Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II vs. Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion

Let’s take a look at these two table saw blades: the Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II and the Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion.

Features & Benefits

You can read more in our complete guide to buying a table saw blade.

Related: Choosing the Right Table Saw Blade

We’ve also got a roundup of the best 10” table saw blades.

Size

Both saw blades are 10” in diameter and have a 5/8” arbor hole. Most table saws have a 5/8” arbor and can accommodate blades up to 10” in diameter. So both products should be widely compatible with many saws.

Both table saw blades have a 1/8” (full) kerf. The 10” x 40T Premier Fusion is 0.098” thick. (The term “kerf” refers to the width of the cut that the blade makes in the material being cut.)

A 1/8” kerf is considered a “full” kerf and should work with most table saws. On lower-powered saws, a full-kerf blade might cause the saw to struggle with thicker or harder material, compared with a thin-kerf blade.

Teeth

The 10” x 20T Woodworker II has 20 teeth in an ATBR (2+1) configuration. The 10” x 40T Premier Fusion has 40 TiCo high-density carbide teeth in a Hi-ATB configuration.

Blades with fewer than 40 teeth are typically geared towards ripping wood lengthwise. For crosscuts or general-purpose use, you might consider blades with a higher tooth count. Blades with between 40 and 60 teeth are usually considered general-purpose blades. They will be adequate for both ripping and crosscutting, but not quite like a blade specifically made for those cuts.

Alternate top bevel (ATB) teeth are cut on a bevel rather than being flat across. This shape lets them slice through wood rather than tearing out chunks, leading to cleaner crosscuts. They do tend to be less durable than flat-top teeth. Hi-ATB teeth are beveled at a steeper angle than regular ATB teeth, and perform better on materials like plywood and melamine. Alternate top bevel/raker (ATBR) blades have flat-top “raker” blades interspersed every few teeth, to help improve performance when ripping. They also leave a flat bottom on non-through cuts, rather than the parallel grooves of a regular ATB blade.

Pros & Cons

Let’s take a look at some of the pluses and minuses of these products.

For the Forrest:

For the Freud:

Comparison Chart

Below is a full side-by-side comparison of these products’ specs. You can view comparisons of the Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II with other products

	Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II	Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion
Brand	Forrest	Freud
Blade Diameter	10”	10”
Arbor Size	5/8”	5/8”
Thickness		0.098”
Kerf	1/8”	1/8”
Tooth Bevel	15°	30°
Tooth Count	20	40
Tooth Config	ATBR (2+1)	Hi-ATB
Tooth Material		TiCo high-density carbide
Rake	20°	18°
Expansion Slots
Pros	Forrest’s customer service is very highly regarded Factory sharpening service for a reasonable fee Easy ripping of difficult materials like 2” oak Repair service keeps blade functioning like new for much less than buying a new blade	Glassy-smooth cross cuts on many kinds of wood Very little tear-out cutting plywood Smooth enough results for gluing without sanding Long useful life before needing sharpening Less dust than comparable blades
Cons	More expensive than similarly-configured blades Minor marks require sanding	Some customers report teeth chipped either out of the box or after only a few cuts Does not rip as well as some other general-purpose blades, especially hardwoods Hard to get sharpened locally, may need to send to factory The red coating may rub off on harder materials
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