Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II vs. Freud 10” x 80T

Let’s take a look at these two table saw blades: the Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II and the Freud 10” x 80T.

Features & Benefits

You can read 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. Typical table saws have a 5/8” arbor and can accommodate blades up to 10” in diameter. So both table saw blades should be generally usable on many saws.

The 10” x 20T Woodworker II has a 1/8” (full) kerf. The 10” x 80T has a 0.098” (thin) kerf. (The term “kerf” is the width of the cut that the blade makes in the material being cut.)

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

A kerf less than 1/8” is known as a “thin” kerf. Thin kerfs waste less material than full-kerf blades and make it easier for saws to cut through thick or hard material. Most, but not all, table saws can work with thin-kerf blades. Check that your riving knife is thinner than the kerf, or dangerous binding can occur.

Teeth

The 10” x 20T Woodworker II has 20 teeth in an ATBR (2+1) configuration. The 10” x 80T has 80 TiCo high-density carbide teeth in an ATB configuration.

Blades with a tooth count below 40 are usually geared towards ripping wood lengthwise. For crosscuts or general-purpose use, you ought to consider blades with a higher tooth count. Blades with between 40 and 60 teeth are typically viewed as general-purpose blades. They can perform both rip cuts and crosscuts, but not as well as a blade specifically made for such cuts. Blades with a tooth count above 60 are generally geared towards crosscutting wood. For rip cuts or general-purpose use, you ought to consider blades with a lower tooth count.

Alternate top bevel (ATB) teeth have a bevel shape as opposed to being flat across. This shape lets them slice through wood instead of tearing out chunks, leading to smoother crosscuts. They do tend to be less durable than flat-top teeth. Alternate top bevel/raker (ATBR) blades have flat-topped “raker” blades interspersed every few teeth, to help improve performance when ripping. They also give 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

Here 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 80T
Brand	Forrest	Freud
Blade Diameter	10”	10”
Arbor Size	5/8”	5/8”
Kerf	1/8”	0.098”
Tooth Bevel	15°	20°
Tooth Count	20	80
Tooth Config	ATBR (2+1)	ATB
Tooth Material		TiCo high-density carbide
Rake	20°	10°
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	Glossy smooth crosscuts No vibration even when cutting thick hardwood Quieter than many comparable blades Little to no tear-out Can be sharpened inexpensively
Cons	More expensive than similarly-configured blades Minor marks require sanding	Some customers report receiving blades with chipped teeth Imperfections in the flush-ground tooth sides may snag wood and cause imperfections
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