5 Great-Looking Saw Blades for Woodworking

Circular saw blades have a wide range of uses, from carpentry to construction, and are an essential tool for many projects. Different types of circular saw blades are suitable for different materials and tasks, such as wood, plastic, metal, concrete, and masonry.
It is important to choose the right circular saw blade for your project, as the right blade can bring better performance and keep you safe during operation.

In this article, we will focus on the 5 types of circular saw blades used in carpentry. After reading, you can decide which one is best for your carpentry project needs.

Cutting Circular Saw Blades
Rip-cut blades, or rip-cut blades, are designed to make straight, long cuts along the grain of the wood. They usually have fewer teeth than cross-cut blades (about 16 to 40) and have deep grooves to effectively remove wood chips and sawdust.

Rip-cut blades have teeth with a smaller rake angle, which prevents the blade from grabbing the workpiece during operation. Rip-cutting blades require faster cutting speeds, resulting in rough cuts. It is not recommended to use rip-cut blades for cross-cutting, as this will result in poor cut quality and cause kickback.

Crosscut Circular Saw Blades
Compared to sizing blades, crosscut blades or crosscut blades are great for cutting against the grain of the wood. They have more teeth (about 60 to 80) and shallower tooth grooves, making them ideal for cutting solid woods such as hardwoods and softwoods.

Crosscut blades make very clean, smooth cuts with less tearing. They have a larger rake angle for more powerful, smoother cuts at slow speeds. Also, do not use crosscut blades for tearing.

Finishing Circular Saw Blades
As the name implies, finishing blades are designed to make super clean and precise cuts on parts of the workpiece that will be visible after the project is completed. They usually have at least 80 teeth and a small rake angle to ensure smooth cuts and protect the workpiece. Finishing blades are ideal for cutting veneers, plywood, laminates, and hardwoods.

Plywood Circular Saw Blades
Due to its cross-grain design, plywood is stable even when the temperature changes. However, it is also prone to peeling and chipping when cut. Therefore, plywood blades usually have more than 40 teeth, and their tooth shape (alternating top bevel) is designed to make good cuts on materials such as plywood, MDF and particleboard. Minimize chipping.

Combination circular saw blades
Combination blades are sometimes also called universal blades. They are designed for ripping and cross-cutting at the same time. With combination blades, we do not need to switch blades when changing cutting direction.

Combination blades also combine flat teeth and alternating top bevel teeth to ensure performance. Flat teeth cut as fast as ripping, while alternating top bevel teeth produce clean, precise cuts, just like cross-cutting. However, for more specific tasks, it is recommended to use dedicated ripping or cross-cutting blades.

Different types of saw blades have different processing capabilities and cutting performances, and are suitable for cutting different materials. Saw blades should be selected according to actual project needs.

The selection of carbide saw blades is related to many parameters. It seems complicated, but in fact, it is easy as long as you find the right professional supplier.