Scott Spencer

[#1]

As The Saw Blade Turns

Originally posted 7/15/2007 6:36 PM CDT

This is an update to an saw blade comparison that I originally completed in 2006.  In the revised list, general purpose blades were grouped and compared to each other based on cut quality in various materials with different types of cuts, feedrate, and their ability to do many things well. The crosscut blades were judged more on cut performance and freedom from tearout than versatility or feedrate. Inversely, the bulk rippers were evaluated more on feedrate and ability to chomp through thick material than cut quality or versatility (note that the rip blades needed to be put in a separate post). The charts for each type of blade show the same parameters, but the emphasis changes for each, and the overall ratings were derived differently for each category because the criteria was different. It's possible to draw some conclusions of individual cutting characteristics across charts, but the "Overall Task Ratings" are only relevant within each of the three classification charts compared to similar blade types.

This is by no means intended to be a scientific or comprehensive blade review. It's just some guy playing with saw blades in his garage on an average saw tuned by an amateur, and documenting some observations. Some of the ratings are just opinion and some are subject to several sources of variability, though I've tried to reduce those as much as possible. There are undoubtedly flaws in my evaluation method as well as my approach to the documention.  (Even a slight change to the criteria and calculations can change many things.) Note that most of the blades are excellent performers for their respective tasks, and I'd expect very good results regardless of where they placed in this ranking.

The saw used was a 1-3/4hp hybrid, and I tended to favor good quality 3/32" thin kerf blades for the faster feedrate and lower strain on the motor. Note that I've never had an issue with deflection with high quality TK blades, but I'll emphasize the importance of "high quality" with that statement. Some of you will prefer full kerfs for your own reasons, and if you've got a full 3hp+ cabinet saw, there's less reason to consider TK's. Modern highend TK's have excellent alloys, construction, and precision. In every case when I compared a comparable high quality full kerf to a thin kerf, the TK had a noticeably faster feedrate, which inherently leads to lower burn rate and the ability to rip thicker stock with my saw. The ratings reflect this, and should be considered when comparing and choosing blades for your own use.  Just as important though, the TK's cut as cleanly as the mid and full kerf blades.

One valuable lesson I've taken from experimenting with various blades, is that similar designs made to similar quality levels tend to have similar performance. The cuts from blades like the 40T WWII, TS2000, DW7657, and Gold Medal are just about indistinguishable from each other for all intents and purposes, though feedrates vary due to kerf width. I'd expect similar cut performance from the Freud P410 Fusion or Infinity Super (I have since tried this blade). Provided that the initial quality level is high enough, choosing the correct blade for the task makes more difference than brand, model, or price. Interestly, some of the best examples of the more value oriented blades aren't too far behind. There are differences mind you, but the results from some of the better bargains leave acceptable cuts for most given applications. Don't confuse the "better bargains" with the cheap, low quality blades that are waste of money. There are some excellent $45 blades on the market that I consider bargains, but unfortunately, there are also alot of poorly made blades that cost too much at any price. The examples of poor performers that were included in this comparison (Skil, Vermont American, Oldham Industrial, Delta Sidekick, etc.) were published primarily as a reference and as a reminder of a hard learned lesson that it's often more expensive to spend too little.  Also note that several manufacturers sell multiple lines that offer varying quality, price, and performance objectives, so be sure to specify which blade and series you're comparing/considering, as opposed to grouping by brand name alone.

GP/Combo blades:
This chart includes blades intended for general or multi purpose use. They typically range from 40 to 50 teeth, but there are a few exceptions. The Freud LU88 is listed as a 60T "crosscut" blade but it features a 15 degree hook that helps it rip well, thus it's very capable of GP type work. The Freud LU82 is a 60T TCG blade billed as multipurpose blade. And tbe 30T Forrest WWII is simply a lower tooth count GP blade with the same geometry as the 40T version. These blades are designed to be versatile and rip and crosscut well in alot of different materials. The have a very broad operating range, but tend to not excel in any one particular area. The better examples will give glue line cuts in the vast majority of situations, and are suitable for most circumstances. My ratings emphasized their versatility, feedrate, and cut quality. On the whole, the full kerf blades suffered slower feedrates on my saw....a non issue for saws with larger motors, but a reasonable concern for more modest saws. As you can see the differences between the top 5 are essentially numeric "decimal dust", and even the next 3 were merely victims of my weaker saw, and still have excellent cutting characteristics. Any of the top 14 are well suited for the task of general purpose use and will give glue ready edges.

