Can anyone recommend a good blade for a 10″ miter saw for finish work (railings, trim, fireplace)? I’m not doing this for a living so I can’t spend too much on it, i.e. not a Forrest. I think ~$50 might fly. Am I way off?
If there’s something I could get at HD, ACE, sears, etc without having to order over the internet – that’d be great.
Edit: Is there anything particular to a 10″ CMS blade vs a 10″ table saw blade? Or is a blade a blade?
Edited 5/4/2006 7:50 am ET by BobS
Replies
FHB did a review of blades sometime in recent memory; search the archives and maybe you can turn up that article.
My blade of preference is Freud. They make thin-kerf blades that cut like crazy and leave glass-smooth cuts. Very tough and long-wearing between sharpenings, too.
If you can find them in your area, another option is 'Exchange-a-Blade'. This allows you to buy a re-sharpened, professional-grade blade for a lower price than it would cost you new, and then pay only about 25-35% of that each time you bring it back in to exchange it for another 'new' one. It's particularly useful to someone who lives in an area where reliable blade sharpening services are difficult to find.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
For trim, look for a crosscut 60 tooth 10" carbide saw blade. If you are not into production work shop for price, most brands will deliver what you want.
Thin kerf blades work well on thin trim but when it comes to cutting hardwood, I prefer standard size blades for my miter saw.
Thin kerf blades do however work very well in portable table saws because they need less power to run.
The higher end blades repeatedly deliver a better quality cut, which is important in furniture quality finish work. For the average DIY this level of finish is not needed.
Look for specials, the big box stores offer some decent deals once in a while.
Gord
BobS
My first impulse is to recomend Forrest but you shot that down before I could type it!
You can get good results from the Freud diablos, make sure you get one for cross cuts, maybe 60 or if possible 80 tooth.
A blade is a blade unless......
Yes, some/all blades will work on the table saw as well as the miter saw but are not necessarily meant for both applications.
If you have a sliding compond saw you would be better off with a blade with a negative hook, something that I dont need or want on a table saw blade, not that you cant use it on the TS.
If you get a finish blade for your miter saw there is no reason that you cant use it on your TS, but I wouldnt use a 60-80 tooth cross cut blade in my table saw to do rips with.
Hope this is clear?
Doug
Try one of the red Freud Blades I have used a couple and was happy. But the Forresst Blades are great and last (Stay sharp)a long long time.
Thanks all. Thanks to all the Freud recs, I grabbed a Ridgid 90 tooth, gold colored saw blade at the borg. Freud makes the Ridgid.
That 90-tooth Ridgid blade is the one I use on my SCMS...I think it is great!