What Are The Best Circular Saw Blades In 2020?

Best circular saw blades of 2019

I have on multiple occasions received requests on doing a review of the best circular blades in the market today. While doing my research, I realized that different circular saws are made differently, with different purposes in mind.

However, it all boils down to how efficient and durable your saw blade is. Even with the best chain saw in the market today, you would not get to maximum productivity without a blade that serves you best. In the following article, I have looked at various circular saw blade types in the market today. Here is what I found out.

1. IRWIN Metal-Cutting Circular Saw Blade

First on our list is the IRWIN metal-cutting circular saw blade. Rated as the best circular saw blade, this blade is an assurance of exceptional results when it comes to sheering metals, from ferrous steel or aluminum.

best circular saw blade

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1. IRWIN Metal-Cutting Circular Saw Blade - 2

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2. Concord Blades WCB1000T080HP Wood Saw Blade

Made purposely for its purpose in woodwork, the Concord blades WCB1000T080HP stand out among the best circular saw blade types. This blade is known for its efficiency and minimal wastage as the tool lies in the category of ultra-thin kerf lades.

best circular saw blades

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3. DEWALT DW3106P5 60-Tooth Crosscutting Saw Blade

If you are looking for a blade that is bound to make your work as interesting and easy, you definitely need the Dewalt DW3106P5. The blade is 10 inches in diameter with 60 cutting teeth for general purpose.

best circular saw blade

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4. Freud D1050X Diablo 10-inch Saw Blade

This blade is interestingly designed to take up a multipurpose function. It is made for table and miter saws, comes with a 10 inches cutting diameter and a 50-tooth ATB. With the blade being one of the best circular saw blades in the market today, enjoy using it for high precision cuts that are made quickly.

best circular saw blade

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5. Oshlun SBW-055036 Circular Saw Blade

Known for an amazing performance even in the worst situations, the Oshlun SBW-055036 Circular Saw Blade takes its place on this review as the 5th best circular saw blade. This blade comes with a 5 ½ inches cutting capacity, and professional grade carbide. The blade, which is a multi-versatile fit for many power tools, comes with some of the best features that keep it a notch higher in performance and durability.

best circular saw blade

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6. Rockwell RW9231 Circular Saw Blade

The Rockwell RW9231 offers versatility when it comes to cutting. The blade can easily cut through wood, wood composites, and aluminum. The blade has 24 tipped teeth, which are designed to offer the fastest experience amongst other circular saw blade types.

best circular saw blade

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Common Questions People Ask about the blade:

What we liked about this blade?

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Buying Guide for Circular Saw Blades

A great circular saw can only be as good as having the best circular saw blade to use. Finding the right blade for use can be a daunting task if you do not know what to look for.

Different circular saws are made for different purposes. They are also made for cutting different types of materials and for specific saws.

Of course, top-notch features are the best, but functionality of these features is key and should relate well with your cutting needs. This buying guide will help you know what to focus on while choosing a circular blade that fits your needs and purposes.

The two main steps when buying a blade are:

  1. Checking to see if it fits your circular saw
  2. Checking for specifications that suit you the most

With these two main points, you can get into more details on what should guide you into finding the right saw for you.

Checking if the Blade Fits your Circular Saw

The two key guidelines to help you find a blade that fits your saw are the type of blade and the diameter of the blade.

  • Smaller blades between 4 ½ inches to 4 ½ inches are meant for hand held circular saws.
  • Diamond tipped blades that are 7-10 inches in diameter are meant for tile saws
  • Metal saws, abrasive saws and cut off saws will often require a blade that is 14 inches in diameter and whose teeth are tipped with silicon carbide or aluminum oxide.

The arbor hole should also guide you into finding a blade that fits onto your saw. This hole must fit onto the shaft on your saw.

Thirdly, ensure that the maximum rating of the RPM (rotations per minute) match those of your plate.

Checking for the Saw Specifications

Types of Circular Saw Blades

There are many functions that a saw blade can fulfill. The following are circular saw blade types that should help you know what you are looking for and the work a blade can do.

1. Plywood Blades

These are blades meant for cutting plywood. They have numerous teeth.

2. Combination blades

These blades can either cut across or parallel to the grains of wood. This is the best blade to go for if you are looking for a general-purpose solution.

