The 9 Best Table Saw Blades
Upgrading your stock table saw blade will produce much better results. Read our take on the best table saw blades for your 10" table saw!
It’s time to upgrade the stock blade that came with your table saw! You can work more efficiently and get better results with a modest investment in a higher-quality saw blade.
Table saw blades come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations, each optimized for a different purpose. Most table saws used by DIYers and woodworkers take a 10” blade. Here I’ll give you a look at the best 10-inch table saw blades in three different categories: general-purpose blades, ripping blades, and crosscut blades.
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All the blades mentioned here are quality products from reputable manufacturers, but they each have pros and cons. In each category, I’ll give you my recommendation for:
- Best Overall Value: These are the blades that hit the “sweet spot” in the tradeoff between price and performance.
- Best Premium Blade: If you have the budget, you can get the best results by purchasing a high-performance saw blade made to last.
- Most Affordable Blade: Even if you don’t want to spend a lot, you can find blades that have proven themselves. I’ll steer you clear of cheap saw blades that underperform or wear out too soon.
If you want to skip all the details and buy a general-purpose blade that’s way better than the one that came with your saw, I recommend the Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion.
Let’s look at the picks for each type of blade.
Best General-Purpose Table Saw Blades
General-purpose blades typically feature 40 to 50 ATB teeth. This configuration lets them rip wood acceptably fast while still producing clean crosscuts. You can leave them installed without worrying about having the wrong blade if you switch between rip and crosscuts.
Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion
The 40 teeth on the full-kerf Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion are Hi-ATB, meaning they have a steeper angle (30 degrees) than normal ATB teeth. The angle means they slice more effortlessly through wood, but they can be less durable. Indeed, some customers do report that the teeth on this blade chip a little more than they expected.
This blade gets high marks for delivering smooth crosscuts in a variety of material from hardwood to plywood. It doesn’t measure up quite as well when ripping compared to similar blades.
For vibration reduction, this blade has four large laser-cut slots in the body and four hook-shaped expansion slots around the edge. The trademark red coating of Freud saw blades reduces drag for easier cuts and deters the buildup of pitch on the blade.
Positives
- Glassy-smooth cross cuts on many kinds of wood
- Very little tear-out cutting plywood
- Smooth enough results for gluing without sanding
- Long useful life before needing sharpening
- Less dust than comparable blades
Negatives
- Some customers report teeth chipped either out of the box or after only a few cuts
- Does not rip as well as some other general-purpose blades, especially hardwoods
- Hard to get sharpened locally, may need to send to factory
- The red coating may rub off on harder materials
Forrest 10” x 40T Woodworker II
More than one woodworking expert has called the Forrest 10” x 40T Woodworker II the “gold standard” of general-purpose saw blades. And it’s priced accordingly. Its 40 ATB teeth produce a full-kerf (1/8”) cut that often needs no sanding at all before gluing or joining.
The C4-grade carbide teeth produce clean cuts. Their hardness does make them somewhat brittle and prone to breaking if used on material with knots or nails in it. Never use this blade on reclaimed wood without checking for nails.
While the blade does not have vibration-reducing slots in its body, it operates without a lot of vibration. The design of the blade may make it hard to find local shops that can sharpen it. But Forrest is well-known for both its customer service and the reasonable prices it charges for factory sharpening and repair.
I think this is the best general-purpose table saw blade for anyone willing to spend the money to get the finest quality cuts. It’s a blade that the manufacturer will stand behind for years to come.
Read our full review of the Forrest 10” x 40T Woodworker II.
Positives
- Clean rip and crosscuts on hardwood as well as plywood, with little to no sanding needed
- Cuts easily with no burning even on hardwoods
- Factory sharpening service at reasonable rates, including replacing broken teeth
- Good customer service to handle any problems with blades
- Very quiet with little vibration
Negatives
- Some customers report chipped or misaligned teeth on arrival
- Might be more prone to burning wood than some other blades
- Difficult to have sharpened locally due to proprietary construction process
DeWalt 10” x 40T PrecisionTrim
The thin-kerf DeWalt 10” x 40T PrecisionTrim features 40 ATB teeth with a kerf of 0.098”. Keep this in mind if you want a straight 1:1 replacement for an existing blade with a more common width.
