Freud Reviews

I had a good Delta blade on my Delta miter saw for almost 8 years. So I'm used to good blades. I work with all kinds of wood. Maple, Oak, Walnut, including plywood. This blade cuts it all great. No chips, splinters, and it is extremely sharp. You can hardly feel the blade hit the wood. The end grain cut is amazingly smooth.

I went and ordered a combo blade from Freud for my tablesaw.

The title says it all, you can't beat this blade. I really don't think there is any room for improvement here. I don't know what I did without it before! If you've got a decent chopsaw and a stock blade, you are missing out. This blade supercharges your miter box with glass-smooth cuts, less tear-out, thick carbide for many resharpenings, no blade flex (that I noticed) and therefore, perfect finish grade crosscuts. Leaves the edges as sharp as can be. Be careful when you first take it out of the box, this blade is truly sharp. YOU NEED THIS BLADE! Now I'm looking for more Freud products. Way to go Freud!!

We have tried all types of blades. And some are better than others!

When your making some of the finest cabinets and doors in the world for some of the most demanding customers you can't second guess your self! Or worrie about your saw blades integrity!

These blades will amaze your customers with fine bevels and hair line tight cross cut joints at any angel with any type of wood!! Great for cabinet panal saws and compound radial sliders! In 10" size.

When asked how we get our cuts so tight, we tell them about the Freud 80-tooth LU85R010 "Ultimate Crosscutting" blade! If your as serious about your projects as we are about ours don't skimp on your crosscut blades! Buy the LU85R010 From Freud!

And Fillet Your Wood!

In keeping this breif. I have an old model DeWalt that I have been struggling with hardwood rips on. Since I got this Freud blade the problems are gone, cuts are smoothe as can be. I will buy this product again.

Have I compared this saw blade to every one on the market? No. But I am very satisfied with the purchase. I have a underpowered Bosch 4000 portable table saw. With the combination blade that came with the saw I could barely rip 3/4" cherry. It would leave horrible burn marks and take a lot of pressure to get it through. Not safe. After receiving this blade, I've ripped Cherry, Walnut, and Ash, up to 1". All cuts have been burn free, and its been much easier to get through. I'm also surprised by how much quieter it is. My wife even noticed and asked me why my saw was so much quieter when I came upstairs after testing it out. And remember... this is a RIP saw. It does not like to be used for crosscutting. I tried a crosscut just for experimentation... it was tough to get through and left burn marks. So don't try to use this as a combination blade. I paid $40 for it and was happy... I see now that it's $25. I was happy spending $40, so if you can pick it up for $25 I think you're getting a great bargain for it. Of course, when I originally put it in my shopping cart, the price was $25, but by the time I purchased it Amazon bumped the price to $40. I couldn't wait for it to go back down, so had to eat the extra $15. I love Amazon, but I'm getting tired of big price jumps after I put things in the cart and a day or two passes.

This IS THE BLADE that you want if you are using a weak motor saw like the Ryobi BT 3000. Rips very nicely without bogging down the weak motor. I rip alot of 1 " stock and plywood and it slices through it with little effort and great feed rate. I think that it's a great blade for as little as you pay for it. I know that I'll buy this blade again whanever this one wears out.

We are using this blade in a 10" portable table saw. It is super-quiet and leaves a nice, clean edge. It's amazing how much better a saw can perform with a good blade in it. The motor doesn't bog down even when cutting thicker stock, and the blade powers right through the material. Definitely not a thin-kerf blade.

I am extremely happy with this saw blade and the support from amazon.com.

This is my second rip blade - its hard to find places to sharpen blades around here, and it takes a while, so I needed a back up.

I added the Freud blade stabilizers, and was able to rip inch and 3/4 ash with no blade marks whatsoever (on a delta contractors saw with link belt and zero clearance insert). I could feed it as fast as I was comfortable.

I can't imagine what paying an extra $[money] for a Forrest would gain me (not having to change blades, I guess).

