Before you start
- Unplug the saw. SawStop and DEWALT both require the power off and the cord unplugged before a blade is changed or the saw is adjusted.
- Gloves for the blade, not the saw. SawStop's European manual says to wear gloves when handling saw blades — and never when operating the saw.
- Have the manual open at its blade-change and alignment pages. Arbor threads, washers and wrenches differ between saws.
Removing the blade
Taking the blade off
Raise the blade and remove the insert
Raise the blade fully, then take out the throat insert to reach the arbor nut.
Hold the arbor, loosen the nut
Use the wrenches supplied with the saw. SawStop's method is to hold the arbor behind its flange with the open end of one wrench and loosen the nut with the other; its arbor nut is right-hand threaded, so it turns counter-clockwise to loosen. Check your saw's thread and wrench method before applying force.
Lift the blade off
Remove the nut and washer, and lift the blade off by its plate, keeping fingers away from the teeth.
Inspecting it
- Cracks in the plate or at the base of a tooth: OSHA requires cracked saws to be taken out of service.
- Teeth: Freud's check before each use is for sharp edges and for cracked, loose, missing or broken teeth; do not use a cutter with any of them. SawStop adds that a damaged or missing tooth can make an injury worse on a brake-equipped saw.
- Warp: DEWALT tells owners never to use a warped blade.
- Dullness: a dull or badly set blade is to be removed from service before it causes the work to stick, jam or kick back, under OSHA's standard. Sharpening is a job for a specialist; OSHA restricts it to people of demonstrated skill.
Cleaning the pitch off
Pitch, sap and melted material build up on the teeth and the plate; DEWALT names sap-coated wood and plastics, and warns that material accumulating on the tips and body increases the risk of the blade overheating and binding; SawStop's European manual ties a clean, sharp blade to teeth that do not overheat; and OSHA's standard requires gum on a blade's sides to be cleaned off immediately.
Cleaning with a blade cleaner
Choose a cleaner made for blades
Use one whose maker says it is for saw blades and safe on carbide and steel. CMT's Formula 2050, for example, is made to remove pitch, resin and adhesive residue from saw blades and other cutting tools.
Apply it as its maker directs
CMT's is sprayed on, or used in an ultrasonic or immersion tank; follow the dwell time and method on the label.
Wipe the residue off
Clear the loosened pitch from the teeth and plate, as the cleaner's instructions describe.
Finish as the maker says
CMT says not to rinse Formula 2050 off, because it leaves a film that protects against rust. It also warns that prolonged use can damage special coatings on aluminium surfaces; check any coated blade with its maker.
Keep cleaner off the saw
DEWALT tells owners never to use solvents or harsh chemicals on the saw's plastic parts; clean those with a cloth, water and mild soap only.
A new blade may also need cleaning: SawStop notes that its supplied blade can be lightly coated in oil against rust, and says to clean it before first use. On a SawStop saw, avoid blades with lacquer, wax or other coatings on the teeth, which slow the brake's detection.
Refitting the blade
Putting the blade back
Check the direction
The teeth must point in the direction of rotation marked on the blade and the saw. SawStop warns never to install a blade backwards; DEWALT that a blade fitted the wrong way can cause serious injury.
Check the fit
The arbor hole must match the arbor and the saw's washers — DEWALT warns that a blade that does not match the mounting hardware runs off-centre — and the blade must suit the riving knife's marking.
Fit the washer and nut
As the manual describes, and tighten with the saw's wrenches. Do not overtighten beyond what the manual calls for.
Saw-specific checks
On a SawStop saw, check the spacing between the blade and the brake after any blade change, as its manual describes, turning the blade a full revolution so no tooth touches the brake.
Refit the insert and guard
Lock the insert down, refit the riving knife and guard, and turn the blade by hand to make sure nothing touches it before plugging in.
