How To Change a Miter Saw Blade (5 Easy To Do Steps)

Using a miter saw comes with a lot of perks. It makes your work easier, faster, and more precise. However, you can’t enjoy these perks with a blunt or unsuitable miter blade.

A blunt miter blade or a wrongly picked blade for your task will have you wasting your energy and time with no visible impact. If your miter saw blade starts to exhibit burn marks, chipping, and less effective cutting results, that means the blade has gone blunt.

When you notice these signs on your miter saw blade, that’s a green light telling you that the blade needs to be replaced. So, hang on as you learn the step by step procedures on how to change a miter saw blade to achieve overall maximum productivity.

What is a Miter Saw?

A miter saw is a tool used to make rapid and precise cuts on a piece of wood. The saw is more suited for making crosscuts and miters. What actually makes these cuts is the miter saw blade. Without a blade, no cuts can be made.

Why Should a Miter Saw Blade be Changed?

There are different factors that can affect your decision to change your miter saw blade including the following:

• You need a different blade for another job; miter saws are versatile tools meaning you can use them for many tasks. Each task, however, will require a different blade from the one used for the previous task. For instance, you will need a different blade to cut wood and another blade to cut metal using the same miter saw.
• Blunt blade: a blunt blade is one of the most common reasons people change miter saw blades. Continuous usage of a particular blade will render it blunt after a while and thus, require the user to get a new blade installed to carry on the task.
• For maintenance: as with all tools, the miter saw also requires a level of constant maintenance, or else, it becomes a piece of junk incapable of making cuts. You might need to remove the blade occasionally to effectively clean and oil the moving parts and the blade itself.

Related Read — Review of Battery Miter Saws

Tools needed to change a miter saw blade.

• The manual: every miter saw comes with a manual that has instructions on how to use the tool and in this case, how to change the blade. It is important to have our manual in place, so you can be sure, you are doing it right.
• A wrench: changing meter blades mean you need to unscrew some nuts and bolts.
• A new blade: be sure it’s a blade that is a perfect fit for your miter saw.
• A cleaning rag
• Safety gear: you are working with a large blade and other sharp objects so get a good pair of gloves. A pair of goggles won’t hurt too. If you don’t have access to one, just make sure you get your gloves, and you are set.

Those are the four basic tools you need to change your miter saw blade. So, let’s move to actually change your blade. If you are looking for a 10-inch miter saw, then make sure to click here to read our review.

How to Change a Miter Saw Blade?

Changing your miter saw blade is an easy task. As long as you have the right tools, you should get back to sawing in less than 20 minutes.

Turn Off The Miter Saw

Put on your safety gear and consult your miter saw manual. The manual is your friend during the whole process. Be sure to turn off the miter saw and find your appropriate tool to loosen the screws.

Remove The Blade Guard

Loosen the screws holding the blade guard. To do this, slide the blade guard to the top and remove both screws. There is a screw at the front and another at the back. When you remove both screws, you should be able to remove the guard and gain access to the blade itself.

Related Read — How To Cut Floor Molding With a Miter Saw?

Lock The Blade

You need to lock the blade to prevent movement. Press the spindle lock and it should do the trick. The spindle lock should be a button located at the front, but if you aren’t sure where it is or what it looks like, then check your manual.

Remove The Blade

Remove the blade. To do this, use a wrench to turn the bolt holding the saw in place in a clockwise direction. When the bolt is loosened, take off the outer washer and you are ready to install a new blade. The outer washer is a flat ring-like metal.

Before you install the new blade, you need to oil the washers (the inner and outer washer). Clean the washers gently and add a few drops of oil. This will increase lubrication and improve the overall efficiency of your saw.

Install The New Blade

Install the new blade. Put in the blade and the washer. Make sure to screw them correctly and perfectly to prevent any mishaps while working.

Test Your Saw

Place back the blade guard and screw in the bolts nicely. Ensure every part of the miter saw and the new blade is fitted perfectly.

Clean up the saw, unlock the spindle lock, and have a test run to ensure it works well. If you hear any unusual sounds or chipping, turn off the saw. It probably means you missed a step or a part is not properly fixed in. so, check the tool again.

Related Read — Unlocking a Miter Saw

Safety measures to follow when changing your miter saw blade

• Always use your gloves on every activity from start to finish.
• If you are using your saw when you discovered the blade is doing a bad job, you need to turn off the miter saw and wait for a few minutes before attempting any change because the blade is usually very hot.
• Always consult the manual.
• Take note of the screws and where you loosened them. You don’t want them to get mixed up. Use the wrong screw and your blade or blade guard can come off anytime while sawing.
• After you have successfully changed the miter saw blade, check the saw twice to be sure every part fits perfectly before trying to use the tool.

There are different types of miter saw blades, but the steps above should work well on just about any. Remember to check your manual before you begin to change your blade.

Follow the steps above and you will be able to change your miter saw blade yourself any day and at any time. As usual, let us know if this post proves useful to you in the comment section.

If you have any questions too, feel free to let us know and we will provide answers to them as soon as possible. Have a nice sawing experience.

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