I'm finding this blade tough to beat for the price. Crosscuts are easily as clean as my Forrest's at about half the price, and it rips better than other crosscut blades I've used. In fairness, my Forrest rips thick material better. The LU88 has large teeth, Frued's best carbide, anti-vibration slots, and teflon coating. Great for crosscutting and general purpose use on a TS, but I wouldn't recommend it for a CMS or RAS because of the aggressive hook angle.

Most crosscut blades cut cleanly but fall short in their ability to rip well or handle thick stock. The LU88 has some general purpose capabilities that many crosscut blades don't. It's tooth geometry features ATB carbide and a 15 degree hook angle that allow it to rip materials up to about 1" thick. Most crosscut blades have a very low or even a negative hook angle which provides a polished edge, but it also burns on almost any rip cuts. The LU88 is alot more versatile than most crosscut blades and cuts about as cleanly as my Forrest WWII. If you don't need to do alot of heavy ripping, I think you could do nicely using just this one blade. It's thin kerf design makes life pretty easy on my small saw. Very nice blade, and priced pretty reasonably too.

I've been an amateur woodworker for 25 years and in the last 5 or 6 years gotten into more and more projects that require the "right tools". I bought this blade 4 years ago when it first went on sale in our local area and I love it! Cuts whatever I feed into it with no difficulty and leaves a glass smooth edge. A little pricy in my local area to sharpen but that's life.

At this point all my blades are Freud and I'm a cheap SOB at heart so that's saying a lot.

Jim - a frugal New England woodworker

ok i bought a cheaper but not much cheaper bit same size as this and i did not get far into my project at all before the bearing exploded and runied my work.
i bought this one and finished that project and another with no signs of dulling and this is in oak.
PLEASE DONT BUY THE CHEAPER BITS MADE IN CHINA
Freud is great and will last

I used this bit to trim my Trex decking flush. It ate throught the Trex like nothing.

As the previous reviewer said, this bit comes sharp and stays sharp. I have enjoyed super smooth cuts in flat sawn red oak, quarter sawn white oak, poplar, pine, and walnut. I can't say enough how good this bit is for flush trimming both free hand and in a table.

I highly recommend it!

