Forrest STIF04 4-Inch Size 5/8-Inch Arbor Circular Saw Blade Stiffener - Dampener Review

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(More customer reviews)Since this is NOT a review of Forrest Saw Blades I will forgo the accolades as to their quality and outstanding and affordable customer service, including outstanding sharpening and re-toothing at bargain rates and direct this review to the featured product.

BLADE STIFFENERS
First, "Blade Stiffeners", [hence, BS or BSs] are not an exclusive of Forrest as Freud, and a handful of other manufacturers, even Craftsman market their own versions.I've had experience with both the Freud and Forrest versions only, they are very different designs, and have performed only quasi-experimental methods restricted to subjective observation.Absent were objective measures, double-blind, inter-rater response sets, etc etc If any manufacturer is interested in a true "study" strictly adhering to the tenets of scientific methodology, empirically gathered data and their interpretations[those mentioned above and beyond], and willing to subsidize such, they can contact me directly.Until such time, this subjective, anecdotal review is just another subjective review and shared experience.So much for the proviso, now let's begin.

PROPER USAGE
Many saws may not be able to take the extra thickness presented by these BSs and still permit proper seating of the hub nut, nor should a BS be used in place of the inner OEM hub flange and should only be used in the OUTER assembly.THERE MUST BE ROOM ON THE SHAFT TO PERMIT PROPER SEATING OF THE KEYED OUTER FLANGE. In most cases, ONE is good, TWO is not better. This problem is exacerbated when not using thin kerf blades and using INDUSTRIAL blades such as Systematic, Amana[not the "low-end" A.G.E. line], which sheer weight can severely stress braking systems on new saws as you watch you blade continue on well beyond one or two revolutions promised by the saw manufacturer.

COMPATIBILITY
Bring these industrial blades and a BS of your choice along the next time you're shopping for a new saw, whether Powermatic, Delta, Jet, even Woodtek [Shop Fox], might not be a bad practice to test the saws braking capacity.You may also be in for some surprises as well.When it comes to Miter Saws, the same problems exists, maybe even more so, and weaker or poorly designed braking systems can be easily revealed if the dealer lets you mount your blade on her or his saw.
After mounting a Systematic blade[often twice the thickness of Freud or other Home Center brands] on a Craftsman Miter Saw and switching it on, the darn thing went into motion rivaling some seriousbreak dance moves!This effect may have been the results of a not-so-flat mounting hub, the need for a stiffener, debris between the hub flange and the blade, and a host of other evils, so easily correctable, so regrettably due to the design and materials of the saw being used and cannot be compensated for with ANY gadget.
We are now entering the cost prohibitive land of very high quality INDUSTRIAL blades, commonly in the triple-digit price range.
Some BSs can interfere with the rack systems employed by some table saws.
Bottom-Line:ANY BLADE CAN BENEFIT by a BS, even those COSTING LESS than the BS!However, not every saw has an shaft long enough to handle both the blade and the BS.The latter especially holds true for Miter Saws and less expensive, lighter duty saws in general.If you have the opportunity to test fit one before purchasing, or purchase one with a forgiving return policy, this may not be a waste of time.Again, most manufacturers recommend using ONE STIFFENER, and that should be outboard of the blade, not inboard towards the motor.

Design
The Freud BSs appear made of stamped steel.Again, the key term is APPEARS as they could be machined, they just don't appear so.The Forrest BSs are definitely machined, to within hundreds of an inch, and are nothing more than blanks of their actual thicker saw blades, and that can be VERY thick.While Forrest offers thin kerf blades, their stock blanks are don't appear to be the source for the BSs, and rightly so.Freud on the other hand uses a more typical hub disc, slightly flanged, beveled, and therefore much thicker than the Forrest BSs. Both designs may cause some loss of max depth of cut, especially for bevel cuts [for instance, Forrest recommends using one outer 5" BS along with the other mounting assembly for a 10" blade, 4" for an 8" blade, and so on.Some recommend a your BS be equal to 2/3rds! of your blade diameter for maximum performance which severely limits max depth of cut, especially on single and double bevel cuts.
Herein lies a possible snag for some.No matter what you spend on your saw [cabinet, contractor, bench top, etc.] the hub components are usually stamped steel, inherently resulting in a less than flat surface and defeating, to a small to large degree, the purpose and rationale.Even as seemingly small as a minor metal finish flaw or divot, sawdust, rust or pitting, any minor irregularities of the OEM flange or hub, can defeat whatever gains expected or achieved by using a BS.

ONLY ONE PIECE TO THE PUZZLE?
Ok, we've discussed the possible snafu's or snags, but many would argue "any man-made problem inherently lies a man-made solution.While "*necessity* is the MOTHER of invention, INGENUITY IS THE FATHER"[this platitude is rarely heard in its entirety, it's included with emphasis here.
SOLUTION 1) Have the remaining OEM blade mounting hardware MACHINED by a reputable machine shop within a tolerance of several 100ths of an inch.This can be performed by many properly outfitted automotive machine shop for less than a café latte at Starbucks!
SOLUTION 2) Using medium to coarse brass or even steel wool, clean ALL contact surfaces thoroughly before mounting, ALL both front and rear blade mounting hardware and/components should be cleaned of all pitch, rust, gouges which can raise along the edge, etc.
SOLUTION 3) Follow with a non-shredding tack cloth to catch the last of the debris and leftover bronze, brass, or high quality steel wool, lint, sawdust, hair, etc.Gently run a single-edged razor and your fingers along all contact surfaces to detect any surface irregularity as these can happen or be picked up during transport back from the machine shop.

IN SUMMARY
The rest is up to the blade, the trueness of your saw.Your success will be HEARD [or rather not heard, as the blade will spin much quieter, remarkably so in some instances.Auto-Brake Systems: CHECK to make sure your blade is not spinning before grabbing for the wood or making adjustments.Your success will be SEEN, evidenced by a significant reduction of following scrapes along the cut, less splintering at the edges, and a host of other appearance evils, often achieving a ready to glue up panel without further prep.
And as many woodworkers have come to learn, "seeing" is often done BEST BY TOUCH, our fingers often detecting flaws our eyes could never hope to detect.Your success can be TIMED, as smoother cuts often translate into faster cuts with less burning of hardwoods.As with most construction and/or cabinetry work and wood fabrication, finish and durability owes itself to preparation:generally 9/10ths of any job saving you many headaches down the road.
Test fit your blade and stiffener combination to make sure your saw's shaft is long enough to permit all mounting hardware be properly seated ideally BEFORE purchasing, ABSOLUTELY before USING absolutely!Machine and prep all OEM blade mounting components!
There are far too many saw tune-up procedures and processes to add to an already lengthy review, but all of these steps can lead to a remarkable cut and finished cabinetry.

AX~ Master WoodButcher and Seasoned Termite

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