Individual comments:

The LU88 is a 60T ATB TK with a 15 degree hook and a Permashield coating. It quickly earned it's way toward the top of my list. True to it's categorization as a crosscut blade, it offers a very clean cut, free from tearout and swirl marks, and tends to be a better choice in sheetgoods and crosscuts compared to most general purpose blades. As mentioned earlier, it also rips very respectably with a reasonable feedrate in materials up to ~ 6/4", making it an excellent lower cost choice for many applications. An excellent compliment to a good 24T ripper.

The 30T Forrest WWII has different strengths than the LU88, but is equally versatile and capable but in a slightly different thickness range. It employs the same geometry as is more popular sibling, the 40T WWII, with an ATB grind, and 20 degree hook. This "GP" blade will hang with many of the 24T rippers in thick stock, while offering a cleaner cut. The cut quality is remarkably close to the 40T and 50T GP blades. IMHO, this is the closest you can get to a single blade that will do it all. An excellent compliment to an 80T Hi-ATB crosscut blade, but it cuts cleanly enough that it will likely see 95% of the cuts.

The 40T Forrest WWII is the industry gold standard by which all other blades are measured. Versatile, clean cutting, very well made, and always a pleasure to use. You'll rarely encounter a situation where this blade is out of place.

The 50T Infinity Combomax proved to be the best overall 50 tooth combination blade I've tried. This is an extraordinarily well made blade that uses a unique ATB/R configuration that features a chamfered raker instead of the traditional flat top raker. It has very low tearout for this class of blade, and is particularly good in sheetgoods, while maintaining good ripping abilities due to it's 12 degree hook. Another top shelf well made blade.

The Ridge Carbide TS2000 proves to be every bit the equal of the vaunted 40T WWII, and is the closest in geometry and workmanship IMHO. Like the WWII, it's American made and is available in two kerf widths in the 10" diameter. It sports teeth that the manufacture claims are 35% thicker than their competition...a claim I can confirm to be true.

The Tenryu Gold Medal is another top shelf 40T GP blade made to world class Japanese standards. It's only available in one unique kerf width of 0.111", vs 0.98" for most TK's and 0.125" for most full kerfs. A very nice blade that suffered slightly slower feedrates than it's TK counterparts on my saw.

The DeWalt DW7657 is a relatively low cost dark horse in this group. At < $50, this British made precision GP blade offers similar geometry and performance as the WWII. Cutting performance was on par with the other top contenders. It too suffered slower feedrates than it's TK counterparts on my saw, but remains an excellent budget conscious choice for larger saws. Note that this blade was part of the DW series 60 line, but is now also available as the Delta 35-7657...often seen in the $40 range (or less!) A terrific bang for the buck in the full kerf GP class.

The Tenryu RS25550 is another relatively low cost top tier performer. This well made Asian blade features a fairly traditional 50T ATB/R combination configuration with a 15 degree rake, in a 0.126" full kerf width. It's about half the cost of it's more expensive "Gold Medal" sibling but offers well more than half the performance.

The LU86R010 40T TK is one of my favorite of the bargain blades. It's readily available shipped for ~ $35, with sale prices dipping into the $25 range. It has much in common with the higher tooth count LU88's geometry and features. It doesn't perform quite to same level as the LU88 and other $100 performers, but considering the entire class of GP and combo blades is a design compromise, it's hard to ask more for the price, and not likely that you'll actually need more for general purpose use.

The German made Irwin Woodworker 50T combo by Leitz is essentially the same blade as the H.O. Schumacher & Sohn TK combo blade. It's no longer marketed under the Irwin logo, but you may still see some old stock and can be purchased under the Schumacher logo in the $65 range. It features a variable pitch teeth to reduce noise, in a 50T ATB/R configuration. A very good blade to be sure, but the other stellar performers make for some stout competition in this price range.

The Tenryu RS25540 is an Asian made 40T GP blade that offers an unusual tooth grind...an alternating top bevel alternating face (ATAF), with a 15 degree hook. The ATAF is an interesting approach that is essentially an ATB grind with alternating angled faces. It offers very good performance at the very low asking price of ~ $30 shipped from select dealers. Kerf width 0.118"

The Chinese made Leitz 40T is the stock blade that came on my 22124. Nice stock blade as stock blades go, but if buying a new blade there's not much incentive to choose it over any of the other high performing low cost blades here.

The LU84R011 is traditional 50T combo blade in an ATB/R configuration, and perennial popular choice. This is the full kerf version, which like the other full kerfs, didn't feed fast enough for my liking on my saw. The performance is very good nonetheless, though not quite on par with the WWII and it's elite competitors. It's available as a TK in the LU83, which would likely be a better choice for me and others with typical home shop saws.

The Porter Cable Razor 100VT50 is a 50T ATB/R configuration with staggered teeth to help reduce noise. It doesn't shout high quality like the Infinity and Ridge Carbide do, but its available anywhere, costs ~ $30 and its performance is "good enough" for glueline rips and typical GP applications.

