A circular saw is one of the convenient tools around, making it essential to know how to use the blade safely and effectively. If the blades get dull over time, your cuts won’t be as clean and smooth as they could be, and they could even be dangerous! We’ll explain how to change a circular saw blade with ease, no matter what brand or model you have in your toolkit.
When should you change the blade?
Before knowing the steps of changing the circular saw blade, you might require to know when and why you should change a saw blade. The shorter answer is when it breaks, but, in truth, there’s more to it than that. Every circular saw blade brand would have a recommended time period for when you should replace your blade. Most brands recommend changing your blade after between 10 and 15 hours of use, which means about two days for a regular carpenter. However, the standard hours of changing period mentioned around 10-15 hours might vary depending on the types of material you are cutting. The circular saw blades are used to cut most materials such as wood and wood composites, masonry & plastic. If you’re doing large-scale projects like flooring or roofing (with lots of cutting), you’ll likely need a new blade before that period is up. The most important thing is to replace your blade as soon as it becomes dull. If a circular saw cuts through the materials slowly or has irregular edges, it needs new blades.
Why do we need to change the blades?
We often need to replace our circular saw blades because they are getting dull or have lost their effectiveness. Another common reason is that you dropped your saw blade on a hard surface or accidentally broke it. Regardless of why you are in need of a new blade, there is no reason for concern as there are many resources to collect one, and our step-by-step guides for changing the blade will help you change it by yourself.
How to change change a circular Saw Blade? (Steps by steps guide)
A well-sharped circular saw blade can reduce your cutting time and increase your work efficiency; besides, it will provide the precision and accuracy required for your work. Thus changing when it gets dull is important. Although saw blades of different companies are slightly different, the basics of changing a circular saw blade are the same. If you follow the following guideline sequentially, you will be able to freely change your circular saw blade hassle.
Step 1: Safety of removal
If you really want to save your fingers from serious wounds, make sure to remove the battery if you are using a battery saw or make sure the saw is unplugged. It is suggested to use gloves while changing the blade. Sharp saw carbide tip on your saw blade can cut through your finger. Blade bolts can be hard to remove, and a slip of your hand can cause a cut if not wearing a glove. Having a user manual can help you know your blade removal guides, such as which way the bolt tightens or loosens, what types of wrenches are required, and where to get one.
Step 2: Locking the blade
Before removing the old saw blade, make sure to lock the old blade-free movement before using a wrench and removing the bolt; locking the free movement of the old saw blade will ensure the safety of your fingers and make it easy to remove the bolt. You can lock the blade by pressing the red button and rotating the blade until it is locked.
Step 3: Removing safety guard
Circular saw blades come with a safety guard that usually covers the blade’s upper portion for safety purposes. And removing the bolt of the blade is hard without removing the safety guard first. To remove the safety guard, first, remove the nuts of the guard using a socket wrench that fits the nuts of the guard.
Step 4: Remove the old blade
Usually, every circular saw blade has a wrench for blade replacement. Locate the wrench, they are often attached with the cord, and some are often slid into a place on the bottom or handle part of the saw body. To remove the bolt, you need to rotate the bolt with the wrench, and here a problem may arise, and that is which way to turn the bolt to loosen it. Rotating the bolt in the wrong direction can make the bolt even tighter, and it makes it hard to remove afterward. There should be an arrow in the blade guard that indicate which way to turn the bolt for removal, and if there is none, then remember this a usual code of loosening the bolt is most of the right-hand circular saw blades bolt would loosen counterclockwise and left-hand circular saw blades blots would loosen in the clockwise direction.
Step 5: Removing outer washer
After removing the bolt, remove the outer washer, clean it with water, and clean the debris from the inside of the upper guard.
Step 6: Installing the new blade
Before attaching the new blade with the saw body, check for an arrow indicating which way the new blade should rotate when installed. After carefully placing the blade on the attachment spot of the shaft, install the washer in the right place before ascribing the bolt. Then place and tighten the bolt with a wrench
Step 7: Attach the guard and check the blade
After successfully installing the blade, make sure to attach the protecting guard with its nuts. Without protection, guards do not go for checking the blade. It can be dangerous. It is possible that the bolt is not tight enough and detaches from the saw body in a circular motion. It can harm you.
After attaching the upper guard, you can check the newly changed circular saw blade of yours before you get to work.
Related Reading: Circular Saw Blade Thickness
Caution
Taking Safety measures is important for changing and using a circular saw blade. These blades have sharp razor teeth. And be cautious about wearing gloves before using the circular saw blade and use goggles while using the blade. It will ensure your eyes are safe from dust produced from cutting wood composites; also, use earplugs for disturbing cutting sounds with these blades.
Bottom Line
With the guidelines and detailed steps mentioned, you can safely change the blade of your circular saw effectively. Don’t forget to follow the first step mentioned about safety; it will ensure the safe removal and changing of blades without having any wound or nosing any fingers.