What’s a decent blade for ripping accurately? I’m using an old Craftsman 113 belt-driven saw, which I understand isn’t very powerful. I’d like to get nice rips on some 3/4” thick oak. If I can rip thicker stock in the future, that would be great, but as long as I can at least rip thicker softwoods too I think I’ll be satisfied.

I don’t expect to do enough woodworking to worry about a blade made to last through many re-sharpenings; I just want nice rips. Is a $20-30 Diablo from a big box store going to do what I want, or do I really need to step up to the $70-80 range for cut quality? Thanks!

  • brownmustardminion@lemmy.ml
    3·
    9 hours ago

    I really like CMT Orange blades. I had a 2 year old blade that seemed to have a defect in the finish and when I contacted them, they immediately asked for my address to send a replacement blade.

  • b0thvar@lemmy.world
    3·
    17 hours ago

    I have a 60 tooth 10" Diablo blade in my table saw and haven’t had any complaints. My use case is mostly home diy projects, primarily with fir/pine and plywood, but I have ran oak through it without any issues.

    Given the price difference you are seeing I would get the Diablo blade and try it out.

    I think a big part will be knowing your saw, how quickly it wants to cut (regardless of the blade) and making sure it isn’t overloaded by exceeding how quickly it wants to cut.

  • AMillionMonkeys@lemmy.world
    2·
    17 hours ago

    I’ll second the Diablo recommendation if you can drive down to the hardware store and pick one up off the shelf. Home Depot has them in my area.
    If you’re ordering online you have all the choices and I can’t help you there.
    I prefer a coarser 24-tooth blade for speed, and especially if you’re going to be ripping stock thicker than 3/4". The finish it leaves it leaves is perfectly fine, and if you need it any smoother you can give it one pass with a plane. High-tooth-count blades are slow and it takes more effort to push the stock through.

  • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
    3·
    20 hours ago

    Freud, which also makes Diablo, has quite a few good options. Go for something with less teeth (like a 24T) which will give a smooth cut without overloading the saw. The 113 should handle hardwoods over 3/4" just fine.

  • nicky7@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    3·
    1 day ago

    I believe it was StumpyNubs @ youtube who recommended Ridge Carbide, but they’re expensive. https://ridgecarbidetool.com/collections/table-saw-blades/products/10-x-40t-ar-4-1-15-hk-094-125-ts2000-super-combo-blade

    I haven’t used them yet but I’m definitely buying one when I need another blade.

    Heat kills the blade, and longer rips will cause the blades to get hotter than short rips. These carbide blades are supposed to do really well at staying cool.

    • HewlettHackardOP
      1·
      15 hours ago

      I’ve seen his recommendation too but that’s another 2x price jump over the price range I’m already trying to avoid!

      • 10001110101@lemm.ee
        1·
        8 hours ago

        High quality blades can be professionally sharpened multiple times. Blades from Big Box stores generally cannot. That being said, Diablo’s are fine for home user, IMO.