Best Saw Blades for Woodworking on a Budget

[@a9ball1]

For beginners out there if you are like I was I had a hard time trying to remember if you use high number of teeth for ripping or crosscut. My older brother told me the following, Rip is a lower number of letters than cross so, Rip is lower number Cross is higher number of teeth. Hope it helps at least one person. Great channel, great content!

[@d.k.1394]

Sooo true

[@rkrzyston]

i recently purchased a CMT combo plate. Its AMAZING! the butter comments are spot on!

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Thanks, I just received a CMT combination blade for my new DeWalt Jobsite saw. -Can't wait to install it!

[@oldrudedog]

I use the diablo 80T on my table saw and love it. I just cut some birch on it and ripping it almost looks like it doesn't need to be sanded. I'm sold on them.

[@terrmaso]

I have owned a 40 tooth CMT chrome blade for about 6 months now. I will verify your "feels" when first using the CMT. When I made my first cut with the CMT I definitely noticed how smooth it was, which prompted me to grab my Diablo for a comparison. The CMT is smoother... I have several Diablo blades but will be replacing them with CMT as they reach their life span. Thanks for the great comparison 👍

[@josephlebo7320]

What made you choose the 40T CMT (which I'm assuming is their general purpose) vs their 50T Combo blade? I'm torn between these two

[@terrmaso]

@@josephlebo7320 the blade was listed as a FTG. When it arrived I opened it before realizing it was incorrect. I decided to keep it and use it. Not disappointed. My next will be a FTG.

[@kevinwiley5325]

Nice vid brother. I recently transitioned from diablo to CMT and I'm a big fan so far. One major difference is that the diablo red paint has a habit of rubbing off on cuts that I'd make. I now much prefer clean chrome blades.

[@d.k.1394]

Same experience

[@Joey.Darkwoods-Studio]

Well, sold me on the CMT for my mitre and table saws. Thanks Matt.

[@simonr6793]

Matt no way was this a fair review!!! No I'm only having a giraffe, but that said both you and I know that it's only a matter of time before someone comes out with this comment and they will be serious. The amount of tool reviews on KZbin is outstanding and tonnes of them have comments from people saying they weren't fair reviews 🙄 😕 😒 that said I'm a firm believer in this saying "You can make some people happy some of the time but you can't make all the people happy ALL the time!!!" As always buddy 💯% 👍 🇬🇧.

[@brianakin1494]

Got both CMT blades, really satisfied so far!

[@MotoInvestor]

Been watching a lot of your comparison videos on saw blades. You should definately check out the Makita blades. Project farms did a pretty scientific test using weighted pull with a circular saw and the results were quite shocking. The Makita blade stood above all by a larage margin. It was quite impressive watching the Makita blade rip through lumber much faster than any other blades. Thanks for your time doing these. Love your vijeos.

[@profcah]

Thanks Matt. Fair comparison between two good blades. CMT seems to be equal to Diablo but the long term is also really important and you did address that. Great job, and I want to know where to get that shirt too!

[@JorgeM523]

Thank you for the review, learned some basics from your narrative that will help up my skills. I am going to try the CMT blades, I currently use Diablo (box store common stock items).

[@shermantank]

As someone who knows nothing about saws, I did notice on the miter saw, that matt finished all of the cuts with the diablo blades with a little extra force/speed. Where as the cuts with the CMT on the miter looked to be cut with much more consistent speed. Is this a technique? or just the smoothness of the CMT blade showing? Do you think this is contributing to the extra tear-out Matt got on the diablo blades? Not critiquing, just genuinely curious.

[@d.k.1394]

I noticed the same

[@drf-1382]

I've used both and I think they are similar in cut with the CMT edging out the Diablo for durability but the CMT makes much less noise and vibration.

[@d.k.1394]

Soooo true

[@jeraldgooch6438]

Hi there. Good video. One thing that was hammered into my head some years ago was the importance of hook angle. A “good” miter saw blade should probably have a negative hook angle, often -5 deg or so. Obviously not as aggressive a cut, and I find this helps smoother cuts. In my semi-educated opinion, this might matter about as much as a higher tooth count. The combination/general purpose blades should have a positive hook angle, but my old brain can not come up with useful numbers at the moment. Sorry about that. Anyway, I do enjoy your videos.

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

Thanks Matt.