This review is for upward spiral bits, but the same information applies for a downward spiral bit. Downward spiral bits are designed especially for work where you want to go completely through the material.
This review is going to sound funny from someone who broke two 1/4" shaft 1/4" upward spiral bits. In plain words, I wouldn't be without them. As a matter of fact I am adding a 3/8" to my 1/4" and 1/2" bits. When people use the phrase the "break in period" take that literally when you use spiral bits. The problem is that it is not designed for freehand use. If you plunge it deep and try to freehand it into some wood, the edges can grab and instantly create a ricocheting effect, which will whip into an instant frenzy and snap the bit. These bits are designed to be used in a table, with a fence guiding the work against the bit, or in a jig to make mortises for example. They are ideal for use with a plunge router with a three step adjustable turret. Also great with a regular hand held, with successive depth adjustments. Fully burying the bit and going for it is not advisable even in a table.
Another consideration is although these bits are solid carbide, I doubt they are the same grade in hardness of the standard double flute straight bits with welded on tips, that are so popular. So they shouldn't last as long.
So after all of that, why buy an upward spiral bit? Simply this: If your creating a pocket, like a mortise, even though you are doing it in successively deeper passes, it will create a perfectly smooth surface, both on the walls, and the bottom of the pocket. If you are creating an opening all the way through your work piece, it will create a perfectly smooth wall.
When making mortises, it is possible, with dial caliper level measuring, to make a mortise so perfect that you almost don't need glue. You may want to for example use doweled pegs only to hold the joint. If you were doing heirloom antique level joinery with no metal hardware, such a joint would be beneficial. What is often done is the mortise is made with a machine or fixture with a chisel and drill bit at the core, making a pocket that is uneven in its edges, and even more so at the base. You may say who cares, I use urethane glues, which foam up to fill the gaps, and that would be a valid argument. What this spiral bit gives you is the option of building a jig that will fit a range of wood sizes that will give you instant mortises that are perfect, with less time, less effort, and perfectly made, and a lot less expensive than a dedicated machine. Wood mating surfaces can be done to perfection, instead of the standard glue up, and then having to sand out the surface irregularities. I am not knocking mortise and tenon machines, they are great, and quickly usable, because mortise and tenon joints don't show so they don't need to be perfect aesthetically.
One other thing worth mentioning, is that it is a good idea to get upward spiral bits with the same size shaft as the head of the bit. For example a 1/2" shaft 1/2" bit, and a 1/4" shaft with a 1/4" bit. That way you can make very deep mortises that go beyond the depth of the bit surface. So why am I buying a 3/8" spiral bit as well? Because I needed a 3/8" slot in the face of a project and wanted to do it with the spiral bit that I didn't have.
I just made some custom router table fences, and I needed to make a 1/4" slot along the backing board of the fence. I wanted it to be even and smooth and look great without any tear out on the edges, so I used the 1/4" spiral bit. Now I have exposed slots that are perfect. That is what a spiral bit does.
I have routers made by Porter Cable, Fein, Makita and several Bosch models, and each of them receives, both spiral bit size shafts of 1/4" and 1/2" effortlessly. They slide in without any play and do not bind on the way in or the way out. Knowing that router collets have a safety factor of needing a second tough release on unscrewing the collet is key. Additionally the Freud routers were having some problems with the bit fit, some say it is because they were being shipped with metric collets. Be that as it may, these spiral bits go into your router without any size-fit problems. I have never had a problem with any of the Freud router bits fitting into any one of my routers.
In conclusion, I would use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped double straight flute bits, and save these upward spiral bits for your exposed surfaces, or when you want a perfect surface-fit. Highly recommended, I wouldn't want to be without them.
***I have come back to add one more comment to this review. When I just said, "use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped straight double flute bits" I doubly advise you to do that. Even with the great results these upward spiral bits give you, I just broke my third 1/4"-1/4" shaft upward spiral bit. I have to conclude that the additional brittleness that an all carbide bit gives you, leads to an ease of breaking that you will not have with a standard bit. Of course the 3/8" and 1/2" with the 1/2" shaft are going to be a lot stronger, but I will be reserving my use of the 1/4" shaft upward spiral bit only for the most exposed surfaces.

