Types Of Miter Saw Blades: Get the Right Blade For Accurate Cuts!

Last Updated On February 10, 2023

Confused with different types of miter saw blades? Or, looking for a durable blade to get some efficient cuts with a miter saw?

Congrats! You are at the right place. In this article, we are discussing different types of miter saw blades that can easily cut through different materials and provide the smoothest cut.

Miter saws can make multiple types of crosscuts on various materials. Besides, there are different types of blades, including cross-cut, combination, and material type miter saw blades. Now, if you use the wrong blade, it will cause kickback and damage the working materials. So, picking the right blades is a must to get smooth cuts.

Want more clarification about different types of miter saw blades? Go through our detailed guide for a quick clarification and pick the right blade to get a smooth and efficient cut.

Types Of Miter Saw Blades

Miter saws can cut through different materials. To cover all these materials, there are different types of miter saw blades, including cross-cut, combination, and material type miter saw blades. Let’s dig into these saw blades in detail.

Cross-cut Miter Saw Blade

It comes with a high tooth count and smaller gullets used to cut through the wood grains. In fact, the high tooth count of the blade can easily cut through different materials. Also, the exceptional cutting speeds with a dimensional control can provide a clean material removal.

On top of that, cross-cutting blades with a negative hook angle are ideal for easing into the wood and providing the smoothest cut. Besides, the smaller gullets can remove the fine sawdust to ensure the cleanest cut.

Combination Miter Saw Blade

It is an answer to cut materials like plywood, particle, or laminate boards. Actually, a table saw can’t use a ripping blade as the blade saw. As it can’t rip materials perfectly, a combination miter saw blade can go through these materials.

Also, these plywood, particle, or laminate boards aren’t pure lumber. As a result, a combination miter saw blade can hack through these materials to provide you with some clean cuts.

Material Type Miter Saw Blade

Usually, it depends on the material type. As the plywood is a little hard to cut, it requires a blade with a triple-chip tooth and a 10-degree hook angle. Besides, a plywood miter saw blade must include 40 to 80-tooth to ensure a smoother cut without chipping.

Next, materials like melamine come with a coating on both sides that causes chipping while cutting. In this case, a melamine miter saw blade requires 60 to 100 teeth to produce the cleanest and smoothest cuts.

Finally, if you’re working with non-ferrous metals or steel, the blade must be made of carbide-grade steel to resist breaks or damage. If you use a steel blade, then you may be able to cut non-ferrous metals like brass, copper, and aluminum. But, the blade will break or get damaged while cutting through steel rods and pipes.

How To Pick a Miter Saw Blade

When you’re picking the best miter saw blade, it is better to look for different factors like blade diameter, teeth, blade material, hook angle, arbor size, kerf, and so on. Let’s have a look at these factors in detail. 

Blade Diameter

It is the most important as the blade diameter decides the depth of your cuts. Usually, a miter saw is compatible with 7 ¼, 8 ½, 10, or 12-inch blades. If you’re using a smaller trim miter saw, then a 7 ¼ or 8 ½ inch blade is perfect to finish your job. Otherwise, most miter saws are compatible with 10 or 12-inch blades.

Now, people use a different size blade than the saw recommends. But, if you use an 11-inch blade instead of a 12-inch blade, the cutting depth will be minimal. Besides, you may face issues like kickback which makes the cutting quite unsafe. That’s why we recommend you avoid using a different size blade.

Teeth

It matters a lot as both the teeth count & profile affects the quality of the cut. Let’s start with the teeth count. Actually, blades with a higher teeth count offer a finer finish compared to lower teeth count. But, if the blade includes a higher number of teeth, it will cut slower than blades with fewer teeth.

On top of that, the material of the teeth ensures durability while cutting through lumber or aluminum. Most premium blade teeth include tungsten or carbide tips that can cut non-ferrous metals or steel like butter!

Further, the tooth geometry decides the blade digs into the material. When you’re making some sharp and precise cuts, Alternate Top Bevel or ATB teeth profile is the best option for you. On the other hand, the TCG or Triple Chip Grind teeth profile is ideal for heavy-duty cuts and quick re-sharpening.

Blade Material 

As the material decides the durability of the blade, always pick a miter saw blade with hardened or stainless steel. Otherwise, the sliding miter saws blade will break while cutting through hard materials. 

