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The safety and success of each cut you make depends on the quality, sharpness and type of saw blade used. Essentially, your saw blade controls your quality of cut and if you want great results, you need to use the right blade. But how do you know you're using the right saw blade? How do you choose the best blade or system of blades for your shop? The easy answer is, know what you're doing; knowing what's ahead of you is the best way to prepare your saw and your projects with the right saw blade. Know what you're going to do and what you need the saw blade to do for you.
Saw Blades are Different and They're Designed to do Different Things
There are lots of different types of saw blade and lots of blade-features that determine what one type of blade does better than another. Knowing your projects and the applications that lie ahead of you are crucial to choosing the right blade type. To add insult to, well, insult, some blades are even designed specifically for certain types and sizes of saw (i.e. a miter saw versus a table saw or a 10-inch versus a 12-inch miter saw). Owing to this fact, you also need to know what tool you'll be using to perform each of these applications.
To better narrow down which blade type you need for each project, think about what materials you'll be cutting. Whether you consistently cut a wide variety of materials or you specialize in just one, there are blades designed to accommodate you. From general-purpose blades (that don't always yield excellent results) to more specialized saw blades with different tooth counts and patterns, there are nearly as many blades as there are applications and each one of them will deliver a different performance. While simply using a general-purpose or combination blade won't always adversely affect your cutting results, if your budget allows, using blades that are designed to perform specific applications or to cut specific materials will always offer better results.
While using specialty blades will deliver better cuts, though, it also means you have to change your blade more frequently. If you don't want to swap out your bade for each different application, a good combo or multi-purpose blade should do the trick for most projects.
NOTE: General-purpose blades and combination blades are not the same. While a general-purpose blade is designed for use in a wide variety of materials, combination blades are designed to perform multiple applications, i.e. a combination blade can both rip cut and cross cut. In other words, a general-purpose blade is a multi-material blade and a combination blade is a multi-application blade. Otherwise, there are different blades designed specifically for rip-cutting, cross-cutting and etc. Using one or the other can determine whether your cuts are smooth or choppy.
Here's a recap of what you need to know so far:
what type of saw you'll be using
what size saw blade you need
what materials you'll be cutting
what types of cuts you'll perform
how often you're willing to change your saw blade
Article from:https://www.mmtoolparts.com