Best Table Saw Blade for Every Need
I’ve been woodworking for a long time, so I’ve used a LOT of table saw blades, but I still remember when I was learning about them. Back then, I spent countless hours on studying the ins and outs of what makes a good blade. You don’t have to do that as this article will help you pick the best table saw blade to get you cutting wood like a pro.
So, what is the best table saw blade?
The answer to that question really depends on what cuts you’re going to be making and how smooth you want them to be. There are quite a few blades to choose from, but this article should help you narrow down your choices. With that, let’s get started.
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Choosing the Best Table Saw Blade
Let’s face it, cutting wood with a handsaw takes time and can wear you out. That’s why powered saws came to be. Circular saws, radial arm saws, chop or miter saws, and table saws speed things up.
Using the table saw one can make:
- Crosscuts (across the wood grain or short dimension of the stock)
- Rip cuts (with the grain or along the long dimension of the stock)
- Dados (groove across the grain or short dimension of the stock)
- Grooves (same as a dado but along the grain or long dimension of the stock)
- Contour cuts (moving the stock at an angle across the blade).
Different Blades for Different Cuts
As mentioned above, there are numerous types of cuts that can be made on the table saw and some require specialized blades. Let’s take a look.
Ripping
Ripping parallel to the grain does not require the wood fibers to be cut, but instead, they are “chiseled” out by the blade tips.
Ripping blades are made with Flat Top Ground (FTG) tips, which act as little chisels when cutting.
These gouge out the wood during the cutting process, instead of slicing wood.
The tips of these blades are ground as the name implies.
The tips of each tooth are perpendicular to the body of the blade. While shining stars when ripping, FTG blades do not do a good job when crosscutting, as they tear the fibers instead of slicing them.
For cutting thick material, a 24 tooth blade will cut faster and cooler than one with a higher tooth count. It won’t cut as smoothly, though. Generally, the edges are cleaned up on a jointer, with a router, or with a higher tooth count ripping blade.
Crosscutting
Cutting across the grain, or short dimension of the material requires a blade that will slice the wood fibers, instead of gouging them out.
Crosscutting blades’ tips are alternately ground to opposite bevels. These are known as Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) blades.
As with ripping blades, the higher the tooth count, the smoother the cut.
This generates more heat and requires that the cuts be made slower than those made with a lower tooth count blade.
As with ripping blades, the thicker the material the lower number of teeth will cut quicker and cooler.
Cutting Dados, Grooves, and Rabbets
Dados, grooves, and rabbets (basically an open sided groove or dado cut on the edge of the material) are easily done with a wobble dado blade or a stacked dado set. These are designed to remove a lot of material in one cut.
Wobble dado blades have a single blade that is mounted on and adjustable center which allows the woodworker to tilt the blade to make various width cuts.
Because the blade wobbles, the tips of the blade swing in a slight arc. This prevents the cut from having a flat bottom.
Stacked dado sets are comprised of two outer saw blades, with an assortment of chipper blades that are stacked between the two. By varying the number of chippers and their sizes, as well as with shims, the width of the cut is adjusted. Since these blades run true, they produce cuts with flat bottoms.
If you want to spend less money and have the option of making quick adjustments, and arent’s worried about the bottom of the cut not being flat, then the wobble dado blade will suit you.
If you want your cuts to have a flat bottom and don’t mind taking time to set the stack up, the stacked dado set will be your choice.
You don’t have to have a dado blade or set to cut dados, grooves, and rabbets. You can do those with a router, or by making multiple passes on the table saw.
Contour Cuts
Contour cuts are made by setting up a temporary fence on the table saw, which will guide the material at an angle over the blade, producing an arced cut. This is done by making very slight cuts, only at the depth of the blade tip, multiple times until the desired material is used.
Because this type of cut pushes the wood at and angle, it’s recommended that you don not use a crosscutting blade as this process is hard on the tip of the blade.
No need to dull your blade prematurely, right?
What to Look for in a Table Saw Blade
Price
As with many items, you get what you pay for, but higher cost doesn’t always mean better. You can get just as good results from a lower priced blade as you can from a higher priced blade.