Adjusting the blade
| Source | Setting | Context |
|---|---|---|
| SawStop PCS manual | About 1/8 in above the workpiece | Rip and crosscut set-up |
| DEWALT DWE7491 manual | About 1/8 in (3.2 mm) above the top of the workpiece | Rip and crosscut set-up |
| POWERTEC sled manual | As low as possible to make the cut, as defined by the saw's manual | Cutting on its crosscut sled |
The saw makers agree on about 1/8 in; the sled maker defers to the saw's manual. Follow your saw's figure.
Tilt and alignment
Set the 0° stop
DEWALT's method: raise the blade fully, set a square flat on the table against the blade's plate between the teeth, adjust the bevel until the blade sits flat to the square, then set the stop and check that the scale reads 0°. Repeat at 45°.
Check the blade against the miter slot
Measure from the slot to the same tooth, or a mark on the plate, at the front and then the back of the blade. SawStop's preferred method uses a dial indicator on a mount sliding in the slot and gives an accuracy of about ±0.002 in; its alternative, with calipers or a combination square, about ±0.010 in.
Correct it as the manual describes
SawStop adjusts the table on its mounting bolts; DEWALT moves the rear pivot bracket and tightens it to a set torque. Neither job is improvised — follow your saw's procedure.
Then the fence
Once the blade is parallel to the slot, align the fence — see fences.
Before the first cut after a blade change
- The blade is sound: no cracks, warp, or damaged teeth
- It is clean, with cleaner kept off the saw's plastic parts
- The teeth point the right way and the nut is tight
- It suits the riving knife's marking, and any brake's requirements
- Insert, riving knife and guard are back on and nothing touches the blade
- Height, tilt stops and slot alignment are checked
Sources
Procedures are each maker's for its own saw or product and differ in detail; the steps below follow their common order and quote the specific figures. Your saw's manual controls, especially for the arbor, washers and any brake.
- 1.
29 CFR 1910.213, Woodworking machinery requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Used for: Gum on the sides of a saw cleaned immediately; dull, badly set or improperly tensioned saws, and cracked saws, removed from service; sharpening and tensioning done only by people of demonstrated skill.
- 2.
Formula 2050: Blade & Bit Cleaner. CMT Orange Tools.
Used for: What the cleaner removes (pitch, resin and adhesive residue from saw blades and other cutting tools, carbide and steel), how it is applied (spray, or ultrasonic and immersion tanks), not rinsing it off, and caution with coated aluminium.
- 3.
Owner's Manual, 10" Professional Cabinet Saw, Model PCS31230. SawStop.
Used for: Turning off and unplugging before changing blades; the arbor nut's right-hand thread and SawStop's two-wrench method; never installing a blade backwards; cleaning the oil from a new blade before first use; no blades with lacquer or wax on the teeth; checking brake spacing after a blade change; blade height about 1/8 in above the work; table and blade alignment to the miter slot, with its two procedures and their accuracy.
- 4.
Professional Cabinet Saw Owner's Manual (EU, English). SawStop, 2025.
Used for: Wearing gloves to handle saw blades, but never while operating the saw; keeping blades clean and sharp so the teeth do not overheat.
- 5.
DWE7491 10" (254 mm) Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: Blade height about 1/8 in (3.2 mm) above the work; setting the 0° bevel stop with a square against the blade between teeth and checking the pointer, then repeating at 45°; aligning the blade to the miter slot at the rear pivot bracket; checking the blade against the slot before the fence.
- 6.
DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: Melted material and sap building up on the blade, raising the risk of overheating and binding; blades installed to turn in the proper direction; matching arbor holes and mounting hardware; never using warped, cracked or broken-toothed blades; no solvents on the saw's plastic parts.
- 7.
Creating a Dado Sled — safety instructions. Freud Tools.
Used for: Inspecting carbide cutters before each use for sharpness, cracks and loose, missing or broken teeth, and not using one that is damaged.
- 8.
Owner's Manual, Model No. 71403 Table Saw Crosscut Sled. POWERTEC.
Used for: POWERTEC's instruction to keep the blade as low as possible for a sled cut, as the saw's manual defines.
About this tutorial
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