Hey everyone! I recently picked up a 10" Hitachi C10RA table saw from Craigslist at a great price, but it didn't come with a blade since it needed a bit of TLC. I mostly tackle random projects around the house and not really any fine woodworking. I'm not expecting to do a lot of ripping either, so I'm thinking about getting a general-purpose blade, maybe around 60 teeth. However, I really want a flat-top, normal-width blade because I want to be able to cut a 1/4 rabbet without swapping blades or investing in a dado set (which I don't own yet). Space is tight for me, and I've also got a 10" miter saw for those miter cuts. Would just having one blade in the $40-60 range be realistic, or am I dreaming?
3 Answers
Unfortunately, you might need a reality check. What you’re describing sounds more like a rip blade, and most combination blades are ATB (Alternating Tooth Bevel). No single blade will do everything you want. A good setup would be to get a 40 tooth combination blade along with a dedicated rip blade, which is safer and gives better cuts. Also, consider increasing your budget a bit—quality blades last longer and can be resharpened, making them a better investment.
Most flat top blades are primarily rip blades. I personally use a blade for rips and dado cuts from CMT. For general-purpose cuts, I have a combination blade from the same brand, but I haven’t tried it for dado cuts yet. It’s worth looking into!
It’s generally better to have a couple of blades. For example, I use a Freud 24 tooth flat top rip blade and a thin kerf Diablo 60 tooth for crosscuts. If your saw can handle it, you might want to consider getting a dado stack in the future too.