For most home DIY remodeling projects, you will use the circular saw for rough cuts of studs and plywood sheets. Table saws are particularly useful for ripping lumber and plywood. Ripping is cutting a long piece to make it narrower. An example would be cutting a 2-by-4 stud down to just one inch wide to fit a particular spot.
In the old days, there was just one basic type of blade that was used in power saws. Today, there are five basic styles of power saw blades for various types of cuts, materials, and budgets. It is not difficult to change blades in saws, so you should probably get several different types for various projects.
The first type of power saw blade is FTG (flat top grind). This is a very durable saw blade with high-rake-angle teeth, which are not extremely sharp by design and produce a fairly rough cut. It requires more force to push these saw blades through the workpiece. These are some of the least expensive saw blades.
FTG blades are best for a circular saw for which the quality of the cut edge is not critical. They can be used to cut most materials from pine lumber to non-ferrous metals. This durable design is ideal for demolition work where the intent is to just get the saw to cut through the material.
A more common type of all-purpose saw blade is the ATB (alternate top bevel) design. You will find this type of blade on many new power saws. These blade tips are very sharp, so be careful when handling one. The sharpness and thin-kerf design make ripping and crosscutting easy with little force.
These are not the most durable blades, and they may not have the longest life. This type of blade is especially good for miter and circular saws. You can use this blade on all types of wood and some soft aluminum. This type of blade is a must for your workshop.
A combination blade uses a combination of the two above types of blade teeth. These often have groups of four ATB teeth and one FTG tooth. This is also a good all-purpose blade to have for your table saw. It rips and crosscuts almost all wood and composite materials effectively.
If you are planning to saw extremely hard materials or ones that melt when they get warm, select a TCG (triple-chip grind) blade. It is designed to cut slowly, and it stays relatively cool.
For doing fine detailed cutting, particularly of woods that tend to splinter such as cabinet-grade plywood, use a HiATB (high alternate top bevel) blade. It makes very crisp cuts in a table saw. The cutting edges on this blade are extremely sharp and pointed up at a steep angle.