[@donovancampbell7785]

You teach very well thank you for the education and your experience!

[@ryananthony4840]

I love my CMT router bits, I just noticed menards is carrying their saw blades now, so I'm definitely gonna grab some

[@fadetoblack51]

They have the 15% off paper bag sale. I just bought a 12” 80 tooth blade

[@ryananthony4840]

@@fadetoblack51 thanks! I was looking at that blade, what do you think?

[@rexseven6907]

I've had really good luck with Diablo. I can get them at Ace down the street. I see no reason to switch. I also see some of these debates like two weekend golfers talking about clubs. It ain't the clubs buddy. They could swing with the wrong end and score about the same. The good news is you can get really good blades at reasonable cost now a days.

[@wiredperformance6130]

Nicely done. If you visited my shop you’d see I’m already a fan of cmt. I own blades of every size, my growing router bit collection is all cmt, and my Forster set is cmt. I started building subwoofer enclosures out of mdf. Every since Menards started carrying cmt I’ve been collecting! Nice demo on the blades! If only KZbin would have shown this a year ago!

[@tedpuckett2779]

Thank you for posting. Based on your vid seems to me the quality of the cut out of the box for both is very good. Interesting how much the cutting process does have some effect as shown on the first cuts with the miter. Hammering through things usually does produce a bit more issues. For essentially the same price , if available, the CMT nudges out the Diablo.

[@woc1371]

I have always been happy with the Diablo blades, but cmt does seem like a good blade

[@d.k.1394]

Cmt is better

[@GRENarrator]

I work at a sawmill and we do palettes. We crosscut the blocks and it is almost impossible te get a clean cut on a soft wood. We have industrial crosscut blades, which are over 300 $ a piece and one of the best quality on the market, and still i get some tearouts.

[@WoodworkingYouTubers]

I have not tried these blades. I just bought some Dewalt blades on sale and am very happy with the performance. Maybe I can try the CMT blades next.

[@lwcd2833]

Hey Matt. If you wait for the blade to stop before bringing it back up it will give you a little less tear out. I forget to do this most of the time, but it is a good habit to get into. Thanks for the great review. I like both blades. I would guess that the CMT might stay sharper for a little longer but this is just a guess.

[@d.k.1394]

Great point

[@jesterraj]

i use the Diablo combo blade works great would try the CMT just to get the FTG on cuts thou.

[@jodyfrasnelli8928]

I noticed in the adds of both the cmt blades are flat ground the Diablo isn't it's angle ground so I'm planning on buying the cat from what I saw the cmt is a good blade. No tear out I've been using cheap blades from the box store. I will be getting the 10 inch for my miter saw and 7 1/4 for my tablesaw

[@Atekcs]

You did it again Matt! I was just looking up comparison videos of CMT vs Diablo and you release this. Excellent video!

[@mbrymckinney1]

I look forward to these Sunday video uploads every week! This video is very timely as I was just blade shopping yesterday.

[@coconutsandmore2576]

On your website the pdf -s , are the measurements only in imperial scale or are they also in metric system ?

[@731Woodworks]

imperial only

[@truckinwoodworx1436]

Hey Matt what's the difference between the chrome cmt blade and the orange coated one?

[@hakuuna_matata]

is it me or are you cutting smaller surface areas with CMT ?

[@anmanning]

Good shirt👍

[@simpleman4196]

Awesome really glad you did this video. I have been using Diablo blades for years and really like them. Nice to see another good option at an affordable price I think I'll order some CMT blades

[@wwmilanl]

the Diablo has .098'' Kerf while from my reading that particular CMT model is .102 Kerf (a little thicker) I AM correct??? what the differences in KERF do make (other than removing more material) wish is better?

[@stephanieSimmons214]

Wooohoooo! Nice job. Thanks Matt! 💪🏽👊🏽

[@731Woodworks]

Thank you

[@blayne2029]

Thanks. Been using your discount code!

[@tcmixman]

How do these compare to Forest Blades?

[@RyanHipp]

Were you aware SawStop states NOT to use blades that have a shoulder on the teeth like the fifth blade in the grouping of a Combination blade has?

[@petephipps6399]

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR SHIRT FROM ??

