I go with?

[Tom Cancelleri]

Up to now I've been using an Irwin Marples 50t combination blade in my saw. It has been a good blade for all-around use but it's getting dull and I realized that I don't know much about saw blades and wanted to get everyone's input. There's a shop in town that will sharpen this one for me but I want to get a new one, as well.

I do a little bit with plywood but lately I've been building w/ pine (mostly construction lumber) and hardwoods (walnut, maple, mahogany, etc). Projects for the foreseeable future will be almost entirely hardwood.

1) What is the ideal set of saw blades I should look at having (I'm getting a dado stack soon, btw)?

2) If I could only buy one

My main blade is a ridge carbide ts2000 blade. I love it, I've had mostly Freud board before that. I really like that every 5th tooth is a raker tooth for doing grooves and box joints. Paid $90 for it.

http://ridgecarbidetool.com/10-ts2000-super-blade.html

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[BonPacific]

My advice would be to go for the best combination blade you can afford. I bought a 60-tooth blade, and a lower toothcount (30? 24?) combo blade for ripping. In the end I just stopped changing them out, and I've had the same 40t thin-kerf Diablo combo blade on the saw for over a year, except when using my Dado stack. As long as it's sharp (and clean), a combo blade does everything I need it to do. You can adjust your technique to make up for most differences in toothcount. Slow down for plywood and tearout-prone woods, speed up a little for woods that burn.

The only specialty blade I would recommend is: if you do a lot of mitered splines, get a box-joint blade or something else with a full kerf and Flat-Tooth-Grind.

Diablo and Marples seem to be the popular choices under $100. I;ve heard some folk like CMT. It's pretty variable, but I think Diablo provides the best bang-for-your-buck and quality at that price. Above $100 the consensus seems to be the Woodworker II.

[..Kev]

Forrest Wood Worker II is only a little out of your price range but, a great blade!

[Woodenskye]

I prefer Oshlun blades on my table saw.

[MisterDrow]

What about blade stiffeners? Are they worth it? I don't have a big cabinet saw, just an old Craftsman 113 series saw.

[BonPacific]

4 minutes ago, MisterDrow said:

What about blade stiffeners? Are they worth it? I don't have a big cabinet saw, just an old Craftsman 113 series saw.

Never seen the need. I've always run modern thin-kerf blades, since I started with an underpowered Rockwell Homecraft from the 80's, never had a problem with warping, runout, or vibration from the blade.

[MisterDrow]

All of this info is great, guys! Thanks a lot!

I haven't done box joints or mitered splines yet but I've got some things in the works that will let me venture into those areas so I'll look into flat tooth blades.

I think this time around I'm going to snag a Diablo combination blade and set a budget goal to get one of the Forrest blades in the near future (I keep hearing so much about them). I just didn't want to get another combination blade if I should be using something else.

[MisterDrow]

A thought occurred to me... maybe the blade isn't dull, perhaps it's just dirty? When I look back at how much this blade has been used, I'm not sure it should be getting dull. I bought it a little over a year ago and I've run a little bit of plywood, lots of pine, and quite a fair amount of Spanish Cedar, walnut, maple, and mahogany through it... but nowhere near what a full-time shop would have done.

What are other things I can check here? 

To back up, the reason I thought it was getting dull is that it doesn't have that "like buttuh" feel when I run stock through it like it did when I first got it. I'm noticing a little more burning than usual, as well.

[estesbubba]

If you're running pine over it, it is dirty!

[Beechwood Chip]

It's probably just dirty, but you might also check your rip fence alignment to the blade.

[shaneymack]

This is a decent combo blade at a pretty good pricepoint. I have one on my saw right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JNTG76/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473446539&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=freud+fusion+saw+blades+10+inch

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[Eric.]

That Freud Shane posted would be a great choice on your budget.  Also the Freud Industrial blades are good for the price.  It's hard to beat a Forrest WWII 40T combo blade for "the" one and only blade you need.  I have one and it used to be my primary.  I also have a Freud 50T combo and it was nice too, but I think 50T is a little much for ripping 8/4 so the only time I use it is while I send other blades in to get sharpened.  Whoever said to buy a box joint blade or some other flat tooth blade I totally agree with.  I use a #1 grind Ridge and it's killer for joinery.

Ever since I bought my MFT I've pretty much had a rip blade in my TS permanently.  I do most of my crosscutting with the miter saw and track saw now so the TS has become the rip machine.  I haven't had my Forrest in for many months.  The only time that becomes inconvenient is when I need to use the TS sled.  Can't beat a rip blade for rips.  Even a freshly sharpened 40T combo blade is night and day compared to a 24T rip blade when it comes to ripping hard 8/4 stock.