The blade teeth are high-quality C4 carbide, a feature typically found on more expensive blades. This produces a nicer finish than lower-grade teeth, but it can also make them more brittle. I think the trade-off of quality for durability is worth it, given the price, but it’s something to think about.
Eight laser-cut vibration-dampening slots in the body and four outer expansion slots reduce vibration and noise. This is nice if you have a home workshop like mine, so you don’t annoy the rest of the house!
Positives
- Thick C4 carbide teeth with a precision finish
- Very clean crosscuts
- Good performance ripping hardwood and cutting plywood
- More durable than blades with higher ATB tooth angle
- Quiet when cutting, not much louder than when spinning
- No chip-out when cutting material like melamine
Negatives
- Teeth are somewhat brittle and can be damaged if hitting nails or if used on metal
- Some customers received blades with a noticeable warp or wobble
Best Table Saw Blades for Ripping
Rip blades are the right tools for the job if you have a lot of lumber that you need to cut lengthwise. But they’ll be a poor choice if you need to cut plywood or make crosscuts in hardwood. You’ll want to pair them with a crosscut or general-purpose blade.
Freud 10” x 24T
The Freud 10” x 24T Heavy-Duty Rip Blade is a full-kerf blade featuring 24 flat-top teeth optimized for ripping through thick or hard material. It makes clean rip-cuts that are routinely ready for gluing without requiring any further sanding or cleanup.
While full-kerf blades sometimes tax less powerful motors, customers report that this blade rips fine even with 1 3/4 HP motors. (Freud does offer a thin-kerf version of this blade, though, if motor power is a concern for you.)
Eight vibration-reducing slots laser-cut in the body plus four expansion slots around the edge provide for quiet blade operation. One reviewer called it the quietest saw blade he’s ever used. The teeth are a Freud proprietary titanium carbide/cobalt blend optimized for ripping.
This 10-inch flat tooth saw blade from Freud will improve your rip cuts at a very attractive price.
Positives
- Many cuts are ready to glue right off the saw
- Flat-top teeth allow cutting dadoes and other grooves with perfectly flat bottoms
- Cuts smoothly even in lower-powered table saws
- Very quiet operation
Negatives
- Some reports of chipped teeth upon arrival or shortly after use
- One customer reported the kerf is wider than specified, making for sloppy 1/8” grooves
Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II
With just 20 ATB teeth, the Forrest 10” x 20T Woodworker II Fast Feed Rip Blade specializes in just one thing: fast ripping of lumber. It handles up to 2” thick hardwood workpieces with no problem. Like its general-purpose cousin above, this blade’s price matches the “gold standard” reputation of Forrest saw blades.
The blade teeth are hard C4-grade carbide and may leave some minor marks you can remove with a light sanding.
This blade will appeal to someone who often needs to rip thick or hard materials. To keep the saw blade under full warranty, Forrest recommends using their factory sharpening service whenever it becomes dull. Though it’s more expensive than “disposable” blades, factory sharpening means this blade can provide years of service.
Positives
- Forrest’s customer service is very highly regarded
- Factory sharpening service for a reasonable fee
- Easy ripping of difficult materials like 2” oak
- Repair service keeps blade functioning like new for much less than buying a new blade
Negatives
- More expensive than similarly-configured blades
- Minor marks require sanding
Oshlun 10” x 24T ATB
Oshlun is not quite as well-known as other manufacturers in this article. But their moderately-priced rip blades like the Oshlun 10” x 24T ATB Ripping Saw Blade are highly rated by customers. This 24-tooth ATB rip-saw blade features C4 carbide teeth, the hardest typically found on consumer saw blades. It features an aggressive hook angle for fast ripping of lumber.
This saw blade rips through almost any wood without trouble, but the resulting cuts are not as clean as more expensive blades. Plan to spend some time sanding and cleaning up the cuts before gluing or moving on to finishing.
Positives
- More moderately priced than some specialty blades
- Aggressive cutting makes for easy ripping of lumber
- No burning when ripping hardwood
- Little to no tear-out when ripping
Negatives
- Center hole may sometimes ship slightly undersized and require sanding to fit smoothly
- Cuts have blade marks and will need sanding before gluing or finishing
Best Table Saw Blades for Crosscuts
The high tooth count on crosscut blades means each tooth removes less material. This leads to cleaner crosscuts but means you must feed the material much more slowly, so you won’t want to use them for long rip cuts.