The lower priced blade probably won’t hold up as well, but if you’re a hobby woodworker, you won’t be running thousands of feet of lumber through your blade, at least not in a week.
There are a lot of good blades out there that won’t break your bank account.
Carbide Tipped vs Non-Carbide Tipped
Carbide is a very strong, although brittle material. It sharpens keenly and holds an edge longer than non-carbide tipped blades. It definitely pays to spend a little more on carbide tipped blades.
Unfortunately, not all blades are available carbide tipped. Panel and laminate blades have a high number of teeth, which are spaced too close together to easily braze the tips on. These are only available as non-carbide tipped blades.
Quality
Generally, name brand blades will be of higher quality than bargain brand blades. Freud, Irwin, DeWalt, Disston, and other name brands have built their reputations in quality items.
The materials tend to be of higher quality, they tend to be sharper, have keener edges, and the carbide tips have smooth brazed joints. All make for better cuts, which makes for nicer projects.
Purpose
If you plan to make dados, grooves, and rabbets on your table saw, then a dado wobble blade or stacked set will speed things up for you. For smooth crosscuts, the crosscutting blade would be your choice. Smooth ripped cuts will benefit from a ripping blade.
If you’re not too worried about the smoothness of cut, a general purpose, or combination blade will do the job.
If you plan on cutting laminates and medium density fiber board (MDF) then a Triple Chip Grind (TCG) will hold up better than either a ripping blade or a crosscutting blade. The tips on the TCG blades are heavier and are designed to withstand the abuse that these materials dish out.
Number of Teeth
As mentioned earlier, the higher the number of teeth the smoother the cut, but the pay off is cutting speed. The fewer number of teeth the rougher the cut, but cuts can be made quicker.
It’s a trade off, either way, but there are blades that can cut fairly smoothly and quickly.
If you want to work quickly and are not worried about the initial cuts being a bit rough, the lower tooth count blade will do well for you. You can always smooth the cuts with other processes.
Do I Need Both a Ripping Blade and Crosscutting Blade?
You don’t have to have a crosscutting blade and a ripping blade, you can do both with a combination or general purpose blade. This saves money and the hassle of changing blades, but at the expense of rougher cuts.
A 50 tooth combination blade has 10 series of 4 ATB teeth, each followed by a single FTG tooth.
Do I Need a Dado Wobble Blade or a Dado Stack Set?
If you’re going to do basic woodworking and don’t expect to cut dados, grooves, or rabbets; or you have a router and straight cutting bits, then you don’t need either.
I find it easier to cut both with my router and have never owned a set up for the table saw.
Best Table Saw Blade Reviews
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Freud 10 In. 24 Tooth Thin Kerf Ripping Saw Blade with 5/8 In. Arbor
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Freud has been around for years and makes quality products. I know, as I’ve used Freud’s saw blades for years. You pay a bit more than Lowes or Home Depot products, but they last for years.
Body
Freud laser cuts the bodies, expansion and cooling slots, and arbor hole of each saw blade. The expansion and cooling slots also help reduce wine that most cheap blades produce.
Tips
Freud produces their own carbide, ensuring true and hard tips that hold their edge and produce accurate cuts.
Cost
Definitely a bit more than many blades, but you get your money’s worth when buying a Freud blade.
Pros
- Freud has been around for years
- Quality product at a reasonable price
- Precision ground carbide tips that hold an edge over time
- Laser cut expansion slots prevent vibration due to heat build up
- Thin kerf allows under powered saws to power through the material
- Perma-SHIELD coating prevents against, pitch build up, gumming, and corrosion
- Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship
Cons
- None noted
At a reasonable price, this is a great addition to any woodworker’s shop. I know, as I have a Freud ripping blade that I use often. The edges require very little clean up before finishing.
Click here to read user reviews on Amazon.
DEWALT DW3219PT 10-Inch 80T Fine Crosscutting Saw Blade
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DeWalt has also been around for years and is not only known for their quality power tools, but also for their blades and other accessories. They even have safety sunglasses and I use mine as everyday sunglasses.
Body
DeWalt laser cuts the bodies, expansion and cooling slots, and arbor hole of each saw blade. The expansion and cooling slots also help reduce wine that most cheap blades produce.
