Miter saw blades are classified by the number of teeth on the blade. include 60 vs 80 Tooth Miter Saw Blade.
A 60 tooth blade is great for general purpose use, while an 80 tooth blade is designed for cutting more intricate angles and finer details.
So which one should you choose for your next project? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide.
Miter Saw Blade Anatomy:
A typical miter saw blade has 5 primary parts:
1) Body
2) Arbor
3) Teeth
4) Raker (sometimes called gullet)
5) Back
The body of the blade is simply that, the solid metal portion that you mount to the saw. The arbor is where you attach the blade to the saw. The teeth are what do the cutting at the business end of the blade, while the raker (gullet) cleans out whatever debris has accumulated during a cut.
Finally, many blades have a backplate that you mount to your saw in order to secure everything in place.
60 tooth Blades
60 tooth blades are great for general purpose use. They excel at cutting wood, plywood, plastics, and composites. The reason for this is that the 60 tooth blade has a larger gullet (space between the teeth) which can accommodate more of the sawdust produced during a cut.
If you are working on-site or in an environment where cleanup is difficult or time-consuming, then a 60 tooth blade will probably be your best choice.
A 60 tooth blade offers an excellent combination of being able to cut quickly while also producing nice clean cuts with very little tear-out. Because they have fewer teeth there is less chance of the material binding in the sawblade so they are great for finishing work when accuracy matters most.
An added bonus is that the larger gullet of a 60 tooth blade makes it easier to use your saw’s laser guide.
80 tooth Blades
On the other hand, 80 tooth blades excel at making cuts in more intricate materials like melamine and plastics that might chip or shatter with a lower tooth count blade. The smaller tip radius of an 80 tooth blade enables it to reach into tighter spaces than a 60 tooth blade can.
This makes them ideal for cutting moldings, coping doors and windows, and making finer cuts in thicker material without burning the edge of the cut.
The smaller gullet on an 80 tooth blade means they will produce more sawdust during cuts in wide material like plywood or MDF; however, you won’t have any trouble at all with cleanup because the smaller point radius will make for finer, more manageable sawdust.
One thing to keep in mind is that an 80 tooth blade has a greater tendency to produce tear-out especially if your material is prone to chip or splinter during a cut.
Who should go with 60 tooth Blades?
If you are cutting sheet goods like plywood, MDF, particleboard, etc., then a 60 tooth blade will get the job done without costing you any unnecessary money or time spent on maintenance.
A 60 tooth blade can handle just about everything except for very fine detailed cuts in thicker materials where burn might be an issue.
Who should go with 80 tooth Blades?
If you are cutting thinner sheets of melamine, plastics, and other exotic woods like Ipe, then you will want to use an 80 tooth blade to prevent chipping or splintering of the material.
If you are cutting moldings or coping doors and windows, then an 80 tooth blade is ideal because it will not leave as noticeable a saw mark as a 60 tooth blade.
Either way, if you’re trying to cut very intricate shapes with your miter saw, then an 80 tooth blade is almost always the best choice for achieving professional-looking results.
Conclusion
It’s up to you to decide which blade is best for your needs. Both blades have their pros and cons, so make a decision based on what’s important to you.
If you want a blade that can handle more delicate cuts, go with the 60-tooth option. But if you need a blade that can power through tougher materials quickly, go with the 80-tooth model.
FAQs
What is precision?
- The quality and accuracy of your saw’s fence.
- The accuracy of your saw’s miter index.
- The quality and hardness of your saw blade.
- And the visibility and steadiness of your hands during the cut.
Precision refers to how well two pieces will fit next to each other when they are joined together in the glue-up stage. It is affected by a number of variables including:
As far as I know, there are only two ways to improve the accuracy of your cuts:
1) Use a higher-quality saw that has tighter tolerances between its adjustments which allows it to cut with greater accuracy.
2) Use blades with better manufacturing tolerances which can produce cuts that are closer in size to what you set your saw at.
For example, if you use a 60 tooth blade on a 10″ miter saw whose fence is precisely 90° from its blade, then when you make a cut in perfectly flat material without any twist or bowing in the material, the two pieces should fit together perfectly when you glue them together.
However, if the material has a little bit of giving to it or is slightly bowing when you cut it then it could cause your saw blade to deflect a few thousandths of an inch and therefore so will each piece resulting in a tiny gap between them that can be almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
