Saw Blade Differences

Taking the guesswork out of Sawblades!

Learn about key differences in plate specifications, tooth geometry, size and carbide type to make the right saw blade choices.

With the plethora of saw blades available in the market today, it can be daunting for the user to choose the right blade for the right application. Since Chinese-made blades have heavily infiltrated the wood products industry with low prices in recent years, it has become even more difficult to determine which blade is right. Low pricing can be very tempting! Visually, blades can be hard to differentiate since all are circular, they all have a hole in the center, and they all have teeth around the circumference – that’s about where the similarities end.

What makes a saw blade a precision blade, begins with the saw plate, i.e. the body. The larger the diameter of the saw blade, the more important the plate quality is. The tensioning of the saw body, which keeps it flat and running truly is paramount to achieving a good finish and maintaining cut quality for the life of the saw blade. Once the plate is warped or “dished”, the chances of correcting the tension successfully diminish and the blade becomes useless. A quality saw plate will feature expansion slots that help reduce noise and disperse the heat created during cutting, allowing the plate to contract and expand as needed during the cutting cycle.

Tooth geometry, size,, and carbide grade utilized are also important to take a closer look at. The correct tooth geometry is essential to obtain the desired quality of finish on the product being cut – more about this in a minute. The size of the carbide tip will dictate how many times a blade can be sharpened so a smaller tip will typically be seen on a less expensive blade, (i.e. less carbide=lower cost). The grade of carbide used is something that cannot be discerned by a visual glance — and the difference can be quite startling between an industrial-grade saw blade and one made for the do-it-yourself/retail market.

Tungsten carbide is produced by binding hard carbide particles with metallic binders and the quality, binders, and particle size used all play a role in the final cutting tip performance of a blade. Some carbide grades are far more suitable than others to machine different materials, for instance, composite materials. The same applies to solid wood, softwood, etc. A general-purpose blade is, as its name implies, designed to take on any task and provide average results. It is not designed to maximize performance or finish.