# Thin Kerf vs 1/8" Kerf



## Ed3443 (Jul 7, 2013)

I have a 1 3/4 hp Jet Super Saw and I am about to buy a new blade. I am thinking of buying the Forrest 10"x48T Woodworker II for a general blade for cross and rip cutting. I tend to cut anything from 1/2-3/4" plywood (pine, fir, birch, maple), and boards (pine, fir, cherry, maple, oak) that are also 1/2-3/4". I like using 1/8" Kerf blades....easier math.... Am I ok buying the 1/8" Kerf blade with a 1 3/4 hp table saw? Also, am I looking at the right blade for what I am doing? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ed


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

a little information on blades...

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## Bob Adams (Jul 5, 2014)

Your saw will be fine with a full kerf blade. But...I used a WW11 for years and don't get me wrong, it is a great combo blade, I am now using a dedicated rip blade and dedicated cross cut blade. I did this based on some advice I got from the guy that sharpens my blades. A few years back he sat me down and schooled me on my blade use. Actually he was really nice and said based on the type of woodworking I do I would be much happier with my results if I used dedicated blades. I already had a WW1 for the crosscuts and ply, I bought an A.G.E 24 tooth rip blade, and have been really happy with the results. If I recall the rip blade was about $40.00 and with the remainder of what a WW11 costs you could pick up a nice crosscut blade. Just food for thought. 
One more thing, I use a lot of cherry, and it always burned during rips with the WW11, that problem disappeared when I switched to the rip blade.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If you are on a budget a very good quality combination blade might work for you but you may need to compromise. It rightfully implies that you will neither get the best possible rip or the best possible crosscut. What you will get may be good enough though and that depends on what you are happy with and what you cut on your saw. At 1.75 hp if you want to do thick ripping a full kerf blade will test your saw's power. A thin kerf blade would be better. If all you plan on ripping is at mist 1.5" thick then it won't matter that much. Full kerf blades have a thicker saw plate that is less prone to flutter and vibration and heat distortion so it will do a better job but the difference can be marginal under some circumstances.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Ed3443 said:


> I have a 1 3/4 hp Jet Super Saw and I am about to buy a new blade. I am thinking of buying the Forrest 10"x48T Woodworker II for a general blade for cross and rip cutting. I tend to cut anything from 1/2-3/4" plywood (pine, fir, birch, maple), and boards (pine, fir, cherry, maple, oak) that are also 1/2-3/4". I like using 1/8" Kerf blades....easier math.... Am I ok buying the 1/8" Kerf blade with a 1 3/4 hp table saw? Also, am I looking at the right blade for what I am doing? Thanks in advance for any advice.
> 
> Ed


Ed I have the same saw as you and use the Freud Fusion full kerf blade. I also have the Fusion in a thin kerf blade plus another thin kerf blade and they just don't do as well. I really don't know why so maybe someone else could answer that.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

hawkeye10 said:


> Ed I have the same saw as you and use the Freud Fusion full kerf blade. I also have the Fusion in a thin kerf blade plus another thin kerf blade and they just don't do as well. I really don't know why so maybe someone else could answer that.


Use a stabilizer for thin kerf blades to increase cut quality


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## Garyk (Dec 29, 2011)

Had a WW2 on a JET contractor saw and it did better using their blade stiffener. That however caused depth problems from time to time. When I got my bigger Delta saw I moved the blade to it (without the stiffener) and it has worked fine with the heftier power of the bigger saw. If I were buying another blade for the Delta I would go for the 1/8" version. IMHO the WW2 is an advantage on lower powered saws (the Jet) and IF you cut a lot of high priced wood you save a penny or two. In the long run the 1/8" version coupled with a higher powered motor is a preferred combination (IMO).


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I think Bob Adams is correct about dedicated blades. And, I now prefer full kerf 1/8th blades because thin kerf can deflect just enough to mess up cuts just enough to make glue up iffy.

My favorite blade for ripping is the Freud 10 In. 30 Tooth Glue Line Ripping Saw Blade with 5/8 In. Arbor (LM74R010). It does what it says with no additional sanding or scraping, and it is full kerf with very deep gullets. Here's the location on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Tooth-...id=1493735590&sr=8-1&keywords=Freud+Glue+Line. If it is mounted in the saw, I use it for the occasional crosscut and it makes a very clean cut that way as well. I bought it for the full kerf and flat top tip every third tooth. Easy to flatten the bottom if I make a few passes for a quick dado.

I now have accumulated a couple of blades for cross cuts. I particularly like the 80 tooth Freud for ply and often use it for crosscutting hard woods. KP91 is correct on using a blade stiffener on thin kerf blades. It helps avoid that deflection that subtly messes up things like miter cuts.

But the WWII is a very good choice if you could only use one blade. Stick is the expert on rake though.


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