What Is Best Blade For A Jobsite Table Saw?

We all know the challenges of finding the best blade for our table saw. When thinking about what is best blade for a jobsite table saw, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the number of quality blades on the market.

However, there are occasions when we come across inferior products on the market – including table saw blades.

In 2015, 4700 table saw blade injuries were recorded in the United States, resulting in amputations. Ensuring correct health and safety protocols are in place and knowing the blades you use with your saw are the best can help mitigate many safety concerns.

Which blades are the best? We will help you with this blog post!

Contents

1 What To Think About When Buying A Jobsite Table Saw Blade
2 The Best Jobsite Table Saw Blade
3 Our Final Thoughts: What Is Best Blade For A Jobsite Table Saw?

What To Think About When Buying A Jobsite Table Saw Blade

When thinking about what is best blade for a jobsite table saw, it is crucial to consider some essential factors.

It can be challenging to know where to start if you are new to woodworking or are unsure which blades work best with your table saw.

Here are some things we at Cutting HQ think you should always keep in mind when buying jobsite table saw blades:

Type Of Cut

An important thing to consider when looking for the correct blade is the type of cuts you will make with your table saw.

Will you be cross-cutting? Will you need to rip cut?

We all know that wood has a grain. Whether you are cutting with or against the grain will determine the type of blade you should be searching for.

In cross-cuts, you are cutting against the grain; when rip-cutting, you are cutting with the grain.

Cross-cutting involves a blade cutting individual fibres piece by piece rather than separating them. This can be difficult for many blades and saws to handle. This is because the grain of the wood is usually strong, making it hard for the saw to cut this way.

To cross-cut effectively, you must use blades with many teeth.

Rip cutting is usually easier for most blades and table saws to handle. The cut is made toward the wood’s natural composition, meaning the saw does not need to work as hard to separate the fibres.

The fastest and best rip blade table saw is determined by its durability and how much material the teeth can bite.

What about cuts in manufactured materials without a natural grain, like plywood? The best table saw blade for plywood should have excellent cross-cutting ability – and you will likely need more room to make these cuts.

Blade Tooth Shape

ATB, or alternate top bevel, refers to the bevel or the angle of the teeth. The teeth of the blade are usually set at an angle between 10 and 40 degrees.

The direction they cut alternates per tooth, either right to left or left to right, allowing them to make cleaner and more accurate cuts.

FT or flat-top describes teeth with flat tops across the blade’s width. Flat-top teeth do more chewing than slicing and are perfect for ripping.

Choosing a blade with the correct teeth shape is essential for the projects you will be working on most frequently.

Tooth Count

Did you know that the gap between two teeth is called a gullet?

Blades with a smaller tooth count usually have larger gullets. This is because there is usually more space between the teeth as fewer of them exist. That means the blade can bite more material.

You’ll mostly find larger gullets in ripping blades, as most are limited to just 24 teeth.

Blades designed for cross-cutting usually have more teeth (and smaller gullets.) The large number of teeth means each tooth will have less material to bite, allowing the blade to tackle individual fibres and cut across grains.

Cross-cutting blades usually have 60 to 90 teeth.

General-purpose blades usually try to handle both rip and cross-cutting – hence the name general purpose. They usually have about 40 to 50 teeth.

The Best Jobsite Table Saw Blade

Still trying to figure out what you are looking for? We can help.

At CuttingHQ, we searched high and low for the best general-purpose blade for your jobsite table saw. This blade can be used for both cross-cutting and rip-cutting with ease.

The Forrest 10” x 40T Woodworker II is our top general-purpose blade.

This blade can rip materials very fast while making clean cross-cuts, and as it can be used for ripping and cross-cutting, you don’t have to worry about changing table saw blades when moving from one type of cutting to another.

The Forrest 10” x 40T Woodworker II has 40 ATB teeth that allow it to make full-kerf (1/8”) cuts. These cuts are usually so clean that they don’t require sanding before you join or glue them. How great is that?

Our Final Thoughts: What Is Best Blade For A Jobsite Table Saw?

The amount of table saw blades that are available today can be overwhelming. There are endless amounts of blades available. Finding the right blade always requires you to think about the types of projects you will be working on the most.

If you are looking for an exceptional jobsite table saw, you should check out our ultimate guide to jobsite table saws which includes a breakdown of all the best saws on the market right now!