What make a good Blade, good?

[LCHIEN]

What are the prime factor that make, say, a Forrest WoodWorker II better than a cheap Irwin? Most Especially in the quality of cut. a clean, burnished edge.

Take the poll.
Pick the most important (one choice allowed)

[backpacker85]

I'd have to go with the tight tolerances to provide the smoothest cut, but not very far behind would be the quality of materials.

A blade with perfect tolerances and poor materials may make a great cut, but if it has to be replaced/resharpened every 10 cuts, it doesn't make for a very good blade. Just my .02

[Knottscott]

Price and FM man...ya get what ya pay for ya know....maybe! Sometimes the sales guy gets what we pay for!

If I could have three choices I would have picked:

1. Tolerances
2. Sharpening
3. Materials

Not necessarily in that order, but you can't get a top shelf blade without those factors. A coating helps with cleaning and rust but doesn't do thing for the cut.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Reputation.

When you have the vast experience of the woodworking forums online, and the willingness to share strengths and weaknesses of blade, reputation speaks volumes. Reputation will incorporate most of the characteristics of the poll.

Taking reputation out and FM out, I would have to go with Materials.

[LinuxRandal]

Your title and your question on the poll, are really two different ones for me.

The title, what makes a sawblade good, is more of a cost benefit analysis. How well the blade cuts and holds up (till it needs sharpening) and how many times you can get it sharpened verses the cost, or cost of a new one. a 7 1/4" blade could be a better blade in some scenarios, that I can think of (junk wood).

Now the question on the poll, I would have to say fit and finish (although I am not hitting the button). Since you don't say what you think fit is; my version of fit, includes the tolerances above it, verses the performance of the blade. Similar to the other question, but not the same.

[Knottscott]

Design...

Not sure why this didn't occur to me sooner, but blade design is a huge factor for a given application. Every blade uses a mind boggling balance of design elements blended together, each with their own pros and cons. I'd guess for the sake of comparing the other aspects, it's safe to assume we're comparing equal designs, and just varying the tolerances, fit/finish, materials, sharpening, reputation, etc.

[LCHIEN]

Not sure why this didn't occur to me sooner, but blade design is a huge factor for a given application. Every blade uses a mind boggling balance of design elements blended together, each with their own pros and cons. I'd guess for the sake of comparing the other aspects, it's safe to assume we're comparing equal designs, and just varying the tolerances, fit/finish, materials, sharpening, reputation, etc.

I definately screwed up there. should have had a choice for blade design - geometry and stuff.

[sparkeyjames]

DING DING DING DING. What is all of the above Alex. Seriously. The magic part is what happens when you execute good design with superb materials. This builds the reputation. What makes a high end Freud or Woodworker II blade stand out from all the others?

[cabinetman]

I definately screwed up there. should have had a choice for blade design - geometry and stuff.

IMO you didn't screw up at all. I can tell the difference in two blades just by the cut, blindfolded,

Seriously, The difference is in total performance. When a particular blade may be used for hours in a day and maybe 6 days a week, all the factors contribute to a blades worthiness. When your livelihood depends on your tools, you learn real quick where and on what to spend your money.

[Knottscott]

IMO you didn't screw up at all. I can tell the difference in two blades just by the cut, blindfolded,

Seriously, The difference is in total performance. When a particular blade may be used for hours in a day and maybe 6 days a week, all the factors contribute to a blades worthiness. When your livelihood depends on your tools, you learn real quick where and on what to spend your money.

I concur...no screw up. That's got such a harsh tone to it! I thought the survery was interesting...then again, I'm attracted to shiny metal like a crow!

[Russianwolf]

I guess I'm the only one who reads "fit & finish" as a combination of tolerances, materials, and sharpening.