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The mirror-like Nickel Armor™ coating made photographing these blades a bit difficult as the camera often focused on the reflection of the ceiling! the good thing here is that contamination also has a hard time grabbing onto this coating. Click image to enlarge

Infinity Tools Saw Blades

If it spins and cuts, these people get it right

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 3-9-2012

I have been a fan of Infinity Cutting Tools router bits for years. I liked the quality and design as well as their longevity. Now I get to look at their extensive line of table and miter saw blades. As I should have suspected, their penchant for quality and real-world design carried over from their router bits. They also have not lost sight of giving the end user a very good value for their tool dollars.

The Basics

Infinity starts by using ultra-precise industrial lasers to cut the blade bodies from high-end steel. The lasers also cut effective expansion slots around the outer edge of the body. Then they add anti-vibration slotting around the mid-section of the body that keeps these blades running quietly. Even the center hole is precisely formed to insure a close fit on your arbor to prevent vibration and to promote silky-smooth cutting.

The bodies of these blades (left) are very well made and protected by the nickel coating that makes keeping them clean much easier. The vibration slotting (right) and tension rings keep these blades running very true and surprisingly quietly. Click images to enlarge

Along with heat treating to produce a rigid overall body Infinity takes the time to incorporate a distinct tension ring that further stabilizes the blade while cutting. I have been using a wide variety of Infinity blades and have yet to find one that either vibrates or tries to wander. This kind of wandering is seldom obvious other than producing a fuzzed up edge on one side of the cut. If your saw is aligned well, the Infinity Tools blades will leave a very clean edge.

While Infinity has blade designs for virtually all woodworking tasks, they incorporate anti-kickback technology wherever possible to help keep you a little safer. Very often all this entails is a “hump” in the blade behind the teeth that inhibits the wood from diving into the gullet but this is surprisingly effective. Nothing can protect anyone from everything but Infinity does its part in the design of their blades.

Shiny with a Purpose

When I posted my story on Choosing Table (and Miter) Saw blades the most common emails asked if the Infinity blades I used were chrome plated. They are very shiny but they are that way because of what Infinity calls Nickel-Armor™ that adds a coating of nickel that usually precedes chrome plate. Nickel plating has long been used in high-tech industries including aerospace because it adds lubricity, corrosion resistance in an ultra-smooth coating that is very tough. On saw blades the Nickel-Armor™ helps these blades resist the buildup of contaminates we generate like sap and similar debris. The slick surface of the Nickel-Armor™ also makes cleaning these blades easier using common household cleaners and paper towels in most cases. On very tough spots a plastic scraper or nylon scrubbing pad is all you need.

Fine Carbide

Not long ago the material used to form carbide saw teeth was all pretty much the same. Then as the technology of this industrial-quality cutter material expanded it was learned that as the carbide grains used to form saw teeth got smaller the ability to take and maintain a sharper edge increased as well. Today Infinity Cutting Tools uses micro-fine carbide for their saw teeth and you can tell the difference in how well they cut today and how that performance lasts into the future. You do have to avoid running into metal and keep the blade clean but from there the Infinity materials and designs keep you making clean cuts for a very long time.

Infinity offers blades in all common tooth configurations, all of which are made with micro-grain carbide (left) that produces high-quality, long-lasting teeth. Industrial lasers cut out the bodies including the expansion slots (right) and anti-kickback "humps" that make you a little safer in the shop! Click images to enlarge

In the Shop

I have used several Infinity combination blades over the years and they have always performed very well. Now I have been able to use The Ripper, crosscut, combination and high tooth-count specialty blades meant to cut fragile woods cleanly. I have to say each of them cuts very well. The edges the Infinity blades leave behind are crisp and very clean, even in problematic wood like punky walnut and expensive veneered woods.

Something else I noticed was that when I used a competitor’s blade of similar design to the ones from Infinity it always felt like the Infinity version required less pushing force to maintain a normal rate of cut. I mention this not because it is important to save a second or two over lesser performers but rather because it is easier to control a piece of wood when you are not pressing on it harder than normal. It is also easier to be safer when you are not leaning on the wood to get it through the blade. At the same time, the blade that cuts more easily also tends to leave a smoother, cleaner cut so we win on all levels.

Conclusions

Infinity Cutting Tools has developed a loyal following within the woodworking market with their hands-on customer service, great products and very good pricing. The Infinity Blades are no different. The quality and selection are there as is the value in these Italian-made saw blades. And, the same people who service Infinity’s router bit buyers also deal with those buying saw blades so you get the same high-end service that has made Infinity Tools such a favorite in woodworking circles.

To make their table saw and miter saw blades even more attractive Infinity keeps them priced very competitively. You can also sign up for an email newsletter that keeps you apprised of the many sales Infinity Tools runs throughout the year that can let you save a bunch of money. All you have to do is decide that you want the benefits of using high quality blades that are designed for the jobs you do and then call or log onto Infinity Tools web site and quit goofing around!

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