Freud Reviews

I called Frued myself to double check (hard to pass up a deal) and was told the same thing. (they are 1-800-334-4107. Not recommended for wood trim.

When I complained to Freud about splintering on hardwood miters, I was told that the P1296N is for cutting non-ferrous metals!

You get 1 blade and have to send $3 for shipping in order to get the 2nd blade. The offer sounds great, but when I got just 1 blade in mail and seen I had to send $3 to Freud along with orginal recept, plus proof of purchase bar code, I really felt cheated. Why don't they just give two blades at one time if they want to really have a buy one get one sale.I am sure the 1060 blade is a very good blade but I have not tried it.

I ordered three of these blades thinking I was going to receive the Permashield coated blades. I got the standard bare metal finish. They work fine just not what I expected/wanted.

The Freud edge banding system occupies a unique niche between the household iron and multi-thousand dollar (aka "real production") edgers. So far as I can tell, it's the only option for semi-professional production of heat-set edge banding.

I find it a highly compromised tool. As the old National Geographics used to say, it's in a land of problems and promises. Conceptually, it's a darn good idea. The execution could be a whole lot better.

Let's look at edge banding for a minute. It's not much thicker than a business card (exclusive of adhesive)and only fractionally wider than the wood it is applied to. It takes a fair amount of heat to soften the glue. The guide system on a bander needs to hold material flat, square and unbowed, although everything that is being done previously almost guarantees the opposite.

The EB100 sometimes does the trick. There's only so much precision one can expect from stamped steel guides. When the machine works, it's a lot faster than the household iron. When it doesn't, it's hard to resist the temptation to throw the sucker out the window. Although one can remove improperly applied edging, it takes more effort than to apply it by hand in the first place.

Freud should improve the guide system and the table on the EB100 to make it a truly useful machine. Machined, precision guides would are necessary for this operation. And they shoud re-think using heat-set banding on a machine table that is subject to high temperatures. After 20 minutes of operation, the front edge of the table peels up. This doesn't impair function, it just looks like hell.

I know woodworkers that get excellent results from this system. Despite significant experience with precision machinery, I can't duplicate their results. Maybe if I were more skilled, I could. I am uncomfortable with a machine that makes me guess continually.

This tool is well made and can be used best in a drill press for cutting veneer or I have used it for cutting mortises and dowel holes when I am looking to avoid chip out. The savings over the carbides is nice but be aware that they will require sharpening more often, thus it is a good compromise for the occasional user.

I bought this bit as it is equivalent to a 35mm bit used to install standard cabinet hinges. One problem is that you must guage the depth as the bit is not the standard thickness. Generally when a forstner bit reachs the depth where the top of the drill head is level with the surface of the wood the depth is correct for consealed hinges; not so with this product. The thinner head also tends to walk a bit if you are not using a drill press so you must be careful to line the bit up 90 Deg to the wood surface. This bit will do the job but if you must make alot of holes without the aid of a drill press don't even think about it! The bit seems sharp but doesn't have the normal saw tooth cutting edge around the periphery and because of that I tend to think that perhaps this tool won't stay as sharp as long.

Unfortunately I had to return it as it did not work with the Ridgid T2424 tablesaw. The arbor bolt is too short and housing interferes with 3 small bolts on the outside dado blade (opposite of dial blade). Talking with the Freud representatives, it doesn't sound like it works with Craftsman either but you should double-check to be sure before buying like I did. Duh!

Documentation is unclear and inaccurate. Luckily there is an 800 number and person I talked to was friendly. Dado blade didn't work on his tablesaw either! Make sure you have a good tablesaw... ha ha.

I have the TKR407 on a Dewalt 12" double bevel compound sliding miter saw. The TKR407 is a good blade (better than the 60 tooth dewalt that came with the saw by a long shot) for general purpose work and mdf etc, however recently I have been using it for hemlock trim and the amount of tearout is too much for my liking, tearout seems to be less in harder woods such as oak and maple. If you are looking for a blade for finer work I suggest you look seriously at higher end blades instead, such as the Freud LU85 or Forrest chopmaster, they cost twice as much but perform better. I am a fan of Freud's blades in general, they may cost a little more than some, but I think they offer good value when you take into account that these blades last longer than the cheaper ones.

I read all the review in Amazon.com about this bit and hesitated to order it. I've had good luck with all the Freud blades in the past so I gave it a try despite all the bad reviews. I put the bit to test as soon as it arrived. Everything fit perfectly. Cut was very good and it is all made in Italy. There is nothing written on the bearing as one reader mentioned that it was made in China. I think may be because of the bad reviews Freud might have made improvement. One thing I still don't know it how long it will last. But looking at fit and finish it looks like a good product.

I have used this bit plus bearings many times now. It peforms quite well for its intended purpose.

I found this in a local store and was able to check it before ordering. The bearings are now all sized to fit the bit without the reducers and associated parts mentioned by earlier reviewers so it is definitely improved. The package has locations to hold each bearing when not in use and the cut is excellent. I have now made hundreds of cuts at various depths and it still cuts beautifully.

I am very unhappy about these chisels. I opened the box and pulled out the 1/2 inch. The blade has visible pits and dings. The edge feels like a saw blade. I pulled out the 1/4. A burr on the edge, but not bad. Same with the 1 inch. Then I looked at the 3/4. You have to wonder how this set got out of the factory. I have several Frued blades and bits, including a new Super Dado, and really like them, but this is ridiculous. I expected to have to sharpen the chisels when they arrived, but not to have to grind out large dings in the blade. I swear someone dropped the edge on a concrete step.

For the price, you can't expect perfection. The edges were average for new tools, about 3 or 4 minutes each with the sandpaper and surface plate, they would shave. The handles took a little more time,but after making a jig to hold them in my lathe, about five minutes each with sandpaper removed enough of the varnish to hand rub a tung oil finish that will be comfortable to hold for years. All in all a good buy to put in the traveling toolbox.

I have to agree with the previous reviewer - I doubt the handles are boxwood,they seems too soft and the finish is quite poor. They are very easy to sharpen, I am suprised by the first reviewer about the state of the chisels when he received them - if they were that bad why didn't he send them back. In any case I have never bought a chisel that I did not have to hone.