Saw Blades

Circular saw blades are made from tempered, tensioned steel and are flat, hollow, or taper ground. Blades are available for almost any cutting requirement.

Taper or hollow-ground blades are machined, so that the body of the blade passes through the cut made by the teeth without binding.

Flat-ground blades have alternative set teeth (right and left) to prevent binding by making the cut wider than the blade.

Carbide tipped blades last up to 20 times longer than other blades and are useful if you do a lot of cutting in plywood or hardwood.

These blades should not be used where nails may be encountered. There are also thin-kerf blades available that will give smoother cuts and work well on low-powered tools.

Sabre saw blades are made from carbon steel and are used for cutting most woods and some plastics.

High-speed steel (HSS) blades are best used for cutting metal, fiberglass, and abrasive or thin plastics.

Take note that the heat-treated metal used in HSS blades makes them less resistant to dulling.

Fleam ground blades have alternate right and left set teeth to aid in speeding up the cut.

Whereas the hollow ground blades have teeth that are lined straight with side clearance for extra grinding ability, which produces a good finish.

Reciprocating saw blades are made from carbon steel, high-speed steel (HSS), or a bimetal combination of the two metals.
Carbon steel blades are used mainly to cut soft woods and plastics.
Carbon steel is flexible but it's not strong enough to cut through metals or wood filled with many nails.
High-speed steel blades are made from heat-treated metal and are a good choice for cutting through most metals, plastics and fiber glass, however the blades are brittle and break very easily.
Bimetal blades are a combination of both HSS and carbon steel.
They are made for the most part from carbon steel, with a thin strip of HSS welded onto the edge of the blade.

The teeth are cut in HSS, making the blade more versatile and durable for use.
These blades are more expensive than the other two types but they can last up to three times as long.
The longer the stroke length on the blade the further it can cut into the material.
Remember when purchasing any type of blade, the closer the teeth are together on the blade the cleaner and smoother the cut will be on the material.