The Ultimate Circular Saw Blade Buying Guide - Benchmark Abrasives

08 Sep.,2025

 

The Ultimate Circular Saw Blade Buying Guide - Benchmark Abrasives

A circular saw can be your best friend when cutting metal for any industrial or home renovation project. However, these tools are useless unless you have the right circular saw blade. Thus, if you're looking for HSS or carbide-tipped blades to make precise cuts, you're in the right place.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

There are various types of blades available. In addition to circular saw blades with big and thin kerfs, there are blades with continuous rims that have no teeth, blades with more teeth and fewer teeth, blades with both positive and negative rake angles, and a multipurpose blade.

It can be tricky to pick the right circular saw blade for precise, delicate cuts. This guide will help you understand the different types and features of circular saw blades, giving you all the info you need to choose the perfect blade for accurate, safe, and efficient cutting.

Understanding Circular Saw Blade Anatomy

To understand how to pick the right circular saw blade, let's first look at its main parts:

  • Blade Diameter: The overall size of the blade, expressed in millimeters (mm) or inches. It must match your saw's maximum rated capacity.
  • Bore (Arbor Hole): The central hole of the blade, which fits onto the saw's arbor shaft. Its diameter (mm or inches) must match the saw's arbor for proper mounting. Reducer rings (bushings) can be used to fit blades with a larger bore onto a smaller arbor, but never the reverse.
  • Kerf (Thickness): This refers to the width of the cut a blade makes, measured in millimeters (mm). It indicates how much material is removed as sawdust during cutting.
  • Plate Material: The main body of the blade, usually made from high-quality steel.
  • Teeth: Teeth are the cutting elements on a blade. Their number, material, and geometry dictate the quality and speed of the cut.
  • Gullet: The space between adjacent teeth. Larger gullets allow for more efficient chip (sawdust) ejection, which is crucial for faster cuts, especially in thicker or softer materials.
  • Hook Angle (Rake Angle): The angle of the tooth face relative to a line from the blade's center to the tooth tip.
    • Positive Hook Angle: The teeth lean forward, taking a more aggressive bite. This angle is good for fast ripping of wood.
    • Negative Hook Angle: Teeth lean backward. Reduces the feed rate and lessens the chance of kickback, making it safer for miter saws, radial arm saws, and cutting non-ferrous metals or plastics.

Things To Consider When Choosing a Circular Saw Blade

Selecting the appropriate circular saw blade involves evaluating several essential factors:

1. Blade Diameter and Bore

Blade Diameter: Always ensure the blade's diameter matches or is smaller than the maximum size your circular saw is designed to handle. Using an oversized blade is extremely dangerous and can damage your saw.

Bore Diameter: The blade's bore must precisely match the diameter of your saw's arbor shaft. If a blade has a larger bore than your saw's arbor, you can use a high-quality reducer ring (bushing) to ensure a snug fit. Never force a blade that doesn't fit correctly, and never use a blade with a bore smaller than your arbor.

2. Tooth Count and Application

The number of teeth (often indicated by 'Z') on a circular saw blade directly impacts the speed and quality of the cut.

Low Tooth Count (e.g., 10-30Z): Blades with fewer, widely spaced teeth are ideal for rip cutting (cutting along the grain of wood). The large gullets allow for rapid chip ejection, preventing clogging and making fast, efficient cuts. They typically leave a coarser finish.

Medium Tooth Count (e.g., 40-60Z): These saw blades offer a balance between speed and finish quality. They are often designated as general-purpose blades suitable for both ripping and crosscutting (cutting across the grain) in various woods.

High Tooth Count (e.g., 60-100Z+): Saw blades with numerous, closely spaced teeth are primarily utilized for crosscutting and fine finishing. They create a cleaner, smoother cut with less tear-out, making them perfect for plywood, laminates, Melamine, non-ferrous metals, and plastics.

3. Tooth Materials and Their Applications

The material of the tooth tips largely determines the blade's durability, sharpness retention, and suitability for different materials:

4. Tooth Type and Geometry

The shape and grind of the teeth are critical for optimizing cutting performance and finish:

  • ATB (Alternate Top Bevel) Teeth: For maximum versatility, choose ATB (Alternate Top Bevel) teeth, characterized by their alternating left-hand and right-hand bevel design. ATB blades work well for both crosscuts and minor rip cutting, excelling on natural woods and composite materials like plywood.