So...for the "best of the best," I'd go with the Forrest.  For "totally good enough," get that Freud Shane linked.  I'd stay away from 50T combo blades as your daily driver.

[gee-dub]

Circular saw blade discussions can become almost as passionate as cap iron, Festool,Saw Stop or bandsaw setup discussions .  Understanding that nearly everyone has a favorite, these posts can become quite wordy and I imagine mine will be no different. Like most things once you reach a certain arena the differences become harder to detect. 

10" tablesaw blades at the $100 tier that are top quality are many.  Since there is always an exception to the rule I will state that my Forrest experience was under par compared to the claims of others using these blades.  This was when I ran a really nice 1.75 HP hybrid saw and the blades were all thin kerf. 

My Lietz and Amana blades consistently did a better job even after Forrest re-sharpened the blade.  there had to be something specific to my setup and the blades since too many people who's opinions I respect get good quality performance out them.  The point is there can be anomalies.

Blade stiffeners were a waste of time.  Once I learned to align the saw correctly the thin kerf blades performed very well.  I still run a Lietz 24 tooth TK blade when ripping really tough stuff. Now that I see this post is getting long enough that many won't bother to read it I'll sum-up.
If I could have only one TK blade (always a bad idea unless you always do the same cut type) it would be a 40 or 50 tooth combination (alternate top bevel with a raker tooth).  When I ran a lower powered saw my standard arsenal was a 24T rip, a 40T combo and an 80T crosscut.  This got me through a lot of furniture for several years.

I run these same blade tooth counts (and more) in full kerf on my Saw Stop 3HP PCS and get them from Carbide Processors; couldn't be happier and have stuck with them for years.  You will find your favorite as well. Just remember, a fantastic blade will still provide mediocre performance on a poorly aligned saw.

I will close with a couple thoughts:

• Paying $100 for a blade that can be sharpened a half a dozen times is a lot cheaper than paying $50 for one that you can only sharpen once.
• I will also agree that good, regular cleanings will make your blades perform better and last longer; its money in the bank.

[Elroy Skimms]

I cannot say enough good things about the Amana MD10-500 combination blade. I have a dedicated ripping blade when I am doing a lot of ripping, but this blade stays on 90% of the time. It rips well, crosscuts well, and when it cuts plywood, I am constantly getting paper cuts from the sharp corners. It also has a flat top rake for box joints or dados. It's only $54 too, which means you can throw the other $45 at a nice dinner.

-E

[MisterDrow]

8 minutes ago, Elroy Skimms said:

I cannot say enough good things about the Amana MD10-500 combination blade. I have a dedicated ripping blade when I am doing a lot of ripping, but this blade stays on 90% of the time. It rips well, crosscuts well, and when it cuts plywood, I am constantly getting paper cuts from the sharp corners. It also has a flat top rake for box joints or dados. It's only $54 too, which means you can throw the other $45 at a nice dinner.

-E

that looks like a great blade! I'll add that to the list of blades to try. I think I'm going to try to clean up my current blade first and see if it's just pitch buildup.

[MisterDrow]

12 minutes ago, gee-dub said:

Circular saw blade discussions can become almost as passionate as cap iron, Festool,Saw Stop or bandsaw setup discussions .  Understanding that nearly everyone has a favorite, these posts can become quite wordy and I imagine mine will be no different. Like most things once you reach a certain arena the differences become harder to detect. 

10" tablesaw blades at the $100 tier that are top quality are many.  Since there is always an exception to the rule I will state that my Forrest experience was under par compared to the claims of others using these blades.  This was when I ran a really nice 1.75 HP hybrid saw and the blades were all thin kerf. 

My Lietz and Amana blades consistently did a better job even after Forrest re-sharpened the blade.  there had to be something specific to my setup and the blades since too many people who's opinions I respect get good quality performance out them.  The point is there can be anomalies.

Blade stiffeners were a waste of time.  Once I learned to align the saw correctly the thin kerf blades performed very well.  I still run a Lietz 24 tooth TK blade when ripping really tough stuff. Now that I see this post is getting long enough that many won't bother to read it I'll sum-up.
If I could have only one TK blade (always a bad idea unless you always do the same cut type) it would be a 40 or 50 tooth combination (alternate top bevel with a raker tooth).  When I ran a lower powered saw my standard arsenal was a 24T rip, a 40T combo and an 80T crosscut.  This got me through a lot of furniture for several years.

