How to Change Blade on Miter Saw in 3 Easy Steps

Why Change Miter Saw Blades

There are several reasons you may need to change the blade on your miter saw. Your blade may be dull. You may have a wood cutting blade installed in your miter saw, but need to cut some metal. Or you may have a 24 tooth blade installed that is good for cutting studs, but you want to install a 100 tooth blade to cut some pieces for a furniture project.

Miter Saw Blade is Dull

Probably the most common reason to change the blade on a miter saw is the blade has become dull and no longer produces quality cuts.

What kind of blade should you get if your miter saw blade is dull? That will depend a lot on what type of cuts you'll be making and we'll dive into this more in depth below in "Different Miter Saw Blade for Different Cuts".

Is Your Blade Really Dull?

Did you know a dirty blade can act like a dull blade? With each cut we make wood pitch collects on our miter saw blades. As the wood pitch builds on the blade it can affect the quality of the cuts which makes us think the blade is dull. If left unchecked this wood pitch can also corrode the blade.

Different Miter Saw Blade for Materials
 

Another reason to change the blade on your miter saw is to cut a different material. Saw blades are designed to cut specific materials. Not to make this sound overly simplistic but if you need to cut some wood you'll want a blade designed to cut wood and if you need to cut some metal you'll want a blade designed to cut metal.
 

Different Miter Saw Blade for Different Cuts

Once you have determined what type of material you'll be cutting the next thing to look at is the number of teeth on the blade. I'm not an expert on saw blade construction, but here's my simple look at how the number of teeth work on a miter saw blade.
 

Saw blades with more teeth produce cleaner, crisper cuts, while blades with fewer teeth produce rough, choppy cuts. Blades with more teeth are great for cutting pieces for our DIY furniture projects. Blades with fewer teeth are great for cutting studs to build a house where you don't care what the cut looks like.

Quick Steps to Change Miter Saw Blade

Disconnect the miter saw plug from the outlet

Press the spindle lock and loosen the bolt

Remove the miter saw blade

Install the new miter saw blade

Step 1. Remove the Spindle Cover. Rotate the blade guard to the top position. Remove the front screw from the spindle cover and allow the spindle cover to pivot on the back screw and drop out of the way.

Step 2. Remove the Blade. Press the spindle lock to fully lock the spindle. If the spindle lock cannot be fully locked turn the spindle with a 10mm wrench while applying pressure to the spindle lock.

Step 3. Replace the Blade. Replacing the blade is opposite of removing the blade. Remember to use the direction arrows printed on the blade to install in the correct direction. Replace the washer and bolt (remember the bolt will turn to the left to tighten). Press the spindle lock and tighten the bolt with a 10mm wrench. Replace the spindle cover screw and lower the blade guard.