[@tonyp9609]

Great comparison but you traveled faster with the Diablo. Thank You

[@4321Woodworking]

Love my CMT 24 tooth Rio blade and it's probably time I replace it. Might go combination this time. Great video and I personally will be sticking with CMT on the table saw and moving to CMT from stock Hercules on the miter saw

[@jeffroberts760]

Is there any chance your sawstop is too fast for that Diablo 50T combo? I run that same blade on my DeWalt jobsite saw and I get no tear out at all on cross cuts if the blade is clean. I don’t know the RPM on your table saw or mine but I imagine yours spins faster than a jobsite saw

[@2point..0]

I like the CMT, as I am Italian too :)

[@billyhooks99]

Only reason for me picking one over the other would be who has one on the shelf at my local retailer.

[@Nonprofitable5]

Where can we get one of those shirts?

[@lawrencelunsford6028]

I recently bought a thin kerf Ripping blade (CMT) from Taylor Toolworks and I've been very satisfied with it. Good comparison video Matt. :)

[@ericnorris3644]

can you sharpen those cmt blades or are they use and toss lol love your channel!

[@731Woodworks]

You can sharpen them

[@showerblender7327]

whats the best dado set?

[@731Woodworks]

Freud is what I use and it's been great.

[@yasirmahdiyar7729]

Which blade is good for miter saw Diablo or Dewalt?

[@731Woodworks]

Diablo

[@ronswoodshack3855]

Great comparison! Thank you for the content Mighty Matt

[@pawpawstew]

Nice comparison. Thanks for taking the time to do this. One thing I'd really like to see woodworking content creators do is approach blade manufacturers about producing good quality, reasonably high tooth count flat-top grind or combination grind blades for using with a table saw cross cut sled to cut half-lap joints and such. I know CMT makes a 24 tooth rip blade for the table saw, but for clean cross cuts you really need to get up to around 60 tpi and above. Your thoughts?

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MC-cl9ip]

CMT blades are the bomb. I switched from Diablo and will NEVER go back.

[@small.garage.woodworking]

Thanks for sharing.

[@book1136]

If you are looking to try cmt blades. The big green box store (Menards) has a contractor 10in 3 pack with 24 60 and 80 teeth count for only $39.99 just picked it up a week ago myself haven’t got out to garage to try out yet but looking forward to it.

[@bryanknitter8858]

Those are a lower grade than the blades in the video. They're probably still OK, but not up to the level of the diablo blades.

[@Konserwant222222]

Currently i am using one of those cmt contractor blades (160mm diameter, 40 teeth) for tracksaw and i am trurly impressed, quality of the cut is still great despite the fact that i used it for the wrong job, i have been cutting solid ashwood tables to size (28mm thick, 90cm wide and 230cm long) and i did not have time to change blades so i was ripping and crosscutting with this particular blade, it chew trought 16 tables like nothing and finished several lesser jobs. I can't imagine better quality/price ratio (in Poland cmt contractor 160mm 40t blade costs 8-9 bucks)

[@book1136]

@@Konserwant222222 I was thinking a good name brand even if it’s not the best blade they make it’s got to be better than like a dewalt or craftsman or anything from harbor freight kind of blades that and not have a ton of money to drop on a $40 blade a 3 pack for $40 sounds great for me because I got a 10 inch miter saw and 10 inch table saw so I’m putting the 60 tooth on the table and the 80 tooth on the miter saw

[@jeffro657-c5h]

I’ve tried both and liked both. If you really want a game changer, get yourself a Ridge Carbide blade. A little pricy but you WILL be impressed! What a great blade. What a great Christmas present! I have it on my table saw and plan on getting the 12” for my miter saw.

[@evildead1791]

Great video

[@davidcorliss]

Great video Matt

[@pmelchman]

CMT and Ridge Carbide

[@asbrand]

I like the Diablo blades. I *LOVE* the CMT ones. ;-) Use 'em both in my shop.

[@michaelvandyke6658]

Question for you . which is a more durable finish for a work bench , oil base polly or lacquer ?

[@jonreeves3993]

i'm a diablo guy but my one gripe is the red teflon coming off the blade and onto the wood.

[@keifferrowe5189]

YES, preach! I love my diablos but you are absolutely right. I may give the CMTs a try.

[@TonightWeGrill]

What blade is best to use when making the stovetop covers and using the table saw with level truck to join the edges?

[@731Woodworks]

A good 50 tooth combination blade

[@pabeefexpo]

I bought a CMT Dado blade and it is terrible. The chippers are offcenter so the bottom has ridges and valleys the whole way across.

