The Ultimate Guide on How to Choose a Miter Saw Blade

A miter saw is incredibly versatile but is renowned for the precision, power, and efficiency that it offers. But, the majority of people aren’t aware of the fundamental aspects of maintaining the high performance of their miter saw. You see, this tool is designed to cater to a variety of different materials and projects, which is why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all blade.

Subsequently, many people end up purchasing the wrong blade for the wrong task. Of course, it can be extremely difficult to know how to select the correct blade. We appreciate that. Which is why we’ve put together this comprehensive buying guide to help you find the best miter saw blade…

Type of Blade

Typically, there are 3 main candidates when it comes to choosing the type of blade. You have steel, high-speed steel, and carbide-tipped. Steel is your best bet if you’re going for affordable, but it may cost you more in the long run as they do wear out quickly when hardwoods are involved.

High-speed steel blades are able to cope with a wider variety of materials than the ordinary steel, and they tend to be more durable as they function at faster speeds. But, arguably the best type of blade is carbide-tipped; it probably comes as no surprise that they’re the most expensive too. They’re perfect for tasks that require precision, as they produce very fine and smooth cunts. Plus, the sharpness lasts a lot, lot longer than the other two.

Size

It may sound pretty obvious, but you’ll need to get a blade that actually fits your saw properly. That’s both in terms of bore and diameter. Most of the information you’ll be able to find on the saw, blade or in the manual, though. So, if your saw has a bore of 35mm, you’ll need to ensure the blade’s bore is also 35mm.

When it comes to diameter, you’ll need one that falls within the minimum to maximum range. If it’s too big, it’ll prevent the guard from slotting down which is a huge safety issue. Just to point out, don’t be concerned if you see notches cut out of the disk. It’s supposed to be that way to allow the disk to expand when the temperature rises to stop any warping.

Purpose

Before you go to purchase a blade, you need to figure out what you’re going to be using your miter saw for. Like we’ve mentioned, the saw can cope with a plethora of tasks, so you’ll need to find a blade that best suits your application. Many brands offer different blade ranges for that exact reason.

For instance, some brands split their blades up into five distinct categories. That’s so they can laser-target specific applications, such as metal, timber, multi-material, fast cuts and standard. So, if you were just looking for a blade for basic tasks – for example – you may select a blade that’s multi-material. A miter saw stand can also be quite useful when you're ready to work on specific projects and tasks.

Blade Teeth

This is probably the most important part of choosing a blade because it’s the teeth that actually do all of the work. Yes, the disk attaches to the saw and is vital, but the disk only supports the teeth whilst it’s cutting through the material. The general perspective in the industry is that the more teeth a blade has, the more accurate it’s going to be. In addition, the width suggests how fine the cut will be.

For instance, if you had a carbide-tipped blade with 80 teeth at 2.5mm, you can expect a sharp, smooth, accurate finish. Another thing to consider when viewing the teeth is the shape of them because that can also affect the overall cut.

Style of Cuts

The style of cut is heavily determined by the quality of your miter saw, and the blade that you’ve fitted to it. But, if you have a certain cut in mind, then you’ll need to purchase a blade that suits what you’re after. Just to give you a brief overview, that four main categories when it comes to cuts are: very coarse, coarse, fine, very fine.

It’ll usually tell you on the blade itself what it’s designed for. If you go for coarse, then you’ll achieve a rip cut in materials such as plywood, softwood, and hardwoods. If you opt for fine, then you’ll get a cross cut in materials like parquet, laminated chipboard and plywood.

Final Words

At the end of the day, the type of blade you select all depends on what tasks you’re going to be undertaking. But, if you want to improve your quality, then it could be a good idea to have two blades to hand. The first will come as standard with the saw and will probably be designed for coarse cutting. That means you can go ahead and purchase a blade for fine cuts so you have a complete set.