Woodworker II blade

[algale]

I have a Forrest WWII 5/8 arbor full-kerf blade. The Shopsmith will power it no problem. It is a great blade. That said, I haven't used it in quite a while. I bought the three Shopsmith thin-kerf blades and absolutely love them.

Is it because you feel that they are better than the forrest WWII? Do they cut better, smoother or more cleanly in thicker stock?

Or is because you now have three blades that perform their inherent tasks very well.

I have the older carbide thin kerf blades shopsmith sold in like the 90's. The newer ones that shopsmith sell seem to have much fancier vibration dampening mechanisms similar to the better freud and forrest blades.



Cheers,
John

The main reason I bought them was to get three blade that perform their inherent tasks as you say. The surprise was they seem to cut as well as the WWII.

[dusty]

I have a Forrest WWII 5/8 arbor full-kerf blade. The Shopsmith will power it no problem. It is a great blade. That said, I haven't used it in quite a while. I bought the three Shopsmith thin-kerf blades and absolutely love them.

Is it because you feel that they are better than the forrest WWII? Do they cut better, smoother or more cleanly in thicker stock?

Or is because you now have three blades that perform their inherent tasks very well.

I have the older carbide thin kerf blades shopsmith sold in like the 90's. The newer ones that shopsmith sell seem to have much fancier vibration dampening mechanisms similar to the better freud and forrest blades.



Cheers,
John

The main reason I bought them was to get three blade that perform their inherent tasks as you say. The surprise was they seem to cut as well as the WWII.

Since you don't know the birthplace of any of them, you should not be surprised. They may have all come off the same production line.

Look for all the similarities. You might be surprised.

[algale]

Since you don't know the birthplace of any of them, you should not be surprised. They may have all come off the same production line.

Look for all the similarities. You might be surprised.

Forrest blades are made in the U.S. per their web site. Seems to me we went recently went around on the source of the Shopsmith blades and determined it was Europe. EDIT: Shopsmith blades say made in Germany.

[dusty]

Yes, we did that but "do we really know". I don't know what it says now but for a long time, even after PowerPro, the Shopsmith ads said "Made in USA". We know that is only partially true. Assembled in the USA - known fact (I think).

Made in Germany seems probable since they were preceded by Amana Blades (also made in Germany).

It is all marketing until the blade touches the hardwood.

[masonsailor2]

I have to agree with Dusty. I have Frued and Amana blades mostly but also have a couple very old Craftsman blades and they perform very well. I am not sure how much cost is a factor. I have some very inexpensive blades that have performed well over the years. I find the SS combo base ( carbide ) performs amazingly well and has been a fixture on my SS that has my cutoff sled for years. It gives perfect cuts. I think the biggest factor in blades is who sharpens them. A bad sharpening service can ruin a blade and there isn't much you can do about it. I have never sent a blade back to the manufacturer for sharpening so I am interested in how much they charge.
Paul

[jsburger]

I have to agree with Dusty. I have Frued and Amana blades mostly but also have a couple very old Craftsman blades and they perform very well. I am not sure how much cost is a factor. I have some very inexpensive blades that have performed well over the years. I find the SS combo base ( carbide ) performs amazingly well and has been a fixture on my SS that has my cutoff sled for years. It gives perfect cuts. I think the biggest factor in blades is who sharpens them. A bad sharpening service can ruin a blade and there isn't much you can do about it. I have never sent a blade back to the manufacturer for sharpening so I am interested in how much they charge.
Paul

Forrest charges $24 to sharpen a 10" 40 tooth WWII. You do have to pay shipping which is $12. I am sure local sharpening services are all over the place depending on where you live.

Forrest blades use C-4 carbide. All carbide is not the same. Does anyone know what SS or Freud uses? I can't find anything.

This is from the Forrest website...

"• Our DOUBLE HARD and 40% STRONGER C-4 CARBIDE will give up to 300% longer life between sharpenings"

I know we have a metallurgist out there so does this make a difference? A dumb question I guess because of course it does. I know I had mine for 4+ years before I had it sharpened. Then I only had it sharpened because I had it so long, not that I thought it needed sharpening.

The point is that Forrest will put the blade back to factory specs which are better than any local sharpening service with non factory equipment. Plus they can repair any damage that is repairable.

Plus they are made in the USA.

Yes they are a bit pricey just like the SS. But, with proper care and servicing they can be passed on just like the SS.

As always you get what you pay for. Top notch companies provide top notch service. Of course you pay a little more for it.

Just my opinion and I think the are worth the price.

[Sazerac81]

Thanks everyone for the input! A special thanks to you Mr. Burger as you sold me on giving it a whirl, so to speak.

Looking forward to loading it up and seeing what it can do. Would love to see a Jointer level surface after sawing.

I got a decent deal (it's all relative). $117 shipped from SliverMills.com with a $15 dollar sharpening coupon. It seems they are a large distributor for Forrest Branded blades.

Cheers,
John

[dusty]

You'll be very please with anything you buy from Forrest. You'll be even more pleased with the Woodworker II on your ShopSmith.

Go Forth and Make Saw Dust Safely.

If you love and respect your Forrest Blade, do not use it to cut pallet materials, plywood or MDF. It will cut it alright but you will be using that coupon a lot sooner. Pay particular attention to how it cuts when you first start using it. Develop a sense so that when it no longer cuts that way you can sharpen it.

[dgreen810]

I hope you guys know what you are talking about. I just purchased 2 Forrest Wood Worker II 40 tooth blades with a stiffener and a SS 5/8" arbor for $100.00 on eBay. One is supposed to be excellent, the other is New. The MPN is 10401125 which is custom grind for flat cut Box joints. I sure hope the seller didn't pull that number out of the air because if they are what is described, they are exactly what I am looking for. If they turn out to be ATB grind, I think the price is still a good deal.

Don G

[Sazerac81]

Nice find Don! Let's hope that the blades end up working well for is both!

John