Expect to pay between $80 and $110 for a 40- or 50-tooth blade that rips and crosscuts smoothly with very little tear-out. It’s false economy to save a few bucks by buying a mediocre blade that’s going to cost you lots of cleanup work over the years. This is not the time to succumb to your frugal nature. But keep in mind that excellent woodworking requires an excellent blade.
![table saw blade sizes table saw blade sizes](https://www.salitools.com/uploads/20188060/t-c-t-table-saw-blades-cutting-aluminium25136039750.jpg)
Let’s take a look at your blade choices, based on the type of job you’re performing and the material you’re cutting. In addition to lumber, your woodworking projects may also call for plywood, particleboard, MDF, hardboard, plastic laminate and other materials. Both types perform well at ripping and crosscutting lumber as well as sawing sheet goods. These blades are still widely available, although many woodworkers prefer the newer 40-tooth ATB “all-purpose” blades instead. Combination blades (the original multi-purpose blades) were so named because their 50-tooth ATBR tooth configuration was designed for both ripping and crosscutting.
![table saw blade sizes table saw blade sizes](https://www.dewalt.com/NA/product/images/3000x3000x96/DWAFV3824/DWAFV3824_1.jpg)
Pointy ATB teeth would blunt quickly from this stuff.ĭon’t let the terms “combination blade” and “all-purpose blade” confuse you. This tooth configuration is meant for sawing dense materials: plastic laminate, solid surface materials like Corian, and non-ferrous metals like brass and aluminum. The chamfered tooth roughs out the cut, while the following FTG tooth cleans it up. The teeth on a TCG blade alternate between a raker tooth and a chamfered tooth. Combination blades are also considered “all-purpose” blades. Combination blades consist of 50 teeth arranged in sets of five, with four ATB teeth followed by a raker tooth (thus the ATBR designation.) The ATB teeth are designed to crosscut cleanly while the raker teeth aid in ripping.