Table saw blade recommendations

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  • Indywar2
    Forum Newbie
    • Aug 2013
    • 15
    • Indianapolis, IN
    • BT3100

    Table saw blade recommendations

    Hi everyone,

    I recently purchased a BT3100-1 table saw ($50 off CL) and searched the forum for blade recommendations. The last discussion appears to have been ~ 1.5 years ago, so I was wondering if any other blades are recommended.

    Primarily, I am using the saw to make kids furniture (used the 9" homecraft I had to make doll beds, doll house and potato/onion bin). I will probable use my circular saw to rip sheets of plywwood down, rather than trying on the table saw. Mostly, I am using pine, but expect shortly to start with additional woods (oak, popular, etc), as my techniques improve. So I am trying to determine what blades would 1) work best with the saw, and 2) provide the best cuts for my applications. (I do not currently have a planner / jointer, so the TS and router would need to fill that function also).

    I have read the Forrest WWII (10", 40 tooth, 0.125") is the standard, if you can afford the $127 price tag (I may at Christmas time). I have also seen folks talk about the Freud Diablo (10", 40 tooth, 0.125", $30). What are the opinions on the Freud Fusion (10", 40 tooth, 0.126", $79)? I also notice 40 teeth vs. 50 teeth blades- is there any significant performance difference between these, and would one be prefer over the other for my applications?

    Sorry for the long winded message, and thanks for any advice,
    Rob (IN)
  • dbhost
    Slow and steady
    • Apr 2008
    • 9209
    • League City, Texas
    • Ryobi BT3100

    #2
    For a good all around blade, the Freud Diablo 40T D1040X. It gives reasonable cuts in all wood / wood product situatlions.

    For clean, fast ripping, I would go with a Freud Diablo 24T D1024X.
    For clean crosscuts I would go with a Freud Diablo 80T D1080X.

    They are all thin kerf blades, which work well with the 1.5HP motor in our saws, the rip / crosscut blades also are better suited to efficient operation within the limits of the saw.

    I like to keep the 40T in the same for most operations, but switch to the different blades as the need arises for say ripping / crosscutting hardwoods instead of ply or softwoods.

    I know a Forrest WWII is a heck of a nice blade, but for a few bucks more than a single WWII goes for, I can get all of my Diablo blades... So for the money they ask for those Forrest blades, they better be able to prove to me they are that much better... I haven't seen it yet.
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    • Black wallnut
      cycling to health
      • Jan 2003
      • 4715
      • Ellensburg, Wa, USA.
      • BT3k 1999

      #3
      This is important enough to be a new stand alone thread.

      I use several blades depending on what I am cutting and how much. The Saw came with a 40 tooth all purpose blade IIRC. The early ones were made by Frued, later ones I'm not sure. My usual blade is a 60 tooth Freud that was purchased at the BORG (Big Orange Retail Giant, a.k.a. Home Depot) for is seems like $40-60 a few years ago. I also have an 80 tooth version as well as a dedicated 24 tooth rip blade.

      The thing with pine is it will soil your blade quickly so be sure to clean it often for best results. The higher the tooth count IMHO the smoother the cut will be.
      Donate to my Tour de Cure


      marK in WA and Ryobi Fanatic Association State President ©

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      • dbhost
        Slow and steady
        • Apr 2008
        • 9209
        • League City, Texas
        • Ryobi BT3100

        #4
        Black Wallnut made a good point I sort of forgot about...

        Any pitchy wood like pine, will gum up a blade FAST. If you are cutting a lot of pine, you will want to take it off somewhat often, and clean it with a good blade cleaner. Rockler sells a kit with cleaner solvent for this purpose. I have heard simple green does the trick, but be careful, you don't want to use anything that can eat the brazing of the teeth to the blade body! That is why I spent the $$ for the Rockler kit. Get it on sale and you can get the whole kit, solvent, cleaning tub, and brushes, for just the cost of a quart of solvent. (The solvent quart is a concentrate that makes a full gallon of cleaner).
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        • Carpenter96
          Established Member
          • Aug 2011
          • 178
          • Barrie ON Canada
          • BT 3000

          #5
          +1 on the cleaning blades and cutters when using pine. I am currently making 90 tool box centre pieces (for tables at a retirment party) out of pine. The blades will seem dull but once you clean them they are sharp and ready to go. Regards Bob

          Comment

          • phrog
            Veteran Member
            • Jul 2005
            • 1796
            • Chattanooga, TN, USA.

            #6
            I don't have a Ryobi saw but a 1 HP Delta and, therefore, use TK blades. Freud makes some great TK blades including those with Perma-Shield Non-Stick (red) coating in their Industrial LU Series. This cuts down on the amount of time cleaning the blade although the teeth still have to be cleaned. I have a 24 tooth Rip and an 80 tooth crosscut. They're both great blades. In fact, the Rip blade leaves a surface so smooth that I do not have to use a jointer for edge-to-edge joining. I have used them on pine and walnut with equally good results. I got mine from Amazon when they had their occasional 20% off Freud sale for about $30 each. Here is a link to the Freud website showing the Freud Industrial LU TK blades like I have:

            The page you were looking for can not be found . Please make a selection from a product category to help find what you were looking for.
            Last edited by phrog; 08-15-2013, 02:46 PM.
            Richard

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            • durango dude
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2011
              • 934
              • a thousand or so feet above insanity
              • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

              #7
              Here's an older article - but I don't see much change:



              Not long ago, I put a Freud Diablo 1040 on my BT3000 ---- and it was a night/day experience. (I had the original BT blade). My blade cuts smooth - rarely burns (even 3" oak) - and does the job.

