Table saw blade guide

How many teeth a 10 in table saw blade should have for each kind of cut, the tooth grinds and what they are for, kerf, and the speed printed on the blade. The tooth counts are the median of what blade makers' own guides and product lines give for each job.

How many teeth for each cut

Rip blades have the fewest teeth and blades for plywood and melamine the most, as the table shows. General purpose and combination blades sit between, so one blade can rip and crosscut. Each figure is the median of what the makers below give for a 10 in blade.

Job	Teeth (10 in)	Where it comes from
RippingCutting along the grain, in solid wood	24 (makers: 24–30)	Median of 4 sources
General purposeRipping and crosscutting with one blade	40 (makers: 40–42)	Median of 3 sources
CombinationRipping and crosscutting, teeth grouped with a raker	50	Median of 3 sources
Fine crosscutAcross the grain, for a smooth end	60 (makers: 60–80)	Median of 3 sources
Plywood, veneer and melamineChip-free edges in sheet goods	80	Median of 3 sources

Counted: CMT Orange Tools, Guide to choosing a 10" saw blade (poster, 2018); Freud / Diablo, Diablo 10" table saw blades: D1024X ripping (24T ATB, .098" kerf, 6,000 max RPM), D1040X general purpose, D1050X combination, D1060X fine finish, D1080X ultra finish; Infinity Cutting Tools, 10" table saw blades: 24T Ripper (flat-top grind), 50T Combo-Max, 80T Ultra-Smooth; crosscut blades 60 to 80 teeth; Forrest, Woodworker II blades: 10" × 30T for stock over 2" thick, 10" × 40T for stock up to 2" (as sold by Lee Valley; 1/8" and 3/32" kerf). Freud and Diablo are one company and count once. CMT's guide gives 12 in blades more teeth for the same job; see the maker's guide for other sizes.

Tooth grind

The grind is the shape of each tooth's top. Alternate top bevel (ATB) teeth lean left and right in turn, slicing fibers cleanly for crosscuts. Flat-top teeth plough straight through along the grain. Triple-chip pairs a chamfered tooth with a flat one for hard, brittle materials. Here is what the makers say about their own blades:

Rip blades use flat-top (FTG) teeth, each tooth cutting the full width of the kerf like a chisel.
Two sources: CMT Orange Tools and Infinity Cutting Tools , sources [1, 2]
Diablo’s 24-tooth ripping blade is the exception here: it uses alternate top bevel (ATB) teeth, and Diablo says it is not a true flat-top blade.
One source: Freud / Diablo, the maker of that blade , sources [3]
CMT pairs triple-chip grind (TCG) with laminates, melamine, plastics and non-ferrous metal, and high alternate top bevel (Hi-ATB) with chip-free plywood and two-sided melamine.
One source: CMT Orange Tools, the maker of those blades , sources [1]

Sources

Full kerf or thin kerf

Kerf is the width of the cut the teeth make. A thin-kerf blade removes less wood; Diablo says its thin kerf needs less cutting power from the saw. Check the riving knife too: it must be thinner than the kerf and thicker than the blade's plate, as the riving knife guide explains.

Forrest sells its Woodworker II in a full 1/8 in kerf and a thin 3/32 in kerf.
One source: Forrest, the maker of that blade , sources [1]
Diablo’s D1024X is a thin-kerf blade: .098 in kerf on a .071 in plate, rated for 6,000 RPM at most.
One source: Freud / Diablo, the maker of that blade , sources [2]

Sources

The speed on the blade

Every blade is marked with its maximum speed in RPM. It has to be at least the speed of your saw's arbor, which the saw's manual and nameplate give. Whatever a chart says, the blade's own marking is the limit for that blade.