How to Change a Miter Saw Blade in 5 Simple Steps

Looking for a step-by-step guide on how to change a miter saw blade?

Congratulations! You have just stepped into the right place. In this article, I will teach you how to correctly remove your old miter saw blade and install a new one.

The best thing is once you read this article, you can change the blade of any kind of miter saw.

Sounds interesting right? I know you must be waiting impatiently therefore, I won’t keep you waiting anymore. So let’s get into it.

That’s all you don’t need to apply any rocket science while switching a miter saw blade with a new one.

However, that’s not all; you can face some other issues while changing a miter saw blade for the first time.

If you want to avoid making any mistakes and be on the safe side during this whole process, then keep on reading.

Tools Used in this Tutorial

For the demonstration of this tutorial, I have used the following tools. I hope you will have most of these mentioned tools by the time you are reading this guide. However, if you don’t have some, you can buy them through my links.

• Screwdriver
• Allen Wrench Keys
• A Miter Saw
• A Miter Saw Blade

How to Change Miter saw Blade

Here is an easy way to replace the blade on your miter saw. Remember, this is a general tutorial, and the steps mentioned in this guide are applied to almost any miter saw.

Step 1 Removing the Blade Guard 

The first thing you need to do is to remove the blade guard from the way. Miter saw blades are protected by this blade guard, which helps keep the blade secured and prevent accidents on the job site. 

First, you must pull it back until you can easily access the screw beneath it. Once you can access the screw, use your screwdriver to remove the blade guard hardware. 

Step 2 Lock the Blade 

Most miter saws come with a blade locking pin. It helps to lock the blade and prevents it from moving freely when not in use. This proves helpful when you want to detach or mount the blade on the saw. 

If your saw has a blade mounting pin, press it and rotate it until the pin locks in and the blade cannot rotate anymore. 

If the saw lacks a locking pin, then no need to panic. You can still hold the blade and prevent it from rotating with the help of scrap wood. 

Step 3 Remove the Mounting Bolt of the Blade

Once your blade is stopped perfectly you need to remove the mounting bolt of the blade. You can do this with the help of a blade wrench or an Allen key without any issue at all. 

All you need to do is to turn the bolt in a clockwise rotation. Once the bolt is loose, you can remove it with your hand from the saw. 

Step 4 Remove the Blade 

Once the mounting bolt of the blade is removed, you should be able to remove the whole blade without any issues. 

First, remove the blade flange and then the blade itself. It is very easy, and no technical skill is involved in removing the blade. 

Step 5 Install a New Saw Blade 

Once the old blade is removed, you can install a new saw blade to help you finish your project. First, mount the blade carefully and then reinstall the blade flange, followed by the mounting bolt.

Step 6: Put Everything back in its place.

You should tighten the mounting bolt after successfully mounting the new blade and installing the flange. After that, you’ll need to put the blade guard back in its place. 

Tighten all the screws and unlock the safety pin to release the blade. Ultimately, you’ll be able to use your newly mounted saw blade without issues. 

Are Miter Saw Blades Interchangeable?

Yes, miter saw blades are interchangeable, making them fantastic tools. You can attach different blades to your saw to handle different situations.

Most people usually use woodworking blades for woodworking projects. However, you can install a carbide or diamond blade to convert a miter saw to cut metal.

Besides metal, miter saws are helpful for PVC, aluminum, and even tiles. That said, I wouldn’t recommend cutting tile on the miter saw.

It is due to a few reasons; the first one is that tiles produce a lot of dust, which harms health. Apart from that, it can be messy, and the next thing is that the miter saws are quite powerful.

It can break the tile and may even sometimes throw away the shards of tiles in different directions.

When to Change a Miter Saw Blade

knowing when to change your miter saw blade is crucial to the project. If you have a dull blade, then you won’t be able to produce accurate cuts as efficiently as possible.

It may ruin the whole project, and you may have to start over again. Or it will take longer than usual and require additional effort, depending on the case.

However, if you are a beginner, you may not know precisely when to change your saw blade. If that’s the case, you should look for a few signs. It will tell you when to replace your miter saw blade with a new one.

You need to pay attention to working on your saw. If it isn’t as smooth as before, your blade is dull. You will need to remove it and replace it with a new one.

A good saw blade should be smooth and not require much effort during the project. Apart from that, you can easily tell if your blade is dull by looking at the excess chipping of the wood.

