forrest blade vs ?

This is a forum for intermediate to advanced woodworkers. Show off your projects or share your ideas.

Moderators: HopefulSSer, admin

Post Reply
lahola1
Gold Member
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 11:43 pm
Location: Sedona,AZ

forrest blade vs ?

Post by lahola1 »

I'd like to know why everyone likes the Forrest blade and if it would be worth the $100 to me for what I do.
I mostly do construction /2x work and some "decent" work ; 10' book shelf, walkin closet, some kitchen and bath cabinets (nothing Tommy MacDonald quality) but decent.
For the rough work I use old carbide blades that I re-sharpen as needed on my Shopsmith.
For my "decent" work I use Avanti 60t and a 60t Diablo I haven't tried yet.I haven't and don't intend to re-sharpen to good work blades. For my work these blades seem to do the job just fine.
My question is would I (or do you) see a difference in quality of work with a $100 blade vs a $20 blade? And maybe some examples of the better quality that you have seen.
SS Mark VII(sn 405025), SSband saw, SS 4" jointer, Older SS Mark V w/DC treadmill motor,
Smithy SuperShop 720, Powerkraft RAS,Craftsman RAS, Ridgid TS2412 Table Saw,
Delta 12" planer
garys
Platinum Member
Posts: 2075
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:16 am
Location: Bismarck, ND

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by garys »

Maybe someone should try to do a comprehensive test of a number of different blades comparing quality of cut, effort to push the wood through the blade, and any other things that might determine the difference between brands.
I don't have a Forrest blade to compare to the blades I'm currently using so I'll have leave those tests to someone else.
RFGuy
Platinum Member
Posts: 2740
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:05 am
Location: a suburb of PHX, AZ

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by RFGuy »

I think the better question to ask yourself is whether you are a use & dispose of it kind of person or use it, sharpen it and reuse it kind of person. I know some woodworkers don't want to hassle with sharpening a sawblade and choose to buy a new blade whenever one gets dull. Typically they buy cheaper blades and toss them when they want a new one. IF you are in the other group of people, it may make sense to buy a high quality carbide blade and sharpen it to reuse it for a long time. It is only for this case that I recommend a high quality carbide tooth sawblade and Forrest is just one of several good brands in my opinion. I am partial to Forrest but just because I own one and from their reputation. I have also heard good things about Freud, CMT, Ridge Carbide, Tenryu, Amana, etc. sawblades.

If you already have carbide sawblades that work for you, and I believe you said you sharpen them, then why buy a new Forrest (or other brand) blade?
Last edited by RFGuy on Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
📶RF Guy

Mark V 520 (Bought New '98) | 4" jointer | 6" beltsander | 12" planer | bandsaw | router table | speed reducer | univ. tool rest
Porter Cable 12" Compound Miter Saw | Rikon 8" Low Speed Bench Grinder w/CBN wheels | Jessem Clear-Cut TS™ Stock Guides
Festool (Emerald): DF 500 Q | RO 150 FEQ | OF 1400 EQ | TS 55 REQ | CT 26 E
DC3300 | Shopvac w/ClearVue CV06 Mini Cyclone | JDS AirTech 2000 | Sundstrom PAPR | Dylos DC1100 Pro particulate monitor
roy_okc
Platinum Member
Posts: 780
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:15 pm
Location: Moore, OK

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by roy_okc »

A year or so ago I got a Forrest 48t thin kerf for my 510. I could immediately tell a difference on it in quality and ease of cut through the same hardwoods compared to what I believe is a lightly used Shopsmith carbide blade of same tooth count for both crosscutting and ripping. The Shopsmith blade did very good and would have required moderate/light sanding to prepare for finishing, but the Forrest was noticeably better and would have only required minimal sanding; both were glue-up ready.

Forrests, and other premium blades, are built with the expectation that they will be professionally sharpened multiple times, repaired if necessary, etc. The Diablos and such are generally tossed when they become too dull as it would cost as much or more to have sharpened compared to buying new, and that's if there is even enough tooth to do so.

I've been pleased with Diablos on my circular saws, haven't tried on the Shopsmith.

Not sure about Avanti quality, apparently they were decent when Freud made them but are now Chinese made non-Freuds. I'd recommend you try the Diablo with the typical types of wood and check the quality of cut. I think if you're not frequently cutting harder woods such as maple, cherry, walnut, etc., or thick wood that you'd probably see less benefit using the Forrests. Also, you might want to get a lower tooth count blade if you do any ripping of solid wood.

You might also consider something in between. For instance Shopsmith's carbide blades are presently $55 for a rip blade and $75 for combo or cross cut blades and already have the correct hole size for standard arbors. These are made by a major manufacturer, can't remember for sure, maybe Amana.

Here's one review where the Forrest came out behind a Diablo, although the review wasn't quite apples to apples due to different tooth count and full vs thin kerf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULNK2mYb8zs.

