Glue Line ripping table saw blades

[usernumber1]

Have a large amount of maple to rip, so was looking for a better rip blade for gluing up panels. I saw freud has two blades they call 'glue line', thin kerf and regular
https://www.freudtools.com/products/LM74R010https://www.freudtools.com/products/LM75R010

But then I saw the same trend with other manufacturers

They have two blades with Amana MD10-301 and 610301C
FS tool L22250

Is anyone familiar with any of these blades? Is amana / fs tool worth the 50% more than freud?

 

[Packard]

I have one of those glue line blades and I did not notice any difference.

As a rule, if you mate a piece that was cut on the right side of the blade with another that was cut on the left side of the blade, then they should mate.

You do have to keep track of which side is up and which edge mates to its mating edge, but pencil marks make that pretty easy.

The problems arise if the board is not straight on the width.  Then it starts getting involved with mounting the board on a known straight edge and using that straight edge against your fence.

Addendum:  It occurs to me that I should explain about the right/left side approach.

Even if you are careful about zeroing your blade to square, it can be off by some small margin.

Let’s say that you setup for a 90 degree cut.  But is is really 89.8 degrees.  But on the other side of the blade is is 90.2 degrees.  So they are complimentary angles and they will add up to exactly 180 degrees (flat).

You could have a grossly out of square blade cutting at 92 degrees, but on the other side of the blade it would be 88 degrees and again it would add up to 180 degrees (flat).

I usually do this on a table saw, but the same would hold true on a track saw.

The track saw would be easier as you dont have to worry about it veering to the left or right.  If your track is straight, the board will be too.

 

[Rutabagared]

I agree with Packard.  I notice no difference in the quality of cut between my Freud Glue Line Rip and the Premier Fusion.  I flip mating pieces (face up/face down) to acheive a better joint fit.  I find the quality of the rip cut much more dependent on the internal stresses that are released during the cut. If I'm ripping in the middle of a wider board (say, more than 1" offcut or so), I'll rip it slightly over size and then take a light "finish" pass less than the kerf width (and make a saw dust mess in the process [big grin]).

It may be worth considering the purchase anyhow.  It is much easier to feed with the Glue Line Rip as would be expected.  I usually mount it to the saw when I have a large amount of ripping to do or ripping thick stock.  It also extends the life of the combination blade.  I find the carbide teeth of the Premier Fusion to be fragile and prone to chipping, particularly the top edges of the bevel. 

Both blades are full kerf.  In my experience, thin kerf tends to deflect during more demanding cuts.

 

[Packard]

I don’t do this often.  I usually revert to plywood for wide pieces.

But when I do, the Final Cut is usually the same as the width of the kerf. Somehow that seems to work better than simply cutting to size.

 

[Peter Kelly]

I've got several of these, like them a lot for ripping hard and softwoods alike. Should cost around the same as the Freud ones linked above.https://infinitytools.com/products/10-table-saw-ripping-blades

The Tenryu Gold Medal combination blades are great too, $40 more though. 

 

[cdconey]

The Freud Glue Line Rip has been good since they were introduced 20+ years ago.  I think I've gone thru about 9-10 over the years.

I get about one sharpening out of them, then time to buy new. The carbide gets too close to the plate on the subsequent sharpenings to produce decent cuts. 

I've only used the 1/8" kerf blade, I wouldn't consider the thin kerf blade in this application.

If you're ripping thicker stock, consider a lower tooth count. 

Make sure to clean the blade regularly.

 

[smorgasbord]

Ripping solid wood is pretty easy - the idea behind the "glue line rip" blades is that you can feed quickly, which is more important in a commercial shop than low volume/home shops. Thin kerf blades need less power, but typically will deflect more. That may be a problem in 8/4 or hard maple, but less for 4/4 or less dense woods. You can use combination blades for most ripping and get great results if your saw is well tuned, but if you use a many-tooth cross-cut blade for ripping you're likely to get a hot kerf and some burning, particularly with woods like cherry and maple.

 

[Alanbach]

I have owned both of Forrest’s Woodworker II rip blades for decades. They are fantastic. The 30 tooth is a glue line rip for hardwoods up to 1.5”. The 20 tooth fast rip is for super fast rips and suitable for hardwoods thicker than 1.5” but may not give you the perfect glue line you want (depending on how perfect an edge you need). These blades are expensive up front but in the long run, not so much. I have had the 30 tooth for almost 30 years and have it sharpened many times over, still cuts as great as the first day.

 

[Packard]

I really don’t need a jointer, and since the O.P. Is looking to get by with a glue line blade, he probably does not think he needs one either.

And in high school shop class in the 1960s, I got the hang of using a plane to square up edges, there was a pretty steep learning curve.

For the most recent time I needed a jointer, I made a manual version that did not cost anything except some scrap material.  I may still have it, and if I can find it, I will add a photo. 

I would note that it was not very fast, but it worked perfectly.

When I get home I will take a picture of it (if I can find it—it has been a few years since I needed it).  How it is used is mostly self-explanatory.  I would use it again rather than buy a jointer.

 

[kevinculle]

Funny, except for really large pieces I do all my ripping on the bandsaw, which sits right next to my jointer.  Using a Kreg micro-set fence I rip to 1/64" over net and the jointer is set to take 1/64".  Works perfectly and bandsaws are much less dramatic for ripping than table saws.  When I have a large workpiece on the table saw I use the Forrest Woodworker II.

 

[Packard]

Here are som pictures of my manual jointer.  It is pretty beat up and if I need it again, I will make a new one.

The boards are 24” long.  The wider board is 7” wide.  The narrower board Carrie’s 80 grit self adhesive sandpaper.  It cuts fairly fast and is smooth enough for glue.

It is essential that the boards are assembled exactly at 90 degrees.

By using pocket hole screws on both sided of the smaller board which Carrie’s the sandpaper, I was able to loosen one side and tighten the other side to achieve the 90 degree angle.

I would prefer to have a jointer, but in less than 5 minutes I was able to true up a 48” x 3/4” board.

I did add “handles”, one to press the 7” side flush up against the work surface, and the othe to keep pressure on the surface being trued.