Hello, I recently bought a used 10" RAS and was wondering what opinions are on blade choices? I suspect I will be using it mostly for crosscuts on solid stock with some occational plywood cuts. Any suggestions? Scott.
The ONLY blade to use on a RAS is the Forrest WW1 blade with TCP (triple chip profile). This blade MUST be purchased directly from Forrest to get this profile. Do not order from anywhere else as you will get an ATB profile. The Forrest WW1 TCP blade is a true universal blade for the RAS.
More discussion on this blade can be found at the Radial Arm Saw Forum:
I thought that any version of the WWI is described by Forrest as good for an RAS. Also, at the Forrest site,
I don't have a RAS, but based on the results on my table saw, panel saw, and sliding compound miter saw I don't see how you could possibly find anything better than Forrest. I know some people balk at the extra $10-20 over a CMT or Freud, but I look at it like this: How much will you be spending on the wood you intend to cut with it? If only 10% of your cuts come out better, will it save you money or cost you?
For the money that a Forrest costs, ALL of my cuts better come out better. The question is, will all of them come out 10% better?
- - LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
The original WW1 blade was designed by Forrest and Wally Kunkel a.k.a. Mr. Sawdust about 20 years ago. It's a superb blade for the RAS. Jim Forrest at Forrest didn't understand the RAS and never saw much future in the RAS. So after the death of Mr. Sawdust, the folks at Forrest must have figured there wasn't a need for a blade for a RAS and changed the profile to the ATB to make it more friendly to the table saw. So what is marketed today is a WW1 ATB which ain't no good for the RAS.
In order to obtain the WW1 with the TCP profile, you must call Forrest directly and tell them what you want. There is one salesman, Charles at Forrest who understands this blade and won't try to convince you to purchase the ATB style blade. Forrest's direct number is 800-733-7111, ask for Charles and he is usually in after 10 AM eastern time.
Not to mention that it seems like the Forrest blades stay sharp for way way longer than the others that I have had.
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 23:14:24 -0400, Rumpty wrote (in message ):
Thanks for all the solid advice. I will order the WW1 with the TCP profile. Scott
Thanks for all the info. Question: How does this blade perfom on a TS, if you know? I had bought the "standard" WW1 so I could switch it back and forth, though I have not used my old RAS since the TS arrived.
Gerry, Jeff, Igor, here is a copy of an old post on the Radial Saw forum regarding this blade.
" Charles at Forrest, explained that the TCP (Triple Chip Grind) design of the WWI was done because of Wally Kunkels,(Mr. Sawdust) imput. Wally felt the blade was symmetrical and therefore was omni directional and pulled less. (I agree)
Forrest went with the ATB grind to be a bit more plywood friendly. The 30 degrees of the profile helps sever the ply cleaner."
So if you going to be doing a lot of cross cut ply work you might be happy to stay with the ATB. If you want to do some intricate multi directional hardwood work you want the WW1 TCP, it's a true universal blade for the RAS. It has a 5 deg positive kook on the teeth which helps it perform in the rip position.
is the price the same for the WWI TCP as the ATB? Also is it better to buy a 10" or a 12". I have a Dewalt 7790 that can take a 12" blade. Scott
Scott,
I don't know the price difference if any, call Forrest and ask for Charles.
I use a 7790 and even though it a powerful saw, go with the 10" blade. You can slice through 3" stock with a 10" on the 7790 and it will give you a bit wider cross cut when you move the fence back behind the narrow back board.
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