Whether you’re a seasoned woodworker, a DIY enthusiast, or just getting started using power tools, understanding how to select the right saw blade is the key to achieving precision and efficiency in your projects. From band saw blades to circular saw blades and all the others in between, each type of blade has unique characteristics and traits that make it better suited for certain applications and projects.
In this guide, we’ll delve into the factors influencing saw blade performance, key pieces of saw blade terminology, and the main types of saw blades to help you navigate the wide range of options available and select the best one for your needs.
What Is a Saw Blade?
Saw blades are removable cutting components that are used in saws and other instruments to cut and shape various materials. These components are known for their toothed design and they are typically made from a single-piece construction.
Saw blades can come in many different shapes and sizes, each better suited for a specific purpose or application. Here are the main types of saw blades:
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How Do You Choose the Right Saw Blade?
Given the vast variety of saw blades out there, it’s important to understand the key differences between each of them so you can select the right blade for your given saw, project, and industry.
For instance, certain saw blades are only compatible with specific types of saws, which is a key factor to be aware of when selecting a blade. Choosing the wrong blade for a given saw can lead to poor performance and even put your safety at risk.
Another thing to consider as you choose a saw blade is what type of project or materials you’re working with. As you’ll see below, certain saw blades are better for cutting specific types of materials, which is something you’ll want to pay attention to. Even still, there are a number of saw blades that are quite versatile and can work well in various applications and materials.
Each of the saw blades we’ll cover below falls into three main categories: ripping, crosscutting, or combination saw blades. Here are some of the main characteristics of each of these saw blade types:
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Ripping Saw Blades: Typically have 24-30 teeth and large gullets; best for creating long and straight cuts and work relatively quickly since the fewer amount of teeth creates less friction
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Crosscut Saw Blades: Typically have 60-90 teeth and smaller gullets; these blades work slower though they produce smoother and cleaner cuts across the grain of wood given the higher teeth count
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Combination Saw Blades: Typically have 30-60 teeth; versatile use both for long and quick cuts or short and clean cuts
Saw Blade Terminology & Factors to Consider
As you get more familiar with the various types of saw blades and what projects they’re each best suited for, there are some key pieces of terminology you should know so you can select the right blade for your specific needs:
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Teeth-per-Inch (TPI): Refers to the number of teeth per inch on a saw blade, typically ranging from 3-32 TPI
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Kerf: The measure of tooth thickness
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Full Kerf Blade: A blade with a thickness of 3.1mm or ⅛”
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Thin Kerf Blade: A blade with a thickness of 2.4mm or 3/34”
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Half Kerf: Blades that are better for small and low-powered saws and smaller projects
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Gullet: The area that is in front of each tooth on the blade where chip removal occurs
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Tooth Configuration: Describes how the saw blade teeth are shaped and how they are grouped together, which impacts cutting performance
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Flat-Top (FT): Saw blade teeth with a flat top designed to rip wood and remove sawed material quickly and efficiently for less splintering or chipping
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Alternate Top Bevel (ATB): A blade where the teeth alternative between a right and left-hand bevel, leading to a smoother and cleaner cut than FT
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Combination Tooth: A blade that can handle both crosscutting and ripping; teeth are grouped together in fives with four ATB to every one FT and a large gullet between each group of teeth
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Triple Chip Grind (TCG): A specific teeth configuration with an alternating flat tooth and higher tooth, best for cutting hard materials like metals
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High Alternate Top Bevel (Hi-ATB): A teeth configuration best for extra-fine crosscutting
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Hook Angle: The angle at which the face of the tooth is tilted from the center line of the blade; a positive hook angle is tipped forward toward the blade’s rotation and a negative hook angle has teeth that are tipped away from the rotation direction; zero-degree hook angle blades have teeth directly in line with the center
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Teeth Quality: Based on the quality of the material the saw blade is made from, teeth quality impacts cutting performance, efficiency, durability, and longevity of the blade
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Saw Blade Performance
Three main factors impact the performance of a saw blade, which we will now discuss in further detail.
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Number of Teeth: Saw blades can have varying numbers of teeth depending on the exact type of the blade; blades with more teeth or a higher TPI make cleaner cuts, but blades with fewer teeth and a lower TPI cut faster
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Tooth Angle: The angle of the face of the tooth to the center line of the blade impacts the aggressiveness of the cut; a high hook angle is more aggressive and better for cutting through materials like softwood; a low hook angle provides a less aggressive and smoother cut which is best for hardwoods
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Bevel: The angle of the top of the teeth influences the blade’s cutting efficiency; blades with alternating teeth angles, or ATB blades, work more efficiently, as there is always a cutting tooth in contact with the material for consistent sawing action
What are the Different Types of Saw Blades?
We can now dive deeper into the different types of saw blades, and what types of projects and applications they’re each best used for.
Rip Blades
These are the most common type of saw blade, designed to cut wood with the grain. They don’t produce the smoothest or cleanest cuts. However, they can cut quicker than a crosscut blade.
Crosscut Blades
These types of blades are designed to cut perpendicular to the natural grain of wood. They aren’t as quick as rip blades, but they are known for producing smooth and clean cuts.
Finishing Blades
A finishing blade is best for projects where you need to produce a clean and smooth cut. These are fine-toothed blades, which often have a minimum of 40 TPI.
