How do you choose a saw blade for your radial arm saw?

Which saw blade you need depends on your job and the radial arm saw. Ask yourself the following:

• What size should the bore be?
• Which material do you want to cut?
• How deep or wide do you want to saw?
• Do you want a coarse or fine result?
• Which saw blade brand do you need?

The hole in the center of the saw blade is called a bore. The size of the bore has to be equal to the axis of your radial arm saw. Is the bore smaller? The saw blade won't fit in that case. Is the bore larger? The saw blade will sway. That's why it's important to buy a saw blade with the right size. Does the bore end up being too large? You can solve this with reduction rings. These make the bore smaller to fit the saw blade.

Every type of material requires a different type of saw blade. For example, there are saw blades for wood, laminate, plastic, and metal. Saw blades for hard materials have fewer teeth than saw blades for soft materials. Are you not sure which material you want to cut in or do you use both types of materials? A universal saw blade is a smart choice.

The saw blade you choose doesn't have an effect on how deep and wide you can saw. That's because the radial arm saw determines the maximum cutting width and depth. Do you want to cut baseboards or window frames? A radial arm saw with a 65mm is enough. Do you want to cut through firewood beams? You'll need a radial arm saw that can fit a larger saw blade.

The number of teeth of a saw blade determines how coarse or fine your result will be. With few teeth, you'll get a coarse cut and with many teeth, a fine result. Whether you want a coarse or fine result depends on your job. Do you want to shorten the beams for construction? A saw blade with 24 teeth is enough. Do you want to cut laminate? You'll need a saw blade with 48 or even 72 teeth, because you want a fine and splinter-free result in that case.

Even though your saw blade should fit your radial arm saw exactly, the brand doesn't matter. A Kreator saw blade fits well on a DeWalt, BLACK+DECKER, or Makita saw if the size is right. But, the quality differs per brand. A saw blade of lesser quality will wear sooner and become less sharp.