This review is for upward spiral bits, but the same information applies for a downward spiral bit. Downward spiral bits are designed especially for work where you want to go completely through the material.
This review is going to sound funny from someone who broke two 1/4" shaft 1/4" upward spiral bits. In plain words, I wouldn't be without them. As a matter of fact I am adding a 3/8" to my 1/4" and 1/2" bits. When people use the phrase the "break in period" take that literally when you use spiral bits. The problem is that it is not designed for freehand use. If you plunge it deep and try to freehand it into some wood, the edges can grab and instantly create a ricocheting effect, which will whip into an instant frenzy and snap the bit. These bits are designed to be used in a table, with a fence guiding the work against the bit, or in a jig to make mortises for example. They are ideal for use with a plunge router with a three step adjustable turret. Also great with a regular hand held, with successive depth adjustments. Fully burying the bit and going for it is not advisable even in a table.
Another consideration is although these bits are solid carbide, I doubt they are the same grade in hardness of the standard double flute straight bits with welded on tips, that are so popular. So they shouldn't last as long.
So after all of that, why buy an upward spiral bit? Simply this: If your creating a pocket, like a mortise, even though you are doing it in successively deeper passes, it will create a perfectly smooth surface, both on the walls, and the bottom of the pocket. If you are creating an opening all the way through your work piece, it will create a perfectly smooth wall.
When making mortises, it is possible, with dial caliper level measuring, to make a mortise so perfect that you almost don't need glue. You may want to for example use doweled pegs only to hold the joint. If you were doing heirloom antique level joinery with no metal hardware, such a joint would be beneficial. What is often done is the mortise is made with a machine or fixture with a chisel and drill bit at the core, making a pocket that is uneven in its edges, and even more so at the base. You may say who cares, I use urethane glues, which foam up to fill the gaps, and that would be a valid argument. What this spiral bit gives you is the option of building a jig that will fit a range of wood sizes that will give you instant mortises that are perfect, with less time, less effort, and perfectly made, and a lot less expensive than a dedicated machine. Wood mating surfaces can be done to perfection, instead of the standard glue up, and then having to sand out the surface irregularities. I am not knocking mortise and tenon machines, they are great, and quickly usable, because mortise and tenon joints don't show so they don't need to be perfect aesthetically.
One other thing worth mentioning, is that it is a good idea to get upward spiral bits with the same size shaft as the head of the bit. For example a 1/2" shaft 1/2" bit, and a 1/4" shaft with a 1/4" bit. That way you can make very deep mortises that go beyond the depth of the bit surface. So why am I buying a 3/8" spiral bit as well? Because I needed a 3/8" slot in the face of a project and wanted to do it with the spiral bit that I didn't have.
I just made some custom router table fences, and I needed to make a 1/4" slot along the backing board of the fence. I wanted it to be even and smooth and look great without any tear out on the edges, so I used the 1/4" spiral bit. Now I have exposed slots that are perfect. That is what a spiral bit does.
I have routers made by Porter Cable, Fein, Makita and several Bosch models, and each of them receives, both spiral bit size shafts of 1/4" and 1/2" effortlessly. They slide in without any play and do not bind on the way in or the way out. Knowing that router collets have a safety factor of needing a second tough release on unscrewing the collet is key. Additionally the Freud routers were having some problems with the bit fit, some say it is because they were being shipped with metric collets. Be that as it may, these spiral bits go into your router without any size-fit problems. I have never had a problem with any of the Freud router bits fitting into any one of my routers.
In conclusion, I would use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped double straight flute bits, and save these upward spiral bits for your exposed surfaces, or when you want a perfect surface-fit. Highly recommended, I wouldn't want to be without them.
***I have come back to add one more comment to this review. When I just said, "use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped straight double flute bits" I doubly advise you to do that. Even with the great results these upward spiral bits give you, I just broke my third 1/4"-1/4" shaft upward spiral bit. I have to conclude that the additional brittleness that an all carbide bit gives you, leads to an ease of breaking that you will not have with a standard bit. Of course the 3/8" and 1/2" with the 1/2" shaft are going to be a lot stronger, but I will be reserving my use of the 1/4" shaft upward spiral bit only for the most exposed surfaces.

