Anyone out there had much experience with either of these. I'm getting a new combination blade and have gotten various opinions from people I know. Its between the Freud "Cabinet Maker" and the CMT "General". I'm trrying to stay away from Forrest because of the cost. Also I have had several people recommend the Dewalt "Woodworker" blade. Any thoughts?
I've had all of the above, except for the DeWalt. All of my recent new blades have been Forrest. By shopping around and pouncing on sales and coupons, I've never paid more than ~ $15-20 more for Forrest blades over the others.
Past experience tells me I get what I pay for. I just bought an second 80T Chopmaster for $80, shipped, from Amazon. That's ~$20 more than the competition, but the quality difference is worth far more than $20. MY last WWII was $74, shipped, also from Amazon.
FWIW, I've had Forrest sharpen my used CMT and Freud saw blades and they came back better than new.
I buy lots of CMT router bits, though!
Barry
Thanks but is the Forrest blade really worth the extra cost. Maybe. Also, whats the wisdom on thin kerf blades. I don't think wood waste is a viable bonus for most applications. The only upside I think makes sense is that its less work for the saw but that has been counter by those that say with a sharp blade it doesn't matter. The down-side that makes the most sense is that the thin kerf blades have more flex and vibrations.
Again CMT or Freud?
Yes if your saw is set up to take advantage of the Forrest tollerances. If your saw is not set up properly the Forrest may not cut any better than a lesser blade. And the blades that you are considering may not cut better than a $10 blade. The Forrest blades do stay sharp for a very long time compared to the carbide blades that I have used in the past. If you go twice as long between sharpenings the initial cost between the two is soon a wash.
Maybe.
Your thoughts on thin kerf are correct. I believe the advantages of thin kerf blades are outweighed by the disadvantages.
No experince with CMT. Freud makes good blades and I use a couple of them.
Consider this also:
how much do they charge to sharpen a blade? how long will it take to get my blade back? I like my Freud blade, but it's getting a little dull and I hate to drop another $50 or so to get a new one if I could get it sharpend for a reasonable price.
I cut a lot acrylic, 1/2" thick.. and I mean a LOT of it. The stuff is a bit tricky to cut as the feed rate makes all the difference. Too fast, you melt the stuff..too slow, you melt the stuff. Based on that experience, starting some 20 years ago, I have experimented with many blades. Mostly bought for the purpose of cutting solid surface, I have tried many on different woods as well.
So, maybe I'm going out on a limb here , but to me, feed rate is the most important facet of proper cutting. You MAY have the best blade for the job, but then get seriously skewed results by mucking with the feed rate.
Cutting is all about 3 things (assuming the basics, like adequate power etc) A tooth, slices off a piece of material. It therefore stands to reason that the planar presentation of the tooth be adequately stable in the spot where it is supposed to do the cut. A stable, accurate disc. Thin kerf blades suck at this.
The same tooth expels that same, freshly cut piece. That calls for an adequately large enough gullet to transport the chip to the nether regions of the shop, preferably to a DC system. Chip removal is very critical in the over-all picture, being it saw blade or router bit. Blades with too many teeth, have small gullets, and suck at this.
The same tooth waits for the next time to do the same job a fraction of a second later. Feed rate. Period.
It is based on these observations, that I do not believe in combination blades. Ever.
Cross-cut or rip..... and most importantly, a good sharpening service and they are way harder to find than one might imagine. A true running blade, ripping some cherry, and just seeing the curls fly, gives me tremendous pleasure.
r
Check their web site. I send mine to
I have used all of them and put the Dewalt in a category below the Freud and CMT. I think that Forrest is the best and also the best value for high-end work. If you are trying to get repeatable, highly accurate work I would spend the extra money for the Forrest. If you are not that exacting buy one of the other blades. I would also look at the Ridge Carbide products.
A always thought 3/32" vs. a 1/8" kerf was actually a joke for typical woodworkers.
The only use I can think where that might be even slightly valid might be where someone is cutting tiny strips, like model airplane or doll house stock, or maybe tiny jewelry box or musical instrument parts from exotics.
Barry
Read for details specific to your blades:
They're excellent on the phone if the answer isn't there.
I'm in CT, they're in NJ. I frequently get a blade back within 2 weeks of when I mail it.
Barry
FWW did a test a couple years back and confirmed what most of us already believed. The WWII won hands down.
It escapes me now which one, but one of the far less expensive blades finished second.
I have the CMT and love it. I have not used the other blade you mention so I can not make a comparison. I do not think you will be disappointed with the CMT. Produces clean cuts even on my contractors saw .
Good to know.
How about applying a thin coat of mineral oil to the cut line?
I've found that the chips then mostly melt into a softish goop that is easily peeled off the piece.
I believe it was the Oldham Signature, with free stiffner/sound reducer. I went out and bought one based on that article, and it was the best blade I'd used up to that time. I stumbled on a good buy for a WW-2 and now have that in the saw. There is a difference between the two. The WW-2 gives a better cut in ply and solid stock on my setup. I'm sending the Oldham in for sharpening, and I still think it is a good blade.
Regards, Roy
Thanks for all the advice. I ended up going with the Forrest wwII and I'm glad. It was worth the few extra bucks.
For the folks raving about Forrest, here's a tale I heard.
Forrest is a family run company and is running out of generations interested in staying in the business. So, not too far down the road, there may no longer be a Forrest, or, at least, not the one you're used to.
Freud has a blade that leaves a no-further-planing-needed edge. Don't know how long it'll last w/that fine a cut. I believe it was only $50.
Renata
There's always Ridge.
Well until they do go out, I'll stick with them. I have heard the same about Porter Cable, Delta, Powermatic some rumors, some not.
Now, I hardly think Porter Cable, Delta and Powermatic are "small, family run" companies?
Renata
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