Thread: Best table saw blades

hey Derek,
I have a Leitz Triple Chip in 12 inch

https://www.leitz.com.au/catalog/

with a 30mm arbor and it's a blinder..

You could do worse than talking to Diamond Edge in Welshpool, he still has Aussie made blades (I think) and does my sharpening and repairs

No recommendations but have you tried the blade that came with the saw and if so what was the resulting finish off the blade like? maybe have a look at European sources?

Hi Chris

That is the plan this weekend. Not used it yet. I read somewhere that the Hammer/Felder blades are made by Leitz. It could turn out to be a great blade. Still, I only have the one, which is a 48-tooth combo. I was thinking of at least one more blade, either a dedicated crosscut or rip. My previous blades included a dedicated rip, two dedicated crosscuts, and a combo.

I know you have the WWII, which is a combo. Would you pay $400 for yours today? What others do you have.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Regards from Perth

Derek

Leitz or Leuco, both are available locally.

If you're cutting solid timber, do NOT get triple chip; you'll get furry edges and breakout on the bottom and back. We run a Leuco 96T ATB blade at work and the finish is like glass for cross cuts

Where are they sold?

Regards from Perth

Derek

I think they both sell online through their own websites

EDIT: This is the one we have Leuco Australia
This is a cheaper option Leuco Australia

Hi Derek:

I've had a Format-4 table saw now for two years. Love your website/work by the way. Like you, the new saw meant new blades. I previously ran mostly Freud professional blades on my Delta Unisaw. They were nice, but the likes of Felder, Leitz, Leuco, etc., are another level above with noticeable results in solid woods. The best way to buy blades locally, in my opinion, involves building a relationship with your local reps. I've found here in Brisbane, the Leitz and Leuco reps are very friendly, and quite happy to support even my small shop. Both reps came out and visited my shop, discussed my needs, made offers, etc. Nice guys.

I bought two universal blades from Leitz. They are reasonably priced, good all-round performers.
300mm dia.
3.2 kerf width
2.2 body width
Z48 ATB
(Sorry, I don't have the order number handy.)

I also have the Felder Silent Power. It's virtually identical, so if you buy a universal from either marquee, perhaps go on price?
315mm dia.
3.2 kerf width
2.2 body width
Z48 ATB
Order number: 03.02.31548

You may want a dedicated rip blade. I don't bother when making smaller pieces of furniture, but for larger stuff, and especially when breaking down bigger slabs (Jarrah, Blackbutt, etc.), a rip blade is excellent value. I have the Felder version and like it very much.
315mm dia.
3.2 kerf width
2.2 body width
Z28 rip
Order number: 03.02.31528

My favourite blade by far, is one that the Felder rep (Derek Wagner) recommended to me. It is much more expensive, but way less than $400 (I paid $211AUD), and has a fantastic cut. Besides the number of teeth, it is the extreme angle of the ATB that makes the difference. It's a wicked looking blade. I wish I had two of these.
315mm dia.
3.2 kerf width
2.2 body width
Z90 ATB 38.5 degrees
Order number: 03.04.31590

A couple of other points.

- When I bought my saw, I was fixated on the fact that it could take a 400mm blade, as opposed to 250mm on my cabinet saw. I was really keen to buy big blades, but on the advice of some friends, I went with 300/315mm diameter blades. I'm glad I listened as I would have wasted a lot of money. The reason why I say this is that smaller blades cost less, cost less to sharpen, and are quite a lot quieter. If I were doing it again, I would purchase several 250mm diameter blades.

- On that note, I have two Leitz 200mm blades which I use exclusively for joinery work in solid wood. One blade is ground to flat (all teeth), which means that it leaves a perfect finish in the bottom of narrow dadoes. The other 200mm blade is ground to 8 degrees, and I use it for sliding dovetails. I love these blades. Leitz organised the custom grinding for the same price as normal sharpening. And these blades were cheap -- I think less than $100 each.

- I know that both of us are not working 16 hr days banging through enormous amounts of board material, so we don't need the heavier "commercial" carbide on the blades mentioned above. However, I've found that these heavier blades cut better, substantially better, than the blades I had on my cabinet saw.

- Sharpening is very important as you would know. Both Leitz and Leuco have great reputations for CNC sharpening. Compare their prices and go with the company that has the nicest rep. Often a "dull" blade just needs to be cleaned. I never cleaned my blades previously, but now know that cleaning of blades makes a big difference in the "sharpness" of the blade, and how long I can go between sharpens.

- Finally, notice that all my blades are 3.2/2.2 in terms of widths. No one I know in the commercial space runs "thin kerfs". They do not produce as fine a finish. I'm sure others will disagree and that's fine. Further, with European saws with integrated riving knives, it makes sense to zero in on one body width. I change out my blades with minimal effort. And the 3.2mm kerf width is standard, and once you have your cross cut stops and rip fence calibrated, you will be pleasantly delighted (I hope) with the consistency and accuracy you get from good blades.

Hope this helps.

David Luckensmeyer

Hi Derek
Thanks for this thread, very interesting and I will be keen to hear what you decide. I have a vested interest as I have also just committed to purchase a second hand K3 slider. I don't know what or if any blades will come with it but to start with I will just use the blades from my 12" Masport Superfine Cabinet Saw. By chance all my blades have a 30mm bore and all but one have the brake pin holes.

For what it is worth I mostly use three blades, one Leuco and two CMT.

