Tim said:

What is a blade lead? The guide blocks? I haven't heard that term.

Just in case there is some misunderstanding, it is blade lead - as in
to guide or direct in a course; not lead - as in a dense malleable
metal.

Blade lead refers to the direction that a particular blade wants to
track, depending on the saw's setup and the set of the teeth. Every
blade can differ.

For instance, when re-sawing, if the stock is not fed into the blade
at the angle that the blade wants it to be, it will not cut a straight
line, no matter how you force it. You only end up with score marks
and frustration. Feeding at what _appears_ to be parallel with the
blade is not enough. You have to check the lead of the blade and
compensate for its tendency to cut towards one direction or another.

When cutting curves, the same principles apply, only the pivot point
of the stock is altered to match the feed preference of the blade.

This really crude, exaggerated graphic might help:
http://webpages.charter.net/videodoc...ges/BSLead.jpg

FWIW