The LU82M010 from Freud's Industrial line is a departure from the design of most of the other GP and combo blades in this group. It's a 60T TCG configuration in a full kerf width. It's well made, but offers little over the impressive competition in this group, thought the triple chip tooth grind should hold up well under hard use, which makes it an excellent choice for laminates and manmade sheetgoods like MDF that are well known blade killers.

This Skil 36T full kerf GP blade had an unusual tooth grind that appeared to have a concave face. I didn't like it much, can't even recall the model number. The two TS blades I've used from Skil so far are the types of blades that prompted my search for higher quality and better performance. Move along...nothing to see here.

The 36T Delta Sidekick that came with my first Delta 36-600 TS is pretty much a waste of carbide and is a dent in Delta's armo IMO. Even as newbie I could easily tell that it wasn't suitable for fine woodworking.

CROSSCUT BLADES:
The same parameters were evaluated and charted for the crosscut blades, but the emphasis was placed more on cut quality and performance in sheetgoods than versatility and feedrate.

The 80 tooth blades appeared to clearly outperform the 60T blades at the task of crosscutting. Since the purpose of a dedicated crosscutter is typically to make an ultra clean cut in hardwoods or sheetgoods, I don't see much need for a 60 tooth version unless you need to crosscut very dense thick material that tends to be scorched by the 80 toothers.

The Freud F810 has since been replaced by the LU80R010. It's the same 80T full kerf Hi-ATB grind with a near zero degree hook, but now has a Permashield coating. This is simply the cleanest cutting blade I've tried to date. In fairness I don't spin a crosscutter very often and haven't tried the comparable models from companies like Forrest, Infinity, or Ridge Carbide. This model is also available as a TK in the LU79R010.

The DeWalt DW3218 is an 80T TK ATB design with a 5 degree positive hook. It also did a super job for me in those rare occurrences that I use a dedicated crosscut blade. It's nicely made and sports nice big teeth. The DW3218 is from DW's upper series 40, and is made in the UK. (Since B&D's purchase of Pentair (Delta and friends), it appears to me that the series 40 line has been revamped as the "Precision Trim" (PT), and now sports a yellow coating....I'm not positive that this is the case, but it appears the series 60 is becoming the Delta Industrial line.

The LU74R010 is an 80T TK ATB design with a slightly positive hook. It's basically the TK equivalent of the popular LU85. It also did a super job for me in those rare occurrences that I use a dedicated crosscut blade. Like other Freud Industrial blades, it's top quality and is made in Italy.

The DeWalt DW7647 is an 80T full kerf ATB configuration with a negative 5 degree hook. It's from DW's top series 60, which is morfing (or at least expanding) into the Delta Industrial line..the DW7647 is available as a Delta 35-7647. It's a nicely made blade from the UK, and did a superb job. The negative hook makes it especially void of tearout.

The German made Leitz Pro 80 has a similar geometry to the DW7647, but is a TK. It currently resides in my CMS for fine crosscuts but is equally adept at plywood and sheetgoods where an ultrafine edge is needed.

The Ridgid R1060C is made by Freud in Italy and appears to be made to similar standards as their Diablo and Avanti line. It's a 60T TK ATB configuration with a titanium coating and a positive 15 degree hook. The 1060 cuts cleanly and offers a more versatility than most of the other crosscutters, with better ripping ability than the others. It's configuration is similar to the LU88 that I listed in the GP chart above.

The German made Leitz/Irwin 60T variable pitch ATB blade is not currently available under the Irwin name, but an identical blade can be found under the HO Schumacher & Sohn name. Cut quality was good, but this full kerf higher tooth count blade bogged too much for my taste on my saw. A better choice for a full 3hp saw if you need some ripping ability and a clean cut, but IMHO it doesn't outperform most of the better 40T and 50T blades that offer comparable cut quality and better ripping efficiency.

The DeWalt DW7646 is another very nice 60T ATB configuration with a midsize kerf of 0.118" (it's mislabeled as a full kerf in the chart). Like the Leitz/Irwin 60T, this is a fine blade that'd likely not see much action for the same reasons stated above...YMMV. It's also now available as a Delta 35-7646.

The Oldham 60T Finishing blade has to be one of the most disappointing blades I've used. I was new to woodworking when I shelled out $20 for what I thought would be a really nice highend "carbide" blade. It never did cut very well, fed slowly, wouldn't handle thick material well, and dulled way too soon. It could be argued that a rookie abused it, but I've abused a few dozen others in a similar fashion since. Spend the $20 on an enjoyable lunch instead.

(Note that due to the length of this article, the rip blade comparison needed to be posted in a separate entry.)