This is the question that appears to come up with any individual who is not the most advanced of users. There are so countless alternatives, so many styles and configurations it's overwhelming to some, in particular those who by no means knew there had been any choices.
I am going to try to clarify and simplify the choice course of action for you here. But initial, I want to talk a small about the saw itself, considering that picking the wrong saw can build actual headaches when it comes to attempting to acquire replacement and specialty blades. Maintain in thoughts not only the size of the saw, but the size of the arbor when picking a new power saw. Or picking up an old one at a yard sale, estate sale, and so on. There are some awesome old table saws out there, like the old, solid-as-a-rock Sears models that have ¾"arbor shafts, for instance. Then there was the big batch of Asian-produced 10" miter saws on eBay with 1" arbors. With affordable OEM blades on them. When I saw those, I knew in a few months I'd be getting emails from people looking for new blades for the bargain saws they purchased - blades no one makes. I was ideal. And those bargain shoppers found out it is virtually impossible to get blades off the shelf, that if they are lucky, they can get a single bored to fit - at a value.
Practically all power saws for the American retail marketplace from about 8" to ten" come normal with a five/8" arbor so that is what blades are produced for. Anything 12" and bigger comes with a 1" arbor. DeWalt makes some 12" miter saws that come with a reducer so you can use either arbor size and there are some 12" industrial double miters that (like Pistorius) that have a five/8" shaft. But other than those, the standard arbor sizes are about written in stone so if you happen to be shopping for a new saw, stick with them.
Okay, now about those blades...
Size (or Diameter)
This 1 may seem fairly obvious but as soon as in a whilst I run across somebody who desires to use a blade that is a distinct size than their saw (sometimes to save money, think it or not). In most instances, I advise against it. First of all, there's the issue of clearance: a bigger blade will not likely clear the blade guard on a miter or radial arm or the throat plate on a table saw. A smaller blade will not give you the depth of cut.
Then there's what is not so plain to see: the design and geometry of the blade. Smaller saws run at higher RPM, the bigger the saw, the lower the RPM. Blades are developed to operate in concert with the saw to give you optimal efficiency. Adequate said about that.
Exceptions? Yes, most notably a dado. Most craftsmen will use an 8" dado on a 10" table saw and in truth, that is the only size most manufacturers make - with a 5/8" arbor bore. For the industrial market place, a couple of organizations like SystiMatic make a selection with larger sizes and 1" bore, but you'll need to have a pretty potent, heavy saw to use it. A ten" SystiMatic dado weighs in at more than 10 pounds and cuts a lot of material.
An additional exception may well be a highly specialized use, by a pretty knowledgeable skilled, such as the 1 I heard about not lengthy ago exactly where they were employing an 8" non-ferrous blade on a 10" or 12" table saw to cut aluminum plate. This was a blade created for cutting extrusions, not solid aluminum, but these guys recognize the geometry and use it to their benefit.
Purpose or Material
This one can be problematic if you're attempting to acquire a blade at Home Depot, Lowe's or ACE where all they sell is blades for cutting wood on hand-held saws (Skil, and so on.), table saws and miter saws. But if you happen to be shopping via the internet or at a saw shop or wonderful tool store, you can find specialty blades listed by objective and material or ask an individual who knows what you are talking about. And think me, it is crucial to invest in a blade created for what you want to cut.
The price of a 24 tooth rip blade could look appealing but if you try to crosscut with it you won't be pleased. Conversely, attempt to rip solid wood with a trim blade and you'll burn much more wood than you cut. Use either blade to cut laminate flooring and you will regret it when the best layer chips and the blade gets dull immediately after 3 cuts. Laminate flooring, like Pergo, is incredibly hard and has aluminum oxide in it - use an aluminum-cutting blade.
Manufacturers of saw blades that make blades for the expert make a variety of completely different blades, with diverse configurations, for several utilizes and they determine them accordingly. There's no want for me to list them right here, just stick with their suggestions and you should not have any challenges.
Sort of Saw
Distinct forms of power saws work ideal with blades created for them, and can function horribly (if at all) with the wrong blade. Using the instance of a rip blade again: put a rip blade on a radial arm saw and even if you rotate the carriage to rip, it is going to want to lift the wood up off the table. Attempt to crosscut with something vaguely resembling a rip blade (aggressive rake/hook angle) on that very same saw and the entire carriage will attempt to "run" straight out at you. And the teeth will dig in and bind up your saw, tripping a breaker. Been there and carried out that 1 just before I knew there was such a factor as a radial arm blade.
There are some kinds of blades, such as metal cutting blades, that can be applied on and are recommended for all sorts of saws: table saw, miter saw and radial arm. Also some moderate-rake/hook combination blades. But a beneficial rule of thumb is to just stick to what the manufacturer recommends. Get a table saw blade for a table saw, a miter blade for a miter saw and a radial arm blade for a radial arm. When you consider about it, you are not going to be cutting sheets of plywood on a miter or radial arm and you are quite possibly not going to be mitering moldings on a table saw.
