Shopsmith Forums

I'm looking to order a blade for my Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw. I've been using a regular saw blade so far and just going slow and maintaining firm control (that "pushing while pulling" type of control that I think it was Farmer who discussed somewhere). I haven't encountered any problems, but still want to get the right blade. I know it needs to have a negative hook angle and such and I'm trying to stay around a $60 price limit.

I'm looking at these blades made by "Popular Tools":

http://justsawblades.com/popular/radial_arm_blades.html

Specifically, I'm looking at the RA1060A - 10", 60T, 5/8", ATB, -5 hook.

Does anyone know anything about these blades? I've never heard of that manufacturer before, but the specs and the price looks right.

Or does someone have an alternative suggestion that would fit my budget?

The gurus over at the DeWalt RAS forum highly recommend the Freud LU83R in that price range, although I believe that it has a slight positive rake. The Forrest WWI TCP (Triple-Chip Profile) is the Cadillac at around twice the price. They also recommend using a smaller blade than the max saw capacity, unless you have a high-power industrial saw.

Here's an excerpt from the FAQ over there:

"What blade do I need and what size should it be?" is the usual question.

Three blades have general consensus here on the forum.

Freud LU83R - thin kerf a decent blade Amazon has good prices for this blade.

Forrest WW1 with TCP tooth profile, a true universal blade for the RAS better finish and working tendencies. Designed by Forrest and Mr. Sawdust.

Forrest 48T WW1 with router tooth profile, works well for ripping heavy/thick stock.

Both Forrest blades need to be purchased directly from Forrest at their NJ Factory. These are special order blades and cannot be purchased from any Forrest web site.

Contact:

Forrest Mfg 800 733 7111 ext 314 ask for Charles
457 River Rd
Clifton NJ 07014

(Tell Charles you are a member of this forum and he "usually" gives you a price break or other sort of goodie)

SIZES: 9" saws (MB's) and 10" RAS use an 8" blade, 12" RAS use the 10" blades.

Suggested reading prior to using any of the blades OR even turning on your RAS: the Mr. Sawdust book!

This is the one I'd vote for.

What's the difference between the Freud LU91R010 and the LU91M010, other than the $4.16 price difference at Amazon? The only difference I see in any of the specs is the coating.

Also, should I use an 8" blade on the Sawsmith rather than a 10" blade like I've been using? An 8" blade seems rather small.

heathicus wrote:What's the difference between the Freud LU91R010 and the LU91M010, other than the $4.16 price difference at Amazon? The only difference I see in any of the specs is the coating.

Also, should I use an 8" blade on the Sawsmith rather than a 10" blade like I've been using? An 8" blade seems rather small.

I do know that some of the Freud blades are available with different coatings, so that may be the only difference.

As I understand it, on a conventional RAS a smaller blade is preferred when the motor power is marginal. Given the same motor torque, a smaller-diameter blade will provide more tangential cutting-force capability at the teeth. To be precise, the available cutting force is inversely proportional to the radius of the blade.

But IIRC, the Sawsmith has a variable-speed drive, and so you can achieve higher cutting forces by simply cranking down the speed (which changes the drive ratio). Ergo, I can't see any reason to use a smaller blade on a Sawsmith.

heathicus wrote:I'm looking to order a blade for my Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw. I've been using a regular saw blade so far and just going slow and maintaining firm control (that "pushing while pulling" type of control that I think it was Farmer who discussed somewhere). I haven't encountered any problems, but still want to get the right blade. I know it needs to have a negative hook angle and such and I'm trying to stay around a $60 price limit.

I'm looking at these blades made by "Popular Tools":

http://justsawblades.com/popular/radial_arm_blades.html

Specifically, I'm looking at the RA1060A - 10", 60T, 5/8", ATB, -5 hook.

Does anyone know anything about these blades? I've never heard of that manufacturer before, but the specs and the price looks right.

Or does someone have an alternative suggestion that would fit my budget?

I looked through the site and could find no information regarding quality, style nor hardness of carbide. That would cause me to steer clear.

Personally I would stick with Freud or Forrest, but I understand that the Irwin marples has been giving reasonable results for around the price point you want, however I do not know if they have one with a reasonable negative hook.

Not too far back, Infinity had a sale and I believe they they had a nice combo blade with a negative hook for around $60.

I was looking for a decent blade for my Craftsman RAS, but sold the saw so abandon the search.

Be well,
Ben

bffulgham wrote:This is the one I'd vote for.

I use this on my old Craftsman Radial. It works very well. Nice smooth cuts.

rlkeeney wrote:I use this on my old Craftsman Radial. It works very well. Nice smooth cuts.

I did not see max cut depth(thin kerf area od - thick body od).

Belay that! 2 3/4" 1/2"minimum????

P.S.[ATTACH]24862[/ATTACH]

The variable speed does lots of nice things for us on the Sawsmith and the Mark x. I tend to slow the speed down anyway.....to get more torque, and I get less 'burn marking' at the lower speeds.

I'd stick with the 10". No opinion on coating or no coating. My 10" blades are red......

Here's another website with Popular Tools RAS blades:
http://www.populartools.net/products/chop_saws_and_radial_arm_saws

I'm not sure if these are the same blades as on the site Heath linked above but it's a site I ran across when I was searching for a blade for my old Comet RAS…I haven't gotten around to buying a new blade yet, so can't report on quality but I liked that they were specifically designed for a RAS.