Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Feb 12, 2008 08:14pm | #1

   My experience has been that perhaps one blade in ten will cut a little bit better with a blade stabilizer or dampener, and that for no obvious reason. If I were doing really precision work on a table saw, something much fussier than ordinary cabinetmaking, I would consider using a dampener, but not for day to day shop sawing.

   John White

2. 
   TampaTom | Feb 12, 2008 10:29pm | #2

   Dampeners/stiffeners work great on thin kerf blades - they have less mass in the plate and that could lead to some flutter.

   But, a full thickness blade isn't going to flutter all that much unless your arbor has a wobble. I'd save the $30 and buy another cool tool with it.

   Tom Iovino

   Tom's Workbench

   http://tomsworkbench.com

3. 
   blewcrowe | Feb 12, 2008 11:06pm | #3

   Not as long as you use the stock one from your saw on the arbor. Now, with a thin kerf blade? Maybe. But I've gone without them and seemed none the worse for wear. OTOH, they won't hurt anything aside of precluding a really deep cut (because of their wide footprint).

4. 
   benhasajeep | Feb 12, 2008 11:24pm | #4

   I have some cheap china thin kerf blades that they help with.  There is a definate cut difference with a smoother cut.  I also have a couple Freuds and they don't seem to help one bit (they produce a very good cut without stabilizers).  But I keep the stabilizers on as I have my fence tape marker set for that 1/8" difference in blade position.

   You do loose cutting height with them!  If your cutting thick material that is.  I found out one day with this burning smell, when I was cutting some thick maple.  Wood that I cut was not burnt but I could smell burnt wood.  When I got to smelling around and pulled up my wooden zero clearance plate I found the source.  :-)

5. 
   RDNZL | Feb 13, 2008 07:26am | #5

   I have to agree with most of the previous posters: not neccessary with a good blade.

   I have a couple of hardware store grade Freud blades that sing like banshees without one, though.

    

1. 
   danmart | Feb 14, 2008 02:31am | #14

   I have a couple of hardware store grade Freud blades that sing like banshees without one, though.

   Next time you get a blade, break down and get a Forrest. Throw the parts(snake oil) in the box and forget about them.

   Don't mean to be arrogant but you will be so happy with a great blade you will turn the saw off and ask yourself: why have I ignored the joy of cutting with a super sharp blade for so long?

   2 things I really like after 29 years: Forrest blades and Whiteside router bits. I made a trip to the whiteside warehouse and got the skinny on carbide bit production. All bits are not created equally. No way. I haven't gone out and melted down all my old bits from x,y, and z but... I don't use them much and I'm thinking of donating them. I just don't know anybody I wish them on. Ha.

   Going back to New England, I forced myself to go thru NJ and visit the Forrest shop. I had a ball. It was like talking to Rocky about Adrian. When I left the Forrest shop I was singing and praisin' Forrest. These guys are the real deal friends. They do one thing: make  a sawblade better than any rice eater in China no matter what it takes. That's a quote from the floor of the shop. I got a laugh but truthfully-- I was proud of those toads. Really. They are into making the best blade at all cost. If you want to support some hard working stiffs from America-get a Forrest blade. You will not regret it. Boy should I stop building and go into sales?? What do you think?? Hey Ray help.

   dan

    

   dan

1. 
   user-83153 | Feb 14, 2008 03:09am | #15

   damper

   noun

   1. 

   a movable iron plate that regulates the draft in a stove or chimney or furnace 

   2. 

   a device that decreases the amplitude of electronic, mechanical, acoustical, or aerodynamic oscillations 

    

                         Rob

   EDIT: I know that Forrest calls it a dampener. You can even find that word in the dictionary (if it is a fairly recent one), but the correct word is damper. I believe that dampener is one of those bastardized words that was so commonly used that it was eventually accepted as being a real word.

   Canceling anal-retentive mode.

   Edited 2/13/2008 7:14 pm ET by Rob A.

6. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 13, 2008 08:42am | #6

   Mike,

   In my view, a blade stiffener (same as a dampener, right?) is almost manditory on a thin kerf (3/32") blade.  It may or may not help on a regular kerf (1/8") blade.

   Nobody seems to want to tackle your specific question regarding Forrest's stabilizer.  Stabilizers essentially add mass and thickness to the blade to prevent vibration.  Most stabilizers are sold in pairs and contact the blade around the entire rim.  Forrest's version is a single piece and only contacts the blade in two spots.  I don't see how this is any improvement on the "normal" stabilizer.  I would think that a normal stabilizer would be better.  Remember that if you add a stabilizer between the blade and the arbor flange that you need to recalibrate the rip fence.