              I might upgrade to a mid-price blade, some day - but I simply can't see spending more on my blade than my saw!

              Comment

              • mpc
                Senior Member
                • Feb 2005
                • 979
                • Cypress, CA, USA.
                • BT3000 orig 13amp model

                #8
                Another satisfied Freud user here - the red-coated LU series that others have mentioned. I too have the 24 tooth rip blade, and 60 and 80 tooth blades for crosscuts like the others - all in Thin Kerf. I've cut fairly thick hard maple, plenty of oak, some pine, and lots of Baltic Birch plywood with my original motor BT3000 (i.e. the 13 amp model). The cuts are clean, smooth, little burning, and generally have little chipout. Only on the thickest workpieces do I have to really watch the feed rate to avoid bogging the saw motor.

                I've never tried a WWII - given the cost & performance of the Freud blades I've never felt the WWII could be "that much better" to justify the price. I have the original Ryobi blade that's really a re-branded Freud and it worked well, one of these days I'll get it re-sharpened. I've also tried the gold Ridgid blades from the BORG, a crosscut blade (i.e. around 80 tooth) and it worked fine but I think the Freud made a little better cut.

                I also use Freud blades on my compound miter saw and on a radial arm saw, also with good results. The miter saw one is TK too even though it doesn't really have to be. Freud's TK blades seem stiff enough to make miter cuts without flexing as long as I lower the blade into the workpiece slowly and in a controlled manner. A regular kerf blade is probably stiffer but I don't have problems with the TK... so my miter saw and BT3 can share blades. The radial arm saw though gets a "negative hook" blade to reduce the "self feed" tendency. And it too makes great cuts. I'm able to make "shaving trim" cuts when fine-tuning miters. Lesser quality blades will flex or curve when asked to make a shaving cut resulting in a domed shape on the end of the workpiece. Yuk.

                mpc

                p.s. I've had such good luck with Freud saw blades that most of my specialty router bits are also Freuds. And so far they've been just as good.

                Comment

                • Knottscott
                  Veteran Member
                  • Dec 2004
                  • 3815
                  • Rochester, NY.
                  • 2008 Shop Fox W1677

                  #9
                  some reading:
                  The ABC's of Picking Saw Blades

                  Current Saw Blade Bargains

                  One thing that may have changed since that older thread, is that Irwin has reintroduced a good woodworking series blade under the "Marples" trademark. They're made in Italy and would be considered very comparable to Freud, CMT, and others. Worthy of some consideration IMO. Far nicer blades than their Marathon and Classic series.

                  Forrest does indeed make some great blades IMHO, but they're not alone, and do tend to be the most expensive option in their class.....the Infinity Super General and Freud Fusion are both cleaner cutting, especially in ply and fine crosscuts, although they're a bit less efficient at thicker ripping than the WWII. A 24T rip blade is a better choice for thicker ripping anyway....not as clean cutting, but far easier on the saw. The Tenryu Gold Medal and Ridge Carbide TS2000 are also very comparable to the WWII IMO. FWIW, Holbren sells the TS2000 (available in a 3/32" TK) for about $81 shipped with "BT310" discount code.
                  Last edited by Knottscott; 08-16-2013, 11:22 AM. Reason: typo
                  Happiness is sort of like wetting your pants....everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.

                  Comment

                  • cwsmith
                    Veteran Member
                    • Dec 2005
                    • 2737
                    • NY Southern Tier, USA.
                    • BT3100-1

                    #10
                    I'm still using the 50-tooth Ridgid blade on my BT3100-1 and it has held up very well. Unfortunately, Ridgid no longer brands this blade, which I believe was made by Freud.

                    So, considering the absolutely great cut and longevity I've been getting, I think I'd simply buy the Freud equivalent.

                    I mostly work with pine and occasionally red oak. I like the 50-tooth for the really great/smooth cuts I've been getting... on both rip and crosscut. I know a 24-tooth would offer faster rips, but most of my rip-cuts are on one-inch pine and the 50-tooth does that really very well.

                    As far as cleaning, I couldn't agree more. I inspect the blade after every project and remove any buildup. Often (with the saw unplugger of course) I can just rotate through the teeth and remove buildup with sharp plastic edge and a bit of mineral spirits. Depending on activity, when I remove the blade for cleaning, I simply use the plastic top from a 5-gal paint (or joint compound) bucket as a tray and a good stiff denture-brush which is available at any local drug store.

                    CWS
                    Last edited by cwsmith; 08-16-2013, 10:50 AM.
                    Think it Through Before You Do!

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                    • Indywar2
                      Forum Newbie
                      • Aug 2013
                      • 15
                      • Indianapolis, IN
                      • BT3100

                      #11
                      Thanks to everyone for the great comments. They were very helpful. I ended up purchasing the Freud LU83R010. And thanks to Black Walnut for helping me post this question in the correct location.

                      Rob

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