Forrest WWII - thin or full kerf?

[Sawatzky]

I have a Ridgid 3650 and am about to pull the trigger on a new Forrest WWII. Should I buy the thin kerf or the full kerf? Some say it is better to buy full kerf, others say it is better to buy thin kerf? Which one do you recommend?

[LCHIEN]

tktktktktktk

fine blade, spins true, cuts well in TK. Why waste wood and power?

[drumpriest]

Either will work well. One advantage of full kerf is that it's a predictable 1/8" cut. If you think in English units, you can rely on that from time to time. The other major benefit is less deflection. I run full kerf, but that's in a 3hp cabinet saw, when I had my BT I certainly ran a TK. The Ridgid is in between, and you can run either, but if you are trying to rip thicker material, the TK will save you some power.

[Knottscott]

Pros and cons to each, but I've found that the TK version always has lower resistance on my <3hp saws and allows you to get into thicker wood with less burning, bogging, and need to change blades. I've also found cut quality to be comparable with blades of this caliber even without a stabilizer so unless you want the even 1/8" kerf I see little benefit of a full kerf on that saw.

[cgallery]

I will add that the Forrest TK blade seems to deflect less than other brands of TK blades. It seems stiffer to me.

[wardprobst]

Keith has a good point but I still prefer the thin kerf. I do however switch between metric, decimal and fractional imperial pretty regularly depending on what I'm doing.
DP

[LinuxRandal]

The only reason to run full kerf blades on a saw less then 3HP, IMHO, is they don't offer a version in Thin Kerf (aka Freud Fusion).

[Gator95]

The WWII is a fantastic blade. For the Ridgid, the TK would be a better idea. Also, you might want to think about getting the 30 tooth WWII blade instead of the 40 tooth.

I've got the 30 tooth WWII TK in my Ridgid 3660 and it cuts very cleanly on both rips and crosscuts- way better than the stock blade. I don't think you are giving up on anything vs. the 40 tooth. Fewer teeth makes for easier cutting and better rip capability. You're going to sand the exposed edges anyways to take stain and finish evenly- only reason I can think of to use anything but the 30T WWII would be for cutting easily splintered laminate.

[Knottscott]

The WWII is a fantastic blade. For the Ridgid, the TK would be a better idea. Also, you might want to think about getting the 30 tooth WWII blade instead of the 40 tooth.

I've got the 30 tooth WWII TK in my Ridgid 3660 and it cuts very cleanly on both rips and crosscuts- way better than the stock blade. I don't think you are giving up on anything vs. the 40 tooth. Fewer teeth makes for easier cutting and better rip capability. You're going to sand the exposed edges anyways to take stain and finish evenly- only reason I can think of to use anything but the 30T WWII would be for cutting easily splintered laminate.

Excellent suggestion that I totally agree with....I've got both versions in TK. If you cut primarily hardwoods, the 30T is a terrific idea.

[Schleeper]

Ginger, or Mary Ann?

Got one of each. One's a 30T and the other's a 40. Try to steal either from me, and you're gonna have a fight on your hands!

[poolhound]

I am also considering one of these blades as a potential re[placement for the stock blade. I also have a ripping blade and a 60T crosscut (although it tends to stay in my CMS).

I am most interested in being able to make clean cuts in ply or other laminated materials. Not sure which is my best route, buy the WWII or a dedicated 80T crosscut blade.

I do use othe tactics e.g. tape or score the cut line but would like a blade I could just use and know I will get a clean non splintered cut time after time.

[Knottscott]

I am also considering one of these blades as a potential re[placement for the stock blade. I also have a ripping blade and a 60T crosscut (although it tends to stay in my CMS).

I am most interested in being able to make clean cuts in ply or other laminated materials. Not sure which is my best route, buy the WWII or a dedicated 80T crosscut blade.

I do use othe tactics e.g. tape or score the cut line but would like a blade I could just use and know I will get a clean non splintered cut time after time.

For splinter free results in ply, I'd go with a blade that has a Hi-ATB grind. Higher tooth count blades like a Freud LU80, Infinity Ultrasmooth, or Forrest Duraline typically leave a cleaner cut, but that comes at the expense of less versatility, higher feed pressure, and more tendency to burn as the tooth count climbs. I'm a big fan of Hi-ATB 60T blades like the Infinity 010-060 or Forrest WWI for a combination of great performance in ply and good versatility for many other applications. If you're a Woodnet member, Infinity discounts 10% using "WDNET10 in the comments field at the end of your order. Please note: Your order total will not reflect the savings but we'll include your discount before shipping your product." Amazon has the 9" Forrest WWI on sale for $48 shipped.

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