Chop/Miter Saw Blade Suggestions

[wrenchone]

Recently, I gave in in to the impulse and bought a 10" compound miter saw from a local hardware store for the princely sum of $90. It came with a fairly coarse carbide blade. Any suggestions for other blades for making things like amplifier base frames, etc?

[Glowbug]

I've had good luck with Freud blades for finish work.

Pricey, but they do the job

[wrenchone]

Which ones, though? I'll be doing cuts in oak, birch, and possibly cloth reinforced phenolic.

[Cal Weldon]

If you ask a retailer, they will assist you in the choice. I use a lot of thin kerf carbide. Cheap, and easy on the saw.

[zigzagflux]

Second the Freud blades. Lots of teeth for a clean cut is best for the DIY limited quantities.

[mattmcl]

The Forrest Woodworker II is the best blade I've ever used, but it's $100, and I have the combo version for my table saw. I know they make one just for cross cuts though. I've had it for ten years and it's unbelievably precise.

Steel blades will initially be sharper than carbide, but carbide will last longer before needing resharpening. A thin kerf blade is recommended if you'll be cutting hardwoods.

As mentioned above, Freud blades are still very good and not as pricey as the Forrest.

Hang onto the one that came with the saw though, I use my cheap blades for cutting PVC pipes for tubes, etc.

[leadbelly]

Just wanted to give you a warning...try a project with some cheap wood 1st before trying quality stuff with the mitre saw.

I gave up on my "cheap" ($260 a few years back) mitre saw a long time ago for precision cuts with low tearout such as you will need if you want a visible, glueable joint. I only use a table saw for that type of work now.

In fact my experience is so bad I don't know if the previous respondents spent a lot of time setting their mitre saws up or if they are just extrapolating from table saw experience. No matter, I didn't mean to flame anybody, just wanted to warn you to tread carefully.