Changed table saw blades more times than I can count. Here’s what actually matters.
Tooth Count Basics
More teeth = smoother cut. Fewer teeth = faster cut. That’s the tradeoff.
24 teeth – ripping. Fast, aggressive. Leaves saw marks you’ll plane or sand.
40 teeth – general purpose. Decent crosscuts, acceptable rips. The do-everything blade.
60 teeth – crosscuts and plywood. Clean edges. Too slow for ripping.
80 teeth – melamine, veneer, finish work. Glass smooth. Expensive.
What I Run
40-tooth Freud Diablo stays on my saw 90% of the time. Ten bucks at the box store. Cuts everything well enough.
I keep a 24-tooth for heavy ripping in thick hardwood. Swap it in maybe twice a month.
80-tooth for special occasions. Cutting finished panels, that kind of thing. Not worth the hassle for daily work.
Carbide Quality
C3 is standard. C4 stays sharp longer but costs more. Industrial blades run C4.
Cheap blades dull fast. You think you’re saving money. Then you’re resharpening every few months.
Kerf
Full kerf is 1/8 inch. Thin kerf is 3/32 or less. Thin kerf works better on underpowered saws.
My contractor saw runs full kerf fine. Thin kerf on my jobsite saw.
Maintenance
Clean with Simple Green and a brass brush. Pitch buildup makes blades cut like they’re dull when they’re not.
Send for resharpening when cleaning doesn’t help. Worth it for quality blades. Toss cheap ones.
