I don't think I necessarily agree with the statement "Sliders do work better with less hook" -- if you equate hook with meaning the same as rake angle.? I have tried in one instance using my 10 degree rake blade for ripping and it did not work well at all.? There was a lot of resistance for feed rate (required more pressure to push the wood through the saw) and I commonly got burn marks.? For ripping, you definitely need a higher rake angle on the blade tooth.
?
I guess think of it this way.? A higher rake angle (20 or 25 degree) will act more like a shovel to scoop larger sections of wood out when doing the cut.?? A shallower rake angle (5 or 10 degree) will act more like a grinder wheel than a shovel.? Obviously, this is an extreme analogy, but hopefully you get the concept.
?
I think the link to the Tenryu chart that Imram provided is actually a pretty good recommendation.? It shows a higher 20 or 25 degree rake angle for anything doing ripping.?? Then shallower 10 or 15 degree rake angle for crosscuts.? The only negative degree rake is for melomine and laminates.?? In other Tenryu charts, the only time I see a negative rake is on miter saw or radial arm saw (which are essentially cross-cut only machines) and, of course, metal cutting applications.
?
Based on the chart, my 10 degree blade is actually recommended for plywood only, but I found it works great for hardwoods as well (though, it still might not be as optimum as a 15 degree rake).
?
-Aaron Inami
