[Steven Owen]

Yes, the General has finally arrived after his flight was delayed thanks to Irma.

I’m looking forward to using a high quality blade in my table saw. The Freud will be generously donated to my 14 year Skill Circular Saw. She’ll perform better with the Freud vs the stock blade she came with.

I’m excited to see how the General will perform this week. It’ll be my first time using a high performance blade in the Table Saw.

Freud used to be considered high performance. That was a while ago and long before Home Depot started pressuring Freud to cut costs on their consumer lines.

The Infinity General should blow many other blades away with exception of the Woodworker 2.

Let’s get realistic here. The Forest blade is probably going to cut slightly cleaner. It’s paying double for a microscopic difference in performance vs the General.

I have some pricey cedar old growth cedar to take the General on his first test spin.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Give us a review once you've used it for a while.

 

[hawkeye10]

I agree a review would be nice. I use Freud Fusion blades but I buy them online. I don't think they sell that blade in the stores.

PS - I use the full kerf.

Freud 10'' Premier Fusion Thin Kerf Saw Blade | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

 

[Steven Owen]

I agree a review would be nice. I use Freud Fusion blades but I buy them online. I don't think they sell that blade in the stores.

PS - I use the full kerf.

Freud 10'' Premier Fusion Thin Kerf Saw Blade | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

This Blade is a thin Kerf General. The Full Kerf version is on back order for awhile.

The Fusion and General should be pretty close. The Infinty General has a better design with a blade hub that flattened on both sides and much larger carbides than the Fusion and can take more re-sharpening sessions.

The cut quality should be the same.

 

[Mike]

Steven there are few tool selections more vexing than finding the best choice of blade for your saw. I have tried most brands of blades and it wasn't until 2 years ago that I discovered to get the best results you must be willing to learn how to cut with each blade! Different blade designs require different feed rates and materials really do require specific blades for the best results.

I own a Craftsman 10" table saw that I bought new in 1989. I always assumed there was no point in buying an expensive blade since it wasn't a high quality cabinet saw; I was wrong about this. As long as your saw is set up properly you will get better results using a premium blade. For general use I still keep a Freud Diablo 10"-50 tooth combination blade in my saw. Priced at about $50 it gives good results cutting anything from wood to Plexiglas. I have found I get similar results with a Guhdo-GMAXX blade priced at about $100. This blade is of the same configuration but has a special proprietary coating that seems to do well when cutting high density particle board or very wet wood. For finish cuts on projects I have a couple of Woodworker II blades for wood and plywood. After use I wipe all of them down with Trend Tool and Bit cleaner.

I look forward to your comments on the General blade.

 

[coxhaus]

Do most people use one blade for ripping and cross cutting? I have a Freud Industrial Cabinetmakers blade and a Freud Industrial 24T ripping blade. They seem to work well for me and are easy to change back and forth. I have been ripping lots of maple for my kitchen remodel and I get a very smooth edge. I was worried with only 24 teeth but it seems to work well. Can one blade work as well as 2?

 

[DonkeyHody]

Do most people use one blade for ripping and cross cutting?

I have 2 good blades for my saw, and I only change them to send one off to sharpen, or to install the dado set. But then, I rarely crosscut on the table saw. I use my chop saw for crosscutting unless the piece is too wide.

 

[Steven Owen]

Do most people use one blade for ripping and cross cutting? I have a Freud Industrial Cabinetmakers blade and a Freud Industrial 24T ripping blade. They seem to work well for me and are easy to change back and forth. I have been ripping lots of maple for my kitchen remodel and I get a very smooth edge. I was worried with only 24 teeth but it seems to work well. Can one blade work as well as 2?

It depends what you’re doing and what you’re cutting. I will be buying an Infinity cross cutting blade too.

Harder Woods like Maple, IPE, white oak, ect require a higher tooth blade to get a cleaner cut.

Forest pushed the blade industry to make better General Purpose blades. GP blades perform so well they have eliminated the need for 60 tooth blades.

Improved carbide technology has allowed blades to perform more tasks with fewer teeth.

24 tooth blades are not really used much in wood working. They’re used in construction since no one cares about blade marks on frame lumber and roof sheets. They’re more worried about speed.

On a lot of sites you see framing contractors using 80 tooth blades when installing I-beams made of OSB. A 24 or 40 would tear up the vertical facing OSB in the beam. You need a clean cutting blade to cut Ibeams.

 

[coxhaus]

I have included a micro view of a maple board ripped with my Freud industrial 24 tooth blade. As you can see the board is very smooth. I thought about buying a 30 tooth blade but I feel the 24 tooth blade works fine plus the 24 tooth blade is rated for thicker material then the 30 tooth blade.

 

[Steven Owen]

I have included a micro view of a maple board ripped with my Freud industrial 24 tooth blade. As you can see the board is very smooth. I thought about buying a 30 tooth blade but I feel the 24 tooth blade works fine plus the 24 tooth blade is rated for thicker material then the 30 tooth blade.