I run these same blade tooth counts (and more) in full kerf on my Saw Stop 3HP PCS and get them from Carbide Processors; couldn't be happier and have stuck with them for years.  You will find your favorite as well. Just remember, a fantastic blade will still provide mediocre performance on a poorly aligned saw.

I will close with a couple thoughts:

• Paying $100 for a blade that can be sharpened a half a dozen times is a lot cheaper than paying $50 for one that you can only sharpen once.
• I will also agree that good, regular cleanings will make your blades perform better and last longer; its money in the bank.

Thank you for the lengthy response. This type of information is gold and I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of this up. I'm still so new to the hobby and have been trying to learn as much as I can from those who have far more experience than me. This forum has been awesome for that, moreso than any other place I have hung my hat. I know that there are many things that can really only be learned through experience but guidance in any form is always helpful.

I fully agree that a $100 blade that can be resharpened multiple times is a benefit. I used to buy the three packs of the budget blades at Lowes because I didn't really know any better. When I finally spent more than $10 on a blade and got the Irwin Marples, I was shocked at how much of a difference it made. I see so many other blades that are well over $100 and just haven't been able to justify their purchase (at least up to this point). Now that I am getting more comfortable building things like furniture and fancy gifts, I am wanting to make sure I have the blades and tools that will serve me well in those areas. These types of things are quite a bit different than throwing together a small animal cage out of 2x lumber... when you are spending several dollars per bdft on fancy hardwood, you sort of want it to actually look NICE, not just adequate and functional.

When all is said and done, everything's gotta fit in the household budget. I've got three kids (8,10,13) and meeting their needs always has to come first over my own hobbies. This has meant a lot of craigslist tool buys (which I've had good luck with) to get good stuff and trying to get the best quality I can without going for dirt cheap crap that is just frustrating... I've been there, too.

I have now responded to your lengthy response with my own lengthy response. I'm not even sure it's all coherent there... so here's a TL;DR:

Thanks for the invaluable info. I don't want to buy cheap crap but don't currently have it in the budget to go all out but I'm paying attention for when I can.

[jplemons]

Infinity has good-priced blades. I bought their three-piece combo and they're working well. 

They also have a variety of combo blades. 

http://www.infinitytools.com/saw-blades-accessories/table-saw/table-saw-blades/combination-saw-blades

[MisterDrow]

Spent some time over the weekend cleaning my blade... back to cutting "like buttuh". I'll keep all of this advice filed away for when I buy more blades in the future, though!

[xxdabroxx]

16 minutes ago, MisterDrow said:

Spent some time over the weekend cleaning my blade... back to cutting "like buttuh". I'll keep all of this advice filed away for when I buy more blades in the future, though!

What did you use to clean it?  I need to clean my blade too.  Haven't come up with a good container to clean it in yet though.  I was thinking either acetone, mineral spirits, or something of the like and a brass brush to scrub with. 

[MisterDrow]

I just used mineral spirits and a brush because that's what I had... worked pretty well (and fairly quickly). I've heard you can soak it in simple green for 30 mins, too. When I was done I just wiped a very thin coat of WD-40 on it

 

[Elroy Skimms]

I picked up some BOE Shield T-9 from Woodcraft, it comes as a set with a cleaner (for blades and cast iron tops) and a sealer for the cast iron. It works great. There might be cheaper options out there too. I've heard different opinions regarding WD-40 on tools though. Specifically that it can mess with finishes if it gets on the material. In general, I try to avoid using it anywhere that might make contact with wood. It might be an old wives tale spun by the ex-wife of the inventor of WD-40 who is owed alimony from her ex-husband for all I know.

-E

[Coop]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 1:43 PM, shaneymack said:

This is a decent combo blade at a pretty good pricepoint. I have one on my saw right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JNTG76/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473446539&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=freud+fusion+saw+blades+10+inch

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+1

[MisterDrow]

34 minutes ago, Elroy Skimms said:

I picked up some BOE Shield T-9 from Woodcraft, it comes as a set with a cleaner (for blades and cast iron tops) and a sealer for the cast iron. It works great. There might be cheaper options out there too. I've heard different opinions regarding WD-40 on tools though. Specifically that it can mess with finishes if it gets on the material. In general, I try to avoid using it anywhere that might make contact with wood. It might be an old wives tale spun by the ex-wife of the inventor of WD-40 who is owed alimony from her ex-husband for all I know.

-E

I hesitated but saw lots online about doing it. I just kept it really light in terms of application.

[xxdabroxx]

I wonder if I can find a 10-1/2" pie tin at the store...  I'll have to look at lunch, need to go to Target anyways.