[@davidmcknight5850]

I have replaced all my saw blades with CMT, so quiet and smooth. Cuts through slabs no problem

[@d.k.1394]

The red paint comes off the diablo onto your wood somtimes

[@mikemaldag897]

Hey , Matt .. Did you do a video on your Dust collector yet..? I’m looking forward to that video.. thanks , have a good day Matt...

[@731Woodworks]

Not yet

[@woodworkinginwheelchair7175]

Great video think I’m give cmt blade on table saw

[@mattcross20]

Fan of CMT. Good value for money. I’d personally never use a Diablo blade in a table saw as I’ve seen the teeth let go on them in the past. Not saying they’re all like that. But it was enough for me to not take that risk.

[@thecloneguyz]

FREUD AMANA CMT FORREST DIMAR BEST BLADES ON MARKET

[@jewelmea9245]

try Leitz

[@mminniear984]

Have you ever considered putting a zero clearance fence on your miter saw? I’ve thought about it but idk if it’s actually worth it. May help with that tear out on the back side?

[@mattmayes599]

Yes it is worth it because it does make a difference. Safe to cut small items like dowels or thin cuts on stock. Highly recommended

[@Damon_Barber]

Yes. Just by attaching a piece of 1x material to your miter saw fence (most have holes for screws for this already) will eliminate that cut out at the back.

[@d.k.1394]

100% agree

[@kdub11]

Ill tell you what most dont know, the cmt on the slide saw is better cause its made for the slide saw. It looks to have at least a zero hook which is safer

[@paulhopkins1905]

Buy Freud full kerf rip blades and dont waste your money on these blades. In my experience CMT blades give you less than half the carbide for the same money

[@ydnark83]

maybe im crazy but it sure seems like you babied the cmt cuts a little more. I quit at 8:22

[@d.k.1394]

Not much between them

[@greg2337]

Purpleheart loves to tear out. Zero clearance inserts are necessary for that wood more than others

[@2point..0]

WOOD it be better if you put painters tape around it centered at cut line on the chop saw ??? Could help myself to say WOOD instead of "Would" ha ha ha!!!

[@debandmike3380]

vs Freud Indiustrial

[@pwisc2115]

So to understand correctly if you use a higher tooth range on the miter saw why on the table saw go down the number of teeth on the blade big time if the reason for higher teeth is cleaner cut?

[@Anthony-H]

Reason #1: The table saw blade is 2" smaller in diameter, so it has a lower tooth count. Reason #2: Rip cuts (table saw) need fewer teeth since the cut is going in the same direction as the grain. You'll see this on hand saws as well. Crosscut saws typically have a higher tooth count.

[@pwisc2115]

@@Anthony-H thanks!

[@mattmayes599]

If you don't want to change blades between rip and cross cuts, a 50 tooth combination blade is a good choice. If you get 2 blades, one rip and one crosscut, you can get a higher tooth count crosscut blade to get a better finish cut. A lower than 50 tooth count blade to do rip cuts will cut faster and less burning.

[@jimbrown609]

Rip cut blades have fewer teeth because it's removing much more material. That material needs some where to go so less teeth more gulleys to move the waste out the way. I work at a cabinet shop trust me thats the only reason. diameter doesn't matter going with the grain doesn't matter 👍

[@jimbrown609]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGnboIp9Yq1olZo Good guide 👍

[@carlhuffman6792]

I will never buy another Diablo blade in fact I threw em all out when I happened to look up what the word Diablo means 😢

[@beachthor1]

It’s pronounced day-blow

[@shadaj]

When are you going to get back to building things? It seems most of your videos in the past few months have been about tools or more like infomercials. An occasional tool comparison, or tool tip video, or infomercial would be okay, but I subscribed to your channel to watch you build projects. I'm not seeing much of that anymore.

[@731Woodworks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2SkqZ5_l5mmqLM

[@731Woodworks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJbCin1vpqpsgaM

[@731Woodworks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmnNl4V6os1nbq8

[@731Woodworks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJnVnKWPbMRgbpY

[@731Woodworks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/noKqfGmmmbKilaM

[@d.k.1394]

I use cmt only

[@kdub11]

And the diable 12 inch aint even really for wood

[@michealarwood7488]

It literally is

[@Looyenss]

CMT. Ez.