Freud Diablo 10” x 60T
The Freud Diablo 10” x 60T Fine Finish Saw Blade is a crosscut blade from Freud’s line of thin-kerf Diablo saw blades. With 60 Hi-ATB teeth, it won’t provide quite the same glassy cuts as the full-kerf 80-tooth blade below. But it still makes clean crosscuts in most materials and is typically in the lower end price-wise.
I think it’s the best choice for value-conscious purchasers. By opting for a dedicated rip or crosscut blade, you’ve already decided you are willing to spend a bit more to get better-quality cuts. Skimp too much, and you might end up getting worse results than with a decent general-purpose blade. And you may still end up paying more in the end.
Positives
- Minimal tear-out on cuts
- Thin kerf lets lower-powered saws handle more challenging workpieces
- Relatively quiet operation
- Little to no burning of wood
Negatives
- Not as clean of cuts as 80-tooth blades will provide
- Thin kerf leads to some flexing; may not cut quite as straight as full-kerf blades
Freud 10” x 80T
The Freud 10” x 80T Ultimate Cut-Off Saw Blade is a full-kerf blade sports 80 ATB teeth and promises “glass-smooth finishes” when crosscutting both hard and softwoods. Freud achieves this in part by grinding the sides of the teeth to a polished finish that leaves no saw marks needing sanding.
Because of the high tooth count, you’ll need to feed your workpiece even more gradually through this blade than with a 60-tooth blade. But you’ll more than make up the time lost since you’ll need to do no (or exceptionally light) cleanup after. More than one customer reports not needing to do any sanding at all before gluing pieces, with cut finishes resembling the result of sanding at 400 grit.
This saw blade typically fetches a higher price, as you might expect given the quality of the results. But the time saved by not needing to clean up less-than-perfect cuts means it might just pay for itself.
Positives
- Glossy smooth crosscuts
- No vibration even when cutting thick hardwood
- Quieter than many comparable blades
- Little to no tear-out
- Can be sharpened inexpensively
Negatives
- Some customers report receiving blades with chipped teeth
- Imperfections in the flush-ground tooth sides may snag wood and cause imperfections
DeWalt 10” x 60T
While the DeWalt 10” x 60T Fine Finish Saw Blade is modestly priced compared to some competitors, the 60 ATB teeth on this thin-kerf blade produce quality crosscuts. Note that the link below is to the 2-pack of this blade. This packaging seems to have easier availability and better pricing than individual packages!
The carbide teeth are smaller than on more expensive blades. While these aren’t necessarily disposable blades, they won’t stand up to repeated sharpening. You’ll want to plan on replacing them once the time comes.
Positives
- Minimal chip-out even on melamine
- Clean cuts with little burning
- Does an adequate job at ripping (albeit at slower feed)
- Good value when purchasing 2-pack
Negatives
- Difficult to resharpen more than a couple times, so will need replacing
- The yellow coating can rub off on workpieces
What to Look For
Let’s take a look at some key points to consider when evaluating the best table saw blades. For more details, take a look at our complete guide to choosing the right table saw blade.
Rip-cuts vs. Crosscuts
All hardwoods and softwoods have a grain, which refers to the lengthwise arrangement of wood fibers resulting from the way a tree grew. These individual fibers are tough, which is what makes wood such an excellent building material. But the direction in which you’re cutting the wood makes a big difference.
Ripping wood refers to making a rip-cut with the direction of the grain. Separating the wood fibers from each other, rather than cutting across the fibers, is less demanding for both your saw and blade. Blades designed to take big bites out of the wood make these cuts the fastest. Since these are typically your longest cuts, the time savings can add up.
Crosscutting wood refers to cuts made across the grain. This requires cutting individual fibers rather than separating them from each other. These cuts place more demands on your saw and blade. For a clean cut, you’ll want a blade that takes smaller bites with each tooth.
Sheet goods like plywood generally don’t have a specific grain. But each individual layer of plywood has its own grain, alternating 90 degrees from one layer to the next. You’re cutting across the grain in some layers no matter which direction you cut, so you’ll want to use a blade with good crosscutting ability.