There’s always more than one way to get things done. I wouldn’t call that smooth. The saw marks are clearly visible. The board would need to be shown some love from an hand plane or helical jointer.

The Infinity General will make the same cut in a thick maple with a much clean results only requiring a quick 150 and 220 grit sanding if you want the glass smooth lay your cheek on the board finish.

 

[coxhaus]

The picture was taken inches from the maple board so I think you see a lot more than normally looking at it. With that said I do look forward to your review. Maybe I should start thinking about a one blade solution since the "one" blade can perform as well as multiple saw blades with the new solutions available today.

 

[Steven Owen]

The picture was taken inches from the maple board so I think you see a lot more than normally looking at it. With that said I do look forward to your review. Maybe I should start thinking about a one blade solution since the "one" blade can perform as well as multiple saw blades with the new solutions available today.

It’ll be a interesting review. Most blades in this category are very close in performance. I think the biggest advantage of blade like the Infinity General is providing you with 95% of the performance of the Forest Woodworker 2 at 1/3 the price.

 

[coxhaus]

I was just looking and I can't tell which Forest Woodworker 2 blade? They seem to have a lot of them. The 40 tooth seems to be for anything not thick. Forest recommends the 30 tooth if the maple is thick. They also have some Woodworker 2 with more teeth.

 

[Steven Owen]

I was just looking and I can't tell which Forest Woodworker 2 blade? They seem to have a lot of them. The 40 tooth seems to be for anything not thick. Forest recommends the 30 tooth if the maple is thick. They also have some Woodworker 2 with more teeth.

Infinity designed the Super General with a Hi-ATB grind and a steep 30° alternating bevel. It has more in common with the Forest’s 30 tooth blade than it does with the Woodworker 2.

It’s the most aggressive General Purpose blade on the market. I nicked my index finger putting the blade back in it’s shipping package. It’s the meanest blade I’ve ever owned.

Lesson 1, don’t touch the business end of a Super General.

I had a Tenryu Gold in my previous Table Saw until a friend wrecked it cutting a very thick shatter proof coated security grade plexiglass sheet. The gold is a timid when compared with aggressive the Super General.

 

[Steven Owen]

I installed the Super General with a Dewalt LeeCraft zero clearance insert and did a couple of test cut. My initial impression very good. It’s living up to its promise of glass smooth cuts. The cuts were clean and nearly perfect.

You have to look at the board from an inch or two away from your face to see any saw marks. The finish could be called glue ready. It would need to be hit with 150, 220, 320 wet grit to finish the edge for stain and varnish. The cuts are so clean you could easily skip a few grits.

I took a before and after pic of the plywood cut to show the difference of the edge cut by a Freud Diablo P410 General Purpose Blade and the Super General. The Super General’s cut was easily cleaner. It gave the Freud a good old fashioned whooping.

 

[TWheels]

Steven there are few tool selections more vexing than finding the best choice of blade for your saw. I have tried most brands of blades and it wasn't until 2 years ago that I discovered to get the best results you must be willing to learn how to cut with each blade! Different blade designs require different feed rates and materials really do require specific blades for the best results.

I own a Craftsman 10" table saw that I bought new in 1989. I always assumed there was no point in buying an expensive blade since it wasn't a high quality cabinet saw; I was wrong about this. As long as your saw is set up properly you will get better results using a premium blade. For general use I still keep a Freud Diablo 10"-50 tooth combination blade in my saw. Priced at about $50 it gives good results cutting anything from wood to Plexiglas. I have found I get similar results with a Guhdo-GMAXX blade priced at about $100. This blade is of the same configuration but has a special proprietary coating that seems to do well when cutting high density particle board or very wet wood. For finish cuts on projects I have a couple of Woodworker II blades for wood and plywood. After use I wipe all of them down with Trend Tool and Bit cleaner.

I look forward to your comments on the General blade.

@Mike, is this blade the one you describe?
https://www.amazon.com/D1050X-Diablo-50-tooth-Combination-PermaShield/dp/B00008WQ2Z/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1506528744&sr=1-5&keywords=freud+10+inch+saw+blade

 

[Mike]

That is the one Tom.

 

[Steven Owen]

@Mike, is this blade the one you describe?
https://www.amazon.com/D1050X-Diablo-50-tooth-Combination-PermaShield/dp/B00008WQ2Z/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1506528744&sr=1-5&keywords=freud+10+inch+saw+blade

Yes. I would expect the Super General to thump the 1050 without any effort. It’s not a surprise the 1050 is the inferior blade.

The Freud Fusion would be a more fair comparison.

 

[TWheels]

Th only reason for this post is to keep it alive. As of a few seconds ago the Infinity web site stated both thin kerf and standard kerf blades are in stock, and both 5/8 inch arbor blades have sale prices.