Circular Saw Blade For Wood: How To Choose Blades For Hand And Electric Circulars? Features Of Disc Cutters. Types And Sizes Of Cutting Wheels

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 13:15

Today, in the arsenal of home craftsmen and professional workers in construction and repair specialties, there is a large number of different tools for working with wood. This list contains a circular saw - a tool with which you can perform many different tasks. However, the fundamental question before starting operation is the choice of the cutting blade for the device.

Peculiarities

With just one purchase of a powerful circular saw, the issue of using the tool for household and professional purposes does not end, since the device will need good consumables to complete the tasks. This applies to discs that will help to perform high-quality cutting or sawing wood and wood-containing materials. One circle for operating a circular saw will not be enough, since each type of cutting element has a specific function . Wood is considered a fairly popular raw material that is used in many repair, industrial and construction works, therefore circular saw blades for wood can be used for different types of wood.

A distinctive feature of cut-off discs is also considered to be the ability to cope with cutting polymers, plexiglass and soft metals.

Circular saw blades differ in their performance, resource characteristics, as well as in the allowable number of regrinds . In addition, the discs can have different inner and outer diameters, as well as a different number and configuration of teeth. Maintenance of disks, as a rule, is carried out in specialized workshops; under normal conditions, these manipulations will be ineffective. It is worth noting that any even the most durable saw blade can be damaged if the tool is used for other purposes, therefore, during operation, work should be performed only with the recommended type of raw material, in addition, thoroughly approach the issue of the intensity of use.

Characteristics

During the selection of parts, a number of fundamental parameters of the products should be taken into account.

The size

In this case, you must first familiarize yourself with the instructions for the tool. Saw manufacturers indicate this information in the characteristics that a particular device has. As for the outer diameter, its choice is based on the dimensions of the protective casing in the circular saw, therefore, a cutting wheel with a large outer diameter cannot be put on a device with smaller dimensions in the mechanism. The most common disc sizes are in the range 120–250 mm. This criterion is not responsible for the intensity of the cut, but is of great importance for the depth of cut.

And the inner diameter influences the power shaft of the tool . It can be of the following sizes - 16 mm, 20 mm, 22 mm, 30 mm, 32 mm. The size of the blade must match the size of the shaft in the saw. In modern models of equipment for fixing circles, there are special holes that allow you to fix the part with pins.

Number of teeth

Too many teeth will put additional stress on the motor and may also slow the cutting speed. If you use consumables with fewer teeth on the surface, it will be easier to remove chips from the working material, but the cleanliness of the cut will be imperfect. Based on this parameter, disks can be of the following types:

• discs with incisors, the number of which will be in the range of 80–90 pieces;
• products with average values, where the number of teeth will be in the range from 40 to 80 pieces;
• cutting discs with a minimum number of cutters ranging from 1 to 40 pieces.

Products with average values belong to the universal class, therefore, they can be used for processing different types of wood and wood-containing materials.

Teeth inclination

Most of the blades for circular saws for wood are made with a positive inclination, which increases the quality of the longitudinal cut. With a negative tilt angle, the radius of the tooth will be directed towards the back of the disc. However, longitudinal types of cuts are most often performed by products with a positive deviation of the tooth from the radius, since such a configuration provides a more reliable grip of the raw material. Slope classification is based on the following principle:

• an angle of 5 to 15 degrees is considered the standard incisor arrangement;
• the positive slope is within 15–20 degrees;
• negative - from 0 to 5 degrees.

Based on these values, it will be easier to find the consumable for the job.

Disc thickness and soldering options

The thickness of the slice itself directly depends on this parameter. However, products that are too thick can cause overheating. The most common size is 3.2 mm.

Design features of the cutters on the disc

In this issue, there is a clear gradation of circles according to the type of purpose. So, flat teeth are used to create a longitudinal cut on soft or hard wood. The element is marked by the manufacturer with the abbreviation FT. The second type of cutters is called interchangeable, it involves the arrangement of the components in an alternating form, where the teeth are tilted in turn in opposite directions. With such a disk, both transverse and longitudinal cuts of wood and wood-containing raw materials are performed. In this case, the cutting disc is marked with ATB.

