Freudian Slip...

2ndGen

Holy Moly!

I was cutting into a 2 X12 piece of wet Pressure Treated stock that I was using to make a saddle for a set of French Doors on a Mediterranian Style house that was over 100 years old. My almost new DeWalt Rock Carbide Blade didn't make it 12" into a 3/4" notch I was cutting out in it so I went out for a brand new blade.

While at the big orange box, I came across the Freud and thought I'd give it a shot and at only a few bucks more, why not.

I put it on my little $49. Skil Saw and prepared myself for the struggles ahead (I was really missing my recently stolen Bosch Worm Drive right about now).

So, I line her up and start cutting...she went through that stock like a hot razor blade through melted butter! I almost thought I that the blade wasn't even "in" the stock, but was riding along side of it, I stopped and checked and sure enough, I was there. So, I sliced throught that behemoth and got a nice clean cut with super thin kerf waste. The other side I had to notch down 2+" down and it was no problem...it almost looked as if I had used a table saw to make the cut.

I'm a fan now...from now on, I will stick to Freud Blades. I'd read about people raving about them, but damn...this is one case where the hype is right!

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"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Meetre

I have a freud blade for finish work on the 12" saw, it leaves NO marks on the material. LOVE that blade. Got a diablo for the skill saw that I use for cross cutting veneried ply-wood, and wow, amazing. So little tear-out. Blades have come a long way in the last 10 years.

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2ndGen

I'm going to have to pick up a cheap table saw for some work coming up along with a cheap miter saw, but I'm going to get Freud blades that'll probably cost 1/3 of what the actual tools cost. If they get me through this one job, I'll make enough to upgrade to the better tools.

Then, I'll just take those blades and drop them in my dream tools: Bosch 4100 Table Saw and a Bosch 5412L SCMS (both with Gravity Rise Stands).



(That is, unless anything better's come out since I last indulged in my tool fetish!)

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Meetre

Just remember, the diablo's are great blades, but for finish work, look for their avanti series, those are Great finish blades, that 12" I spoke of is one, need to get it sharpened after this last year of work.

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2ndGen

Thanks, I'll look into them.

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Tinstaafl

Ah, well do I know that feeling. I've been running the Diablo in my circ saw for about a year now. But there are times that it's not the best blade for the job. If you get into some heavy-duty ripping (feed speed and/or thickness), that thin blade heats up, gets the wobblies and heads off-course like a hound after a jackrabbit.

It's still my favorite blade, but if I know I'm going to be doing a batch of brute-force stuff, I swap it for something beefier. Right now I have a couple of Irwins floating around in the truck that do ok for that.

hughjazz

Mine warped after building 1 deck. I probably let it get too hot though. I still use it but more for staple, nail embedded stuff.

chris klee

i have been using their blades for a few years now. wouldnt use anything else. they do warp like mentioned, so you have to think about what you are cutting. i have one in my circ saw for framing, 2 for my cordless trim saw (one rough cut and one finish), 2 fine finish for the 12" miter saw. the miter saw cuts like butter if you keep the blades sharpened (about once a year for me but i dont do trim every day). the table saw i have a freud blade and a dado, but there not the diablo. got those at the wood work shop. if i rember lowes sells the advanti blade, i had one for my 10" mitersaw i used to have. made a cheap saw cut like a nice saw. blade cost half what the whole saw did.
one thing i did notice is they do get some kind of gunk on the teeth after a while, so i got some cleaner from the wood working store that you soak the blade in. it makes a difference having the blade stay clean.

HitchC&L

I mostly cut 2x's and advantech (1/2 - 1") with my skill saw, mainly framing, would the freud blades work well for this? Or is this one of those situations where it gets too hot?

Winchester

I used to work in a hardware store, and I remember the freud reps coming and driving lag bolts in the end of 2x4s, then ripping the 2x4 AND the lag bolt. Then go and rip some oak and it would still leave a nice clean cut edge.

That was when I turned to freud

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Ryan

2ndGen

Yeah, I read that in a review on them.
I'd use a thicker blade for rough stuff anyway.

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

2ndGen

Speaking of "turning", I guess this is turning into a Freud Witness & Testimony Thread.

I guess I'd call them "rough finish blades"...leaving a nice easy cut on rough work. Then the hard work could be left up to (as was mentioned here already) a beefier blade.

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Landed

you know what they say,

Quality doesn't cost - it pays

Buy a good blade and it pays for itself in a day.

KentWhitten

It's been awhile since I've tried freud's. I didn't have good luck the first time I used it and never tried it again. Same with VA's. I use tenryu's and matsushiita's for my worm drives and they cut wood like it's butter. About $22 a blade. Maybe I'll try the freud again someday soon.

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Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

WarnerConstInc.

I second Framerman, I love Matsuhiita's, I have triples for all table and mitre saws, plus a few wierd teeth combos for both. I think I have 4 new ones for my circular saw. The Tenryu's were my choice before my buddy became a dealer for the Mat's. The big ones have a tendancey to sing a little on the UniSaw.

Tinstaafl

Depends. Are you a production worker, or a craftsman?

Seriously--though one doesn't necessarily rule out the other, if you're all about production, chances are that you tend to push any saw/blade to its limit, for maximum throughput. In that case, this wouldn't be the blade for you. But if you don't mind slowing down production in favor of quality...

jarhead0531

Freud has 3 different product lines avaialable. The cheapest being Diablo which is available at most home centers for your circ saw up to your 12" cms. I have used the diablos and love them, great blade for a great price but I'm not going to use them for the money cut when trimming out the house.

The next grade is their Avanti line, also for circ saws up to 12", but I've only seen them at Lowes around here. I have never used these but their reputation is solid.

Their best blades are their industrial line and pretty much my blade of choice in the shop, or for stain grade trim work. The smallest you'll find this line is 8". The blades in this line compare to or are better than the best from Forrest, Tenryu, or CMT and are priced as such. I have never seen these local, available many places online though.

Just remember there are many blades available beyond what you find at the local HD/Lowes or lumber yard. Amazon is your friend.

Barry

WarnerConstInc.

What blades are you talking about? I think I mis-read something.

jarhead0531

Like this one. This is the same as a Forrest WWII, slightly different design but a great general purpose blade for your TS. Their industrial line usually say industrial right on them and have thicker carbide tips for more sharpenings. Their diablo line I don't even bother to get sharpened, I just chuck em...

skyhook

That's all well and good until you hit just 1 nail.

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