I've been using Freud Diablo blades for several years. I have 10" 40 tooth combination blade in my table saw and a 10" 60 tooth miter/table saw blade in my miter saw. I've been pleased with the results of both. I've even cut Plexiglas and very light gauge aluminum on the table saw. I have not tried a glue line blade.
What are the better choices for table saw blades?
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Saw blades can be a complex topic. I use the Freud Glue Line rip blade for a lot of my cutting. It does a decent job for the occasional cross cut. I have an 80 tooth crosscut for ply mainly, and it does cause burns if I try to use it for ripping. Higher quality blades have heavier carbide teeth and can be sharpened several times, cheapie blades can't and are somewhat disposable.
A couple of safety items to get along with blades. A Wixey digital angle gauge, about $30. Set zero on the table top, then attach to the blade and tilt it to the exact angle you need. Get careless about this angle setting and you won't be able to glue up your project. UNPLUG the saw whenever you are going to do anything involving getting near the saw blade, most certainly when changing blades.
Get a Grr Ripper, pictured below. This device keeps you safely away from the blade while you can push the piece forward, against the fence and down to the blade all at once. This is such a basic safety item, I generally won't make a cut without it.
Tune up and aligh your saw. There are hundreds of YouTube videos on how to do this. You want the miter slot and blade absolutely parallel, then the fence aligned with that (but ever so slightly out from the line of the blade so your work piece doesn't get trapped and kick back at you at 100 mph -- BIG ouch and maybe a cracked rib.
Do not stand in line with the blade, stand off to the side--usually to the right. If something kicks back, you're out of the way. Cutting a large flat piece? Get someone to help you and/or, take the time to make an outfeed table so longer pieces have support beyond the blade. Youtube has lots of videos on how to make one. Mine folds and is easily removed from the saw, but it gets a lot of use as a second assembly table. Rockler has a hardware kit for making one that made it easy to assemble and adjust to be nearly level with the saw's steel top. You can also make a real table to do the same job, or even a chest of drawers for storage. Whichever you choose, it will increase safety and make for better control of your cuts.
I also like to use a feather board to help hold material in line. The first tooth is slightly shorter than the rest. It marks the amount of overlap needed for the rest of the teeth to apply appropriate pressure.
Here are pictures of the Grr Ripper, Wixey and a feather board:
A couple of safety items to get along with blades. A Wixey digital angle gauge, about $30. Set zero on the table top, then attach to the blade and tilt it to the exact angle you need. Get careless about this angle setting and you won't be able to glue up your project. UNPLUG the saw whenever you are going to do anything involving getting near the saw blade, most certainly when changing blades.
Get a Grr Ripper, pictured below. This device keeps you safely away from the blade while you can push the piece forward, against the fence and down to the blade all at once. This is such a basic safety item, I generally won't make a cut without it.
Tune up and aligh your saw. There are hundreds of YouTube videos on how to do this. You want the miter slot and blade absolutely parallel, then the fence aligned with that (but ever so slightly out from the line of the blade so your work piece doesn't get trapped and kick back at you at 100 mph -- BIG ouch and maybe a cracked rib.
Do not stand in line with the blade, stand off to the side--usually to the right. If something kicks back, you're out of the way. Cutting a large flat piece? Get someone to help you and/or, take the time to make an outfeed table so longer pieces have support beyond the blade. Youtube has lots of videos on how to make one. Mine folds and is easily removed from the saw, but it gets a lot of use as a second assembly table. Rockler has a hardware kit for making one that made it easy to assemble and adjust to be nearly level with the saw's steel top. You can also make a real table to do the same job, or even a chest of drawers for storage. Whichever you choose, it will increase safety and make for better control of your cuts.
I also like to use a feather board to help hold material in line. The first tooth is slightly shorter than the rest. It marks the amount of overlap needed for the rest of the teeth to apply appropriate pressure.
Here are pictures of the Grr Ripper, Wixey and a feather board:
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For years I used a Freud Diablo 10" 50 tooth combination in my Craftsman table saw. I cut everything from pine to Plexiglas with it and got a decent cut. This blade is a tough to beat bargain.
I have tried many different blades over the years from Craftsman, DeWalt, Bosch, PC, Irwin, Vermont American, even the Guhdo-GMAXX with its special proprietary coating. Only the variable tooth PC was a dud. The best cuts I have achieved comes from one of my thin kerf Forrest Woodworker II blades with the stabilizer. This was on some glued up maple that was a true 4x4". One pass, flip the board and made a second pass and the end result was a finish like it had been fine sanded with nothing to indicate it wasn't a single pass cut. That impressed me!
The bottom line on this is the 50 tooth Diablo will handle most work you throw at it for a low cost. If you are working on something special with expensive wood put on a Forrest blade. Most important is to store your blades in some type of protective holder when they are off the saw. Protecting the carbide from chipping is the same for saw blades as it is for router bits.
PS: Replacing the saws standard V belt with a link belt will almost always give you a smoother cut.
I have tried many different blades over the years from Craftsman, DeWalt, Bosch, PC, Irwin, Vermont American, even the Guhdo-GMAXX with its special proprietary coating. Only the variable tooth PC was a dud. The best cuts I have achieved comes from one of my thin kerf Forrest Woodworker II blades with the stabilizer. This was on some glued up maple that was a true 4x4". One pass, flip the board and made a second pass and the end result was a finish like it had been fine sanded with nothing to indicate it wasn't a single pass cut. That impressed me!
The bottom line on this is the 50 tooth Diablo will handle most work you throw at it for a low cost. If you are working on something special with expensive wood put on a Forrest blade. Most important is to store your blades in some type of protective holder when they are off the saw. Protecting the carbide from chipping is the same for saw blades as it is for router bits.
PS: Replacing the saws standard V belt with a link belt will almost always give you a smoother cut.
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