Help choose the correct Forrest blade?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

I've never bought a dedicated plywood blade and am a bit confused as to which one from Forrest I should get. I just bought a 30T Woodworker II for ripping lumber. These are for production use and will see a lot of work, the plywood blade for cutting mainly BB ply.

Help?

When these are due for sharpening I'll likely buy a second of each to swap out and save down time.

[Stwood_]

https://www.forrestblades.com/ply-veneer...d-veneers/

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Thanks. I thought so but wasn't sure.

[mdhills]

(11-29-2020, 06:46 PM)®smpr_fi_mac® Wrote: I've never bought a dedicated plywood blade and am a bit confused as to which one from Forrest I should get.  I just bought a 30T Woodworker II for ripping lumber.  These are for production use and will see a lot of work, the plywood blade for cutting mainly BB ply.

Help?

When these are due for sharpening I'll likely buy a second of each to swap out and save down time.

How thick are your rips?  (the 30t thin-kerf WW2 worked reasonably well as a combination blade, particularly when sharp, but I'm not often ripping very thick lumber)

I don't use a dedicated crosscut blade.
I'm pretty happy with a sharp general purpose blade (WW2 or Freud Fusion) and a good zero-clearance insert on saw or sled.
I tried a couple of the dedicated crosscut blades (red ones purchased from home depot), and didn't see a noticeable improvement over the general purpose blades.

Oh, quality of plywood also makes a noticeable difference.
If you're working with sheet goods, getting good quality product really helps.


Matt

[Ray Newman]

I run the Forrest ply/veneer blade, 70 teeth.  Outstanding performance even on the low-end plywood. A few months ago, I cut up some L.Cheapo plyw'd for the Squeeze's sewing machine cart. That blade in conjunction with a zero clearance insert made non splintering clean cuts. I was really surprised at the quality considering it was low end plyw'd. Tried some cuts on a Baltic Birch type plyw'd
and the results were like cutting hardwood --smooth an splinter free. 

One caveat: that blade is extremely sharp be careful when handing and installing it.

I run a Freud 10" 24 tooth rip blade for cutting up rough stock. Found that it does not take much effort to feed the stock. Often considered a Forrest dedicated rip blade. While talking to a Woodcraft employee whose opinion I trust, I was told the same applies to the Forrest blade -- not much effort is needed to feed the stock.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

The lumber I'm ripping is mainly pine but I know that in the coming months I'll be adding a lot of oak to it.

I use almost exclusively BB ply from my local wood dealer; it's good stuff.

Everything I read about the blades says that while that initial purchase hurts, over the years of life a blade can get with resharpening, the performance pays for it. I make zero clearance inserts for all my blades and main cutting angles.

[Ray Newman]

I've been running Forrest blades and a dado set for about 35 years with no complaints. Forrest sharpening service is very good, short turn around time and will make the blade like new. As with all blades don't let the blade become too dull and keep it clean. Guess I am a satisfied customer.

Only exceptions to my blades" collection" are a Delta dado set and Freud rip for cutting rough stock.

[Wild Turkey]

I have had very good luck cutting plywood, composites, etc with a Freud HATB  ( High Alternate Top Blade) grind.  Suckers are a pain to handle (the high tops make for very sharp points) but they make slick cuts.

 Freud specs are at https://freudtools.com/products/LU80R010

Forrest data: https://www.forrestblades.com/duraline-hi-a-t/

[rwe2156]

I'm sure Forrest is excellent, but I'll put my CMT double side melamine in plywood up against anything.

52 bucks on Amazon right now https://www.amazon.com/CMT-P10080-Melami...027&sr=8-1

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

I got the blade yesterday and installed it. Only nicked myself twice on those sharp points!

My goodness, it cut the BB ply like butter. I was cutting cross grain with zero tear out on both sides.

Yeah, it was pricey, but I'm glad I bought it.