Table saw is an important machine carpenters should never miss in their workshops. This machine usually handles a lot of cutting projects in the workshop. And for it to function effectively, faster and for a long time, you should use the right types of table saw blades and learn how to use your table saw properly.
The market has a wide range of different types of table saw blades, each designed with its own features, and technologies. To choose the best, we have prepared a simple guide to help you out.
Most Required Table Saw Blade Type
What are the different types of table saw blades? It is important to understand how saw blades work and how saw blades meet specific requirements in order to choose the right one for the job. Well, here is a list of different types of table saw blades to choose from in the market, but before we proceed, we need to ask ourselves one question, are table saw and miter saw blades the same? Yes. However, those are many teeth for a table saw blade.
Crosscut Blade
These types of saw blades are made to achieve smooth cuts along the grain of the wood. They are integrated with many teeth and fewer gullets. For example, a 10-inch cross-cut blade has roughly 60 to 80 teeth, so you can make more cuts with each turn than any other branded blade.
With minimal tooth gaps, this type of blade removes less material, resulting in smoother cuts, even these cross-cut blades are efficient for plywood as well as this type of softwood. This as well implies that these blades will take longer to move through the wood. These blades are an incredible choice for finishing work in woodworking and other industries that require precision and a smooth surface.
Ripping Blade
It is known that ripping blades/saws cut in the grain direction. They generally remove larger pieces of material than any multi-toothed blade. And the large gaps between the teeth allow the wood chips to come out better. This means cutting faster and more effectively with a minimal chance of scratching the wood.
It is also vital to use this ripping blade when handling thicker and stronger pieces of wood. An expert carpenter tries to use a table saw replacement rip fence while ripping wood to have a finish cut.
Flat-Tooth Ripping Blade
Another amazing table saw blade is available on the market. The flat tooth-ripping blade is designed to cut long or wood grain. Because many users find it easier to cut with the grain than with the grain, this type of table saw blade has a flat-tooth setting that allows large pieces of wood to be cut quickly.
This table saw ripping blades have 10-30 teeth with many sharp tooth angles over 20 degrees. When the blade has fewer teeth, more gullets can be used to cut objects. While this structure makes awesome ripping blades for rip cuts, they are not great for cross sections as they create more outliers, and this type of table blade regularly leaves ragged corners.
Combination
Combination blades are made to manage both rip and cross cuts. They work by trying to strike a balance between cutting blades and crosscuts with 40 to 50 teeth. Since many of them are not suitable for ripping or cross cuts, they work successfully, removing the requirement to change blades during the project. These types of blades are ideal for projects that require both kinds of cuts, but that essentially do not require smooth polishing of the crosscuts or the speed of ripping rate.
Dado Blade
A popular name in the market. This type of blade is used to make extensive wood grooves for door panels, cabinets, and shelves. Unlike conventional table blades with flat metal blades, these models are equipped with two different versions. These designs are stacked and wobble.
Stacked blades typically have many cutters and spacers that are put together to make a long profile. Designers make stacked blades with spacers and ripper-style blades in the center and cross blades on the outside. This configuration permits the blade to eliminate extensive amounts of material while maintaining a smooth cutting line along the corners of the groove.
And with the wobble blades, they always turn in an offset direction to slice broad grooves as they rotate through the wood. These types of blades generally comprise an adjuster that changes the wobble width. Regardless of the fact that wobble blades do not provide the same quality as stacked blades, they are often affordable. By setting the right direction of the table saw blade we can increase its longevity.
What Kind of Table Saw Blade do You Need?
Many people tend to ask themselves this question. Well, the answer to this question is simple. If you are doing a joinery task, you need to have a general combination table saw blade with a 40-tooth to 50-tooth. For those woodworkers cutting man-made materials and MDF materials, they need to utilize a table saw blade with a 50-tooth to 80-tooth blade.
People handling plastic laminates should buy 80-tooth cross-cut blades. And lastly, those who always want to make great cuts in dense materials, should choose 60-tooth and up blades. And are Diablo saw blades good? Well, many people say it’s an excellent saw blade.
