What Is a Crosscut Saw Blade?
Saw blades are primarily of two different types: ripping blades, for cutting with the grain of the wood, and crosscut blades, designed to cut against the grain. When hand saws were the primary tools for cutting wood, the carpenter needed to switch between saws depending on the cut being made. Although crosscutting and ripping circular saw blades are available, most circular saw blades are combination blades, built for both types of cuts.
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Function
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When crosscutting against the grain, the blade needs to be sharp and hold its edge for a long time. Dull blades tend to tear the crosscut, leaving behind a very splintered or fuzzy cut. On the other hand, a sharp crosscut blade will cut cleanly and very quickly.
History
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Traditional hand crosscut saws utilized deep teeth with each tooth angled in the opposite direction of the corresponding teeth. With alternated teeth, a hand crosscut saw will cut a path slightly wider than the thickness of the blade. The extra width of the cut helps keep the saw from binding when the saw gets deeper into the cut.
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Gullets
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The deep cutouts between teeth of a crosscut saw are called gullets. When a tooth makes a cut, the stock that is cut out slides into the gullet and is carried out of the cut, where it falls out of the gullet. Without the gullets, the small pieces of sawdust would get in the way of the teeth, reducing the saw's ability to cut.
Circular Saw Blades
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Crosscut and combination circular saw blades utilize the same basic principles that hand crosscut saws utilize. These circular saw blades have alternating teeth, with deep gullets to carry the waste. Circular saws are designed so that centrifugal force created by the spinning of the blade will throw the waste into the specially designed blade guard and eject it out of the back of the saw.
Carbides
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Most combination circular saw blades have a carbide on each tooth. A carbide is a wide piece of metal honed to an edge, much like a bevel-edged chisel. These hardened-steel carbides will hold an edge much longer and can be sharpened many more times than teeth that do not have carbides.
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References
- Photo Credit scie circulaire image by photlook from Fotolia.com
