How to change a circular saw blade

The quick guide

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

It is always important to have a sharp blade, on your cordless circular saw and on your corded saws to cut cleaner and safer. 

When is it time 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 is dangerous, it’s important to make sure to always have a sharp blade installed and ready to go.

This means you need to change your blade when your 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 make sure to have a look here.

Tips for checking a circular saw blades condition

First, unplug your saw from the power source and gently rub your finger along the blade to check that it is feeling sharp like it was when new.

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

If only 1 tooth is broken but the rest of the teeth are good it is still alright. Be the judge on how easily the saw is gliding through your cuts.

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 that have too much damage it is not worth re-sharpening if more than 5 teeth are broken:

Conclusion

There you have it, how to change a circular saw blade, and a tip to keep your old blades aside to resharpen them and get a second or third life from the blades later.