Things to Know About Circular Saws Before Taking on a DIY Project

Getting the right blade you need to use for your DIY project could be very simple once you know exactly what you’re looking for. There are some things you need to consider when selecting a brand new blade for your circular saw.

Things to consider

Typically about 6.5 inches or 7.25 inches should be considered, while for a table you need to get about 10-12 inches. This is because you need to select the blade that fits the size of the saw you would use to work. For example, 6.5in. blades go with 6.5 in. saws, and so it works.

How to make use of it

What do you want to cut? The type of material you need to cut is quite important before you know the size of the blade you need to get. Normally, unless stated on the blade, a blade that normally cuts wood can’t be used to cut metal.

The teeth of the blade indicate the speed that the blade would cut. The tooth lower cuts faster but you'll end up getting a rougher cut. This is great for rip cuts, rip cuts refer to cuts that go with the grain. Higher tooth count cuts run slower and you'll get a lot of friction, but these cuts leave a finer finish.

How can one select a circular saw blade, the right one?

By using the gullet, this is the area between the teeth that is curved. It is a relief area that is used to store the material as it could be used to cut away. It helps in preventing the blade from burning the material as you cut through. If you want to get faster rip cuts you would want this area to be larger. Cross-cutting blades tend to come with smaller gullets.

Kerf

This refers to the thickness of the blade. A kerf that is ultra-thin cuts the quickest and gets rid of mess material which means less wood gets wasted. It is also known to draw a smaller amount of energy and increase the lifespan of the saw.

Considering other things

You need to consider things like anti-friction on the blade and possibilities of it overheating. This helps to create a longer life span of the blade and its usage. This works great for issues where you’ll be using pressure-treated wood.

Anti-vibration slots are slots with goals to reduce the vibration of blades.

Steel blades are blades that have steel tips with a lot of teeth and are geared towards cutting plywood. But steel dulls quickly.

Carbide tips stay sharp and they stay longer which makes them have a longer life span.

Diamond tips refer to blades that are wonderful for situations where you want to cut through concrete material, ceramic, and glass.

These are the things you need to know about circular saws before taking on a DIY project.

###

Photo by Blaz Erzetic on Unsplash