Choosing a saw blade: teeth, bore and shank

Does the blade fit your saw?

A circular saw blade's name carries three sizes: diameter, bore and kerf. The Bosch Optiline Wood blade 190 × 30 × 2.6 mm is 190 mm across, has a 30 mm bore and cuts a 2.6 mm wide kerf. The Makita blade 165 × 20 mm is for saws with a smaller blade and a 20 mm bore.

The right diameter and bore are in your saw's manual. Manufacturers state that you only use blades with the sizes given for the saw. When the name has two bore sizes, such as 20/16, a reducing ring for the smaller arbor is included.

Number of teeth

The fewer the teeth, the faster the blade goes through wood and the rougher the cut. More teeth cut slower but cleaner, which is better for sheet material, laminate and visible edges. On a 190 mm blade, a 24-tooth blade is meant for fast work in construction timber, and a blade with 36 teeth or more for a neater cut.

For aluminium and plastics there are separate blades with many teeth, such as the Bosch Expert for Aluminium 160 × 20 mm with 52 teeth. A wood blade is not made for that. The packaging says which materials a blade is for.

Jigsaw blades

Most jigsaws take blades with a T-shank. Bosch puts the T at the start of the code, as in the T 101 B. Some saws use a U-shank. The manual says which shank your saw takes.

Then you choose by tooth spacing and material. Bosch gives the T 101 B a tooth spacing of 2.7 mm and lists it for softwood and boards 3 to 30 mm thick, with a clean cut. Coarser teeth cut faster, such as the T 144 DF for hardwood. For metal there are blades with fine teeth, such as the T 118 EOF.

Reciprocating saw blades

Reciprocating saws take blades with a 1/2 inch universal shank. The blade length decides how thick the material may be: the Bosch S 922 HF is 150 mm long and, according to Bosch, cuts up to 100 mm.

The S 922 HF is a bi-metal blade with 2.5 mm tooth spacing for wood with nails, sheet metal and pipes. For thicker material there is the longer S 1122 VF for wood and metal, and for metal the S 922 EF. A set of five blades from Makita is handy if you do not yet know what you will cut most.

What the blade is made of

Jigsaw and reciprocating saw blades often carry a material code. Bosch uses HCS (carbon steel) for blades for soft materials such as wood and plastics, HSS (high-speed steel) for metal, and BIM (bi-metal) for blades with hardened HSS teeth on a flexible HCS body. Circular saw blades for wood usually have carbide teeth (TCT).

Speed rating and changing blades safely

A circular saw blade is marked with a maximum speed. Manufacturers state that it must be at least as high as the speed of your saw. Remove the battery or unplug the saw before changing a blade, and check the direction of rotation: the arrow on the blade points the same way as the arrow on the saw.

Comparing on ToolRango

Under saw blades you compare single blades and sets with prices from several shops. Blades are sold singly and in packs of two, five or more. Each pack has its own EAN or part number, so check how many blades you get.