Which blade to use when?

[Knottscott]

Sarge - Rather than go through all that, you can call them blades Dorothy for all I care!

[jabe]

All the answers are good rules of thumb to follow. Yes there are many factors in choosing the right blade for the task at hand. Go to the blade manufacturer's web site for more information and contact them for technical support.
I use Tenryu blades as my sharpener tells me it's very well made and it holds it's edge well. Sarge I use Tenryu's 100 T mel-pro or 100 T Alumi-cut blades for cutting Okume L/C laminated cab liners. It prevents chipping of the laminate on both sides when ripping or crosscutting on the TS. 80 T blades just cannot do the job on this type of material. Although they cost $118.00 & $90.00 each but you need the tools to do the job right and it's cheaper than Forrest blades. Check out tenryu.com lots of blade choices & information.

[SARGE..g-47]

And hopefully no one was offended, as that was not or nor will ever be my intention. There is a ton of info on the manufacturers web-sites as to how their blades are made and what considerations are used to derive at bottom line for it's usuage. So much info info in fact, that I sometimes wonder if that is not detrimental to building a solid foundation for the structure of our skills to to sit on.

I would not want to be just starting out in WW without someone to help me sort out all the information I need in those beggining steps of a journey. I personally would be confused to the point I might hesitate to take a step forward in fear of making a mistake.

I have seen this happen with sharpening, which is a basic skill. I started when an Arkansas black stone was the only thing avialable. A little instruction and 30 minutes work with occasional strooping kept em sharp till you had to re-grind a primary. Now.. with all the hype and competition of maufacturers, I have seen beginners so confused they have delayed there progress in search of the ultimate sharpening system and supreme results. Is is water-stones, diamond, sand-paper, low rpm grinders, ceramics or do we HAVE to have a Tormek as anything else will give inferior results?

And I cannot argue that progress has been made in almost every area of tool design. But.. I can argue that by throwing all that info out to a beginner all at once who has no way to understand how to de-cifer it because the foundation was not laid properly, could lead to confusion and a slowing of their journey instead of speeding it up.

I have been tinkering with WW since 1972. Infromation was hard to obtain in those days. No computers or instant reply. I went to a seminar in the basement of the old Highland Hardware here in Atlanta featuring Tage Frid in the late 70's. Tage WHO? I found out after the seminar who Tage Frid was and latter realized what he would eventually contribute to the craft.

So.... I find the most challenging thing about posting on these forums is determining just how much basics someone that ask a question has. Without them having a solid, basic foundation I am apprehensive to throw out advanced details that will only confuse the Asker more. I think the best piece of advice I could give to an entry level WW is to keep it simple and not put the cart before the horse. The the journey will progress smoother and more rapidly.

I certainly don't have all the answers just as the day I started in 1972. But.. I certainly still have lots of ?..questions..? just as I did that same day!!

Regards to all...