Blades & Bits
When advising students how to put together their own shops, I tell them to spend half their power tool budget on top-notch blades and bits. A mediocre table saw with a dynamite blade will cut a lot better than a dynamite table saw with a mediocre blade. And I aspire to take my own advice; I rarely skimp on blades and bits.
Bandsaw Blades
Starrett Band Saw Blades
$Varies by Size As of: 07/25/24
Great band saw blades for all manner of band saw operations. They are available in any size with your choice of tooth profile and pitch.
We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Tablesaw Blades
Freud 10” General Purpose Blade
$72.24 As of: 08/01/24
This is our go-to table saw blade for most crosscuts and occasional rips – 50 teeth, limiters to control the depth of cut, ATB&F grind (alternate-top-bevel on the crosscut teeth, flat on the rip teeth), positive rake for the cutting angle. The kerf is 1/8” (3 mm) wide.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Freud 10" Thin-Kerf Rip Blade
$47.00 As of: 07/25/24
When doing a lot of ripping, we switch to this blade – 24 teeth, all ground flat, limiters to control depth-of-cut, positive rake cutting angle. The thin kerf (just .094” or 2.4 mm) helps us squeeze out as many usable boards as possible from wide stock.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Scroll Saw & Jig Saw Blades
Olson Precision Ground Scroll Saw Blades 12 tpi
$4.99 As of: 10/05/24
Six precision-ground scroll saw blades, 12 teeth per inch with the bottom 9 teeth reversed. I've found these to cut reasonably fast and leave a smooth surface in hardwoods and hardwood plywood. These are what I used tp cut the lantern faces shown in “Making a Halloween Lantern”.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Bosch 20 tpi U-shank Jig Saw Blades
$6.85 As of: 10/05/24
Five 3/16" wide by 3-1/4" long jig saw blades with a (fairly) universal U-shank. If you're going to cut the faces in the Halloween Lantern (see “Making a Halloween Lantern”) this is what I recommend. Leaves a very smooth surface and is small enough to create fairly intricate shapes.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Drill Bits
3/8” x 12” Aircraft Drill
$14.88 As of: 08/01/24
If you live in America and/or use fractional drill sizes, this is the drill you need to make “pocket dowel” joints – dowel joints made with a pocket hole jig.
We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Irwin 1/8” x 6” Aircraft Drill
$4.87 As of: 08/01/24
This is the bit you need to make pilot holes when using a pocket hole jig. Depending on the species of wood you’re working, pilot holes may be necessary to prevent splitting.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Dewalt Pilot-Point Drill Bit Set
$60.00 As of: 08/01/24
This is our favorite set of bits for drilling metal. The “pilot points” are less likely to drift when entering the stock, and less likely to lock up when exiting. Expensive but worth it.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.