Lastly, where are you finding Forrest blades for $100? I just put a brand new one on my Sawstop, but would love to get a spare for anywhere near that price!
Roy

Mark V/510, Mark V/500 with parts for 510 upgrade, bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, DC3300 w/1 micron bag
Sawstop 3HP 36" PCS w/router table insert
Home designed and built CNC router, another CNC router :D desktop size
CNCed G0704 milling machine
Laser engraver
Way too much other stuff and not enough space :rolleyes:
User avatar
dusty
Platinum Member
Posts: 21358
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by dusty »

I have a Forrest somewhere in the inventory and it probably has been sharpened but I'll use it when it surfaces at the top of the stack. Otherwise I use Shopsmith blades. I have what I consider a full set and won't buy anything other than Shopsmith in the future.

What kind of blade am I using? I don't know. You tell me. Shopsmith doesn't make blades. They sell blades made by someone else. My bet is Freud or Amana - both good blades.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
User avatar
twistsol
Gold Member
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 9:35 pm
Location: Cottage Grove, MN
Contact:

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by twistsol »

I have had a Forrest WWII on my table saw based on the glowing recommendations of woodworkers everywhere. My honest opinion is that is is overrated and overpriced. The ShopSmith multi purpose blade cuts as cleanly in oak, pine, and maple as the Forrest blade does.

I use predominantly Freud blades in my table saw, Tenryu blades in my Festool track saw and Miter saw, and the best bang for the buck I've found is the Shopsmith multi purpose blade at about $75.
Thanks much,

Chris Phelps
Cheap tools are too expensive
2x Mark 5 520 and a 10ER
lahola1
Gold Member
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 11:43 pm
Location: Sedona,AZ

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by lahola1 »

RFGuy wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 7:56 am If you already have carbide sawblades that work for you, and I believe you said you sharpen them, then why buy a new Forrest (or other brand) blade?
I only re-sharpen the face of the carbide teeth; I don't try to sharpen the angled tips so they wouldn't be "good as new". I don't believe it's that important for rough cuttung const. lumber.
roy_okc wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:05 am Lastly, where are you finding Forrest blades for $100? I just put a brand new one on my Sawstop, but would love to get a spare for anywhere near that price!
I got that # from a recent thread here. Looking online I see they are more like $125- $150.

Thanks for the detailed input. That's just what I was looking for.
I think I will try my Diablo blade when my next project comes up and keep using what I have for now.
SS Mark VII(sn 405025), SSband saw, SS 4" jointer, Older SS Mark V w/DC treadmill motor,
Smithy SuperShop 720, Powerkraft RAS,Craftsman RAS, Ridgid TS2412 Table Saw,
Delta 12" planer
User avatar
algale
Platinum Member
Posts: 4793
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:13 am

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by algale »

I have a full-kerf Forest WWII and there is no doubt it has earned its excellent reputation. But I also have a set (cross cut, rip cut and combination) of the thin-kerf Shopsmith-branded blades I bought some years back. It's been a long time since I reached for the Forest. I usually reach for one of the Shopsmith-branded blades. They are very good.
Gale's Law: The bigger the woodworking project, the less the mistakes show in any photo taken far enough away to show the entire project!

RFGuy
Platinum Member
Posts: 2740
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:05 am
Location: a suburb of PHX, AZ

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by RFGuy »

Jonathan Katz-Moses posted a good video this morning on sawblades that seemed relevant for this thread so thought I would share it here. He goes over how to inspect a sawblade to determine when to have it sharpened. Also discussed how sawblades are tensioned which was new to me (how do you get uniform tension pounding by hand with a hammer?). Lastly, he goes over the economics of sawblades and why a premium blade, like from Forrest, is worth it in the long run - actually cheaper than buying multiple low cost blades. This is because there is more carbide in each tooth and they are brazed better than lower quality blades so you can sharpen them more before they reach end of life. As Jonathan says "Buy Once, Cry Once"...



Last edited by RFGuy on Sun May 09, 2021 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
📶RF Guy

Mark V 520 (Bought New '98) | 4" jointer | 6" beltsander | 12" planer | bandsaw | router table | speed reducer | univ. tool rest
Porter Cable 12" Compound Miter Saw | Rikon 8" Low Speed Bench Grinder w/CBN wheels | Jessem Clear-Cut TS™ Stock Guides
Festool (Emerald): DF 500 Q | RO 150 FEQ | OF 1400 EQ | TS 55 REQ | CT 26 E
DC3300 | Shopvac w/ClearVue CV06 Mini Cyclone | JDS AirTech 2000 | Sundstrom PAPR | Dylos DC1100 Pro particulate monitor
AEA
Gold Member
Posts: 109
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2020 9:41 pm
Location: Spring Creek, NV (by Elko) Northern Nevada

Re: forrest blade vs ?

Post by AEA »

I cried once and bought a forest blade a few years ago and was amazed at the difference it made.
About a year ago I bought Ridge Carbide on the recommendation of Stumpy Nubs with his promo discount and cried a bit less.
Now I'm not crying at all. I would have to be real desperate to buy a non premium blade again.
The resharpening fees are less than a cheap blade. And I've never had to use them yet.
I like the forest blade, but I like Ridge Carbide better. And I got the 1 1/4 arbor with the Ridge Carbide.
Post Reply