Mr. Clean Makes Dust!
Written: Apr 17 '06 (Updated Mar 15 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazingly clean and splinter free crosscuts on hardwoods, laminates, and veneered plywood.
Cons: Limited versatility, limited durabilty.
The Bottom Line: This is the right blade for clean crosscuts and cutting plywood or laminates with zero tearout. It's not good at ripping thick wood, and isn't extremely durable.
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| woody2's Full Review: Freud F810 10 80-Tooth Hyper-Finish Precision Cros... |
The F810 is an 80 tooth Hi-ATB blade that's designed specifically for ultra-fine crosscuts in hardwood and tearout free cutting of veneered plywood, laminates, and other sheetgoods. It's a true dedicated purebred specialty blade...no general purpose applications were intended in it's design. The F810 was one of the two elite blades offered in Freud's Premier series, but it was recently given a Permashield coating and has been relabeled as the LU80R010, and is now only available as the LU80R010...I'll interchange to two terms throughout this review. The other blade in that premier series is the Freud F410 40T general purpose blade. The F810 is a full 1/8" kerf blade and uses a mild 2 degree hook angle to provide the cleanest, most highly polished cut possible. The low hook angle makes this blade suitable in a table saw, radial arm saw, compound miter saw, or sliding compound miter saw.
"Hi"-ATB isn't a salutation..."ATB" stands for alternating top bevel, which is a type of grind used for many saw blades where a shearing action is desired. "Hi" is an indicator that the bevel on the teeth were ground at a very steep angle relative to a normal ATB blade....about 40 degrees. The teeth actually score the surface as they slice through. The teeth are made from very large C4 micrograin carbide and are downright intimidating because of that steep bevel. They have razor sharp points and look like something from a James Bond movie.
ATB tooth grinds are considered to be very clean cutting. The steeply beveled angle of a Hi-ATB grind takes that clean cutting charastic a step further. The F810/LU80 is Freud's cleanest cutting crosscut blade. It leaves a polished splinter free cut like like few others I've used. If you scan through my reviews, you'll note that I've used some extremely good blades including a Forrest WWII, DeWalt 7657, and Ridge Carbide TS2000. While those are great general purpose blades that make excellent crosscuts, the F810 is simply in a different league in this particular task. The results are that of a true specialist. However, try ripping hardwood with the F810 or crosscutting thick hardwood to full blade height and you're likely to be starring at a blackened edge caused by burning. Those are the limitations of a purebred Hi-ATB crosscutter like the LU80. The same limitations and weaknesses would be true of any blade that's configured like the F810, such as the Forrest Duraline Hi-A/T. Don't ask a piano teacher for tennis lessons, and don't ask a Hi-ATB crosscut blade to rip thick cherry! About the only versatility this blade can offer is that it's suitable for use in several types of saws.
Another limitation of a Hi-ATB design is that those razor sharp teeth with the fearsome looking points are much more prone to dulling. This is the least durable of all blade grinds because the delicate tips tend to abrade more rapidly than other grinds. Freud's C4 micrograin carbide is an excellent grade of carbide and will help resist dulling, but the F810/LU80's heredity can't be hidden indefinitely. Don't expect this blade to be a workhorse in your shop. If frequent use is anticipated, I'd suggest keeping two of these on hand so there's always a back up while one is being sharpened.
This blade is excellent for it's intended usage. As a dedicated crosscut blade in a TS, RAS, CMS, or SCMS, and for cutting expensive veneered plywood or laminates on a TS, it will perform incredibly well. If you need the ultimate in cut quality and are willing to pay for a blade that operates superbly in a narrow range of cuts, this blade is a great choice.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
woody2
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Location: Rochester, NY
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 19 members
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Thank God for God. Think life is tough now...try without him!
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