Choosing the right saw blade | TIMBER MART

When you head down the aisle with replacement saw blades, we understand it can feel like a blur of numbers and specifications. Size, purpose, material, tooth count, tooth configuration – it’s a lot to take in!

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

But if you don’t choose the proper blade, you risk damaging your saw, wrecking your project, or even injuring yourself. That’s why it’s important to take the time and select the right one.

Here’s what to keep in mind when you’re shopping for new saw blades:

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• • The type of saw: You can buy selected blades that will work in a variety of saws, like table saws and miter saws, but some saws require very specific blades. If you pick the wrong one, it can cause serious problems – both for you and the saw.
  • The blade’s size/diameter: It’s important to use the proper size of blade for any saw, even though it may seem like it wouldn’t be a big deal to swap it out for a larger or smaller blade. Double-check your saw before heading to TIMBER MART and even jot down the make and model if you want to be sure.
  • The materials you’ll be sawing: Sure, all saw blades look sharp and serviceable, but they’re all designed for cutting through different materials. If you don’t have the proper blade, you’ll end up with chipped flooring and a blade that doesn’t last for more than a few cuts.
  • The blade’s tooth count: When you’re choosing sandpaper, you pick a higher grit for more delicate sanding and a lower grit for heavy-duty sanding. Saw blades have a similar system involving teeth. A miter blade with 80 teeth is great for delicate, clean finish cuts, while a miter blade with 40 teeth excels in harder cuts.
  • The blade’s tooth design: Not all teeth are created equal. Configurations include triple chip grind (TCG), alternating top bevel (ATB), flat top grind (FTG), and high or steep alternating top bevel (HATB). We recommend sticking with the saw manufacturer’s recommendations, because this is a confusing decision – with many abbreviations.

Remember, if you have questions about choosing the right blade for your saw, your friends at TIMBER MART are always here to help. We want to make sure you protect your tools and – most importantly – yourself!

Happy sawing!

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Saw Blades Supplier.

I picked up a WWII and had the opposite experience from Brian. The WWII has never cut as good as my Freud blades, my Lietz blades either for that matter. So many people have Brian's good experience I have to believe I just got a lemon. I take the blame for not handling it under warranty. My fault, not the maker's.

Brand names aside, as there are many good ones out there, Your higher dollars should be buying a true(er) more precision blank, higher grade and larger amounts of carbide per tooth, better sharpening/honing, better warranty, high-tech stuff like anti-vibration slots, slick coatings and stuff like that there. Good cutters will also improve your work, heighten safety and generally make your shop time more pleasant.

What makes one blade better than another can depend on what you do and how you do it as well. Some folks find a 40 or 50 tooth general purpose blade to be satisfactory for everything. Some of us have task specific blades and perhaps even a few more than we need.

I have two each of my "go-to" crosscut and rip blades so I am never down while one is out for sharpening. Other less specific purpose blades I have one or two of depending if there was a sale or a specific need. I always keep a thrasher blade around for aluminum or questionable reclaimed wood as well. John - Your saw will only perform as well as your blade. There are many factors that effect a blade's performance...the body's flatness, balance, and stiffness, the tooth geometry and configuration, the quality of the carbide, the sharpening of the carbide, and the overall precision of the manufacturing process. You don't need to spend $100 to get a good blade, but it increases the odds of getting a great blade. If the goal is precision cuts, I do suggest avoiding the really cheap blades ...if you're a careful shopper, you can get what you pay for. Sale and clearance prices can drop formerly high dollar blades by a huge percentage.

We all seem to have subjective opinions about our favorites for a variety of reasons. There's often a number of factors that influence that opinion good and bad, including the sound, feel of the resistance, price, color, look, some operator induced variability, the saw's variability, variability of the material, variability from the blade manufacturer, and especially the suitability of the blade's characteristics for the task at hand. Sometimes the advantages of a high precision blade can be masked by a saw that's not performing up to snuff or by other factors, which can lead to the false assumption that an expensive blade performs no better than a middle of the road blade. Other times a blade that's a poor choice for a given application is used and gets poor results even with a high quality blade. Sometimes cheaper blades can perform well at first, but may dull faster. I try to be logical about how a blade performs, and don't get too hung up on the brand name if I know it's from a quality manufacturer. A good quality blade that's appropriate for the task and compatible with your saw can make a huge difference in the overall performance of the system. Choosing the correct blade for the task and saw is more important than the brand name stamped on the side. Most manufacturers have many different models for different applications, and many even have multiple lines with different price points and quality objectives. Be sure to compare apples to apples, or at least be aware of what the differences are when comparing blades. Top names like Forrest, Infinity, and Ridge Carbide tend to dominate the premium names, and each manufactures only one line of premium blades with several different models intended for fine woodworking and other critical applications. Other's like Freud, DeWalt, Tenryu, Amana, CMT also offer a premium line, but also offer other lines intended for other applications and market niches like construction, DIY, and value...some of those blades are acceptable for fine woodworking, some not, but that's often a matter of opinion.

It’s important to note that every design parameter has pros and cons. The manufacturers are usually willing to emphasis the advantages of a given design, but are usually more tight lipped about the downsides of any given design. There's almost never a free lunch though. If a blade excels in one area, it'll almost always have a weakness in another. If a blade is “good” in several areas, it won’t be exceptional in any one region. Thus, you're faced with a decision about whether to buy a blade that's versatile, and does a decent job of several tasks, or buy multiple blades that excel in a given area, but perform poorly outside of their intended scope (ie: bulk ripping blade, dedicated plywood blade). There are valid arguments for both philosophies...pick the one the best suits you. There will also be a decision about thin kerf vs full kerf, and again both have merit for different circumstances.

This article from Rockler is a good read