Got a Forrest blade guy on the phone, and he made short work of me.
He asked what kind of saw I had. Told him I had a 1 1/2 HP, and he said get
the thin kerf.
Stiffener? He said 5" will do just fine.
That was easy.
"Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Be sure and let us know what they say.
>
Thank you. I sometimes don't respond because I don't want to waste bandwidth
thanking every person who has been kind enough to answer my many newbie
questions. But I appreciate every reply.
And you've answered my follow-up question, too. I'm using a Ridgid 1 1/2 hp
contractor's saw, and wondered about the power. Though they recommend a
1/2-to-2/3 diameter stabilizer. Not sure if they're taking into account
those who choose the thin kerf because of weight issues.
(And is thin kerf a definite need for the lower hp saws?)
"bs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Or%[email protected]...
> 30T is the rip blade, the 40T is the combo blade (rip and cross-cut).
More
> teeth than that (60-80) is considered cross-cut only. The Forrest combo
> (40T) will serve you well. If you go with the thin-kerf blade (TS with
less
> than a 2hp motor) be sure to get their 4" stabilizer also.
>
> If you have a good cross-cut blade already, then the 30T rip blade is one
> helluva blade to own. If you're cutting a lot of rough sawn stock then a
> dedicated rip blade is a must for thick hardwoods.
>
> Now Sammy - say Thank you this time......
>
>
> "Sammy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Should I get the 30T or the 40T? What's the diff?
> >
> >
>
>
"bs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Or%[email protected]...
> 30T is the rip blade, the 40T is the combo blade (rip and cross-cut).
More
> teeth than that (60-80) is considered cross-cut only. The Forrest combo
> (40T) will serve you well. If you go with the thin-kerf blade (TS with
less
> than a 2hp motor) be sure to get their 4" stabilizer also.
Actually, both the 30 and 40 tooth Forrest WWII's are considered General
Purpose blades. They have only Top Alternate Bevel teeth. A Combination
blade normally has a flat top raker tooth added to the mix. Both 30 and 40
tooth WWII blades are good for all cuts. The 30 tooth blade is indicated
for work done on stock that is primarily 2 or more inches thick. The 40
tooth is indicated for work primarily less than 2 inches thick.
I personally recomend the regular kerf blade on any thing over 1 hp. A good
regular kerf blade will cut just fine with less blade flex.
30T is the rip blade, the 40T is the combo blade (rip and cross-cut). More
teeth than that (60-80) is considered cross-cut only. The Forrest combo
(40T) will serve you well. If you go with the thin-kerf blade (TS with less
than a 2hp motor) be sure to get their 4" stabilizer also.
If you have a good cross-cut blade already, then the 30T rip blade is one
helluva blade to own. If you're cutting a lot of rough sawn stock then a
dedicated rip blade is a must for thick hardwoods.
Now Sammy - say Thank you this time......
"Sammy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Should I get the 30T or the 40T? What's the diff?
>
>
"Sammy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thank you. I sometimes don't respond because I don't want to waste
bandwidth
> thanking every person who has been kind enough to answer my many newbie
> questions. But I appreciate every reply.
>
> And you've answered my follow-up question, too. I'm using a Ridgid 1 1/2
hp
> contractor's saw, and wondered about the power. Though they recommend a
> 1/2-to-2/3 diameter stabilizer. Not sure if they're taking into account
> those who choose the thin kerf because of weight issues.
You don't buy a thin kerf blade to cut down on weight. The thin kerf blade
removes less material and requires less power to cut.
>
> (And is thin kerf a definite need for the lower hp saws?)
NO..unless you have less than 1 hp. I for years I used a SHARP and GOOD
quality blade on a Craftsman with 1 hp. That was after using thin kerf
blades. If "most" of your cutting is less than 2" thick, the 40 tooth is
recommended. If most of your cutting is 2" and over in thickness the 30
tooth is indicated.
So, to clarify, you suggest a 40T with regular kerf, no stabilizer. And, I
think, bs says a 40t with thin kerf, which would require a stabilizer in
this case.
Right?
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "bs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:Or%[email protected]...
> > 30T is the rip blade, the 40T is the combo blade (rip and cross-cut).
> More
> > teeth than that (60-80) is considered cross-cut only. The Forrest combo
> > (40T) will serve you well. If you go with the thin-kerf blade (TS with
> less
> > than a 2hp motor) be sure to get their 4" stabilizer also.
>
> Actually, both the 30 and 40 tooth Forrest WWII's are considered General
> Purpose blades. They have only Top Alternate Bevel teeth. A Combination
> blade normally has a flat top raker tooth added to the mix. Both 30 and
40
> tooth WWII blades are good for all cuts. The 30 tooth blade is indicated
> for work done on stock that is primarily 2 or more inches thick. The 40
> tooth is indicated for work primarily less than 2 inches thick.
>
> I personally recomend the regular kerf blade on any thing over 1 hp. A
good
> regular kerf blade will cut just fine with less blade flex.
>
>
>
>
"Sammy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> (And is thin kerf a definite need for the lower hp saws?)
>
I don't think so. If you cut 12/4 oak all day, you'd be buying a bigger saw
anyway. If you cut some 8/4 a couple of times here and there, you just feed
it slower.
There are hundreds of thousands of table saw with standard kerf blades and 1
1/2 HP motors.
Ed
Good idea. I'll call them tomorrow.
"bs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:bxxkb.1578$%[email protected]...
> Sammy,
>
> You're the only one that knows what type of work you'll be doing. I would
> suggest you call Forrest customer support directly and they'll ask you a
> bunch of questions and make a recommendation (at least they used to).
That
> way, you get advice from the folks that make the blades.
>
> 1-800-733-7111 and their site url is:
>
> http://www.stores.yahoo.com/forrestman/
>
>
> Bob S.
>
>
Sammy,
You're the only one that knows what type of work you'll be doing. I would
suggest you call Forrest customer support directly and they'll ask you a
bunch of questions and make a recommendation (at least they used to). That
way, you get advice from the folks that make the blades.
1-800-733-7111 and their site url is:
http://www.stores.yahoo.com/forrestman/
Bob S.
Sammy,
Leon has provided some specific Forrest blade info but generally, 24-30T is
considered a rip blade, 40-50T a combo blade, 60-80T a crosscut blade. You
can check the blade manufactures sites and you will find they all put their
own twist on the definitions and vary the tooth combinations for different
applications.
I used a thin-kerf Forrest WWII combo (40T) on my Delta CS (1-1/2hp) and
found it to be a great blade as long as the stabilizer was used and that I
wasn't cutting stock over 5/4 thick. Past that and the saw was
underpowered.
I have the Forrest 30T regular kerf, on a Jet cabinet saw now and just
finished making some French door thresholds that had a 9 deg cut thru 3" of
hard maple, 6' long and not a single burn or tooth mark. Try that on a saw
with less than 3hp and you end up making firewood.
I recently read that DeWalt has come out with a combo blade that sells for
$59 and was aimed directly being a Forrest killer.
May want to take a look at that.
Bob S.