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Would you tell me in your opinion what is the best all around saw blade for my Rigid 2424 TS. I am thinking of spending the money on a Forrester 11 thin kerf blades 10x40. Is there a equal or better blade for the cost out there? Thanks
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You don't mention what kind of cutting you plan on, but if the Forrest blade is an all purpose blade I would nix that in favor of two separate Freud blades, a 24 T rip blade and a 60 - 80 T crosscut blade. Combo blades are like all season tires; sort of OK at everything and but not really good at any. Ideally, I would get full kerf blades, but I've had nothing but good results with Freud's thin kerf Diablo ripping blade, so if money is tight those would be my choice. I've had the Diablo resharpened once already so the cost is getting pretty low.
John
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I've been using a Forrest Woodworker II for well over a decade. Sharpened a few times. Well worth the money.
Is a normal kerf, for general woodworking not sure a thin kerf adds any value.
The WWII works for most everything.
I did buy a Forrest WWI many years ago. Provides a great cut in plywood and cross cutting, but the WWII is still used 90% o the time. The WWI only if I have a lot of ply or crosscutting planned.
I added a Diablo rip blade last spring. I use it for just that, and then only in heavier stock. The WWII still does fine for most rip jobs.
If you want one blade the regular kerf Forrest WWII will be more than satisfactory.
Mike
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Nothing wrong with Forrest, Ridge Carbide or Freud blades as they all offer very good quality blades. To stay on a budget and not sacrifice too much on quality this blog post may be helpful to you;
http://www.woodworkingchat.com/blogs/tip...urrent-bargains
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Been using a TS2424 for 8 years.
I have an 80 tooth Freud ultra fine cut for cross cutting. I do a lot of mitered picture frames as well as other close tolerance work and have had great service from that blade. I actually have two of those blades, one with a red coating which does not work any better than the regular metal blade. Just cut and glue.
The blade I use the most for ripping is a 24 tooth I've had so long the lettering is worn off. I have a jointer and a planer to smooth the rip cuts.
I still have the original combo blade that came with the saw.
I also made some inserts for zero clearance---makes a bit of a difference on cross cuts. The first ones I made were using plywood and the current ones are plastic.
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Tenryu Gold Medal, the kerf is halfway between thin kerf and full kerf. Great blades.
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Being lazy I have used the WWII forever both on a Ridgid 3650 and now my Sawstop. I've cut everything with it. 2 inch maple forever, crosscuts, plywood. I'd hate to change blades every time I went from one type of wood to the other.
About a year ago I bought a new WWII and I had trouble seeing much difference with the other one that I have used for about 10 years.
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RaeRoe said:
Would you tell me in your opinion what is the best all around saw blade for my Rigid 2424 TS. I am thinking of spending the money on a Forrester 11 thin kerf blades 10x40. Is there a equal or better blade for the cost out there? Thanks
:
In my experience the following work fine. I'm sure I am missing something, but I have a contractor's TS in which I use thin kerf and a SawStop Industrial in which I use full kerf, and I can't tell the difference. I also have Forrest and Tenyru, but in my observation the following work just as well.
Those who disagree, can chime in and state their reasons.
1. For combination crosscut and rip: Freud Fusion 10" x 40T x 5/8" Premier Saw Blade; Freud P410
2. For Rip: Freud LM74R0 30 tooth glue line ripping blade
3. For Crosscut, plywood & melamine: Freud LU80R010, 80T 2 degree Hook std. Kerf Plywood.
I'm currently using a Freud Fusion on my SawStop. It's an excellent combination blade. It crosscuts and rips very well. However, sharpening it is a problem. It has a fancy tooth configuration that seems to be beyond the capabilities of the Freud-certified sharpeners in my area. For a little more money, I'd buy the thin kerf WWII.
My $.02.
Hank
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I tried about every saw blade on the market but my favorite is the Ridge Carbde Super blade. It rips clean and cross cuts as cleanly as just about any crosscut blade I own. Switching back and forth between blades is a Big PITA so I prefer to use a blade that does everything well. If you check with Brian at Holbren I believe he has both the standard and thin kerf blades for $89 with free shipping.