I was wondering what brand and model of saw blade foggers use on their table saws?  I mostly do solid wood construction so I use the Forrest Woodworker II 80 tooth blade for my general table saw work.  I am going to start building some kitchen cabinets and I would like to find a blade to minimize ragged cross cuts.  What do you folks recommend?

Is the Forrest 8" x 80 tooth DURALINE HI-A/T Saw Blade - Thin Kerf a good blade for plywood cutting?

Jack

I use the TS55 and the guide rails to cut Plywood.   easier and safer, just my $0.02.

I guess I should mention that I have mention that I have a 10" Powermatic 66 Table saw with a 5HP motor so, pushing a 80 tooth blade is no problem.

I have this $100 special 60T blade with alternating hollow and pointy teeth meant for cutting without tearout on melamine or veneer, it works ok, well no it doesn't. Theres still the occasional chip which is unacceptable. lucky for me i have a scoring blade on my panelsaw, i just raise that one up when cutting plywood, veneered mdf of melamine and keep my normal 48T crosscut blade installed. but i fear scoring blades are an invention that unfortunately hasn't reached the new world yet, good thing is that protruding riving knives are also rare over there so you can probably still cut a first pass backwards with the blade a few mm above the table to fake a scoring blade.

I like Freud.

I know, but i meant the protruding riving knives that sit taller than the blade. Mine has such a riving knife and i believe it is mandatory now in europe, so that you cannot make a hidden/non through cut which is a forbidden and dangerous operation according to the manuals. All it does is force us to remove the knife for certain operations, making it even more dangerous.

The best plywood blades have a AFATR grind.

Alternating Face, Alternating Tooth with a raker.

I got nice splinter free cuts with my old PM66 5hp with a 60 tooth ATB blade from Matsushita, and it ripped everything I could shove into too.

I run a 40t 16" Tenryu on my TS now.  That will cut 6" thick solid stock like no one's business.

Has anyone tried one of these?




I don't have a table saw and I'm wondering how well they perform.


Tom

Can you tell me why, please?

I am sincerely trying to understand why nobody seems to be using them.


Thanks,

Tom

Thanks, Jack!

I'm wondering if it isn't bad experiences and that people have found something they like that prevents them from trying something new. I'm also wondering if there are those that have specific bad experiences with CMT blades...


Tom

Thanks again, Jack!

I'm hesitant to believe reviews that could have a profit motive but I'll definitely take a look. I could be wrong but it seems that I get the most reliable feedback from people that make a living with their tools or at least use them all the time as if they were, like a dedicated hobbyist.


Tom

Disclaimer - We sell both Freud AND CMT....

Here is my $.02 on this topic, and I am by no means an expert.

- Kerf: CMT offers industrial full kerf (all orange) blades, and ITK (silver and orange) blades. ITK stands for industrial thin kerf - thicker than a Diablo, but still not a full kerf blade. Freud also offers full kerf (LU & LM series) and thin kerf blades (Diablo series). Both the Diablo line from Freud and the ITK from CMT are more aimed at contractors out in the field. Typically running portable table saws and miter saws. Both of their industrial lineups are geared at wood shops. I would imagine, but don't want to speculate that big boxes are going to sell the thin kerf lines from both vendors as they offer a lower price point and the average consumer shops based upon cost. CMT also offers non coated industrial blades (Industrial XTreme) more marketed at larger production shops with panel saws, etc as well as a ITK Contractor line which are purely price driven, disposable blades.

- Coatings: CMT industrial (all orange) blades have a PTFE (teflon made by Dupont) coating on them. CMT ITK blades do not. Freud Diablo and the some industrial (LU and LM - varies by blade I believe) have a Perma-Shield (teflon, but not by Dupont) coating on them. Dupont used to make a teflon coating for Freud, but I believe the two companies no loner have a relationship.

- Bodies: Both companies laser cut their plates.

- Carbide: I do not know much about the specifics about the carbide these companies use, other than they use C4 carbide. The higher the "C" rating, the harder the carbide. Unfortunately, harder carbide typically means more brittle and resistant to chipping. The softer the carbide, the quicker it is to dull, so again, it is about finding a balance. And remember - the number one enemy of carbide (other than a nail) is HEAT!

Bottom line, both are good brands as long as you know what you're buying. We love both brands here, and the fact that these two companies compete so closely only means the consumer wins in the long run. I am not in a position to say one is better than another as long as the customer knows what they are looking for and expecting. There are plenty of other lines out there that sell great blades - Amana, Tenryu, Skarpaz, Forrest, etc. but I'm focusing on the two primarily mentioned in this thread. Everything I said in this thread is talk and info - what matters most is when you put the teeth to the wood and see what happens though! I hope this is at least a little bit helpful to all.

I had been using the Forrest Woodworker II for many years and therefore got the 12-inch Woodworker II on my Inca 2200 cabinet saw when I purchased it around ten years ago.  I've been sold on Forrest blades for 20 years.  Last year I sent the Forrest WW-II back for sharpening and needed a spare blade for mahogany and hardwood veneer plywood while I waited for the Forrest blade to come back.  I bought the high-end 12-inch Freud blade which was certainly quieter than the Forrest and used it on the saw for some months, choosing to keep the Forrest in reserve freshly sharpened.  My impression was that it was not as good as the Forrest and was making a mess of the plywood.  When I recently replaced the Freud with the Forrest Woodworker-II the superiority of the Forrest blade was obvious to me.  This was most obvious on the quality of the cut on the plywood and the ease of cutting 8/4 and thicker mahogany.

Gary

I haven't heard too many people say a bad thing about them - says a lot about the company and the product. Also, I've heard their sharpening rates are fair. Is it true that they use a proprietary grind though and it's best to send blades for sharpening direct back to the manufacturer? If so, are they still including a coupon for a free sharpening with their blades, or was that a long time ago?


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Great info Lambeater. I think the end result is both CMT and Freud make high quality blades and some price point blades. What makes FOG so special is we all can ask each other and get some great insight and opinions.