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40 tooth or 80 tooth saw blade: rip or a fine edge

Updated: 22 October 2026

The blade already fits: 210 mm across, a 30 mm hole, and a kerf your saw will accept. The remaining choice is a 40 tooth or 80 tooth saw blade, and it changes the edge more than the fit. Fewer teeth take a bigger bite and leave a coarser face. More teeth take a smaller bite and can burn if you push. This page maps the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in the [210x30 saw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/210x30-saw-blade), as read on 20 October 2026. Tooth count does not fix a wrong bore or a knife thicker than the kerf. It is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The blade already fits: 210 mm across, a 30 mm hole, and a kerf your saw will accept. The remaining choice is a 40 tooth or 80 tooth saw blade, and it changes the edge more than the fit.

Our top picks

Saxton Blades Saxton Blades TCT21080T 80-tooth

Best overall

Saxton Blades Saxton Blades TCT21080T 80-tooth
8.5/10about £15.99
View offer
Rennie Tool Company Rennie 80-tooth blade

Best value

Rennie Tool Company Rennie 80-tooth blade
8.0/10about £12.99
View offer
Rennie Tool Company Rennie 40-tooth blade

Alternative

Rennie Tool Company Rennie 40-tooth blade
5.4/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Rip and fast cuts
  2. 2.General crosscuts
  3. 3.Fine visible edges
  4. 4.One blade or two

Rip and fast cuts

About 24 to 40 teeth is the fast band: a larger chip, an easier feed in softwood, and a rougher edge. Rennie's 40-tooth listing, at £9.99, states a 2.5 mm kerf and a 1.6 mm body. UK reviews include a blade that stopped after about 15 metres of 25 mm chipboard, one that smoked, and one that snapped. The Vewerk pack, at £16.27, includes 24, 40 and 48 teeth and states no kerf. DeWalt's DT99566 is 36 teeth and thin kerf. The style name says Fine, and three UK reviews describe binding on a DWE7485 knife. Use a low count for solid timber you will hide, not as the only blade for skirting.

General crosscuts

About 48 to 60 teeth is the general band. Trend CSB/21048 is 48 teeth and a stated 2.4 mm kerf, at £19.99, which matches the DWE7485 manual. One review still calls the cut coarse, and no rings are listed. Saxton TCT21060T is 60 teeth and a 2.6 mm kerf, at £14.99 with 4.6 from 982 reviews, and no plate is printed. Trend CSB/21060TC is also 60 teeth, but it is a 1.8 mm kerf with a +20 degree hook for cordless saws. That rake can lift a mitre saw, and that kerf binds on a 2.2 mm knife. The geometry is on the riving knife page.
Saxton Blades Saxton Blades TCT21080T 80-tooth

Testsieger

Saxton Blades Saxton Blades TCT21080T 80-tooth
8.5/10about £15.99
View offer

Fine visible edges

About 80 to 100 teeth is the band for skirting, melamine and a sheet edge you will see. Saxton TCT21080T states 80 teeth, a 2.6 mm kerf and a 1.6 mm plate, at £15.99 with 4.7 from 2,243 reviews. Rennie's 80-tooth blade states 2.5 mm and 1.6 mm at £12.99. Those two are the fine picks on the best 210mm saw blade page, for review volume and for price. Saxton TCT210100T, at £17.99, states 2.4 mm and 1.6 mm. One reviewer preferred about 60 teeth for MDF skirting. The thickness field says 2.6 mm, which is neither the kerf nor the plate.

One blade or two

A single 80-tooth blade covers skirting and rips softwood more slowly than a 24-tooth blade. That is a fair trade if you hate changing discs. The Vewerk pack tries to own 24, 40 and 48 teeth and publishes no kerf, so it does not replace a blade that states 2.5 mm or 2.6 mm. Own two blades when the jobs are far apart. Skip a thin-kerf 60-tooth as the second blade on a corded DWE7485. If you change often, the arrow and the ring are on the how to change page. An £43 DeWalt 36-tooth blade is still a rip geometry.

Common questions

How many teeth for melamine worktops?
About 80 to 100 teeth is the band these listings use for melamine and a visible sheet edge. The Saxton 80-tooth and 100-tooth files, and the Rennie 80-tooth file, are the ones sold that way. Support the sheet and score or tape a fragile face if you have seen breakout before. One 100-tooth reviewer still preferred about 60 teeth for MDF skirting, so try the count on an offcut of the actual board.
Is 40 teeth enough for skirting?
It will cut skirting, and the edge will be coarser than an 80-tooth blade in the same timber. Paint can hide some of that. A clear finish or a tight mitre usually will not. Rennie's 40-tooth file is described as fast roughing. Use it for stock you will not look at, and keep an 80-tooth blade for the lengths that show.
When is a 24-tooth blade sensible on a mitre saw?
When you are cutting solid softwood that will be hidden or planed, and you want a faster feed. The Vewerk pack is the 24-tooth option in this set. A mitre saw spends most of its life on crosscuts and mitres, where 48 to 80 teeth usually look better. A 24-tooth blade on painted architrave is the wrong end of the band.
Should I buy the three-pack instead of one 80-tooth blade?
Buy the Vewerk pack if you want 24, 40 and 48 teeth and you will measure the kerf, because the listing does not state one. Buy one 80-tooth Saxton or Rennie if the job is skirting and sheet and you want a printed kerf around 2.5 to 2.6 mm. The pack's 4.8 stars do not include a proved life for all three blades. Several reviewers had used only one.
Is 100 teeth always finer than 80 teeth in practice?
Not always. The Saxton 100-tooth file is the finest count here, and one reviewer said about 60 teeth was better for MDF skirting and laminates. More teeth mean a smaller chip and more heat if the feed is slow. Use 100 teeth when an offcut of your board looks better with it. Use 80 teeth when you want the larger review sample and a slightly more open gullet.
Will a rip blade burn on plywood?
It can. A 24- or 40-tooth blade in plywood or chipboard takes a large bite from a glued board, and the reviews on the £9.99 Rennie include smoking and a short life in chipboard. Plywood faces also tear when the tooth is coarse and the sheet is unsupported. A 60- or 80-tooth blade, with the sheet supported, is the calmer choice for plywood you will see. Burning can still be a blunt blade or a forced feed, not only the tooth count.

Related pages

210x30 saw blade buying guide

210x30 saw blade

Best 210mm saw blade: a top pick and best value buy

How to change a 210mm saw blade on a mitre or table saw

Riving knife too thick for the blade on a table saw

Sources

Public UK sources and maker pages from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE Woodworking Information Sheet WIS16 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE: Woodworking machinery standards (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. BSI BS EN 847-1:2017 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. DeWalt DWE7485 UK instruction manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Evolution R210SMS 210 mm sliding mitre saw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Screwfix Erbauer wood TCT saw blade 210 mm x 30 mm 40T (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Bosch Professional UK PRO Wood circular saw blade (retrieved 20 October 2026)