Can you use smaller blade on miter saw

07-18-04, 08:48 PM

Table of Contents Show

Can you use different size blades on miter saw?
Can I use a 10 inch blade on a 12
Can you put a smaller blade on a 12 miter saw?
Can you put a smaller blade on a saw?

Using smaller blade in a miter saw

I bought a 10" compound miter saw (not a sliding one).

Did some research beforehand and all the salespeople i spoke to said that i could use a smaller blade than 10" (could always use smaller, just not larger).

Now that i have installed a 7 1/4 inch blade i see that the blade won't lower enough to cut completely thru the wood. The instructions state that the blade can be lowered using an ajustment screw, but the screw will only lower about a half inch... based upon blade size i figured i will need to lower the blade at least 1 3/8 inches.

Can i use this 7 1/4" blade in a miter saw designed for 10"?

Thank you.

(if it matters, it's a Sears Champion 12amp 10" miter saw)

The following users liked this post:

07-18-04, 09:36 PM

Join Date: Jan 2001

Location: Manitoba

Posts: 10,235

thereuare,

It's ok to use a smaller blade in terms of it not damaging anything.
You have already found out why it's not such a great idea though.
The size of the blade will be limited by the saws adjustments.

Why may I ask do you want to run a smaller blade?

07-19-04, 12:13 AM

Thank you for the reply.

I'm cutting some laminate molding (quarter round) and i wanted a smooth cut so at the advice of the store i bought a 7 1/4" blade blade with 150 teeth (it was inexpensive). I know the equiavalent in a 10" would have been a lot more money and as i was told it wouldn't make a difference i went with the smaller blade (didn't even see the bigger one there).

Looks like tomorrow, instead of starting this leg of the project, i'll be heading back to the store to get 10" blades

07-19-04, 09:12 AM

Join Date: May 2004

Location: Sw FL

Posts: 2,122

Likes: 0

Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

why not iust put a peice of 2x down on the saw table to raise the material ?

07-19-04, 10:13 AM

Thank you for the suggestion.

I had considered that, but the back fence(? sorry if i have the term wrong, but the piece that the molding would get pushed against) is only 2" high. Therefore i wouldn't be able to push the molding flush against a back piece.

I may be missing something, but as you can tell by my original question, i'm not that experienced with tools (although getting better every day

)

Thank you again for the replies and help.

07-19-04, 12:04 PM

Join Date: Jan 2001

Location: Manitoba

Posts: 10,235

I use undersized blades but only on a radial arm and table saw.
My Makita mitre saw doesn't have enough adjustment to allow it either.

Especially within the same size class of saws (eg. 8.5", 10", 12") you will find that machines sometimes have blades which differ in size up to 5 mm / 1/5" (12": 300–305 mm, 10": 250–254 mm). For the less common sizes the size difference might be even more obscure: consider Mafell’s MT55 requirement for 162 mm blades, which is slightly smaller than 6-1/2" (165 mm).

Disclaimer: To avoid injury you should always only use circular saw blades recommended by the the manufacturer for the model of circular saw you are using. The following answers are from my personal experience with working with many different saws on a daily basis. Follow the advice on your own risk and use common sense when doing so.

Can I use larger blades?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: You should only ever use larger circular saw blades, when the difference is fairly negligible (1 mm / 1/16").
The reason for that is that for safety reasons most saws are built to tight tolerances. The tolerances accommodate slight differences in size due to production tolerances or design differences for the same diameter saw blade. Especially with newer models these tolerances are fairly small. Using a larger blade risks damage to the tool and danger of injury from resulting debris.
Blade geometry: Make sure the blade you want to use is built with a geometry intended for the type and model of saw you want to use it on. The angle of the teeth is usually significantly different on miter saws where you can clamp down the material to be cut. Also make sure that the kerf, blade width and max RPM speeds are compatible.
Asserted force: The more powerful your circular saw is and the larger your blade diameter becomes, the more your circular saw’s motor has to work to apply the same torque to to the teeth of your circular saw blade. This can lead to increased stress on the motor and the motor burning out prematurely.
Example: A 216 mm / 8-1/2" circular saw blade will not fit on a Festool TS-75 (210𐄂30𐄂2.4 mm, or 8-1/4"). Even though you adjust the riving knife, the larger diameter of the blade will not clear the blade housing.

Can I use smaller blades?
Short answer: Within reason, you can.
Long answer: For safety reasons the blade gap should not be larger than 1/8" (3 mm). If you do not care about workplace safety, you can use smaller circular saw blades in most cases.
Blade geometry: Make sure the blade you want to use is built with a geometry intended for the type and model of saw you want to use it on. The angle of the teeth is usually significantly different on miter saws where you can clamp down the material to be cut. Also make sure that the kerf, blade width and max RPM speeds are compatible.
Asserted force: The more powerful your circular saw is and the smaller your blade diameter becomes, the more force (torque) is applied to the teeth of your circular saw blade. Depending on blade geometry (teeth geometry, material, kerf) this can be an issue when the used blade is significantly smaller.
Cutting depth: Depending on the type of saw you need to adjust for the reduced cutting depth.
Miter saws: The nature of the technical construction of miter saws limits the reduction in size. Any further reduction will prevent you from making cuts. On miter saws the reduced diameter will also result in accelerated blade wear (as you cannot adjust for the reduced cutting depth).
Dado blades for table saws: The only case where it might make sense to use a significantly smaller blade on purpose, is when you install a dado blade set on a low powered table saw. See Can I use an 8" dado blade set in a 10" table saw?
Example: It is safe to use a 160 mm blade on a Mafell MT55. In fact Mafell offers both 162 mm and 160 mm blades for the MT55.

Can I use blades with a different kerf / blade width?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Within reason you can.
Kerf: From my experience if the difference in kerf is reasonably small (max. 0.2 mm, or 1/120") it should work out just fine.
Different blade width: Depending on the mechanism for mounting the blade to the hub you can use different blade widths. Refer to your owner’s manual to determine which blade width is okay to use. Using out of spec blade width can lead to wobble, increased wear, and damage to the motor, hub and blade housing.
Example: I am using a circular saw blade with 2.8 mm kerf / 1.8 blade width on a Festool TS-75 without issues. The owner’s manual states a blade width of up to 1.8 mm and a kerf of 2.4–2.6 mm. Festool officially sells blades with a kerf of 2.2–2.6 mm for the TS-75.

Can you use different size blades on miter saw?

Miter Saw Blade Basics Blade size: The most common diameters are 10-inch or 12-inch, with smaller trim miter saws using 7-1/4-in. or 8-1/2-in. blades. Other sizes are more rare. Never use a different size blade than the one recommended for your saw; it's unsafe and inefficient.

Can I use a 10 inch blade on a 12

You can put your 10-inch blades on your 12-inch saw (assuming the arbor holes are the same size), but you cannot put 12-inch blades on a 10-inch saw. The 12-inch saw gives you greater versatility – with the larger blade, it's the hefty workhorse, and with the smaller blade, it's a master of precision.

Can you put a smaller blade on a 12 miter saw?

Yes you can use TS blades on a miter saw. Before I had much money I had two very expensive blades, one for cross cut and one for rip cutting and would switch them as needed. They only need to be the same size and have the same arbor size hole.

Can you put a smaller blade on a saw?

Can I use smaller blades? Short answer: Within reason, you can. Long answer: For safety reasons the blade gap should not be larger than 1/8" (3 mm). If you do not care about workplace safety, you can use smaller circular saw blades in most cases.