Blade choice

[Roseland]

I have a TS55/MFT3 which is brilliant for cross-cutting.

However there are times when I need to rip long thin strips of hardwood, so example for edging panels.  I have a Ryobi table saw which has never cut cleanly, and I suspect the OEM blade is part of the problem.

The blade is a standard 10 inch, 30mm bore.

There are many possible suppliers, such as:

CMT (250mm, 24 teeth, 1.7mm kerf)
Freud (250mm, 24 teeth, 2.8mm kerf)
Forrest (10 inch, 30 teeth, 3/32 in kerf)
Axminster (250mm, 24 teeth, 3mm kerf)

There is a huge variation in price here (UKL13 to UKL99) and generally I find one gets what one pays for.

Does anyone have a recommendation?  Or at least suggestions as to what factors I should consider?

Help much appreciated!

Andrew

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I have used all them except for Axminster.  They all produce excellent cuts.  If you saw doesn't have a lot of power (say less than 3 HP) and you are ripping thick or dense wood, a thinner kerf will be a big help.

 

[nickao]

I use nothing except Forrest Blades anymore. They have the best and simplest resharpen service as well.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I am split between Matsushita and Tenryu.

50-50 on their blades.

 

[Roseland]

Thanks to you all for your comments.

AFAIK, Tenryu and Matsushita are NAIUK.  Forrest blades are available, but are 4x the Freud and 3x the CMT blade cost, with no local sharpening service (how lucky you are in the USA!).

Jesse's comment about low power machines is interesting; my saw is just 2hp. Are there any downsides to a narrow kerf blade?

A

 

[nickao]

Can't you just drop the blade box in the mail to Forrest? I guess they won't pay for return shipping?I have tried them all and am stuck on the Forrest blades, they just work the best with my particular saws.

Narrow kerf blades can bend and twist, that is why for the Forest blades they recommend a stabilizer(which I use) and can be used for almost all cuts unless you need the full depth of cut. The up sides for a narrow kerf blade outweigh  the down sides for low power saws for sure.

Anyone using a full width blade on a 2HP or less table saw is going to be in for a big surprise if they switch to the narrow kerf. If they are happy now with the regular width blades they will be ecstatic with the thinner blades.

 

[DavidCBaker]

Are there any downsides to a narrow kerf blade?

I'm running a narrow curf Freud blade (Fusion) on my 1-3/4 HP SawStop. The riving knive needs to be well aligned with the blade or you'll get a little "bump" as you feed the stock through. Also, it'll take more than a couple passes if you're using the blade as a dado. I just finished building that box in the "Member Projects" section, and I had to make three passes in order to get a 1/4" maple divider to fit.

I like the blade, though.

 

[Roseland]

I just checked the riving knife, and it's a shade over 1.8mm.  So unless I make a new one, I'm not going to be able to use the CMT TK blade 

I think I'll probably go for the Freud.  I like the Forrest, but at 4x cost for something I very rarely use (and if I can come up with a jig for ripping with the TS55 will never use) is too much.

Many thanks to all of you who helped me here; I could have made an expensive mistake without the guidance.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[Jesse Cloud]

@ David,
One kinda odd thing  about the Freud blades is that they are a tiny bit less than 10 inches, which causes some trouble with the SawStop.  I understand you can adjust the saw to the new diameter, but then you have to readjust if you use another brand.  The school where I take classes used mainly Freuds before we transitioned to SawStop, then we swapped out the Freuds for other brands that were exactly 10 inch diameter, for simplicity's sake.

I use Freuds at home on my Unisaw and am very satisfied.  I don't though, agree with the marketing slogan that they produce a glue line rip.  I always run the piece over the jointer after sawing.

 

[DavidCBaker]

Jesse, I did have to adjust the SawStop safety feature.

I am getting a glue-ready line from that blade, though!

 

[Roseland]

Well the Freud 24-tooth blade came today.  I fitted it, checked the alignment of the riving knife and fence and then did a trial cut.

Wow; the saw has never worked like this before.  It was so smooth that I actually hesitated because I couldn't believe it was actually cutting.  It has transformed the saw.

I still want to make a jig to use the TS55 for ripping (more on that later) but in the meantime it's given a new lease of life to a bit of kit I was on the point of junking.

Thanks again to all that offered suggestions.

Andrew

 

[jujigatame]

I made this rip fence for my MFT and TS55

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/mft-rip-fence/

Works like a charm, but you are limited to the size of the rail.

 

[Warrior]

I would think that putting a high quality blade on the ryobi saw will only improve the cut qualiy so much. Maybe think about getting a thickness planer as that'll give you the ability to clean up any cut very quickly.
IMO the Forrest thin Kerf blades are junk. Their other blades are good but aren't that good to justify the premium they charge for them.
Frued's top of the line blades are less expensive and cut better. The fusion and ultimate cutoffs are real nice.

 

[nickao]

I have to completely disagree with you there as far as a thin kerf on table saw. I use the thin Kerf Forrest blades with stabilizer and have tested the Freud and at least 15 others over the years and on my saw the Forrest Blade performs the best.  I use the table saw every day for at least an hour or more and the  blade on my saw is near 12 months old. I still get glue line rips when cutting. I cut only hard woods and some plywood.

 

[Roseland]

I do have a planer/thicknesser, so the issue wasn't just the cut surface finish, but the noise, vibration and kickbacks I got off it.  The Freud blade has transformed it.

Pretty much everything I read says Forrest blades are best, but at UKL100 vs UKL25 for the Freud I couldn't justify it.  There doesn't seem to be an easy way to use Forrest's sharpening service outside the USA.

I probably only use the saw for half an hour a year, so (until I devise my rip jig for the TS55) I'll stick with it.

Thanks again to all who commented.

Andrew