This review is for upward spiral bits, but the same information applies for a downward spiral bit. Downward spiral bits are designed especially for work where you want to go completely through the material.
This review is going to sound funny from someone who broke two 1/4" shaft 1/4" upward spiral bits. In plain words, I wouldn't be without them. As a matter of fact I am adding a 3/8" to my 1/4" and 1/2" bits. When people use the phrase the "break in period" take that literally when you use spiral bits. The problem is that it is not designed for freehand use. If you plunge it deep and try to freehand it into some wood, the edges can grab and instantly create a ricocheting effect, which will whip into an instant frenzy and snap the bit. These bits are designed to be used in a table, with a fence guiding the work against the bit, or in a jig to make mortises for example. They are ideal for use with a plunge router with a three step adjustable turret. Also great with a regular hand held, with successive depth adjustments. Fully burying the bit and going for it is not advisable even in a table.
Another consideration is although these bits are solid carbide, I doubt they are the same grade in hardness of the standard double flute straight bits with welded on tips, that are so popular. So they shouldn't last as long.
So after all of that, why buy an upward spiral bit? Simply this: If your creating a pocket, like a mortise, even though you are doing it in successively deeper passes, it will create a perfectly smooth surface, both on the walls, and the bottom of the pocket. If you are creating an opening all the way through your work piece, it will create a perfectly smooth wall.
When making mortises, it is possible, with dial caliper level measuring, to make a mortise so perfect that you almost don't need glue. You may want to for example use doweled pegs only to hold the joint. If you were doing heirloom antique level joinery with no metal hardware, such a joint would be beneficial. What is often done is the mortise is made with a machine or fixture with a chisel and drill bit at the core, making a pocket that is uneven in its edges, and even more so at the base. You may say who cares, I use urethane glues, which foam up to fill the gaps, and that would be a valid argument. What this spiral bit gives you is the option of building a jig that will fit a range of wood sizes that will give you instant mortises that are perfect, with less time, less effort, and perfectly made, and a lot less expensive than a dedicated machine. Wood mating surfaces can be done to perfection, instead of the standard glue up, and then having to sand out the surface irregularities. I am not knocking mortise and tenon machines, they are great, and quickly usable, because mortise and tenon joints don't show so they don't need to be perfect aesthetically.
One other thing worth mentioning, is that it is a good idea to get upward spiral bits with the same size shaft as the head of the bit. For example a 1/2" shaft 1/2" bit, and a 1/4" shaft with a 1/4" bit. That way you can make very deep mortises that go beyond the depth of the bit surface. So why am I buying a 3/8" spiral bit as well? Because I needed a 3/8" slot in the face of a project and wanted to do it with the spiral bit that I didn't have.
I just made some custom router table fences, and I needed to make a 1/4" slot along the backing board of the fence. I wanted it to be even and smooth and look great without any tear out on the edges, so I used the 1/4" spiral bit. Now I have exposed slots that are perfect. That is what a spiral bit does.
I have routers made by Porter Cable, Fein, Makita and several Bosch models, and each of them receives, both spiral bit size shafts of 1/4" and 1/2" effortlessly. They slide in without any play and do not bind on the way in or the way out. Knowing that router collets have a safety factor of needing a second tough release on unscrewing the collet is key. Additionally the Freud routers were having some problems with the bit fit, some say it is because they were being shipped with metric collets. Be that as it may, these spiral bits go into your router without any size-fit problems. I have never had a problem with any of the Freud router bits fitting into any one of my routers.
In conclusion, I would use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped double straight flute bits, and save these upward spiral bits for your exposed surfaces, or when you want a perfect surface-fit. Highly recommended, I wouldn't want to be without them.
***I have come back to add one more comment to this review. When I just said, "use the heck out of your standard carbide tipped straight double flute bits" I doubly advise you to do that. Even with the great results these upward spiral bits give you, I just broke my third 1/4"-1/4" shaft upward spiral bit. I have to conclude that the additional brittleness that an all carbide bit gives you, leads to an ease of breaking that you will not have with a standard bit. Of course the 3/8" and 1/2" with the 1/2" shaft are going to be a lot stronger, but I will be reserving my use of the 1/4" shaft upward spiral bit only for the most exposed surfaces.

This "IS NOT" a 1/2" shank router bit set. Please correct the product description. It is a 1/4" shank set.

This set is very good for its purpose: cutting various grooves, dados, etc for plywood. If you use alot of plywood, this set works great.

If your doing some plywood joinery, these bits won't let you down. Incredibly smooth cuts with no tearout. These frued bits just "sing" through the material. Definitely worth the money.

We all know that a 2x4 isn't really 2" x 4", and plywood is the same way. These bits are undersized to compensate for the sanding process of plywood. These bits will provide a great fit without any slop.
Don't use this set for making Dado's for MDF because 3/4" MDF is really 3/4", 1/2" is really 1/2" and so on.
I hope this helps

The 5 piece set is what I initially bought. It includes the glue up joint bit, which is nice for gettting a lot of panels to line up properly while gluing. It also includes the door lock bit, which will turn your raised panel, into a drawer front by removing the material around the edge of the back of the door face.
I bought this set as well. Why? Because when making kitchen cabinets, the raised panel bit that they provide with the 5 piece set is too small for a large cabinet. (Unless you prefer that look) So I bought this set, to pick up the 3 1/2" panel raising bit. That requires a large opening of at least 3 5/8" on the bottom of your router, and the opening on your router table as well. The Bosch 1619EVS is even larger than that. The Fein RT-1800 allows for the the use of a 3 1/2" bit, but the casting prevents you from plunging a bit that size. Not really recommended, because you might accidently adjust it into the base. Their are others also, but most fixed base 2 HP routers won't accept such a large bit. So measure first.
Overall this is a great set of bits. They do a great job, and last a long time. Highly recommended.