My general purpose blade is a Leuco 300x3.2/2.2 Z72 ATB with about 15 deg top angle. This stays on my saw most of the time and is used for ripping and general cross cutting. It does both jobs OK but neither very well- a compromise. Its nearly worn out and I will probably replace it with a similar style blade but perhaps reduce the teeth count to 48 so that it rips timber better.

For fine crosscutting of wood, melamine and fibre board I bought two CMT blades from Carbatec. They both come with 30mm bore and brake pin holes.

The first which I really like is a CMT 203.096.12M. 300x3.2/2.2 Z96 ATB with 5deg hook and 40deg top bevel. This cross cuts extremely well and also cuts Melamine with minimal tear out on the back side. Recommended

The other is a CMT 281.096.12M. 300x3.2/2.2 Z96 TCG with 10Deg Hook. I am disappointed in this blade both for timber and fibre boards. Lots of Fuzzy edges. Not really recommended.

The CMT blades that Carbatec sell are mid priced. Have a look at their Online store.

I think the hardest part of buying blades is deciding on the what type of blade and obviously this is dependant on what cutting you mainly do. Some people opt for a straight out high hook low tooth count dedicated Ripping Blade plus a high tooth count ATP crosscut blade. Others choose a general purpose rip & crosscut like a 48 tooth ATB.

On the other hand since you have splurged on a new hammer K3 perhaps you should buy at least two of every type so you can have a spare when one needs sharpening

Hope you enjoy the pleasure of you new Slider
Ron

Just a few comments in response to the above posts:

Sharpens are generally charged by tooth count and shape, not size. 400mm blades are definitely much louder than 300mm, but they shouldn't cost you more to sharpen and a general purpose 48T 400mm can be very handy to have around. They are 3.6/2.6mm so you'll need to compensate the 0.4mm on the crosscut fence

I'm also not sold on think-kerf. I've never used one, but, as far as I can tell, the only reason to have them is if you're using extremely valuable material or don't have a big enough motor to run a normal blade.

Triple chip grind is another one that I don't think is necessary. It's a must for non-ferrous, but a sharp ATB set 15-20mm higher than the material thickness will do just fine in sheet goods. If you have a scriber it literally makes no difference. They are also more expensive to buy and sharpen because the geometry is more complex.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Just a few comments in response to the above posts:

sharpen because the geometry is more complex.

I've heard that this is a myth, have spoken to a couple of sharpeners and they say number of teeth is the key factor

Originally Posted by ronboult

Hi Derek<br>
Thanks for this thread, very interesting and I will be keen to hear what you decide. I have a vested interest as I have also just committed to purchase a second hand K3 slider. I don't know what or if any blades will come with it but to start with I will just use the blades from my 12" Masport Superfine Cabinet Saw. By chance all my blades have a 30mm bore and all but one have the brake pin holes.<br>
<br>
For what it is worth I mostly use three blades, one Leuco and two CMT.<br>
<br>
My general purpose blade is a Leuco 300x3.2/2.2 Z72 ATB with about 15 deg top angle. This stays on my saw most of the time and is used for ripping and general cross cutting. It does both jobs OK but neither very well- a compromise. Its nearly worn out and I will probably replace it with a similar style blade but perhaps reduce the teeth count to 48 so that it rips timber better.<br>
<br>
For fine crosscutting of wood, melamine and fibre board I bought two CMT blades from Carbatec. They both come with 30mm bore and brake pin holes.<br>
<br>
The first which I really like is a CMT 203.096.12M. 300x3.2/2.2 Z96 ATB with 5deg hook and 40deg top bevel. This cross cuts extremely well and also cuts Melamine with minimal tear out on the back side. Recommended<br>
<br>
The other is a CMT 281.096.12M. 300x3.2/2.2 Z96 TCG with 10Deg Hook. I am disappointed in this blade both for timber and fibre boards. Lots of Fuzzy edges. Not really recommended.<br>
<br>
The CMT blades that Carbatec sell are mid priced. Have a look at their Online store.<br>
<br>
I think the hardest part of buying blades is deciding on the what type of blade and obviously this is dependant on what cutting you mainly do. Some people opt for a straight out high hook low tooth count dedicated Ripping Blade plus a high tooth count ATP crosscut blade. Others choose a general purpose rip &amp; crosscut like a 48 tooth ATB.<br>
<br>
On the other hand since you have splurged on a new hammer K3 perhaps you should buy at least two of every type so you can have a spare when one needs sharpening <img src="http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/happy/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Biggrin" smilieid="308" class="inlineimg"> <br>
<br>
Hope you enjoy the pleasure of you new Slider<br>
Ron

<br>
<br>
Just a heads up Ron, as I have just found out the brake pins PCD can vary between saws so what you have may not fit the Hammer.

Hi Chris
Will give you a call tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up on the blade holes
Ive noticed that some blades have a slot rather than a hole for the brake pins. If my blades have holes in the wrong place I will just elongate them on the mill. looking forward to picking up my saw the week after next
Ron

Another recommendation for Leitz blades. One came with my Minimax combo machine. It is a better blade than the CMT blades I have been using, in my opinion. When I wear out my CMT blades (like that'll happen) I would replace them with Leitz blades.

The local Leitz people seem good to deal with but their website is (or was) a nightmare.

Hi markharrison
Could you elaborate on why you think the Leitz blades ( which types are you comparing?) are better than the CMT blades. I have only compared Leuco to CMT and think that quality wise they are about the same.
Ron