The Safest Saw Blades

Anti-Kick Saw Blades

• Kickback occurs when the wood fed to the blade hiccups or jolts on a knot or clog, interrupting the cut and shooting the wood to either direction of the blade's feed -- often directly at the operator. Anti-kick saw blades have a rim all the way around the blade and frequently also have fins on the blade. These features are designed to absorb the shocks that normally cause kickback. Anti-kick blades also are known as safety blades.

Anti-Stick Coated Blades

• Blades coated with an anti-stick material experience less friction and heat production during cutting. This helps reduce the potential for clogging in the saw teeth, which could lead to kickback. It also produces a quicker, cleaner cut. Blades with anti-stick coating also resist resin buildup from wood, which could gum the blade and open the door to hazards such as wood trembling and break-off. As a bonus, anti-stick blades also reduce cutting noise.

Blade Material

• While the type of blade can make it safer to use, the material the blade is formed from is equally important. Cheap metal has the potential to chip or break, an unpredictable occurrence that can lead to small, flying, razor-sharp projectiles. The best blades have a titanium-based coating such as titanium nitride or titanium aluminum nitride, which are heat-resistant and long-lasting. Blade teeth also should be high quality, such as diamond-tipped or carbide. This will ensure maximum sharpness and strength to help prevent clogs or chipping and inhibit kickback.

Band Saws

• A band saw is a power tool that uses a toothed metal belt running on pulleys to cut wood. Because the saw is fixed in the machine, a band saw may be safer to use than a circular power saw. The design of the band saw also makes kickback much less likely. Horizontal bandsaws are particularly safe because there is no operator interaction with the blade or cutting material at all, except for turning the machine on and off.