You need to change your blade if you are cutting the wood and see your saw is chipping it instead of cutting it. Another simple way to check if the blade is dull is by looking at its teeth.

If you see the blade slightly rounded over and doesn’t have a nice sharp edge, it needs replacement.

How Often to Change a Miter Saw Blade

There is no exact time for changing your miter saw blade. It depends on how often you use it. If you are a professional carpenter or a contractor, you may need to change your miter saw blade more often.

In contrast, people who use their saws only for DIY projects do not need to change their blades even for months. Generally, you would want to change your saw blade before it starts giving odd results.

Make sure you check it thoroughly before starting a new project. As I mentioned, you need to ensure your saw blade is in working condition.

If your cuts are smooth and clean, you don’t need to replace them. Normally a saw that is used regularly for wood cutting lasts for about two and a half months.

But again, it depends on the amount of use. The time that I mentioned is only a rough estimate. Your blade may last longer than that or need replacement much quicker than the mentioned time.

What is the Best Blade for a Miter Saw?

After doing a lot of research on the miter saw blades, I found three blades that are quite fantastic. I will mention them here if you want to check them out.

• Freud D12100X 12-Inch 100 Tooth Diablo
• Hitachi 725206 10-Inch 72-Teeth Tungsten Carbide Tipped
• Makita A-93681 10-Inch 80 Tooth Micro Polished

I like them because of a few reasons. The Freud D12100X is a fantastic 12-inch blade that comes in handy for heady-duty woodworking projects.

It features an ultra-thin structure that helps in producing fast and flawless cuts.

However, the Hitachi and Makita are 10-inch blades. I prefer the Hitachi blade for metal cutting projects because of its fewer teeth. It helps in providing smooth cuts without any issues.

It doesn’t put too much load on the saw’s motor during the cutting. I highly recommend using carbide-tipped blades for such projects. Lastly, I recommend the Makita A-93681 miter saw blade for more precise cutting.

It possesses micro-grain carbide teeth that help it cut through anything quickly. Apart from that, the blade can produce cuts with ultra-fine accuracy.

It can work efficiently on many materials, including plywood, aluminum, softwood, and even hardwood.

Can you Sharpen a Miter Saw Blade?

You can sharpen your miter saw blade at home. However, you need to be very careful during the process. For standard woodworking blades, you can use a regular file.

You can also use a Dremel for sharpening your saw blades. It will do the job quite correctly. However, I don’t recommend sharpening the carbide or diamond blades at home unless you are a professional.

Always take these types of blades to a professional for sharpening. I recommend taking safety measures before sharpening your miter saw blade at home.

It will minimize the risk of injuries and maintain a safer environment. Also, I find sharpening miter saw blades by hand much more comfortable than using a machine.

Which Way Should the Teeth Face on a Miter Saw?

You should be extremely careful while installing a new miter saw blade. If you take a closer look at the rotation of the miter saw. You will notice that it rotates in a clockwise sense.

Therefore, when installing a new miter saw blade, you need to keep that in mind. It would be best to place the blade so its teeth are pointing downwards.

Some people install the blades, having their teeth pointing upwards. However, I never recommend this setup as upward-facing teeth are extremely dangerous for the user.

It can cause severe injuries sometimes; therefore, there shouldn’t be any compromise on safety measures.

How Tight Should a Miter Saw Blade be?

Since miter saw blades are reversely threaded, you don’t need to worry too much about tightening them. They tighten themselves during the rotation. However, it would be best if you place them securely to avoid accidents.

You need to tighten them to a normal level and avoid putting too much pressure on the bolt. If you try to overtighten them, the nut bolt may slip, a complete disaster.

Are miter saw blades reverse threaded?

Yes, Miter saw blades are all reverse threaded, which makes them quite impressive. The reverse threaded structure of the arbor allows the blade to self-tighten whenever it rotates.

Final Thoughts

I have explained the process in a step-by-step and easy way that helps you learn how to change the blade on a miter saw.

After making it this far, you should be able to change the miter saw blade on your own. It doesn’t matter; even if you are a beginner, you can do the job without issues.

I have also mentioned some other necessary points you need to look at. It would be best to follow the exact safety measures before changing a miter saw blade.

“If you would like to add anything to this post or any insight you have on this subject, please feel free to comment below.”