Now I’ll be honest here in that I have a hard time differentiating between the higher quality blades. Many folks ask me if the Gold Medal blade is better than Forrest. If both blades cut cleanly and they both last a long time between sharpening, I’m a happy camper. But I can safely say that the Gold Medal series is every bit as good, if not better, than the Forrest WW II.

Please enjoy the original review:

As many of you know, I recently hung up my much-adored Forrest Woodworker II blade in an effort to give another brand a shot. That brand was Tenryu. I have heard great things about their blades so I was excited to give them a chance. Specifically the MP-305100AB in my miter saw and the GM-25540 in my table saw.

Let me start by saying the MP-305100AB has found a permanent home in the miter saw. Never have I had such glass smooth cuts from that tool. To be fair though, I upgraded from a stock blade. But what an amazing upgrade it was!

As for the tablesaw blade, I have to say that the blade cuts beautifully. Since my Forrest blade is several years old and has been sharpened a few times (and is in need of sharpening now), a true side by side cut quality comparison was not possible. But I have used my Forrest for years and I am quite familiar with its cut characteristics. And if the Tenryu produced a perceptible difference, I would have spotted it. And to be honest, there wasn’t much difference at all. Of course in a controlled side by side test, with microscopes and lab jackets we might be able to choose a cut quality winner between these two. But seriously folks, in my shop (and most likely yours), both of these blades kick butt and produce top notch cuts. Since the blade is so new, factors like how well the blade holds a sharp edge over time have yet to be determined.

The only real problem I had was that I was under the impression that this was a full-kerf blade. So during the testing, I noticed binding and other indications that this blade had an odd kerf width. Come to find out it is actually being billed as a thin-kerf blade. And it happens to be one of the thickest thin-kerf blades on the market, which is why I didn’t immediately notice the size difference. Unfortunately, this is a deal breaker for me since my setup is for full kerf. Both my splitter and my zero clearance insert would be useless with this blade.

Verdict: Tenryu is a top-notch company that produces a premium blade. The cut quality certainly justifies its cost. If Tenryu could manufacture this blade with a full 1/8″ kerf, they would have a customer for life.

The Dust Right Vortex

The Dust Right Vortex is a cyclone separator: basically a trash can with a fancy lid that allows your shop vac to act like a dust collector. I am lucky enough to have a ducted cyclone system in my shop, so I won’t be purchasing this unit myself. But I am excited about the concept behind this. Truth be told, this is nothing new and people have been making their own trash can separators for quite some time now. But its a mass-produced product like this that helps raise awareness of the need for good dust collection. Frankly, I don’t care whether you build it or buy it, as long as you’re doing something to protect your lungs! For those that don’t have the budget or room for a large ducted system, the Vortex is a great option. And if you are looking to build your own, check this out!

Stanley and Wood River Planes

I have been a big fan of Lie Nielsen and Veritas planes for years. While some folks like to tune up old planes, I much prefer to spend a few extra bucks on a tool that works properly from day one. Unfortunately, this convenience comes at a cost and these high-end tools will quickly drain your bank account. Making matters worse, they are much like potato chips: you can’t have just one! This is why I am excited to see the latest releases from both Stanley and Wood River. Both companies are now producing decent quality planes for a significantly lower asking price. For example, lets look at a basic smoothing plane: $300 from Lie-Nielsen, $179 from Stanley, and $129 from Wood River.

Of course these planes are not quite up to the overall quality level of a Lie Nielsen or Veritas plane, but they are narrowing the gap with every iteration. This gives the average Joe or Jane an opportunity to work with a plane that doesn’t require a degree in metallurgy to get it working properly.

Festool’s CXS Compact Li Ion Drill

In June, Festool will release the latest addition to their line of premium drills: the CXS. While many folks feel that bigger is better, I prefer a more compact form factor when it comes to drills. Now if I were on a construction site all day, I might want a monster 18V cordless drill. But in my shop, light and nimble is the key and no one does ergonomics better than Festool. This drill comes in at under 2 lbs!!

Like all Festool drills, the FastFix chuck system allows you to easily switch between several different chucks, including the Centrotec chuck, the keyless chuck, and the right-angle attachment. Of course this bad boy doesn’t come cheap. It is Festool after all. Retail price looks to be $225.

Tenryu’s Full Kerf Gold Medal Blade

A few years ago, I reviewed Tenryu’s Gold Medal Blade GM-25540. While the blade cut like butter, I was upset that they only offered the blade in a thin kerf model. Thankfully, Tenryu has been hard at work creating a full-kerf blade that performs as well as the thin kerf version. Here’s some info from Gary Haines, a sales manager for Tenryu:

Tenryu spent over a year developing a specially shaped carbide tip to reduce cutting friction as much as possible. The objective was to provide the same perceived ?feel? when using the full-kerf version (.125″), as opposed to the thin-kerf (.111″) version we have become famous for producing. This new special tip design provides:

• Reduced friction/resistance
• Feeding that mimics the thin kerf design
• Higher rate of sawdust/chip extraction
• A reduction in ?grabbing? of the material edge while cutting (results in less burnishing)

I had the good fortune of testing a few of these blades during development, and I must say they absolutely met and exceeded my expectations. Back in my previous review I stated that if Tenryu ever came out with a full-kerf version, they’d have a customer for life. I am proud to say I have followed through with that promise and the Tenryu is now my “every day blade”.

So what tools are you looking forward to in 2011??

Tenryu recently sent me a few samples of their latest offerings for the Kapex and I’ve been playing with them for the last few weeks. Overall, the quality is exactly what you would expect from a high quality blade manufacturer. How does it compare with the stock Festool blade? My initial non-scientific tests showed that the Festool blade produced a smoother cut on 8/4 bubinga. I tested this by feel and by rubbing the endgrain with chalk to observe the surface imperfections. Tenryu explained the reason for this phenomenon and it has everything to do with the grind on the teeth. The Tenryu ATAF (Alternate Top/Alternate Face) grind makes a more aggressive shearing cut, while the Festool blade has an ATB (Alternate Top Bevel) grind which essentially burnishes as it cuts, resulting in a surface that feels smoother. I also noticed less tearout at the back end of the cut with the Tenryu blades. But given the fact that they have higher tooth count, this isn’t too surprising.

I honestly didn’t do enough testing to tell you one blade is better than the other. But if you are looking for an alternative to the blades Festool offers, its nice to know that these are available. Tenryu already has two on the market and you can purchase them here. I also heard from Tenryu that they will soon offer thinner kerf blades for the TS-55 plunge cut saw (.063″, 52 tooth and be supplied with its own riving knife). They hope to have the blades by the middle of October.