Freud LU96R012: 12" x 96T Thin Kerf Double Sided Laminate/Melamine

I got this recently when my old 80 tooth Dewalt one got dull. At same time, got the Hitachi 90 tooth just to see how each works.Now, don't get me wrong, the Hitachi is REALLY nice for the price, about half of this blade, but the Freud is...well, this is a real blade.Due to the write-up on the page, I was worried that it would not work for my purposes, which do not include laminates, melamine or formica. Even printed on the blade, it is only rated "good" for crosscuts. Don't believe it.I use it in a big mitre saw, and I was having a dickens of a time cutting some cheap Mexican molding (thanks, Lowe's) that is terrible wood. It was always splitting, chipping, tearing out with my other blades, including the new Hitachi. Not with the Freud.Not mentioned in the review on the page (at least I didn't see it) is the fact that this is a negative 3 degree hook blade, meaning that basically the teeth don't cut their way through the stock, they scrape their way through.When I opened it up, I thought, "oh no, it will be slow as the dickens trying to cut through hard wood." With the -3 degree set of the teeth, it doesn't even feel like it has a sharp edge. Boy was I wrong, it has never even felt like there was any stock that I was cutting, it just slices through without you noticing when you enter the stock, feels like you are cutting air.And, smooth--no tear out, very few fibers left on the exit side of the cut even in lousy wood. Beautiful in MDF molding.Also, it is a very thin kerf blade, about 3/32. Has TCP cut teeth, so that if for whatever reason you just wanted to make a slot, it is perfectly flat on the bottom of the cut, not double angled as an ATB blade would cut.I have tried to find something I don't like about this blade, but have not been able to. I will seldom if ever use it as intended, on laminates; but I will be really happy using it for all the other materials I put through my mitre saw. Since it is sold as having "harder" teeth than other carbides so it will last longer in use with laminates, I am hoping that it will last a lot longer the way I use it, which is mostly hardwood and pine molding and furniture work.GREAT BLADE.

If anyone out there is looking for a blade to cut melamine laminate, this one is the way to go. I used this blade to make severalbase cabinets for two bathroom projects using double sided melamine laminated chip board. The performance was excellent as advertised.Absolutely zero chipping on either the top or bottom surface. I did make and use a new zero clearance insert for my table saw, whichI think is the only way to get maximum performance from this blade. The blade did show some signs of slowing down after cutting up (10)2' x 8' sheets, but still performed flawlessly. As for dados, I cut right & left sides of the slot to depth with this blade and thenused my stacked dado set to finish them up. Again, no chipping whatsoever. Incredible blade for a specific purpose. I will save thisblade to cut laminates only and nothing else. It can also be used to cut plywood with great results ( I tried several test cuts justto check performance ). A little pricey, but worth it if you need chipp free cutting of laminated chip board or plywood.

I purchased this blade for a panel saw, and while the cuts are extremely clean on both side edges, the blade itself is very thin and can flex somewhat. I have used Freud blades in my 12" mitre saw and 7 1/4" power saw and really like the thinness. I should have gotten a thicker, less flexible blade for my application though. I gave the blade 5 stars because the blade itself is close to perfection, but my choice was not. I wouldn't be hesitant to recommend this blade or a different size Freud blade like it.

Excelente calidad de cortes, perfecto para cortar melamina, lo utilice en una sierra DeWalt Dwe7485 que es de 8 1/4" y a pesar que el disco es más pequeño funciona a la perfección

Although this blade is expensive, it is completely worth it. I'm doing my first home project, which is putting down laminate. This blade cuts very cleanly through with absolutely no splintering or anything. I've used it on the table and miter saws, and I can't believe how cleanly it cuts.

Why didn't I buy this thing sooner? I kept delaying, not wanting to spend this much. My existing blade is fine, right?Well, accidentally dropped my old 80 tooth blade and now had the excuse I needed to buy this. Let me tell you, it makes a world of difference. It's quiet, the friction is definitely lower, the thin kerf results in both less saw dust and faster feed rates, and it makes a very clean cut in hardwood. I haven't tried it with laminate yet.In fairness, I haven't tried a higher end blade like a Forrester yet, so maybe those are even better. But if you're wondering if you should upgrade from the blades that come with the saw or you get at Home Depot/Lowes because you're unsatisfied with the quality of its cuts, do it and do it now. If you have to drop your old blade while swapping out the dado or something so you have an excuse for your wife... well, I won't tell. :)