Features and selection of circular saw blades

When the word "saw", most people who independently carry out repair work around the house have an image of a hacksaw. And this is true, because such works once began with her. However, progress has made great strides forward, and now the best assistant in repairs is a circular electric saw. It significantly reduces labor costs and increases the speed of work. With this tool, you can cut various surfaces and materials.

But for its functioning, nozzles are vital, without which cutting is impossible. These attachments are called saw blades.

Saw blades are used for cutting various materials. They will help you to cut:

• steel;
• soft metals;
• wood;
• Fiberboard, chipboard;
• plastic.

There are also circular saw cutters. With the help of such a disk, you can cut grooves or other types of grooves of the required size in any material. These fixtures make any repair quick and easy. The range of woodwork performed with circular saws and discs is extensive and in demand. After all, a saw blade can cut material of any size and shape.

Thanks to the electric motor and high power, the tool with a cutting disc can perform the necessary work for a rather long time. However, for the rational use of time and effort, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the operation of this unit.

Let's consider the most important characteristics of discs that will allow you to choose the required attachment from a huge modern assortment.

• Manufacturing company... Manufacturers of such attachments are often specialized tool manufacturing enterprises. Therefore, firms may pay less attention to the quality of components, focusing on technology. But the same cannot be said about well-promoted brands, such as Bosch or Makita, which not only value their reputation, but also have the opportunity to use better quality raw materials and modern processing technologies. Therefore, one of the main parameters of saw blades and milling cutters is the brand.
• The next important parameter that determines the capabilities of the saw head is the dimensions of the circle, or rather, its outer and landing diameter... When evaluating this criterion, it is necessary to worry about the calculations in advance and clarify the required cutting depth, which will become the measure of the outer diameter. But when choosing, it is also necessary to remember about the size of the tool and its protective casing. These dimensions can make it impossible to install a large diameter disc, since removing the protection is unsafe and not always possible.

This is possible if the inner diameter of the disc is larger than the circumference of the shaft. Indeed, after attaching the disc, it will create an imbalance in the tool and, as a result, a high level of vibration. Depending on the tool model, the diameter can range from 16 to 32 mm.

• Important role the number of teeth plays a role in the quality and clarity of the cut, since it determines the number of cutting edges. The more of them, the clearer the line was cut. Such nozzles are available with a large (about 90 pcs.), Medium (40-80 pcs.) And small (up to 40 pcs.) Number of teeth.

• When considering saw blades, other criteria such as shape and angle of inclination of the tooth... The first is responsible for the ability to cut a particular material, and the second - for the type of cut. So, it is easier to perform longitudinal cuts with a disc with a positive inclination from 15 to 20 degrees, and it is better to cut dense materials with a nozzle with a negative inclination from 0 to -5 degrees. There is also a standard incline type that is considered universal.
• As for the teeth of the disc, they can be universal, flat, replaceable, have the appearance of a trapezoid or an increased slope. It is good to use a disc with a flat cutter to make side cuts in hard types of wood, with a replaceable one - to cut softer types of wood and fiberboard. The trapezoid teeth cut soft materials such as plastic cleanly.

• And the last an important criterion is the thickness of the product... It depends on it how wide the cut will be. The wider it is, the more material is lost in the process. The thinner the disc, the more it is susceptible to deformation and overheating.

All of the above technical characteristics of the saw blade are indicated on it. Typically, the marking is carried out in the form of appropriate, intuitively understandable to the user pictures with the necessary numerical data.

Saw blades are divided into two types: carbide and monolithic. This division describes a difference that is immediately apparent. The fact is that on some discs the cutting part is soldered to the teeth, and some are simply a single product (monolith).

A distinctive feature of monolithic discs is the large number of teeth. Working with such a blade, it is much easier to get a clean cut. But it is worth noting the poor ability of these cutting wheels to keep sharpening and the need for periodic divorcing of the teeth.

Sharpening the metal is not difficult, but the large number of blades slows down the process.

Carbide teeth are considered more reliable because they are stronger and do not require constant sharpening and patching. These scoring discs have the widest range of options and help you save time thanks to their reliability. However, a significant drawback is the large number of low-grade counterfeits, even of famous brands. In such a product, the soldered ends quickly fly off. After 5 minutes of working on the cross-sections, only a few remaining blades can be seen on the disc.

But counterfeit can also be successfully combated if you pay closer attention to the correct spelling of the brand, as well as the high quality and durability of the paint with which the marking is made.

In order to make the right choice, when buying a disc, you must take into account:

• circular saw specifications;
• all markings;
• the appearance of the teeth;
• type of disc;
• type of material for sawing.

In order not to be mistaken when choosing a saw blade, it is necessary to take into account not only the correspondence of the size of the blade and the protection of the tool. The power of this unit is also important, as well as the tendency to overheat. The speed of work and the number of stops to cool the saw depend on these parameters.

Disc marking will give the most comprehensive information about its properties and capabilities.

When making an independent choice without the help of a sales assistant, it is important not to confuse products for pendulum saws and circular saws. Such circles can only be distinguished by the type of inclination of the teeth. Discs with a neutral and negative tilt do not grip the material well, they clog quickly and do not make the necessary cut. In this case, the force of the motor can lead to overheating. For a circular saw, blades with an aggressive positive tilt angle are more suitable, unless the sawing product dictates otherwise.

Consider the special cases of using saw blades.

• The straight-toothed accessory is selected for rough woodworking.
• For saws for concrete and DSP (cement particle board), use a nozzle with flat teeth and chamfers, since they easily tolerate falling into the grooves of concrete or nails.
• For work on laminate and chipboard, a disc with a series of concave triangular teeth is perfect. It will help you make the cut without prior marking.
• For soft metals such as aluminum, a circle with alternating trapezoidal and flat teeth will work best.
• When working on plywood and MDF, it is better to use the universal attachment.
• As for heavy decor, a diamond wheel must be used for manual cutting on materials such as stone.

During the repair, as a rule, several types of materials are used, which require not only cutting, but also milling. And different products need different attachments.

This moment leads to the need to replace the wheel with a cutter.

• In order to perform this operation, you must first make sure that the device is disconnected from the mains. This point is critical to avoid serious injury. When replacing a circle, even an experienced craftsman can accidentally press the start button, and the health consequences will be dire. Therefore, when working with cutting electrical units, it is necessary to strictly observe all the rules of safe work.
• Next, you need to prepare a hexagon. It unscrews almost all the bolts on circular saws, both foreign and domestic. Using this wrench, you need to unscrew the fastening bolt of the protective plastic casing, turn the guard up and tighten it again, but you can not tighten it tightly.
• Next, you need to insert the hexagon into the mounting bolt of the shaft on one side, and on the other, press the lock button of the same shaft. Then the bolt must be unscrewed, removed the washer-stopper and the disk behind it. It must be changed to a milling cutter and all the steps must be done again, only in the reverse order. First, a washer is placed on the nozzle, then the bolt in the center is manually screwed in and the structure is clamped with a hexagon while the shaft lock is pressed.

Thus, when choosing an attachment for a circular saw, it is necessary to start from the quality and properties of the material for cutting, as well as the technical characteristics of the saw and the saw blade itself.For low-power, mostly hand-held circular saws, you should not choose blades with too many teeth. This can lead to overheating of the engine and costly repairs.

See the next video for more details.