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   joespehar | Feb 13, 2008 05:18pm | #7

   I have the Forrest stiffener. Using it hasn't made any difference at all in cut quality with regular or thin-kerf blades, on either my previous Ridgid 3612 contractor saw or my current Jet cabinet saw.

1. 
   MP72 | Feb 13, 2008 06:57pm | #8

   I want to thank all who posted. I was at the Woodworking show and the guy selling Forrest blades said that it was a must. I thought I would get your opinions before I invest in a dampener. I have a hard enough time dropping $100 on a blade but I bought a Forrest this year and decided to pick up another at the show ($80) because I like the cut so much that I wanted a back up when my first was getting sharpened. I don't use thin kerf blades very often. I use my bandsaw for rips. It sounds like they really only benefit thin kerf blades. Thanks Mike

1. 
   ripleylynn | Feb 13, 2008 09:18pm | #11

   sounds like you got some good answers.  I'll just add, I did buy the Forrest thin-kerf blade with the dampener.  It made NO difference whatsoever in the cut whether I used the dampener or not.  So, mine sits in the drawer.  FWIW, my $0.02

1. 
   benhasajeep | Feb 13, 2008 10:52pm | #12

   I use 2 of the Forrest Dampeners as stiffeners.  One on each side.  I used to use Craftsman stiffeners and still have them somewhere.  The Forrest are a little thicker and larger in diameter.  Never really tested the Craftsman ones.  Just put them on and trusted they did something.  When I got the forrest ones I did do a little tests as I was also bored that day.  I used MDF as the material to cut and made sure the blades were set to same height above the MDF (bottom of gullet - top of MDF).  I used a thin kerf 60 tooth import ($10 blade), a 60 tooth thin kerf Freud with coating, and a 60 tooth standard Freud blade no coating.  Without the stiffeners the import blade made a smooth but slightly fuzzy cut on the MDF.  With the stabilizers the import blade cut was definately better.  With either of the Freuds I could not tell a difference though.

    

   Someone posted the Forrests make initial contact in just 2 spots.  I did not notice that.  I just assumed they were of the same design as other stiffeners and just needed 1 since they were thicker (although I do use 2).  I will have to take them out and check this.

2. 
   JohnWW | Feb 13, 2008 07:36pm | #9

   The vernacular for this seems to be that the single disks are called dampeners and the two piece sets are called stiffeners.John White

3. 
   colebearanimals | Feb 13, 2008 09:12pm | #10

    

        Hi Chris,

                 I agree. Although I'm not a big fan of thin kerf blades for my table saw, I have noticed an improvement using a Forrest dampener with a thin kerf Forrest blade. I'm not sure, though, what you mean about the Forrest dampener only contacting in two spots. Mine is totally flat and well machined. 

                 But with a descent full kerf blade I find dampeners/stabilizers unnecessary.

                                                                        Paul

     

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 14, 2008 07:19am | #16

   Paul,

   Regarding the Forrest Dampener/Damper/Stabilizer, we must be talking about two different versions, though I'm only aware of the one.  It is shaped like (:)  You may need to use a little imagination.  The brackets represent the round shape of the dampener and the colon represents the contact points.  Ben, the guy with the jeep (or jeeps) noted the same design in the post after yours.Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   colebearanimals | Feb 14, 2008 08:10pm | #17

    

   Hi Chris,

          That must be a new design. I bought mine about 15 or 20 years ago. It's just a flat plate with 2 small holes at the outer edge 180 degrees apart.

          Two contact points. I wonder what the engineering is behind that. Isolation, rather than coupling? Not that it really matters much. The whole concept is marginally effective at best.

                                                                       Paul

1. 
   benhasajeep | Feb 14, 2008 09:40pm | #18

   Same as the 2 I have.  Bought probably 6 years ago.

2. 
   gmoney | Feb 15, 2008 05:44am | #19

   i'm using my first forrest ww II as of a couple of days ago without a stabilizer. i can't believe how much better this blade cut is than any other blade i've ever used! even my reswan stock comes off of there like it's been planed, and, in fact, better than planing when it's birdseye and curly. i plan to use forrest for just about everything and i'm sending my freud blades to forrest for resharpening to use on anything that the forrest might be damaged by. the proof is in the cut and it's a beautiful cut.

   greg

7. 
   Knotscott | Feb 13, 2008 10:57pm | #13

   Save your money.  IME a stabilizer/dampener benefits the seller more than the "sellee".  Even a good TK isn't likely to need one as long as your saw's arbor runout is low and the blade is balanced...I've yet to notice a difference on any decent quality blade I've tried with or without the stiffener.