Nail Cutting Blades
These types of saw blades are designed to cut through nails, which makes them a great option for projects where you’re working around the home or with reclaimed wood that may have nails hidden in it.
Metal Cutting Blades
As the name suggests, these types of saw blades are best for cutting metal like aluminum sheets, metal studs, steel pipes, and any other type of metal products. Given how hard metal is, it’s best to use a specialized metal saw blade when you need to cut through it, like the 5-7/8" Metal Cutting Circular Saw Blade from Milwaukee.
Dry Diamond Blades
Cutting ceramic, porcelain, masonry, or other similar materials is best with dry diamond saw blades, like the Dewalt 12” Segmented Diamond Blade. Given the strength of the diamond in the blade construction, these are highly durable and long-lasting, even when cutting abrasive materials.
Dado Cutting Blades
Dado cutting blades are made from cutting dadoes and flat-bottomed grooves into pieces of wood and are often used in table saws. As such, they are commonly used in woodworking applications to create grooves to join two or more pieces of wood.
Band Saw Blades
Band saw blades are used in band saws, as you can gather from the name. These blades are best for cutting irregular shapes and have a unique design of a continuous loop of toothed metal that is stretched between two or more wheels.
Circular Saw Blades
These are highly versatile and common types of saw blades. Circular saw blades, like the 10" 24T Ripping Circular Saw Blade from Milwaukee, are used in circular saws and are best for making straight cuts in wood or metal.
Scroll Saw Blades
Scroll saw blades are designed to make intricate and detailed cuts. These blades are quite thin, which allows for precise maneuvering. Because of its cutting performance and properties, this blade is commonly used in woodworking.
Reciprocating Saw Blades
Reciprocating saw blades are designed to work in a back-and-forth motion. They are mostly used in construction and demolition applications, being effective at cutting through common materials like wood and plastic.
Jig Saw Blades
Jig saw blades are used in jag saws, which feature a reciprocating blade. These are highly versatile and capable of making curved or straight cuts in a variety of materials like wood, metal, or plastic, like the Alfa Tools I 3-1/4" 24TPI Carbide Strip Jig Saw Blade.
Concrete Saw Blades
Concrete saw blades are best for cutting concrete, cement, masonry, and other types of related materials that other types of blades may not be able to handle.
Tile Saw Blades
These blades are specifically designed for cutting ceramic tiles, stone, granite, or other similar materials with precision and without chipping or splintering.
Walk-Behind Saws
These are a specific type of cutting machine, though not exactly a type of saw blade. However, they are highly specialized tools that allow you to horizontally cut larger materials like concrete, stone, or other hard flooring materials while standing behind it.
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Saw Blade Materials
Because of the vast versatility of saw blades and their possible applications, they can be made from a variety of materials to better suit different purposes, including the following:
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Steel: A standard choice for saw blades that’s generally affordable and good for cutting wood
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High-Speed Steel (HSS): This material is harder than standard steel blades, staying sharper over a longer period of time; typically found in scroll blades, reciprocating blades, and jig saw blades
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Carbide-Tipped: Higher cost than steel or HSS blades, though they stay sharper for longer and are often found in tile saws
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Abrasive: These are made from bonded abrasive materials, which are best for cutting through tough materials like masonry, concrete, or metals
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Bi-Metal/Matrix: These blades are made from two metals that are unalike for better performance properties and durability
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Carbon Hard Back: Made from one-piece carbon steel construction and features heat-treated teeth/backer for better stress absorption
Industries for Saw Blades
To conclude our in-depth discussion on saw blades, let’s take a look at some of the industries where saw blades are most commonly used and which types of blades are best suited to each type of work.
Construction
In the construction world where new structures are constantly being built and workers need to operate quickly and efficiently, the circular saw is extremely useful. The round metal blade and sharp teeth allow construction workers to effortlessly cut several different materials like wood, metal, plastic, concrete, and others to their desired shape.
Aside from the circular saw, other types of saw blades are widely used in construction applications, including:
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Jig saw blades
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Band saw blades
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Reciprocating saw blades
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Tile saw blades
Woodworking
Woodworkers craft both artful and practical objects from wood, meaning saws are one of the most common types of tools these craftsmen use each day. Whether they’re constructing cabinets, tables, bowls, or other wooden objects, saws are essential tools that help them cut different wood components to their liking for a given woodworking project.
These are some of the most common types of saw blades utilized in woodworking:
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Circular saw blades
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Band saw blades
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Scroll saw blades
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Nail cutting blades
Metalworking
Metalworkers often need to cut and form different metal parts to create various objects, equipment parts, or structures. As such, using different saw blades helps them achieve the specific cut they’re after for their given purpose.
Given how hard metal is, metalworking saw blades typically have a higher TPI and are bi-metal or carbide-tipped to enhance durability. Metalworkers will need to select the blade with the proper TPI and made from the right material depending on what type of metal they are cutting.
DIY
Those who complete Do-it-Yourself (DIY) projects at home frequently require various saw blades, depending on the exact project they’re working on. Since there is a wide variety of possible DIY projects people may complete, having a versatile saw blade like a circular saw can be a great choice for DIY’ers as they need to cut through various materials and make different cuts.