Track Saw Blade Options

 

Track saws are popular woodworking tools that are similar to circular saws. These operate using corded or battery power and work much like a table saw, but with a more focused range of capabilities for woodworking projects. Track saws can be used on a variety of materials and applications, so having a variety of track saw blade options is essential to get the most from this versatile tool.

For a commercial operation, we must maintain a steady stock of circular saw and track saw blades in order to stay in business. It pays to understand what’s new on the market and how to upgrade our stock to have the latest and most effective blades for the job.

Furthermore, when I’m working on home projects, I never know what type of blades or finishing cuts I will need. Trying new track saw blades helps me improve the final results on cuts as well. Reducing splintering and saving time are just two of the main reasons. As you shop around for the top of the line track saw blades, see what kind of track saw blade options are on the market. Brands include:

• Freud
• Forrest
• DeWalt
• Festool
• Makita
• Amana
• and more…

Here are a few highlights of the best brands along with all of their track saw sizes and models.

Blade Sizes

(See the table at the end of this article for a comprehensive blade compatibility guide)

It’s important to keep in mind a few details when shopping for a new blade. Here are a few points to remember:

1. Every track saw on the market uses a 20mm arbor with the exception of the Festool TS75, which uses a 30mm arbor, so the blade needs to be designed to suit. This differs from most circular saws, table saws and miter saws that use a 5/8″ arbor, so double check before buying.
2. Track saw blades can vary slightly in width. This is generally not a problem, but it could mean the zero-clearance strip will have a slight gap to the new blade. Although this may not be an issue for the performance of cutting, you need to account for this when aligning the track to the cut line.
3. Thin-kerf blades are designed to reduce the power needed to cut through thick, hard stock, which they do effectively. But be aware they they are more subject to vibration and deflection and so cut quality may suffer.
4. Blade diameter – Each saw is designed for a specific maximum blade size. Do not exceed this blade diameter.
   • Festool TS55 – 6-1/4″ (160mm) Max.
   • Festool TS75 – 8.25″ (210mm) Max.
   • Makita – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.
   • Dewalt – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.
   • Bosch – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.
   • Grizzly – 6-1/4″ (160mm) Max.
   • Triton – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.
   • Shop Fox – 6-1/4″ (160mm) Max.
   • WEN Tools – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.
   • Kreg – 6-1/2″ (165mm) Max.

 

READ MORE: A detailed Review of Makita’s SP6000 Track Saw

 

Blade Manufacturers

There are several manufacturers of aftermarket track saw blades. All track saw manufacturers produce their own blades, however these blades are typically general purpose blades and may not be optimized for your intended use. Luckily there are several excellent options available at a range of price points.

Freud

A leading manufacturer of thin track saw blades is Freud. If I were to need a blade for veneered plywood, melamine, or another thinner material, Freud offers some great options. There are four track saw blade to chose from with this brand, which features the thin-kerf design exclusively. These blades are also anti-vibration and have the Perma-Shield plus the TiCo Hi-Density carbide coating. Freud track saw blade types include:

• 160mm Thin-kerf laminate blade 48-tooth Hi-ATB – Freud LU96R006M20
• General purpose blades with a 28-tooth ATB – Freud LU86R006M20
• Ripping blades with a 14-tooth ATB – Freud LU87R006M20
• TCG profile blade with 48 teeth ready for plywood, melamine and finishing – Freud LU79R006M20

Along with featuring the thin-kerf blade, the sizes are all a standard 160mm (6.3″) diameter.

READ MORE: Increase your track saws functionality – Learn all about Track Saw Square Options

Festool

For precision jobs and fine woodworking projects that require the most in performance, Festool offers a premium product. It is a higher-end brand, which means it costs more money. However, at the end of the day, we are able to rip through more timber and finish more projects in our woodworking shop with less waste and increased accuracy. Plus, the finish is top of the line and we don’t go through as many saw blades due to chipping or breaking teeth.

Applications

The Festool line of track saw blade options features circular saw blades for precision cutting. They specialize in cordless saws as well. The Festool track and circular saw blades are made specifically for many sawing applications, including:

• Abrasive materials, including cement and fiberboard
• Aluminum and plastics, including fiber-reinforced materials
• Laminate and HPL for melamine-resin bonded sheets
• Fine Cut Wood for solid wood, acrylic glass, laminated sheets, or veneered sheet materials
• Rip Cutting for solid wood, including both softwood and hardwood
• Universal for working with all types of wood, including soft plastics

Each of these track saw blade options has a unique appearance caused by the number and shape of the teeth. For example, the Wood Fine cut blade is surrounded by cross-cut teeth, while the Abrasive Materials blade only has four teeth. The Festool track saw blades also range in width to include the 1.8mm and 2.2mm. In addition, these blades can be resharpened up to 10 times before they must be replaced. This saves our crew time and money on replacement track saw blades. At the end of the day, that’s a huge benefit for our company.

READ MORE: How does the track saw stand up against the table saw? Find out in The Ultimate Track Saw vs. Table Saw Showdown

Forrest

 

https://www.forrestblades.com/

A more traditional brand, Forrest has been making quality saw blades and dado blades since 1946. This is also a company that operates right here in the USA, which is important for some of our customers. They only wanted to work with US brands and materials, which is where Forrest comes into the picture. The company has received many awards, including both Dado King and Chop Master by Woodshop News in 2007, as well as Woodworker II for WOOD Magazine.