Tips
DeWalt saw blades have micro-grain carbide tips that ensure true and hard tips that hold their edge and produce accurate cuts.
Cost
A bit more expensive than the Freud blade, but still within reach of the hobby woodworker. I have several DeWalt blades in my shop and they have held up for years.
Pros
- DeWalt has been around for years
- Quality product at a reasonable price
- Ground tips that hold an edge over time
- Tough Coat finish prevents heat build up, gumming, and pitch build up
Cons
- Limited 3 year warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship
I have several DeWalt blades which I’ve used for years. This is also an excellent addition to any wood shop.
Click here to read user reviews on Amazon.
CMT 256.050.10 ITK Industrial Combination Saw Blade, 10-Inch x 50 Teeth 1FTG+4ATB Grind with 5/8-Inch Bore
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CMT Utensili has been around since 1960 and has also been manufacturing quality saw blades through the years. I haven’t used a CMT blade in years, but they served well in the school wood shop when I was teaching.
Body
CMT also laser cuts the bodies of their saw blades, including the expansion and cooling slots, and arbor hole.
Tips
CMT also formulates their own carbide, ensuring true and hard tips that hold their edge and produce accurate cuts.
Cost
CMT’s combination blade is another great buy for a great blade.
Pros
- CMT Utensili has been around for years
- Quality product at a reasonable price
- Rips and crosscuts
- Precision ground carbide tips that hold an edge over time
- Quality product at a reasonable price
- Precision ground carbide tips that hold an edge over time
Cons
- Limited lifetime warranty against material and craftsmanship defects
This is another quality blade at a great price. It will definitely be handy in any shop as it can rip and crosscut.
Click here to read user reviews on Amazon.
Oshlun SDS-0630 6-Inch 30 Tooth Stack Dado Set with 5/8-Inch Arbor
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Oshlun has been around for about 11 years now, so they’re no stranger to manufacturing saw blades. They are also known for their quality.
Body
Oshlun also laser cuts the bodies of their saw blades and chipper blades, including the expansion and cooling slots, and arbor hole.
Tips
Oshlun blades feature precision ground C-4 micro grain carbide tips stay sharp longer and cut accurately.
Cost
Since this is a stacked dado set, comprised of two outer blades and inner chipper blades it’s going to cost more than the other blades. Fortunately, the 6” set is still affordable.
Pros
- Oshlun has been around for a number of years
- Precision ground carbide tips that keep an edge longer and produces accurate cuts
- Cuts flat bottom grooves, dados, and rabbets
- Cuts from 1/4” to 29/32” wide dados and grooves
- Shim set included for fine adjustments
- Lifetime warranty against material and craftsmanship defects
- Cardboard storage box included, not a storage case
This is a great buy for a dado stack set. With the ability to make flat cuts, and is adjustable from 1/4” to 29/32”, it’s definitely worth getting at some time.
Click here to read user reviews on Amazon.
Porter-Cable 7005012 Oldham 7-in Adjustable Dado Blade
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Porter-Cable is well known for its quality power tools and other products, such as this wobble dado blade manufactured in North Carolina by Oldham Saw. Oldham has been manufacturing saw blades since 1857. Yep, since 1857.
Body
The body on a wobble dado blade is different from all the others. The blade itself is sandwiched between to adjustable collars that when twisted, adjust the angle of the blade.
These blades cannot be used on saws with arbors that are less than 1-3/8” in length.
Tips
The Porter-Cable Oldham wobble dado blade features precision ground carbide tips that keep an edge longer and produces accurate cuts.
The only drawback is the slight radius left at the bottom of the dado or groove. This is caused by the wobble action of the blade.
Cost
This is an economy blade that’s quickly adjustable and definitely will not hurt the wallet.
Pros
- Produced by a company that’s been around for over a century
- Easily adjusted from 3/16” to 13/16”
- Price that’s easy on the bank account
- Precision ground carbide tips that will hold an edge over time and produce accurate cuts
Cons
- Leaves a slight radius at the bottom of the cut
- Not as finely made as expected
- Limited warranty
This is not the wobble dado blade for anyone planning to mass produce large quantities of projects but will serve well when used occasionally. It will serve well in many shops.