Saw Blades

In writing this month's column, I asked myself the following question "What question do I get asked the most at International Tool?" The answer I came up with is "What saw blade should I purchase?" Purchasing a saw blade means more than just grabbing a carbide blade and putting it on your machine. There are many questions that need to be answered, and the right blade on the right machine is the difference between getting a great cut and a poor cut.

Lets start with the amount of teeth you want on your blade, and to simplify our discussion, we're going to zero in on ten inch blades exclusively, since that is the most common size purchased. The amount of teeth on a blade is determined by whether you are ripping or crosscutting. Ripping is cutting with the grain, crosscutting is against the grain. With a rip cut, you want very few teeth touching the surface of the material, with 24 teeth being the best. A crosscut is just the opposite. The more teeth the better, with about 80 teeth being the best. With that being said, it now raises another question. "I only want one blade, one that will give me a good rip and a good crosscut." This blade does exist. It's a combination blade, that has about 50 teeth. It will give you both a good rip and a good crosscut. Not a great cut, but a decent cut. Common sense tells you that if you need only 24 teeth for a great rip and you are using 50 teeth, the cut will not be as good, and the same goes for a crosscut. Where this blade comes in handy, is for the person that doesn't want to constantly change blades. The problem is you're sacrificing the quality of the cut for the convenience of not having to change blades.

The next thing we need to look at is the type of machine we are putting the blade on, and this gets into the question of thin kerf blades. The truth is, the plating on thin kerf blades is not as good as the plating on an industrial quality blade. The only time I recommend thin kerf blades, is on low horsepower machines such as radial arm saws, portable table saws, and most of Sears machines. The heavier plating on the better blades proves to be a strain on the motors of the lower horsepower machines. The thin kerf blades will get through the material easier, with less friction and strain on the motor. I always recommend not using thin kerf if this is not the case. Your blades will last longer, and will run true, with less wobble.

Now let's shift to the teeth configuration. Their are three basic teeth configurations that you will find on a saw blade. They are flat top, alternate top bevel, and triple chip. The flat top blade will cut all surfaces pretty well, but not an exceptional cut. Alternate top bevel is used specifically for cutting wood, with triple chip being used to cut all man made surfaces. You can look even further and check the degree of angle of the teeth. This is important primarily with the triple chip blades in that different degrees are used to cut different surfaces, such as melamine, corian, aluminum, etc.

Okay, we have now determined the right amount of teeth, the type of plating we want, and the teeth configuration and degree of tooth angle. What is left to look at now, before we purchase the correct blade. There are a few things. An industrial quality blade will have heat expansion slots cut into the plate, which will reduce wobble. It will also have gullets cut behind the teeth to throw the debris, and prevent it from building up and adding friction. Many blades now come with a teflon coating, which will also reduce friction, and get through your material with ease.

I know it sounds confusing, but following the above advice will lead to an outstanding cut each and every time. I'm not going to get into which blade manufacturer is the best, although I feel the Freud line of blades gives you the best value for the money. If you have any questions or comments about this column or any tool related questions in general, feel free to e-mail me at dbarnett@internationaltool.com and I'll get back to you with a quick reply. I'll speak to you again next month!

Till next month,

Dean "The Tool Guru" Barnett, President

International Tool Corporation

Email the Guru.

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