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On the Cutting Edge

Technical Info for Saws

Blade Care

  • Saw blades are engineered for cutting a specific material. Use the blade only on material it was designed to cut. Do not force feed, let the blade do the cutting. If blade is not cutting at speed, check to see that it is clean and sharp.
  • Disconnect power before servicing and making adjustments. Properly align the arbor with the machine and make sure the motor shaft runs absolutely true. Make certain mounting collars are true, flat, and clean. No blade will cut well if it is dirty or misaligned.
  • When mounting or removing saw from arbor, use a wooden clamp or wood block to hold the saw in place. Do not use a screwdriver or any other tool that will damage the blade or bend the teeth. After mounting, check the blade for wobble.
  • Remember when removing or placing a saw blade in the machine - never allow the carbide teeth to touch any hard surface. This can cause a microscopic crack in the tip, resulting in future saw blade problems.
  • Take proper care in preparing saw blades for shipping. It is a good practice to have saw blades stacked between cardboard spacers. If you feel you can safely toss the box of saw blades 3 feet onto the floor without having damage done to either the saws or the box; it is ready to ship.
  • Have your blades sharpened by a professional before they get dull. Continuing to use a dull blade decreases the performance and service life, and does not save you money. To sharpen an extrememly dull blade, the teeth must be ground much more than normal, resulting in fewer sharpenings and shorter blade life.
  • OSHA safety regulations require all cracked saws be taken out of service. Do not attempt to repair saws with cracks in the plate. All saw servicing should be done in a professional saw shop.
  • Follow all safety guidelines. Wear safety glasses. Do not remove protective guards from equipment. Always allow the blade to come to a complete stop before reaching in to remove material. Be careful!

Carbide Tooth Designs

Each saw blade uses the most appropriate carbide for the material to be cut by that blade. In most cases, this is C-4 micron carbide. For very abrasive materials, sich as MDF and laminates, we use Micro-sheen C-4 sub-micron carbide, a special type that resists wear from chemical corrosion. For some rough cutting applications, where C-4 carbide is actually too brittle, more suitable carbides are used.

ATB - Alternate Top Bevel

This is the most common saw design, and with good reason. Excellent for cutting operations with or against the grain. It achieves a high level of quality over a wide range of cuts. Top beveled teeth sever the material with shearing action. Teeth alternate left and right top bevel.


ATB+R - Alternate Top Bevel plus Raker

For cut-off and trimming operations on natural wood or undefined grain material. Top beveled teeth sever the material with shearing action alternating left and right, followed by a raking action flat top tooth to facilitate chip removal.


HATB - High alternate Top Bevel

Similar to ATB, but teeth are ground with a sharper top angle. Used for laminates such as melamine and formica, this design will allow chip free cutting of double sided laminates on most material.


LR - Left and Right

An improvement to the traditional ATB, each tooth has a beveled face in addition to a beveled top. This provides an even finer cutting surface and especially clean cuts. Most suitable for veneers, plywood, and anywhere cut quality is most critical.


LRLRS - Left Right Left Right Straight

Similar to LR above, with added straight raker every 5th tooth. This helps to remove sawdust from the cut, giving better blade cooling and preventing dust buildup in the saw blade. Excellent design for mitre box saws and sharp trimming of slightly thicker wood than used with LR design.


TCG - Triple Chip Grind

Alternating triple-edge and flat top design for dual action cutting. Triple-edge teeth chip down the center of the kerf; flat top raker teeth follow to clean out material from both sides. Very resistant to wear and fracture when cutting hard or abrasive material.


CTC - California Triple Chip

Combining the best of the ATB's slicing action and the TCG's durability, this recent addition to the lineup is quickly becoming a favorite of people who need to cut a variety of materials without changing blades. That's why you will find it on our new Double Mitre saw blades, designed for picture frame and molding cutters.


FTG - Flat Top Grind

For cutting natural wood with the grain. Larger gullets accept greater chip loads, permiting a higher feed rate. FTG teeth cut with chisel-like action.


RA - Tapered sides with Flat Top

The tapered sides allow the kerf to be adjusted by raising or lowering the arbor relative to the table of the saw. This design is for the scoring blade on a panel saw, used prior to cutting boards with the main blade.


3 Rght 1 Left (3R1L) or 3 Left 1 Right (3L1R)

A four teeth grouping with three teeth beveled to one side followed by one beveled to the other side. This provides an extremely clean cut on one side of the material. Used as a pair on double cut-off panel trimming and double mitre machines.

All Right (CA) or All Left (DA).

All teeth beveled to one side provides a mirror-like finish on one side of the material. Used as a pair on double cut-off panel trimming and double mitre machines.