  • FT (Flat Top) Teeth: They are ideal for quick rips along the wood grain, functioning like a chisel to efficiently remove material.

    If you want to learn more, please visit our website JINGHANG.

  • TCG (Triple Chip Grind): In this pattern, a unique "trapeze"-shaped tooth alternates with flat-top (FT) teeth. The chamfered teeth coarsely cut the material, and the flat teeth then clean and finish the cut. TCG blades are perfect for cutting plastics, non-ferrous metals, and laminates where a very clean, chip-free finish is desired.

  • Negative Hook Angle: Blades with teeth angled backward reduce the rate of material feeding into the blade. This design significantly lessens the risk of kickback, making them safer for use on miter saws, radial arm saws, and for cutting materials that might grab the blade (e.g., aluminum).

  • Anti-Kickback Teeth: These blades feature a shoulder at the back of each tooth that limits the amount of material each tooth can cut. This design prevents the blade from biting too deeply and acquiring too much leverage, which can cause dangerous kickbacks. These teeth are typically found on blades with larger gullets.

  • Nail-Resistant Teeth (Demolition Blades): Designed for cutting through demolition or scrap timber that may contain hard foreign objects like gravel or nails. Their teeth are made of a softer, shock-absorbing carbide and are often narrower, allowing them to absorb impacts without shattering.

5. Kerf: Thin vs. Full

Full Kerf Blades: These blades have a standard thickness (e.g., 3.2mm or 1/8 inch). They are more rigid, produce a cleaner cut, and are less prone to wobbling. However, they remove more material as sawdust, and require more power from the saw.

Thin Kerf Blades: The thin kerf blades are generally thinner (example, 2.4mm or 3/32 inch). They remove less material, resulting in less waste and requiring less power from the saw, which can be beneficial for underpowered saws or when conserving material. However, they are more susceptible to deflection or wobbling if not handled correctly or if the saw is not perfectly aligned.

6. Blade Coatings

Many modern blades feature specialized coatings (e.g., non-stick, anti-friction, anti-corrosion). These coatings help reduce heat buildup, minimize pitch and resin accumulation, decrease friction, and protect the blade from rust, all of which contribute to longer blade life and smoother cuts.

Circular Saw Blade Types

There are many types of circular saw blades, including standard, rim, turbo, segmented, reciprocal, and abrasive. Each has a specific purpose. The saw blade types are.

  • Standard Circular Saw Blades
  • Rip-cut and Cross-cut Blades
  • Continuous-Rim Blades
  • Turbo-Rim Blades
  • Segmented Blades
  • Abrasive Blades
  • Plywood Blade
  • General-Purpose Blades
  • Ripping Blades
  • Finishing Blades
  • Dado Blade
  • Thin Kerf
  • Masonry Blades

Note: Discover the right blade for your project! Explore the different types of circular saw blades by following this link.

Conclusion

Choosing the right circular saw blade is an important decision that significantly impacts the quality, efficiency, and safety of your cutting projects. By understanding essential factors such as blade diameter, bore size, number of teeth, tooth material, and tooth geometry, you can confidently choose the appropriate blade for a variety of materials, including wood, metal, plastic, or masonry.

Prioritize safety by always matching your saw's RPM to the blade's and using proper mounting and guards. With this detailed guide, you are now fully equipped to make wise decisions and achieve precise, clean, and safe cuts every time.

Also, Read-

About T.C.T Circular Saw Blades - Sawcraft UK

Tooth Pitch

Tooth pitch is an important factor when choosing blades for different types of work. The pitch is the distance between the front faces of adjacent teeth. The formula to the right can be used for calculating pitch

Cutting Speed / Feed per Tooth

To optimise long life and good surface finish it is crucial to use the correct feed per tooth. If the wsaw blade has to low feed it results in quick wear. If the feed is to high it can cause teeth to break.

The recommendation table to the right, state cutting speed and feed rate per tooth for some different materials.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit TCT Circular Saw Blades.