More specialized blades exist, such as dado blades for cutting grooves (or dadoes) in wood. I’m not going to cover dado blades in this article and focus on more commonly-used blades.
Tooth Shape: FT or ATB
Most of the blades reviewed above are either FT or ATB blades.
FT is short for flat-top, meaning the tops of the teeth are flat across the width of the blade. Flat teeth chew through the material in your workpiece rather than slicing. They’re better suited for less strenuous cuts such as ripping with the grain of the wood.
ATB is short for alternate top bevel, referring to the angle (or bevel) of the teeth. These teeth typically slope at an angle between 10 and 40 degrees compared to a flat tooth. The direction in which they slope down (left-to-right or right-to-left) alternates between teeth. Angled bevels produce more of a cutting or slicing effect than a flat-top grind does. As such, ATB blades produce cleaner cuts than FT blades and are better suited for the more difficult job of cutting across the grain of the wood.
Tooth Count
The fewer teeth a blade has, the wider the gap between them (called the gullet). Larger gullets let you feed material into the saw faster, with each tooth removing more material. Because each tooth is doing more work, blades with fewer teeth are best suited to ripping wood. Ripping blades often have just 24 teeth.
More teeth on a blade mean each tooth has to remove less material. This tends to produce cleaner cuts and lets the blade tackle the more taxing job of cutting across the grain. The smaller gullets mean you must feed material into the saw at a slower rate. Crosscut blades typically have between 60 and 80 teeth, though some have up to 100.
General-purpose blades aim to do an adequate job of both ripping and crosscutting. They have tooth counts between the above ranges—40 or 50 is a typical number.
You’ll often see the size and tooth count abbreviated. For instance, 10” x 40T indicates a 40-tooth 10” blade.
Kerf: Full or Thin?
A blade’s kerf refers to the thickness of the cuts it makes. Full-kerf blades remove about 1/8” (0.125”) of material with each cut. Make sure you always account for this lost material when measuring and planning your cuts!
Some table saws motors may struggle when removing so much material, especially in hardwoods. You’re more apt to encounter that with portable jobsite models.
If you run into problems with your saw bogging down, you might consider a thin-kerf blade. The width of a thin kerf varies from about 0.092” to 0.10”. That amounts to around 25% less material with each cut. Taking out less material with each bite eases the load on the motor.
Thicker blades have advantages of their own, though, such as being less vibration-prone. Most of the blades reviewed above are full-kerf blades, but there are some thinner blades sprinkled in. Pay attention to the kerf thickness of blades when swapping them out, as you may need to recalibrate your saw’s fence distance!
Blade Coatings
You’ll find blades that are bare metal, and others that have a coating applied to them. On cheaper blades, the coating might just be a thin layer of paint. These tend to wear off with use, sometimes leaving a deposit on your workpiece.
Some manufacturers apply coatings they say improve the performance of the blade. One benefit is that the blade coatings help prevent the buildup of pitch (resin) from the cut wood. That potentially reduces friction and leaves a cleaner cut.
Other claims about the coatings, such as reducing heat buildup or improving blade life, are harder to verify in the shop. You can assume the coating on the best table saw blades is doing more good than harm. But I wouldn’t choose a blade just based on something like the blade coating.
One Blade or Several
A ripping blade will let you efficiently rip long lengths of lumber. And a crosscut blade will make nice clean cuts across even the hardest of woods. But neither will do a great job on the other style of cut. If you use your table saw for both, you might be switching blades back and forth more than you like.
A general-purpose blade saves you the blade-swapping and provides acceptable performance. But it won’t do either job quite as well as a purpose-built blade. This choice comes down to your personal preference.
Note: Don’t confuse the term “general-purpose blade” with “combination blade”. The latter refers specifically to a blade that has both ATB and FT teeth. Most combination blades would count as general-purpose blades, but not all general-purpose blades are combination blades!
Conclusion
I hope the recommendations above show that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get good results. Even a moderately-priced general-purpose blade will be a significant step up from the stock blade that came with your saw. And the best table saw blades will give you even cleaner cuts along with increased useful life.
A fantastic general-purpose blade is the Freud 10” x 40T Premier Fusion.
If you’re serious about getting the best results, dedicated blades for ripping and crosscutting will let you step up your work. Just be sure you’re willing to spend the time to swap out the right saw blade for the job.
Happy sawing!