In fact, the stainless steel blade is a better option as it is 100% rust resistant and offers extreme high-speed steel performance even at a high temperature. Besides, the impacts of the stabilizer vents quite depend on the quality of blade materials.

Hook angle

The aggression of the bade with the work material depends on its hook angle. It is usually 5° to 20° toward or backward with the blade spin. To get a quick clarification, look at the tip of each tooth. 

Now, 5° to 15° hook angle of a blade is enough for a miter saw to keep the blade aggressive against the work material. Plus, the positive hook angle adds more aggression to the blade when it comes to crosscutting the wood quickly.

Arbor Size

It is also important as the arbor size differs from saw to saw. As it decides whether the blade is compatible with the saw arbor or not, always pick a blade with the right arbor size. Usually, a 10-inch saw includes a ⅝-inch arbor, whereas the 12-inch one comes with a 1-inch arbor.

Due to such reasons, the arbor hole size of a blade must match the miter saw to hold the blade perfectly. Hence, we suggest you double-check the arbor size before picking the blades for your sliding compound miter saws.

Gullet Size 

The ripping blades come with large gullets, whereas the crosscut one includes smaller gullets. Now, the bigger gullet can remove more waste from the work material. On the other hand, the smaller gullets can remove the fine sawdust to ensure the cleanest cut.

But, the cutting speed sometimes gets slow due to the sawdust or debris clogging. In fact, the blade can get stuck due to extreme clogging. So, always check the gullets if the cutting speed gets slow or the blade is stuck. Clean the gullets with a hard brush to get the proper cutting speed. 

Stabilizer Vents

Two types of vents are available in the miter saw blade, including laser-cut stabilizer vents and the traditional stamped stabilizer vent. While cutting through the working materials, blades generate a huge amount of heat that results in expansion. But, these stabilizer vents expand to reduce the heat and avoid warpings. 

Compared to the traditional stamped one, the laser-cut vents one is quite thinner and more intricate. As a result, these stabilizer vents increase the performance of the blade even with the hard materials. So, always pick a miter saw blade with laser-cut stabilizer vents.

Blade Kerf

It is nothing but the width of the saw blade. If the blade comes with a large width, it will remove more material while cutting. But, a full kerf blade can cause chipping while cutting through materials like plywood and laminates. To get rid of such issues, pick a blade with a narrow kerf.

Sometimes, the angle of teeth changes the kerf even if they come with the same thickness. So, if you want to avoid chipping while cutting, choose the blade kerf wisely.

How To Change The Blade of Miter Saws

To change the blade of a miter saw, disconnect it from the power source first. It is important to avoid accidental injuries while changing the blade. Next, remove the spindle cover and rotate the blade guard. 

Once you rotate the guard to the top position, remove the screw of the spindle cover. It will help to pivot on the back screw. As a result, you can keep the cover out of the way.

After that, press the spindle lock and remove the bolt. To remove it quickly, use a 10mm wrench while pressing the lock. As the bolt is a left-hand thread bolt, turn the wrench clockwise to loosen it.

As soon as the bolt gets loose, remove it along with the washer. Then, take out the damaged blade and replace the new one on the miter saw. To install the blade correctly, use the painted arrows typically found on the side or middle of the blade. 

At the end, place the washer with the bolt and turn the wrench anti-clockwise to tighten it correctly. Place the spindle cover on the saw. Finally, it’s time to rotate the blade guard to lower it. Let’s connect the miter saw to a power source to cut the workpieces quickly.

FAQs

What blade should I use on my miter saw?

Crosscut blades because these blades offer exceptional cutting speeds that can provide a clean material removal. Also, the high tooth count of the blade can easily go through different materials.

Can I use a 10-inch blade in a 12-inch miter saw?

No, using a smaller blade makes the cutting depth minimal. Besides, issues like kickback may arise, which makes the cutting quite unsafe.

Are more teeth on a saw blade better?

Yes, blades with a higher teeth count offer a finer finish compared to lower teeth count. But,  it cuts slower than the blades with lower teeth.

Which saw blade makes the smoothest cut? 

The Crosscut blade makes the smoothest cut due to its higher teeth count and exceptional cutting speeds.

Finishing Up

Finally, we have made it to the end of our brief roadmap. As we discussed different types of miter saw blades, we hope this article will help you pick the right blade for your miter saw.

Besides, we have added some factors that can help you to choose a durable and precise cutting miter saw blade. So, pick the right blade and cut through different materials like butter!