The DeWalt DW7124TK is a 10" 24T thin kerf (TK) ripping blade with 5/8" bore that features a teflon coating for reduced friction, expansion slots for stability, FTG teeth for efficient material removal, and an aggressive 20 degree hook angle. The carbide teeth are reasonably large and are constructed of C-3 carbide....a fairly hard carbide rating, but not the hardest available. The 7124 is part of DeWalt's "Series 40" Woodworking blades and is backed by a 30-day no questions asked return policy and a 1 year warranty. This is not DeWalt's top series, but is certainly decent quality and good value when priced right.

Last year I bought a very good Freud ripping (LM72R010x) that also features the flat top grind (FTG) teeth. The Freud is a full kerf blade that was a huge improvement over my previous poor performing rip blade, but I had really wanted a thin kerf blade all along to rip at a faster pace. At the time I purchased the Freud I was unaware of any thin kerf blades that offered the efficiency and aggressive cuts of the full kerf versions with this tooth configuration. The only TK Freud's I'm aware of feature the alternating top bevel (ATB) tooth grind which leave a cleaner edge, but is not as aggressive and does not leave a flat bottom cut. This year I spotted a DeWalt 7124TK blade at a local homecenter for $39.99 that offered the same 20 degree hook angle and FTG teeth as my LM72. The 7124 does not have the anti-kickback design however. At $40 I was only slightly intrigued, and decided it wasn't worth it. An Ebay posting for a brand new DW7124TK for $20 delivered convinced me to take the leap and pick up the DeWalt.

The blade is well made and has a similar "polished look" as my Freud and Forrest blades. Obviously the thin kerf body is smaller than the full kerf Freud, but the teeth are also notably smaller and won't withstand as many sharpenings. It feels less substantial than it's Freud counterpart, but definitely rips through the same heavy maple and oak faster than the Freud which was my primary objective for this blade. I'd estimate that rips go 40-50% faster....a pretty significant difference in my opinion. While this is no glue line rip blade, it is a very aggressive heavy duty blade intended to plow through the thickest hardwoods, and does an excellent job of that task. The FTG teeth leave a nice flat bottom that comes in handy for grooves, dados, rabbets, or tenoning work, plus they really clear material from the kerf quickly. You're far less likely to encounter burning with this blade than with most others. Splintering and tearout characteristics are actually quite good considering the FTG design....better than expected, and better than with the Frued, probably due to the thinner teeth. It even left a respectably clean edge on 3/4" plywood, which suprised me as the blade is not claimed to excel in this regard. For critical and visible pieces, some sanding or clean up with a jointer or finishing blade are recommended. One knock against think kerf blades is deflection of the body during heavy cuts due to the thinner body. There are aftermarket stabilizers and stiffeners available, but on my better blades like the Forrest and DW, I'm not noticing deflection problems. Even if some deflection occurred, I wouldn't consider it a problem for heavy ripping anyway because it's not intended to be a finished cut in most cases.

At my usage rate, I expect this blade to go 2-3 years between sharpenings, which is likely a shorter time frame than the Freud. If I can get 2-3 sharpenings from the blade and get 6-9 years of service from it, I'll be delighted with the outstanding value. At $20, for the time being I'm very satisfied with the cut quality and the ease of ripping with this blade. If I the blade were not available for well less than $40, I'd suggest looking into the CMT version of the FTG TK blade which has harder carbide, anti-kickback design, and larger teeth. (The DeWalt is currently available for less then $30 from Kimco, Right-Tools, and Bargainsandmore 2002...Froogle.com can help locate those sites)

Recommended if the price is right.



Recommended: Yes