Tooth Count
Most men and women comprehend this one particular, for the most portion. Typically speaking, you want a greater tooth count for cleaner, finish cuts, no matter what the material. You want fewer teeth for thicker material. Consider of crown molding versus a 2 by four. But if you're a hobbyist or homeowner carrying out odd jobs (like yours really) you'll want a compromise blade, some thing you can use to reasonably cut a two by 4 or trim. On a miter saw or radial arm, 60 is a beneficial quantity: 40 will tear out on trim operate and 80 will have to fight by way of a 2 by 4. On a table saw, it really is a tiny far more forgiving: 40 to 50 is what you'll come across on great combination blades, like the famous Forrest Woodworker, the TENRYU Gold Medal or the SystiMatic GP or Budke Combination. Practically all manufacturers make combination table saw blades with tooth counts in this range so obviously it works.
By the way, as usual there are exceptions to this rule, particularly when it comes to cutting plastics. And it depends on the sort of plastic, whether or not it's difficult and brittle, soft and with a low melting point or in between. Too a number of teeth will result in melting, which will load or gum up the teeth, thereby giving you a incredibly poor cut. Not enough teeth, specifically in a hard plastic, will chip like crazy.
Tooth Style and Configuration
This is the one particular subject that can be most confusing and the one exactly where you might possibly, in some circumstances, locate conflicting theories and/or claims from distinct producers. Not to say 1 is proper and the other is wrong, quite often two totally numerous styles will work equally as well for a job. For example: SystiMatic uses a triple chip for plastic and TENRYU uses alternating top rated/alternating face. But I suppose I will need to simplify this just before confusing you even more.
Alternating Top Bevel - ATB This is by far the most frequent carbide tooth configuration, utilised for cutting solid wood, plywood and particle board. Further, there are many variations on the design that turn it into a specialist:
ATB w/Raker - ATBR Commonly known as a "planer" blade or "planer mixture" this combines commonly four ATB teeth with 1 flat-top raker tooth for cleaning out the cut. It makes a correct multi-objective blade for your table saw, whether cutting plywood, crosscutting or ripping. A additional variation on this one particular is a specialized plywood blade that makes use of significantly more (like ten) ATB teeth for every single raker.
Alternating Top rated Alternating Face - ATAF Highly, quite smooth crosscuts, with the outer edge of the tooth face chiseling the material as the blade cuts via. Also fine for Melamine and veneered plywood. And as talked about, TENRYU utilizes this for their plastic blades, too. Put a single on a miter saw and get outstanding cuts in wood and plastic, both. A variation on this a single is to add a raker every single couple of teeth to clean out the cut. It would be named ATAFR of course.
High or Steep Alternating Top Bevel - HATB This tooth shape, combined with a negative or neutral hook or rake angle, is employed when you require a true knife-like edge to cut through Melamine or fine veneers. Also oftentimes utilised with a positive hook for eliminating tear-out when crosscutting trim. The drawback to this kind of tooth is that the quality of your cut depends on particularly pointed teeth and the extra pointed they are, the more quickly they dull.
Triple Chip Grind - TCG This is a versatile tooth shape but the primary purpose is for cutting difficult supplies, like aluminum, laminate flooring, hardwoods and "solid surface" such as Corian. It incorporates flat top rated raker teeth with what appear like a flat leading teeth with the corners ground off at an angle. With out making use of sharp points like ATB or ATAF blades, a TCG blade will last considerably longer and handle the high impact of cutting tough stock. Manufacturers combine this shape with distinctive hook/rake angles to specialize blades, from negative hook angles on non-ferrous blades to particularly aggressive hooks on rip blades. Drawback: could tend to tear out when crosscutting softer wood like pine or hemlock.
Flat Best Grind - FTG Flat top grind teeth, when put to use alone, have only a single purpose: cutting wood with the grain. Ripping. And they've lost popularity in that use, too, as even more manufacturers are making use of TCG and ATB teeth to give rip cuts smooth enough they don't require to be run via a jointer to glue up joints. But you have seen how other designs incorporate flat leading teeth into undertaking their job nicely.
Other individuals Some manufacturers use some highly specialized tooth shapes for their more specialized, exotic blades but we won't will need to go into those here. They are far from standard and anybody who needs one of those quite possibly knows a great deal more about it than everyone.
Rake or Hook Angles
When considering a blade for your specific sort of saw, this is sometimes the most important consideration. And when combined with tooth shapes and configurations, the aspect of rake angle can change a blade's whole purpose.
Where the saw is concerned, you do not want to use a positive hook on a radial arm (some manufacturers rate their mixture blades for them but they're not aggressive hooks) and a miter saw functions very best with unfavorable, neutral or moderately positive hooks - depending on what you happen to be cutting.
Where material is concerned, generally harder materials need a negative hook or no (neutral) hook angle. And if wood is prone to tearing out when crosscutting, like softer conifer wood, a negative hook is superior. So what is rake or hook angle? Lay a straight edge across a saw blade, intersecting the arbor hole and appear at the relationship of the carbide tip to the straight edge. If the top rated of the tip leans toward the edge, that's a positive hook or rake. If it leans back away from it, that's unfavorable. If it is parallel to it that is neutral or a zero hook.
I hope this clears up some confusion about choosing the perfect blade for the appropriate machine, material and the correct job. You want the ideal outcomes, you will need the appropriate tool.
