The findings I report here are based on totally empirical, non-scientific “tests”. I am sure others would have conducted better tests to arrive at the same conclusions; I just could not afford to spend too much time troubleshooting the burning I saw on my cuts.

I have had the Woodworker II on the table saw for most of the last 4-1/2 years. Although the blade still cuts smoothly, recently it started burning the wood a little. This was especially evident when cutting 3-inch glued-up quarter-sawn white oak (QSWO) table legs:

I cleaned the blade regularly; but this time I had a hunch it needed to go beyond another cleaning. I checked alignment on the table saw, without finding anything out of the ordinary. The blade was parallel to the miter slot; and the blade was also parallel to the fence.

To keep from wasting too much time, I decided to install a brand-new blade. As luck would have it, I had received the Cabinetmaker blade from Sommerfeld Tools 24 hours earlier. I installed it, and proceeded to make some test cuts. The first thing I noticed was noticeably less effort in pushing the 3-inch leg stock through the blade. Second, the cut was perfectly smooth, with no burning anywhere:

To my amazement, it took much less effort to make the cut with the new blade. An Aha! moment.

I immediately realized that the Woodworker II needed its first sharpening. As a result, the Cabinetmaker will stay on the table saw, until it needs cleaning and/or sharpening. And, instead of wasting time on another cleaning, I resumed work immediately. Only about 15 minutes wasted, instead of an hour or two.

If, like me, you:

1. Have a clean blade, plus
2. Your blade has been in use on the saw for some time, and also
3. Everything is properly aligned on the table saw, but
4. Are experiencing either a little burning on your cuts, or
5. It “feels” as if you are having to push through the cut a little harder,

Then you probably need to have your blade sharpened. My Forrest Woodworker II is (finally!) being sharpened this weekend.

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