For those reading the review of the 99-218 panel raiser, try using a 1/8" backcut on your panel and your alignment problems dissapear.

I found the Freud 97-102 an excellent product. However,I found to get the maximum profile(1-1/4")and keep the panel & rails flush in the front,I had to use 3/4" stock for the panel, and at least 13/16" stock for the rails/stiles.(The panel cutter has a 5/8" depth of cut) A better choise is the Freud 97-100 set. It has the same rail/stile bits, but the panel bit included can take as little as 3/8" depth of cut and still get the full profile! This means you can use thinner stock if needed,and end up with a much better proportioned door.

The 1/2 inch bit blunted on the first use while trying to make it through an inch of maple. Not a little bit blunted, but to the point where I discarded the bit - all the edges were absolutely round. Go for carbide. - revised 3/8/02 - I was running the damn thing backwards in the drill, and burned it! Stupid move. However, I'd still recommend carbide. HSS bits can lose temper, carbide - not so much. These bad boys can get pretty hot in a drill press, and if you turn 'em blue, you burned it.

I HAVE USED THE BITS ON ALL KINDS OF WOOD AND THEY MAKE A VERY CLEAN HOLE FROM THE CUT AT THE TOP OF THE HOLE TO THE BOTTOM AND THE SIZE RANGE IT PERFECT. THE DIAMETER OF THE CUT IS ALSO GREAT.

I'm not really sure what foozleface was talking about. I had a project where I needed to bore a 3/4" hole through the end-grain of hard maple, which is significantly harder on a bit than edge grain. Upon the recommendation of a 30-year master woodworker, I purchased the Freud forstner bits. He told me that Freud was the best and I haven't been able to prove him wrong. I drilled through that maple like butter. Freud sold me.

I bought this 3 piece set as my first set. It has worked great. It is easy to set. It cuts cleanly. I am very pleased. Make sure you have a router with a 1/2" collet and a router table.
If I had it to do over I would have spent the extra money for a set with the back cutter.
Excellent product.

The popular 5 piece set is what I initially bought. It includes the glue up joint bit, which is nice for gettting a lot of panels to line up properly while gluing. It also includes the door lock bit, which will turn your raised panel, into a drawer front by removing the material around the edge of the back of the door face.
I bought this set as well. Why? Because when making kitchen cabinets, the raised panel bit that they provide with the set is too small for a large cabinet. (Unless you prefer that look) So I bought this set, to pick up the 3 1/2" panel raising bit. That requires a large opening of at least 3 5/8" on the bottom of your router, and the opening on your router table as well. The Bosch 1619EVS is even larger than that. The Fein RT-1800 allows for the the use of a 3 1/2" bit, but the casting prevents you from plunging a bit that size. Not really recommended, because you might accidently adjust it into the base. Their are others also, but most fixed base 2 HP routers won't accept such a large bit. So measure first.
Overall this is a great set of bits. They do a great job, and last a long time. Highly recommended.

I just purchased the 3 piece cab. bit set from freud and I am very excited. The set came within a few days of ordering- thanks Amazon. The bits are extremely sharp and the finish is excellent. The box that comes with the set is well constructed to keep the bits safe and free from dust, which is nice. The only concern that I initially had was whether or not the 3 1/2" bit would fit in my router base opening. I have a 7539 p.c. router and the opening is 3 1/2". I had to file the opening just a little to make the bit fit. I am sure that you will find this most acceptable. The cuts with the bits are very clean, just like the ads say, and there are no pieces of fuzz on the top of the profile on the end grain. This will save some valuable time. All in all, very good product and the price was extremely good. In fact, the cheapest I could find.