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I understand the more teeth on a blade the smoother/better the cut. So why do you need blades that are 24 or 40 or etc teeth count? Why would you not just use a 60+ tooth blade on everything?
Circular Blades
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Blades with a high number of teeth are better for cross-cutting than blades with a low number of teeth. They give a smoother cut, as you say.
BUT ... blades with a high number of teeth are TERRIBLE for rip cutting and should never be used for that. That's what low-tooth-count blades are for.
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28,591 Posts
just like hand saws, they are specific
There are ripping blades with fewer, larger teeth and gullets, and crosscut blades with many smaller teeth and smaller gullets.
The 24 tooth blades clear out large bits of material with the grain, the 40 and 50 tooth blades can be used for both ripping and crosscutting and the 60 and 80 tooth blade give the smoothest cuts across the grain. There are even 96 tooth and 100 tooth blades.
Another difference is the way the teeth are ground and oriented which determines how smooth the cut will be.
The fewer teeth the blade has the better it can clear away and carry away the sawdust and that keeps the friction and heat down, an enemy of longevity in a saw blade. Gum and pitch building up on the teeth and the sides of the plate also will overheat a blade. Pine and other woods with lots of resin are notorious for gumming up blades. :yes:
There are ripping blades with fewer, larger teeth and gullets, and crosscut blades with many smaller teeth and smaller gullets.
The 24 tooth blades clear out large bits of material with the grain, the 40 and 50 tooth blades can be used for both ripping and crosscutting and the 60 and 80 tooth blade give the smoothest cuts across the grain. There are even 96 tooth and 100 tooth blades.
Another difference is the way the teeth are ground and oriented which determines how smooth the cut will be.
The fewer teeth the blade has the better it can clear away and carry away the sawdust and that keeps the friction and heat down, an enemy of longevity in a saw blade. Gum and pitch building up on the teeth and the sides of the plate also will overheat a blade. Pine and other woods with lots of resin are notorious for gumming up blades. :yes:
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3,248 Posts
The more teeth, the more heat and resistance....too many teeth can cause burning and lugging of the saw.
The ABC's of Saw Blades
The ABC's of Saw Blades
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24,017 Posts
It's the same principle for any saw blade, whether it's a circular saw blade, hand saw blade, or a band saw blade. The amount of teeth and their design are purposed. That's not saying you couldn't use a 60T to rip, or a 24T to crosscut. The results are very obvious.
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100 Posts
So I am curios for a table saw for example do you guys generally go combo blades then vs swapping blades out? I am looking to get a table saw and just got from a neighbor a radial arm saw. My plan is to use the RAS primarily for cross cutting and table saw for ripping so now I know which blades to get for each. Thanks guys!!
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24,017 Posts
When looking for blades, table saw blades should be "positive hook" and radial arm saw blades should be "negative hook". For each, evaluate what you will be cutting and determine the best tooth count.
You don't have to measure one to tell if it's positive or negative. If you sight (or lay on a straight edge) from the center hole to a tooth, look at the angle of the face of the tooth...either it tips forward (positive) or it tips back(negative) from the line from the center hole. If it does neither, it's a zero hook angle.
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You don't have to measure one to tell if it's positive or negative. If you sight (or lay on a straight edge) from the center hole to a tooth, look at the angle of the face of the tooth...either it tips forward (positive) or it tips back(negative) from the line from the center hole. If it does neither, it's a zero hook angle.
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It's a matter of preference and circumstances. Given your scenario, I'd be more inclined to go with task specific blades.
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100 Posts
ok guys I just picked up and installed a 40 tooth diablo blade
http://t.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-10-in-x-40-Tooth-Carbide-Circular-Saw-Blade-D1040X/100055325/
It is NOT 100% parallel to the miter slot. the front part of the blade is SLIGHTLY angled to the left. Its noticable when manually spinning the blade, there is a visible wobble. I am guessing that it's not suppose to be like that right? How can I fix it?
http://t.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-10-in-x-40-Tooth-Carbide-Circular-Saw-Blade-D1040X/100055325/
It is NOT 100% parallel to the miter slot. the front part of the blade is SLIGHTLY angled to the left. Its noticable when manually spinning the blade, there is a visible wobble. I am guessing that it's not suppose to be like that right? How can I fix it?
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100 Posts
Damn I love YouTube. I found a video on how to get your blade parallel to the miter and they explained it on my table saw! I will work on in tomorrow morning.
Wobbly and out of parallel are two different things, a blade should not wobble when put on the saw, solve that problem before making any other adjustments to your saw. Check your arbor, try another blade to see if you still have that problem before doing anything else.
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100 Posts
The original blade that came with it had that slight wobble too. I was hoping it was the blade but when I put the new one on last night it still had the slight wobble.
This means it's probably the arbor right? What are my options?
Check the collar on the arbor shaft to make sure there is nothing on it that is preventing blade to fit tight against it.
Check if the shaft is bent.
Those are about the only two possibilities that will cause a straight blade to wobble.
They don't AFAIK, but you can grab the Diablo blades pretty reasonably.
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