These saw blades are excellent and strike a good balance between quality and amazing value. Diablo saw blades are always the perfect choice when swapping out OEM saw blades that are regularly included with new table saws. But again, how do you choose the right saw blade? Let’s look at the following factors to learn more.
Type of Job
Many woodworkers use a single combination blade for every project. These combo blades create rip and cross cuts across normal lumber while leaving corners tidy to meet a lot of project requirements. Combination blades as well decrease the included cost of purchasing various blades and as well save time by preventing the need to change the blades between slices.
For many specialty cutting tasks, the carpenter is asked to use a specialized blade like ripping, crosscutting, and dado blades. These table saw blades can do great woodworking jobs such as furniture, and built-ins. For jobs that involve a lot of ribs, using a ripping blade is a great idea. This type of blade saves time and effort while leaving a neat corner for joining pieces of wood. Cutting blades are also great for cutting hardwood. They cut these objects without affecting or tearing the blade.
And for ultra-smooth woodcuts, the cross blades offer the cleanest edge. This makes them great for woodworking jobs that require precise cutting. Dado blades help people who work with shelving, carpentry, and furniture who need recessed slots.
I get many people asking me in my website inbox, can you cut tile with a table saw? Well, it seems this is the right time to answer this question. Using your table saw to cut tiles is not recommended, but it is still possible. You can cut ceramic and stone tile with your table saw. However, the dry saw blade utilized can create more chips on the tile than when using a wet saw.
Kerf Blade
What is kerf on a saw blade? For those who don’t know what a blade kerf is, this refers to the thickness of the blade. If the kerf is high, it means that more material is removed with every cut. A complete blade kerf is 1/8 inch thick. Thicker-bladed kerfs often tend to withstand frequent breakage when cutting wood. But it takes a lot of power from the table saw or circular saw to work properly.
Many table saws, miter saws, and circular saws can handle regular 1/8-inch blades. If your table saw is built in with less than 3 horsepower, consider choosing a thinner blade. These thin-blade cuts require less energy, are more accurate, and cause negligible waste with any cutting. However, they are more likely to break when cutting wood.
Blade Length
Whichever blade size you choose will always have an impact on performance. For example, if you choose smaller table saw blades with the same power saws, they will spin quickly and result in smooth cuts. A12-. An inch table saw blade generally needs a lot of power to turn and is more prone to wobbling than a smaller saw blade.
For these reasons, a larger blade will not make accurate cuts like a smaller blade but will provide greater depth and allow you to cut thicker panels. Many table saws use 10-inch blades, and while there are a few variations, you should always check before making a purchase. Since it is possible to install a table saw with a smaller saw blade, do not try to install a 10-inch table saw with a large saw blade.
Blade Teeth Setting
Usually, the saw blade’s teeth setting affects the way the blade slices the lumber. More often, flat top blades are effective at slicing wood. These types of blades tear objects in large pieces, which improves the slicing speed. As they as well leave ragged corners, these saw blades are a great choice for rip cuts.
Crosscut blades have a bevel that changes in direction, leading to smoother slices for complete woodworking.
Combo blades utilize a hybrid technique that combines flat top teeth with alternating beveled teeth. Well, this enables the blade to create a cross and rip cuts but almost maintain smooth edges.
Besides these standard settings, there are as well latest saw blades for slicing different objects like metal, laminated wood, etc.
Tooth Gullet
This is the distance between every blade. It usually affects the way the saw blade removes objects with every trim. Those blades are made to remove objects faster as a rip blade comes with deeper gullets. The Accuracy cut blades, like cross-cut blades, come with a smaller gullet and allows for smoother cuts.
Final Verdict
Well, after all this information we have provided, which table saw blade is right for you? A 40-tooth general-purpose blade makes an excellent selection for a primary blade and the best blade any carpenter should buy. These types of blades have evenly spaced, and alternately beveled teeth. Has this helped you understand the different types of saw blades for your table saw? You can get in touch at the bottom of this page and share your thoughts on our simple guide. We are online 24/7 and answer all questions immediately.