Is 120 tooth saw blade too much?

Hopefully Elan will pop back into this thread.

But if you are looking for a blade to mainly cut picture framing, purchasing a generic high tooth count blade is probably counter productive.

below are links to 6 DIFFERENT Freud 12" cross cutting blades

Saw Blades | Crosscutting | Cabinetmaker’s Crosscut 72 teeth, ATB grind, 10 degree hook, depth of cut range 13 to 70 mm
Saw Blades | Crosscutting | Cabinetmaker’s Crosscut 72 teeth, Hi-ATB grind, 10 degree hook, depth of cut range 13 to 70 mm
Saw Blades | Crosscutting | Thin Kerf Sliding Compound Miter Saw 72 teeth, ATB grind, -5 degree hook, depth of cut range 13 to 70 mm
Saw Blades | Crosscutting | Thin Kerf Fine Finish Crosscut 80 teeth, ATB grind, 15 degree hook, depth of cut range 13 to 70 mm
Saw Blades | Crosscutting | Ultimate Cut-Off 96 teeth, ATB grind, 10 degree hook, depth of cut range 6 to 41 mm
http://www.freudtools.com/products/product/LU74R012 96 teeth, ATB grind, 0 degree hook angle, depth of cut range 6 to 41 mm

Freud rates the last four blades as being around "equal best" in terms of cross cutting, but as you can see the tooth count varies from 72 to 96 with other variables such as the hook angle also coming into play.
I'm fairly sure that with a bit of additional sleuthing I could find an 80 or 96 tooth blade that doesn't cut as well as Freud's LU91M012 72 tooth jobbie.

Thanks for all the info Ian and others, I have just come back from Tradetools where I have ordered a Bordo 100 tooth blade, so will try it out and see how good it is in two weeks when it arrives. So either it will be better for what I want, or I will have wasted $52. But as I said before it won't have a hard life in my shed with the little bit of work I have planned for it.

If I had to lots of that sort of work I would be able to justify the cost of the more expensive blades but at this stage I will see how this one goes.

Cheers
Ed.

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Originally Posted by aldav

I've got a 100 tooth 10" blade bought many moons ago that is a complete piece of s#$%e. It doesn't have a brand on it, I really don't know why I haven't thrown it out.

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have you thought about getting it re-ground to a profile suitable for non-ferrous metal, or sheet plastic (polycarbonate or Lexan), or even Corain ?

Ian, the teeth on it are tiny so it may well be impossible to have it reground. Without measuring I'd guess it has a 15 degree hook angle. Additionally I suspect that the plate is part of its problem. I already have a high tooth count negative rake blade that I use for aluminium. My experience of using high tooth count blades for plastics is that they overheat the material and melt it rather than cutting it. I've got a good selection of quality blades for the table saw now, mainly Freud, so I can't see myself wasting my time on the no-name 100 toother any time soon. :D

If you want to do picture frames, a 0 or negative rake ATB blade is the way to go; they cut slower, but much cleaner. DO NOT get a triple chip grind, they leave a furry edge as they exit the cut.

Re: changing blade profiles: You could likely buy a new blade for less than the cost of regrinding

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Originally Posted by elanjacobs

If you want to do picture frames, a 0 or negative rake ATB blade is the way to go; they cut slower, but much cleaner. DO NOT get a triple chip grind, they leave a furry edge as they exit the cut.

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The Bordo blade I looked at was an ATB style but about 10 degrees, at least I will be able to other things with it as well beside picture frames. The 60 tooth Bosch blade is quite good and it impressed me with the cut it did but in my opinion it's missing a bit in the tooth count for really fine clean edges.

The 100 tooth blade that I have alluded to is a triple chip grind, but high positive hook angle. In my ignorance I thought when I bought it that I was buying something special. Well it's special all right, I've got no idea what it would be any good for, certainly nothing that I've ever done. :no: :?

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Originally Posted by aldav

The 100 tooth blade that I have alluded to is a triple chip grind, but high positive hook angle. In my ignorance I thought when I bought it that I was buying something special. Well it's special all right, I've got no idea what it would be any good for, certainly nothing that I've ever done. :no: :?

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Positive triple chip is sold as a blade to minimize chipping in coated sheet materials (veneer, melamine, laminates) without a scoring saw, but I have not seen any appreciable difference over a sharp ATB.

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Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Positive triple chip is sold as a blade to minimize chipping in coated sheet materials (veneer, melamine, laminates) without a scoring saw, but I have not seen any appreciable difference over a sharp ATB.

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Totally agree Elan. :2tsup:

Actually, one thing they are good for is cutting timber that has nails (NOT screws, they're way too hard); the corners of the teeth aren't as fragile as ATB

Triple chip blades are at their best when cutting aluminium, and other hard materials, such as phenolics

True, but ally blades are neutral or negative rake

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Originally Posted by elanjacobs

True, but ally blades are neutral or negative rake

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:exactly:Positive rake blades cutting aluminium is an accident that's already found a place to happen!

If you are looking to do accurate work like mitres for picture frames etc in the likes of Ironbark I would be looking to getting a quality blade regardless what tooth count you choose