Which blade for a Miter Saw?

[Rob]

I am not happy with the blade that came with my DeWalt miter saw.

I leaves tear out on the back of the cut.

Can anyone recommend a replacement?

I need a 12" blade. I looked at the Forrest Chopmaster but it is $134.

Is there a very good alternative or should I just suck it up and buy the Forrest?

I have a Woodworker II for my table saw and swear by it.

Rob

[Basic Wedge]

Rob. It may seem odd, given the usual sub-standard quality of stock blades, but I've been extremely pleased with the blade that came with my Bosch 12" slider. When I need a replacement, I'm just going to track down another one.

BTW, I'm surprised you're not happy with your stock DW blade - I've often heard good things about them.

Rob

[Rob]

The DeWalt blade cuts very well EXCEPT there is substantial tear out on the back of the cut. The rest of the cut is as smooth as glass.

I am very happy with the DeWalt 12" double bevel miter saw just not the blade.

Rob

[Leon]

If that is the only problem with the blade, put a sacrificial 1/4" piece of plywood on the front of your fence, carpet tape if you can. This will provide a zero clearance on the back of the cut. To prevent tear out on the bottom, make a zero clearance insert for the miter table.

[Preston Andreas]

I recently got a new DeWalt 12" SCMS to replace a stolen one. I was surprised how well the blade cut. When it is sharp, there is little tear out and the cut is smooth. However, I have a new Forrest Chopmaster that goes on as soon as I start my next set of cabinets. The Chopmaster I had on my previous saw left a nearly glass smooth cut on oak and almost no tearout. But even the Chopmaster will start having tearout as it gets dull or there is build-up on the blade.

For my purposes, I want the Chopmaster.

Preston

[Jack Kerouac]

That's exactly what I did and it solved all my troubles. Making my own insert gave me allot of satisfaction too.

[Mike in Mystic]

Hi Rob,

I have the DeWalt dual-bevel 12" compound miter saw, too (non-slider) and I find the stock blade to cut just fantastic. The tearout I've had is extremely small, and mainly only occurs on softwoods. The cherry, oak, and maple I've used it with have had no tearout issues at all. I do have an

80-tooth Freud blade that I kept from my 10" miter saw, and that does give noticeably better results, but I have only bothered to change the blade a couple of times for that.

Mike

[Bernie Hunt]

I have a 708 which came with a pretty good blade. My buddy has a none slider and it came with a contruction type blade. My recommondations are;

but I don't see their 80T chopsaw blade on their site. Give them a call.

of them are going to cost some $$$, but you know how much value you got out of your Forrest WWII, so I'd suck it up and get a good blade for your chopsaw too. Save your current blades for cutting 2x4s and such.

Bernie

[Jay]

I have the Dewalt 12" Dual Bevel. When I first began using it, the cuts were smooth as glass. Now I'm having the same problem as you. Figuring it was the blade, I bought a new one and had the same problems right off the bat with the new blade.

I determined that my comfort level with the saw was the culprit. When I first started using it, I was much slower and more deliberate with my cuts while I was getting a feel for the tool. Now I have a tedency to pull the trigger and cut away.

Try waiting for the saw to come fully up to speed and slow down your cut. You might find that to be the problem.

[Rob]

Thanks for the tip.

I'll try that. If that doesn't work, I'll by a Chopmaster.

Rob