The combined type discs contain cutters that repeat the configuration of the previous two types . A hand or electric type tool with a Combi disc can be considered a multifunctional universal type with which almost all types of wood cutting can be carried out. Trapezoidal cutters are flat teeth and are abbreviated as TCG.

Circular saw blade marking

To determine the parameters of the proposed products, the manufacturer applies certain values to his products, which determine the outer diameter of the circle, the thickness of the solder and the circle. Among the most popular discs for wood, one can single out products with markings of 190x30 mm or 190x20 mm.

Raw material type

As a rule, high speed steel is used to make circles for circular saws. Vanadium, chromium and molybdenum are also used to increase its strength.

Views

The classification of saw blades for cutting wood involves their division into two main groups.

Monolithic

Products belonging to this group are recommended for working with all types of wood, and they can also be used for cutting soft raw materials such as polymer alloys. High-carbon steel is used for the production of wheels. Among the positive features of the products, it is worth noting the affordable cost of the disks, they are quickly and easily sharpened, so the consumable in most cases can be restored even after long-term use. Among the disadvantages of products, the low strength of the material stands out, which leads to rapid wear of the elements.

Carbide

Such circles stand out for their strength, so they are very often used not only for working with wood, but also with harder raw materials. And also this type stands out for its long service life, in comparison with monolithic products. A distinctive advantage, which determines a high degree of wear resistance, can be considered the presence of cobalt and tungsten solders on cutters of different configurations. Such discs also become unusable, but the principle of the design of the elements does not allow restoring the discs after operation. In addition, carbide wheels stand out for their high cost.

Disc cutters

Such a working part belongs to the types of cutting elements that are used to work with circular saws.

The main functions of the cutters are as follows:

• division of materials;
• processing of protrusions;
• creating a thread;
• sampling of grooves.

In addition, the part can be operated on both straight and curved planes.

The work of the cutter is based on the simultaneous operation of a large number of blades on the teeth. During milling, layers of different thicknesses are removed from the raw material. Hard metal alloys, ceramics and others are chosen as the material for the manufacture of cutters. And also in the assortment of hardware stores you can find cutters with diamond plating on the teeth, due to which the quality of the work performed and its efficiency significantly increase.

For circular saws for wood, the following types of cutting blades are used:

• double-sided;
• groove;
• tripartite;
• adjustable;
• slotted.

Each type of part has its own purpose, which determines its configuration.

Which one is better to choose?

Professional builders and DIYers during the selection of a disc for a circular tool, it is recommended to take into account the following nuances:

• it is necessary to determine what parameters are inherent in the tool itself - in this case, you need to set the saw power, the maximum permissible number of revolutions, as well as the landing size on the device shaft and the inner diameter of the circle for working with the tool;
• if discs with a negative inclination of the incisors are purchased, then it is worth considering in advance that such elements will assume that the device will work at its maximum capacity;
• the outer diameter of the saw blade cannot be more than the inner diameter, since such a product cannot be fixed in the mechanism;
• in the course of selecting a disc, you must also take into account the amount of proposed work, as well as the type of material being processed; based on the type of work, you can stop at a more expensive carbide or monolithic disc, which can be sharpened as needed;
• on what mode of operation is assumed for the tool, you can choose the right configuration and the number of cutters on the element; the most common option is considered to be a disc with an average number of teeth, which will have a trapezoidal sharpening with a positive deviation from the radius;
• the good quality of the disc will be indicated by such external signs as the presence of laser marking, the product must be clean and polished; it is important that the element goes through the balancing procedure before implementation;
• high-quality products will have several slots, which are necessary for the product's resistance to temperature changes;
• preference should be given to saw blades from well-known manufacturers who follow their reputation and sell only high-quality and proven products.