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Tool Addicts

IWF Alert: Freud's thin-kerf combo blade does it all

Asa Christiana, editor, Fine Woodworking magazine

13 users recommend

Troy Bowman made test cuts for us at the show, both rips and crosscuts, and all were flawless. He removed the blade cover for my photograph only.

Asa Christiana

The cuts were perfectly polished, with no saw marks at all, even when held in a raking light. Cuts in veneer plywood were just as good with zero chipout.

Troy Bowman made test cuts for us at the show, both rips and crosscuts, and all were flawless. He removed the blade cover for my photograph only.

Photo: Asa Christiana

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Freud calls its new Premier Fusion blades its "best of the best" line, positioning it against fine woodworking blades like the Forrest Woodworker II. For some time, company officials say, they had resisted offering a combination tablesaw blade in the Premier Fusion line, insisting that people buy a rip blade for ripping, and so on. But they gave in last year, and they say their Premier Fusion combo blade is now their best-selling blade. 

Last year's version was a full-thickness blade, and this year at IWF Freud debuted the thin-kerf version, which creates less waste and requires less horsepower without sacrificing cut quality, the company says. I can't argue. I watched Freud's Troy Bowman make cut after cut and each was flawless and relatively quiet, too. Even when I held the offcuts up to the light, I couldn't detect a saw mark. And crosscuts in veneer plywood showed zero chipout. Only a thorough test (stay tuned for that) will tell how this blade holds up after a few hundred feet of oak and maple, but at $80 it sure looks like a great value against the other top-end blades out there.

Like all the blades in the Premier Fusion line, the thin-kerf combo blade has anti-vibration slots, which probably contribute to its smoothness. Freud recommends the thin-kerf version for saws under 3hp, and the full kerf for 3hp and higher.

Read about other great tool finds at IWF 2010

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Comments (8)

tbinford writes: I bought the 10in Freud Premier Fusion 40T thin kerf this morning after reading this article (needed a thin kerf blade). Awesome. Ripping 40"x1"x3/4" pieces of maple in half was so smooth. It is a little early to tell, but certainly no buyer's remorse today.

For the splitter-inquiring, consider a zero clearance throat plate and one of these methods:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/pages/w00066_sb1.asp
They all work well.
Posted: 11:22 pm on September 11th

Samm90 writes: Does anyone know if the blade can work with 0.079" riving knife ?

Posted: 12:13 am on September 11th

ravna writes: Nobody suggested removing the 'Splitter' just do what I did and use a thinner splitter....you get a better and faster cut with less splintering on the bottom of the cut.
Posted: 1:55 am on August 30th

NWIslander writes: Be aware, though, that if you have a standard width splitter you can't use a thin kerf blade unless you remove the splitter. As far as I'm concerned, the minor saving in wood from a thinner kerf is far outweighed by the added danger from removing the splitter.
Posted: 11:34 pm on August 27th

planethou writes: Think about the difference between the thin and full kerf blades this way: the change from 1/8" to 3/32" is a 25% change. You're cutting 25% less wood. It's like adding 25% more horsepower to your saw.
Posted: 12:52 pm on August 26th

MKenney writes: The blade is currently available and you should be able to buy it anywhere Freud blades are sold.
Posted: 10:40 am on August 26th

MKenney writes: colothomas,

No need to apologize for asking a question. A typical standard-kerf blade cuts a 1/8 in. thick kerf. This Freud thin-kerf cuts about a 3/32 in. thick kerf, which is a fairly common kef size for thin-kerf blades. That might not sound like a big difference, but from my experience using both it is noticeable. And I've never used blade stiffeners. As for availability, I'll try to check back with the Freud folks and post again.
Posted: 8:17 am on August 26th

colothomas writes: I am probably showing my ignorance here, but... So how wide are the kerfs for both the thin-kerf and full kerf blades? Did it require blade stiffeners? Will this be available from our usual outlets for from where? When will this be available. Please, more info.
Posted: 7:16 pm on August 25th

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