The four common kinds
| Blade | Teeth and grind | Hook | Kerf / plate | Freud's stated use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty rip (LM72R010) | 24, flat top | +20° | 0.126 / 0.087 in | Smooth, fast rips in hardwoods and softwoods, 3/4 to 2-3/4 in thick |
| Thin-kerf rip (LU87R010) | 24, flat top | +20° | 0.094 / 0.071 in | Ripping on underpowered saws; 3/4 to 2-3/4 in thick |
| Combination (LU84R011) | 50: one flat, then four ATB | +10° | 0.126 / 0.087 in | Ripping and crosscutting with one blade |
| Thin-kerf combination (LU83R010) | 50: one flat, then four ATB | +10° | 0.091 / 0.071 in | The same, with less power draw and waste |
| Cut-off (LU85R010) | 80, ATB | +10° | 0.116 / 0.098 in | Crosscuts and miters in solid wood and man-made boards |
| Plywood and melamine (LU80R010) | 80, high ATB | +2° | 0.126 / 0.087 in | Chip-free edges in veneered plywood, melamine and laminate, 1/4 to 1-5/8 in deep |
Freud's published specifications and descriptions. ATB is alternate top bevel; hook is the angle of the tooth face to the line through the blade's centre.
Equipment notePaid link
10-in plywood and melamine blade
Freud LU80R010
Freud's LU80R010, the plywood and melamine kind in the table above: 80 Hi-ATB teeth for cuts 1/4 to 1-5/8 in deep, by Freud's figures.
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More teeth is a trade-off
A blade with more teeth is not simply better. Freud's own working ranges show the trade: its 24-tooth rip blade is specified for stock 3/4 to 2-3/4 in thick, while its 80-tooth plywood blade is specified for cuts 1/4 to 1-5/8 in deep. Fewer, larger teeth are Freud's choice for ripping thick stock; many fine, steeply bevelled teeth for clean edges across the grain and on veneers, in thinner material. A combination blade sits between: Freud's groups one flat tooth for ripping with four bevelled teeth for crosscutting, ahead of a large gullet for chip clearance, so that one blade does both. Picking a blade by the job, and the checks to make on your own saw first, is the subject of choosing a table saw blade.
- Ripping solid wood, especially thick stock: a flat-top rip blade with few teeth.
- Crosscuts, miters and veneered panels: an ATB or high-ATB blade with many teeth, within the depth its maker gives.
- One blade for most work: a combination or general-purpose blade.
- Wide grooves: a dado set, where the saw allows one — see dado blades.
Hook angle
Freud's 10 in blades show the range: +20° on its rip blades, +10° on its combination and cut-off blades, +2° on its plywood and melamine blades, and −5° on its LU91, which it makes for sliding miter and radial arm saws. The low and negative hooks are on the blades Freud intends for fine finishes and for saws whose blade is pulled through the work; the high positive hooks are on its rip blades.
Full kerf and thin kerf
Freud's full-kerf 10 in blades cut 0.126 in on a 0.087 in plate; its thin-kerf versions cut 0.091 to 0.094 in on a 0.071 in plate. Freud says the thin kerf needs less power, which suits saws with smaller motors, and wastes less wood. The cost of a thin plate is that it must still match the saw's riving knife — and on a saw with an active brake, the blade must also suit the brake: SawStop's cabinet saw is designed for 10 in blades with kerfs from 3/32 to 3/16 in, and warns that much thinner blades may deform and stop more slowly.
Check the blade against the riving knife
Every riving knife works the same way. DEWALT states the rule: the blade's body must be thinner than the knife, and its kerf wider, for the knife to function. DEWALT goes further and marks a range on the knife itself. The table applies that marking for the DWE7491 to five 10 in blades from other makers.
| Blade | Kerf / body | Body < 0.087 in knife < kerf? | Kerf ≥ 0.094 in and body ≤ 0.067 in? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freud LM72R010 rip | 0.126 / 0.087 in | No — the body equals the knife | No — body too thick |
| Freud LU84R011 combination | 0.126 / 0.087 in | No — the body equals the knife | No — body too thick |
| Freud LU87R010 thin-kerf rip | 0.094 / 0.071 in | Yes | No — body 0.071 in |
| Freud LU83R010 thin-kerf combination | 0.091 / 0.071 in | Yes | No — kerf 0.091 in |
| Diablo D1060X fine finish | 0.098 / 0.071 in | Yes | No — body 0.071 in |
DEWALT's marking is for its saw and knife only. None of these five blades is within it, though three satisfy the general rule; DEWALT lists the body and kerf of its own blades and gives a test for others: measure the body, make a shallow cut in scrap, and slide the knife through it — it should not bind or drag.
On DEWALT's compact DWE7485, the same 0.087 in knife is marked for 8-1/4 in blades with a kerf of at least 0.094 in and a body of at most 0.079 in. Diablo's 8-1/4 in D0840X — 0.094 in kerf, 0.063 in body — is within it. The lesson is the method, not the brand: read the marking on your knife, read the blade's figures, and compare.
What some saws ask of a blade
- The right diameter. SawStop's cabinet saw takes single 10 in blades only (or an 8 in dado set with its own cartridge); DEWALT's compact saw takes 8-1/4 in.
- No coated teeth or shoulders on a saw with a contact brake. SawStop warns that lacquer or other coatings on the teeth slow detection, and that blades with depth-limiting shoulders may stop more slowly; it also rules out stacked 10 in blades and non-conductive blades.
- Sound teeth. SawStop warns against blades with damaged or missing teeth; cleaning and inspecting a blade covers the checks.
Choosing a 10 in blade
- The job: rip, crosscut, panels, or a combination of them
- The stock thickness, within the maker's stated working depth
- Kerf and body against the marking on your riving knife
- Full or thin kerf for your saw's power — and any limits your saw's brake sets
- A speed rating at least the saw's no-load speed
Sources
Blade figures are the makers' published specifications. The compatibility example applies DEWALT's marking for its DWE7491 riving knife; other saws' knives are marked differently, and a blade outside one saw's marking may suit another.
- 1.
10" saw blade specifications (LM72R010, LU87R010, LU84R011, LU83R010, LU85R010, LU80R010, LU79R010, LU91R010). Freud Tools.
Used for: Teeth, grind, hook angle, kerf and plate of the LM72R010, LU87R010, LU84R011, LU83R010, LU85R010, LU80R010, LU79R010 and LU91R010, and the uses and working depths Freud states for each.
- 2.
Circular saw blade specifications (D0660A, D0724A, D0740A, D0824X, D0840X, D1060X, D1280X). Diablo Tools (Freud America).
Used for: Kerf and plate of the D1060X 10 in and D0840X 8-1/4 in blades.
- 3.
DWE7491 10" (254 mm) Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: The DWE7491's riving-knife marking (0.087 in knife; blades with kerf of at least 0.094 in and body of at most 0.067 in) and DEWALT's procedure for checking a blade whose figures are not given.
- 4.
DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: The DWE7485's riving-knife marking (0.087 in knife; 8-1/4 in blades with kerf of at least 0.094 in and body of at most 0.079 in), and the rule that the blade body must be thinner, and the kerf wider, than the knife.
- 5.
Owner's Manual, 10" Professional Cabinet Saw, Model PCS31230. SawStop.
Used for: SawStop's blade limits for its brake: 10 in blades with kerfs from 3/32 to 3/16 in; no coated teeth, no depth-limiting shoulders, no stacked blades, no non-conductive blades.
About this guide
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