How to change a circular saw blade

The quick guide: how to change a circular saw blade

1. Disconnect the power source – Unplug the lead or disconnect the battery.
2. Remove the center bolt – First, lock the blade in place to stop the blade from spinning when you’re trying to loosen the center screw. To loosen the bolt turn the bolt in the opposite direction than the direction the circular saw blade spins.
3. Remove the blade – Be careful with any spacing washers, that will need to be moved for the new saw blade.
4. Install the new blade – Make sure you put the new blade in the correct way around, there will be a small tick on the saw casing indicating the way the blade spins and the direction to face the teeth.
5. Tighten the blade bolt – Screw the center bolt back in reasonably tight, but don’t go overtighten as the blade spins in the opposite direction to the bolt to stop it from undoing.

Always check that the blade is sharp, on your cordless circular saw and on your corded saws for the confidence of safe and clean operation from your power tools.

When to change a circular saw blade?

Reasons a circular saw could be struggling to cut:

• The blade is blunt.
• The blade has broken teeth.
• The timber is wet and requires a more powerful saw.
• The saw you are using is underpowered for the job.

Using a blunt blade on a circular saw can be dangerous, so make sure to always install and use a sharp blade on your circular saw.

You need to change your circular saw blade when the saw stops cutting easily.

When you are putting in the extra force to push a blunt blade you are putting yourself at risk of kickback or slipping.

If you need a more powerful circular saw for a job have a look here.

Tips for checking a circular saw blades condition

First, unplug your saw from the power source and gently tap your finger on the edge to check for sharpness like when the saw was new.

Make sure you also check the surface of the saw and that there are not any broken teeth.

If only 1 tooth is broken but the rest of the teeth are in good condition then the blade should still cut fine.

Be the judge on how easily the saw is cutting in operation, and if the saw is struggling.

If you have multiple teeth or teeth that are feeling dull, you know you need to replace the blade to be safe and to stop the blade from overheating during operation.

Example: of a broken circular saw tooth from hitting a nail.

Re-sharpening a circular saw blade

You can recycle your circular saw blades when you have a collection of blunt blades.

Don’t sharpen the blades yourself take your collection down to a local sharpening specialist to professionally sharpen a collection at once.

Don’t bother collecting blades for fixing that have too much damage.

Circular saw blades with more than 5 broken teeth are not worth fixing and recycling.

Ready to change blades?

There you have it, how to change a circular saw blade based on my experience as a chippy.

And my tip is to keep your old blades for recycling and resharpening to get a second or third life from your circular saw blades.