Circular saw blades are designed to help power saws cut through materials faster and more efficiently than they could with just the power of the motor. But how do you know which steel type will work best? While any type of steel can be used in a circular saw blade, there are several main types of steel that you’ll want to consider before you make your purchase. Here are the most common types of steel used for making circular saw blades.
Types of Steel are Circular Saw Blades Made From
Circular saw blades are made of different types of steel based on the requirement for each type’s necessity. Some saw blades are designed to cut wood, while others are designed to cut concrete and metal, and based on the required strength of the blade to cut specific types of materials, different types of steel are used. Following are the steels used for making circular saw blades that serve specific purposes.
Steel type 1: High carbon steel blades
- Blades made with high carbon steel and their use
High carbon steel is used to make tungsten carbide-tipped circular saw blades, and these thick saw blades are used for cutting hard metals such as steel, cast iron, bronze, copper, non-ferrous metals, aluminum alloy, etc.
- Pros and cons of High carbon steel blade
Pros:
- High carbon steel is stronger than any stainless steel
- Carbon steel is common for high-quality blades
- Carbon steel can be hardened and tempered
- Hold a sharp edge for a longer time than other types of steel
Cons:
- More prone to rusting
- Require dry place for storing
- Can be bent the blade teeth easily if required
- Breaks at extreme pressure rather than bending
- Facts of high carbon steel circular saw blade
High carbon steel blades are hardened in two different ways, and these are hardened through heat treatment and hardened through magnetic treatment. For the best result of hard metal cutting with a circular saw, choose a high carbon circular saw which is hardened through heat treatment. That way, you’ll know it won’t chip or crack when you’re working with harder materials like metal, concrete, and stone. Whenever possible, use speeds up to 3200 RPMs when cutting hard materials to maintain blade life.
- Best option available
High Carbon Steel Circular, Saw Blade Carbide Tipped, Saw Disc and Freud 12″ x 120T Thin Stock Non-Ferrous Metal Blade. These blades are specially designed for cutting metal and wood and enriched with a high carbon presence in the blades.
Steel type 2: (80CrV2) high carbon and vanadium steel
- Blades made with high carbon vanadium steel and its use
High carbon and vanadium steel are used to create blades with big diameters and large blades, which are used for cutting soft but large wood logs. These blades are used to cut fresh and not dry woods inside.
- Pros and Cons of high carbon steel blade
Pros:
- Strengthen blade
- Increase sharpness durability
- Reduce rustiness of high carbon use
- prevents corrosion,
Cons:
- Rare to find these composite metal blades
- Vanadium is expensive. It cost around 20 US dollars per pound.
- Facts:
About 80% of the total production of vanadium is used as an additive to steel blades; vanadium, used in carbon steel blades, gives the blade shock and vibration resistant ability. But for that, there should be a combination of chromium and vanadium as well. And this is the biggest reason for reinforcing high carbon steel circular saw blades and making the blade stronger while reducing the vulnerability of shock and vibration produced while making any cut with the blade.
- Best option available
Cold cutting 80CrV2 steel 520mm and 1200mm parrot tooth circular friction saw blades; these parrot tooth blades are designed to cut carbon steel in many shapes and sizes.
Steel type 3: Chrome vanadium steel
- Blades made with chrome vanadium steel and its use
Chrome vanadium steel is used to make friction saw blades. And these blades are used to cut different structural beams and other steel products like tubular and pipe and culvert pipe and other items with different shapes and made with steel.
- Pros and Cons of Chrome vanadium steel blades
Pros:
- These steel blades are strong
- Used for multiple purpose cutting
- It’s a composite blade, so it won’t rust
Cons:
- Blades are more expensive than other types of circular saw blades
- Facts:
These blades are strong and made of chrome and vanadium composition mixed with medium carbon steel. The proportion of this mixture of Chrome vanadium steel is 0.15%-0.40% of the total composition, and the blades made of this composition are also called Cr-V circular saw blades.
Steel type 4: L6 steel
- Blades made with L6 Steel and their use
It is the strongest steel of the last century and is used to forge strong blades for cutting hard materials. Most of the circular saw blades today we see are made of composite metal of carbon steel which has hardened teeth, but the blade bodies are mild steel bodies; however, if you have any old American circular saw blade, there is a chance that the blade is made of L6 Steel. It is tough steel.
- Pros and Cons of L6 Steel blade
Pros:
- The L6 steel circular saw blades provide resistance to the thermal shock produced during spinning and creating friction.
- The L6 steel protects the blade from heat cracking.
- The blade made of L6 steel lasts long by resisting heat cracking.
Cons:
- Bad corrosion resistance compared to other high carbon steel.
- Low toughness compared to composite alloyed high carbon steel.
- Facts:
L6 steel contains high nickel content in this alloy, and this steel type has a long history of being used for making and forging knives and swords also.
Steel type 5: 440B stainless steel
- Blades made with L6 Steel and their use
440B stainless steel is used to make meat-cutting circular saws. This blade is high carbon martensitic stainless steel which contains high strength and corrosion resistance also has the ability to resist getting rust, making the steel perfect for cutting things that are soft but require high rust resistance. And meat-cutting circular saws are made from this blade for that reason.
Pros and Cons of 440B stainless steel blade
Pros:
- 440B stainless steel has high durability
- Better corrosion resistance
- Easy to sharpen by hand
Cons:
- Low toughness
- Expensive
Bottom Line
Many types of steel are available for making circular saw blades, and each type of steel has specific characteristics that they gain by mixing with other materials. Based on the required hardness and durability, rust resistance different types of steels are used to make circular saw blades which are used to cut different materials.