For more than 75 years they have been making premium saw blades. These blades have minimal tear-out and scratching, and splintering is a thing of the past. We find that for the money, Forrest track saw blade options are the way to go. One of the premium types of track saw blades available by Forrest include the PVW16607100 Plywood veneer track Saw Blade.

With the 40-tooth ATB at a 30 degree angle and its kerf design, the blade works wonders to prevent splintering and wood loss. When trying to cut down on wasted construction materials, this track saw blade serves the purpose. Also, the Forrest products are all handmade with the best materials available, making the blade itself a work of art.

DeWalt

DeWalt track saw blades are one of the most affordable and most popular brands that I’ve found on store shelves.  A well known brand, DeWalt features a bright yellow label and bold black lettering. Easily spotted among my tools and on the woodworking bench, the Dewalt circular saw blades include:

• Metal cutting saw blades
• Specialty saw blades
• Steel saw blades
• Wood cutting saw blades

Dewalt Available Blades

These blades are made to work perfectly to meet construction demands. Whether I’m working on a track saw, table saw, or miter, DeWalt is hard to beat in value. Improving cuts and upgrading cutting performance is the priority here. The brand offers cordless track saws, as well as corded track saws that work with the DeWalt lineup of track saw blades. Some of the speciality track saw blades by DeWalt include:

• DEWALT DW5258 6-1/2-Inch by 48T Ultra Fine Finishing Track Saw Blade
• Dewalt DT10640-QZ 6.5″/20mm 40T Construction Circular Saw Blade

Each of these blades will cut through specific types of construction materials. The Composite Decking saw blades have the greatest number of Modified Triple Chip Grind (MTCG) teeth of these track saw blades. The blades feature a diamond arbor knock-out and a laser-cut plate.

These help with melt-free and true, straight cuts. The laminate and fiber cement saw blade has four Synthetic Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) teeth. These are designed for maximum durability on construction level projects with a 100 times longer life in comparison to the carbide tooth track saw blade.

DeWalt also has an official TrackSaw™ Kit by Flexvolt ^Ⓡ that is made to cut hardwood planks up to 2 ⅛ in. thick. Using this particular track saw system allows our crew to cut through timber in hardly any time. The hardwood is even left without splinters, and that’s saying a lot.

CMT Orange Tools

CMT Orange specializes in woodworking cutting tools. They make a wide variety of circular saw blades for circular saws, table saws, track saws and more. They also make a variety of router bits, shaper heads, reciprocating blades and wood milling tools. Their blades feature carbide teeth, an anti-vibration design and laser-cut expansion slots to minimize blade deformation caused by heat build up.

Their offering for track saw blades consist of the following.

• CMT 296.160.56H 160mm by 56 Tooth 20mm Bore Non-Ferrous Metal Saw Blade

• CMT 292.160.40H 160mm by 40 Tooth 20mm Bore Fine Cut-Off Saw Blade

• CMT Orange Tools CMT-23616004H Fibre Cement Diamond Blade for TS55 Saws – 4 Tooth

 

Amana Tools

 

Amana tools is a leading manufacturer of cutting tools for applications from woodworking, to metals and plastics. They have a comprehensive product offering for the hobbyist and the professional. They have several option for track saw blades for wood and metal cutting, including the following:

• AGE Series MD160-140 Carbide Tipped Saw Blade for Track Saw Machines, 160MM D x 14T ATB, 28 Deg, 20MM Bore, Circular Saw Blade. Ripping Saw Blade

• A.G.E. MD160-565 for Track Saw Machines, 160mm Dia x 56T TCG, -5 Deg, 20mm Bore, Aluminum/Plastic Circular Saw Blade

• A.G.E. MD160-480 for Track Saw Machines, 160mm Dia x 48T TCG, 5 Deg, 20mm Bore, Crosscut Circular Saw Blade

• AGE Series MD210-160 Track Saw Machine Compatible Carbide Tipped Ripping Saw Blade 210mm D x 16T ATB, 28 Deg, 30mm Bore

 

Infinity Tools

Infinity Tools is primarily a tools distributor, however they do offer a line of Italian-made track saw blades that fit the full range of track saws. These blades are designed for general wood cutting. They use a high degree Alternate Top Bevel (“Hi-ATB”) and are suitable for ripping and cross cutting of softwoods, hardwoods and laminate. The offer 3 sizes with the same tooth grind.

• 007-001 – 160mm x 48T x 20mm Bore Track Master Saw Blade
• 007-005 – 165mm x 48T x 20mm Bore Track Master Saw Blade
• 008-001 – 210mm x 52T x 30mm Bore Track Master Saw Blade

General Track Saw Blade Types and Uses

An efficient way to think about buying track saw blades is according to its uses. A track saw runs with a circular saw blade in a large encased box across a planing surface.

The thickness of the blades along with the diameter make all the difference in how fast the blade can rotate. Speed is a factor I find to be quite important. I never want to rush through materials with the blade, as this can create splintering and jagged edges in the wood.

Speeding through cuts also dulls the track saw blade and leads to overcutting materials, which creates construction site material waste. This is a costly problem with materials. Also, if it takes twice as long to process a load of lumber due to the size of the blades, well, that’s money lost at the job site.

Blade Compatibility Chart

The chart below lists out the dimensions, specs and compatibility of all commercially available track saw blades and track saw models.

 

READ MORE: Learn more about the Makita SP6000 Track saw

In Summary

Track Saws come with well performing stock blades, but if you are looking to increase the performance of your track saw for a specific application, or just replace a damaged blade, there are many affordable options available. I hope this guide help in your search!

 

 

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