3. Crosscutting blade

These blade cut across the wood grain and they have more teeth with a small gullet for fine cuts.

4. Ripping blade

These types of blades are meant for cutting parallel to the wood grain. The teeth are fewer in this blade and the gullet is larger.

5. Fine-Tooth Finish Blade

These are secondary blades to help you make smooth cuts.

6. Hollow Ground Blade

The hollow ground blade is useful for making smooth cuts across the wood grain. The blade is made in such a way that it is thinner than the teeth to prevent from sticking in between the workpiece.

7. Dado Blade

They are useful when making grooves, rabbet cuts and dadoes in lumber work.

8. Thin kerf blades

These are blades with a narrow profile. They are designed for easier cutting, faster, and with less material waste.

9. Finish/ Paneling blade

These are used to cut plywood, veneer, paneling, plastics and laminates.

Teeth in Circular Saw Blade

1. What is the number of teeth that should be found on the best circular saw blade?

Teeth are the cutting tools on a blade. Teeth spacing and number affect the cutting process of a blade.

When the teeth are widely spaced and large in size, the blade cuts faster and can handle the cutting task more aggressively. However, such teeth will only allow efficient cutting of the wood in the direction of the grain.

When teeth are smaller and narrowly spaced, each rotation of the blade will make more cuts- hence a much finer and smoother type of cutting. On the other hand, smaller teeth make finer finishes and they function best when cutting across the wood grain.

2. Different Types of Teeth and their Importance

Teeth come in different shapes, and forms to fulfill a variety of purposes.

  • Alternating bevel teeth – In this type of teeth, the bevel direction alternates from left to right. This reduces the amount of friction by making the cut bigger than the blade.
  • Nail cutting teeth – This type of blade allows you to cut wood that may be having nails that would conventionally break other blades.
  • Anti-recoil teeth – Blades with these type of teeth have a heel at the back of the tooth. This heel prevents the blade from bucking towards the user.
  • Straight and trapezoidal alternating teeth – These blades have teeth with bevels, and straight teeth that follow each other. The trapezoidal teeth are meant for making the rough cut and the straight teeth reduces the extent of tearing of the wood fiber.
  • Positive and negative angle teeth – These teeth are differentiated by the extent of how forward or backward the carbide pads lean on the teeth. The positive angled teeth pull towards the blade while the negative angle pulls away. The positive angled teeth make it easy when cutting wood while the negative angle make it easy for the operator to control the saw when cutting materials such as metal.

3. Teeth Count

For experienced woodworkers the number of teeth on a blade determines the best circular saw types.

In general terms, the higher the number of teeth a blade has, the higher the quality of the blade. Every additional tooth means an addition to the cost.

  • 14-teeth Blades (Demo Blades) – When the number of teeth is small, the blade can cut fast but the cut is rough. Blades with a low number of teeth have the capacity to go through the thickest stock with much ease.
  • 24-teeth blades (Framing Blades) – These give clean rip cuts but their cross cuts are rough.
  • 40-teeth blades (Sheet Blades) – These blades can easily cut through plywood.
  • 80-teeth blades (Miter-saw blades) – These are saws to help you in doing finish work and cleaner cuts.

Summary

What to Consider when looking for the best circular saw

  1. Understand the application – Ensure that you know, beforehand, the work that you need to do. This will help you pick a saw that fits your work.
  1. Determine the type of cut needed – This factor will help you in picking a blade with the right number of teeth to fit your need. If you are looking for a finer cut, you will need a blade with many teeth. If looking to cut on thick stock, you will need a blade with small number of teeth
  1. The Gullet – The gullet is the space in between the teeth. The wider the gullet, the larger the chip of dirt and waste.
  1. Configuration of the teeth – Teeth configuration determines how the blade performs. Configuration of teeth will help you determine if the blade is a cross cut, rip cut, or for combined cutting.
  1. Angle of the Teeth – The angle of the teeth will help you know the material which the blade should cut.

In conclusion, ensure that you go for the blade that fits your purpose. The best circular saw types are only functional if they operate as needed. Also, ensure that you go for a blade that fits your financial capability. The best circular saw blade should give you the best return for your investment.

 

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