Saw Blades

A Few Things To Know About Saw Blades

The manufacturer of saw Blades I use and pretty much stick with in finish carpentry is Freud, especially in the miter saws. I will usually buy a 40, 60 or a 80 tooth for replacement when the original blade gets dull. In finish carpentry you almost always want nice cuts so I will use finish blades in all the power saws. Recently I got talked into trying a blade made by Rigid so I ordered one and really like it. It performs just as well if not better then the freud. I am sure there are lots of good blades out there its just when I find one that performs well I will tend to stick with it. That also goes for a lot of my tools.

Choosing A Saw Bade

Basically in wood work there are two types of saw blades for cutting. A rip blade and a cross-cut blade. There are of course your dado blades and some others however they are for specialty work and not just for cutting.

You will have a cross-cut blade in your miter saw. One of the things I look at when buying a cross-cut blade is the expansion slots. These are slots cut into the blade body to control expansion and prevent warping that can happen as the blade heats up from cutting friction.

The problem I have experienced is some blade companies make these slots wider and when cutting smaller material such as shoe or quarter round these slots can catch causing a very uncomfortable ringing in your fingers on the hand holding the wood. If this has happened to you, you know exactly what I am talking about.



Cross-Cut Blade

Crosscut blades do vary in tooth number. The most popular in the 10" blade size is the 60 and 80 tooth. A smaller tooth number blade such as a 40 or 50 tooth can do the job also and may be quite a bit cheaper. No big secret just be sure it is designed for cross-cutting and not ripping. The Gullet, which is the space between each tooth is usually shallower and smaller on the cross-cut blades.



Rip Blade

The most common rip blade in the 10" size usually has 24 teeth. The gullets are wide and deep and can also vary. These saw Blades usually have a thinner kerf.The kerf of a blade is the width of the slot cut by the blade. Again no big mystery just make sure it is made for ripping or combination.

Return To Carpentry Power ToolsPage.

Return From the Saw Blades Page to Home - Finishcarpentryhelp.com.

---