tenryu saw blades

Chris Mire

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Southern Louisiana
while in the tool store i ranted about earlier i noticed the only saw blades they were selling were tenryu (sp?). i have seen this name before but know nothing about their quality. anyone use these blades, are they good. how is the cut quality and do they last well?

thanks
chris
 
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Very old maker of tools and very good, top drawer here in Japan.

I got exceptional service from them a while back, I was looking for someone to sharpen big blue's blades, I asked Hitachi, they suggested I ask where I bought the saw...? :huh:

One of the guys at Joyful Honda suggested I contact Tenryu. A guy there speaks, reads and writes English, so I sent him an e-mail. He hooked me up with a company in Yokohama (not far from Tokyo) and introduced me to them, he even called the guy and told him I would be calling to inquire about getting my various blades sharpened.

Remember, at this point, I'd not bought thing one from Tenryu.

Give them a spin, they are VERY well thought of here in Japan, they make most of the "Stock" blades for most of the makers here, Hitachi, Makita, Ryobi etc.

http://www.tenryu.com <- US site.

Cheers!
 
I'm a fan, too. I have never used a WWII because I am perfectly happy with my Gold Medal. I don't see a reason to spend more money for a surface I can't distinguish from the one left by my Tenryu blade. I bought two, so i'd have an extra one should the first one need to go out for sharpening :)
 
thanks everyone, i think i'll pick one up when i go by there this saturday. after all, trying it will be the best determination. but knowing that you like the ones you have helps.

thanks a bunch
chris
 
chris, tenyru makes good blades but so do lots of manufacturers.....before buying any blade based on name take the time to learn about tooth geometry and plate design....the teeth are what contacts the wood and the way they`re ground as well as the number of teeth and gullet shape will determine how well they cut a given material.....a blade designed to cut lexan will not do very well on melamine.....just as a blade designed to rip 12/4 oak won`t do well on oak plywood....the plate, or body of the blade serves to hold the teeth in their correct orrientation but a poorly designed plate will flex or wobble when exposed to heat or side loading(like trimming 1/16")....
there are lots of good to great blade manufacturers in the market place and with the advent of cnc grinding technology the quality is very consistant from one manufacturer to another.....so if you find a blade with the tooth geometry you need all you need to do is find a few manufacturers with quality plates and good carbide and price shop knowing that you`re comparing apples to apples......tod
 
Tenryu makes a broad range of blades. Their Gold Medal is on par with the WWII. Some of the others like the "Rapid Cut" series are more on par with some of the entry and mid level Freud's...very good value.
 
I have heard very good things about Tenryu... one even came with my saw, but it was a non-standard width, so I "traded" it for something else. It wouldn't have worked with my scoring blade, nor was it optimum for my riving knife, and if I switched to another blade, all of the calibration on one side of the blade would have been off.

I just glanced at their web site and very few of the 10 inch blades were the "normal" 1/8 inch kerf. That doesn't mean they are bad, but be sure to check the thickness of the blade you are getting.
 
thanks guys, i figure it won't hurt to buy one and try it out.

tod, you lost me at blade geometry. ok, where can i learn about blade geometry besides by taking up your time and pickin your brain. i know you say your a hillbilly, but sometimes you definitely don't talk like one.

thanks for bringing that to my attention, i still have lots to learn about this whole woodworking thing.


chris
 
chris, the way i`ve learned is by reading the manufacturers specs, (they`re listed in the printed catalogues).....get several, ammana, gudho, wisconson knife are some that i have, and read what grind is used for what......then you`ll need to cross reference what you read with your own use of blades on your equipment......this is the hard part:eek: .......or to make life somewhat easier.......call c.g. schmidt and ask to speak to joe....he`s the guy who grinds their custom knifes and is a wealth of information! if he has the time he`ll explain what blade is best suited for your equipment and material and will probably give you a choice of a couple different manufacturers to choose from? or find a local saw shop with knowledgable staff and get to know them.....you`re going to have to develop a working relationship with a cutter house sooner than later and doing so early on is a good idea.....tod
 
I have had good luck with the Gold Medal, but I like an 1/8" kerf or easy math. You don't get this until you get to their 14" blade, which I have and like. Quality is on par with Forrest, Amana, Jesada, etc. Be careful, though, if you care, most of their cheaper blades are made in China now and you can see a definite difference in quality compared to the ones made in Japan.
 
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