Thread: What are THE BEST blades available in Australia?

I ended up going for Opteco in the end (after considering all the others).

They look like a pretty basic blade, but the local guys spoke very highly of them and looking a little closer (thickness of tooth etc.) they seem to be good.

I haven't had any problems so far.

Cheers

Cam

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

There's a couple of brands most people won't have heard of that are used extensively in cabinet and joinery shops. Leuco, Leitz and Gudho, I've used them all and they are far better IMHO than CMT which isn't too bad itself.

Mick

I know CMT seem to have a really great reputation and if prices in Australia were an indication of quality then you would think they were right up there. In my oppinion there are too many bad experiences from too many professionals to rate them too highly. Besides being seriously noisy I found their thin kerf blades had way too much vibration especially on starting cuts, so much it scared me. I had that blade for year or so before I sold the saw and it never fell apart so I can attest to them being strong even the one I had under 2 mm. I wouldn't go for one that thin again. In the states I notice CMT is cheaper to any Freud, or Armana blade so figure that, why are we paying so much for them here in OZ.

I worked in America for a while apprenticing with a luthier and he had the best blades I've ever used, quite a collection including Freud, Tenryu, Armana, and some other super expensive brand, I must ask him the name again. I have work done on his saws where I have some of the cleanest cross cut and non planed rip joins that I have yet not matched, surely his saws must take credit for that also.

I am now looking to set up a new saw and will go with a Freud glue line ripper thin kerf which is over 2.2mm unlike the CMT one I had. I found it for $56 US at Woodcraft. I want the best without throwing too much cash around so I may may try other blades like Armana and others after that if I am not totally satisfied.

Some advice if you want to buy buy Frued and Amarna from the states, search for the blade you want on the manufacturers site then go to this website and it'll search best price.

I buy alot of tools from US online shops and even at 80c for the dollar and shipping it still puts you in front, just gott muck around and find the best deal on shipping as some will rip you off. I like supporting local but if the blades comming from there anyway I prefer to go straight to the sourse. Only worry is packaging and dammage during shipping. Has anyone had any experiences here. I have never had a blade sent but I did bring back an Industrial 12'' Armana mitre blade without any dramas.

Anyway what are these blades you mention like ? "Leuco, Leitz and Gudho" I mmmagine only 12" and up in size. How much and where do you get them, I'm sure some obscure post tells me this but if you wouldn't mind sharing it again please.

Cheers

like a lot of people here, i own a triton with triton 91/4 powersaw, and even though i haven't tried it, does anybody here know if a 10 inch blade will fit 9 1/4 saw and is it safe to use?
regards
michael

As long as the blade does not hit anything it would seem a reasonable thing to do. Be mindful of the fact that the blade tip speed will be faster and it might burn the timber if you go a bit slow, but then I am only guessing as I have never done it and all the above is very much IMO.

the only reason i asked is because there seems to be a lot more variety in 10 inch blades than 9 1/4

i know that it has been asked a few times in the past about cutting melamine, but has anybody had any experience cutting melamine with high end blades without the use of a scribing blade, and if so, what blade did they use, and did they get good (and consistent) results?

Have you seen the Triton video showing this? George cut the melamine oversize and removed the chips on a router table.

Originally Posted by Mini

Have you seen the Triton video showing this? George cut the melamine oversize and removed the chips on a router table.

yes i have seen it and have it....the reason why i bring it up is like a lot of people here who own tablesaws, i'll also be upgrading from a triton.
i know that everyone says that if you want clean cuts in melamine, you need a scribing blade, but also, i was talking to a guy from carbatec, and he was telling me that blades have come a long way in their technology.
it's been a while since i've worked with melamine, and want to know if any user here has had experience with high end blades not covered in stu's shed reviews, and what results they've had cutting melamine without a scribing blade.
while i'm not going to be a heavy user in cutting melamine (the odd kitchen and wardrobe),i would be nice to know what experiences others have had cutting melamine, especially with high end blades.
when i've cut it in the past, i used double sided laminate blades, and when new, they cut reasonably well, with little chipout, but with more use, more chipout shows.

and p.s stuart...
thanks for your quick reply to me on your website about linbide blade.
i only got onto your site by accident not too long ago and seen that there is a wealth of information there.
you sure have started a controversial topic

Originally Posted by misd669

i know that it has been asked a few times in the past about cutting melamine, but has anybody had any experience cutting melamine with high end blades without the use of a scribing blade, and if so, what blade did they use, and did they get good (and consistent) results?

I have a 10 inch 80 tooth Freud cross cut that I occasionally cut melamine with and it never chips out. No scribing blade. It is a Industrial Thin Kerf Ultimate with ATB teeth, model number is LU74R010, I bought it and a 24 tooth ripping blade from the US and got them both landed here for about the same price as one Freud blade bought here.