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When it comes to using a circular saw, some people very rarely need to change their circular saw blade…
While others need to change it very frequently – perhaps even several times per day!
If you’re making lots of different cuts and like to use specialized blades, then it’ll be important that you can change them quickly and easily.
Most of this is going to depend on the specific circular saw you have to hand, but this article will go through some basic steps on how to change a circular saw blade. If you are not sure yet which blade works the best for you, don’t forget to read our guide to the best circular saw blade.
Step 1:
Unplug the power cord if you’re using a standard circular saw, or remove the battery if you’re using a cordless.
Obviously, this is a very important step as you don’t want to accidentally fire up the blade while you’re handling it during the change!
Important note: Make sure you’re using the size of blade that the saw was designed for! Don’t try to put a 7-¼ inch blade on a 10-inch circular saw, for example.
Step 2:
Place the saw on a secure surface and remove or pull back the blade guard, so that the blade is exposed.
If your circular saw has an arbor lock, then engage it now.
The arbor is the shaft which the blade sits on, and locking it in place will hold the nut steady as you loosen it to free the blade.
If you don’t have an arbor lock, you should press the blade into a wooden surface to hold it steady for the next step.
Step 3:
Slot your wrench onto the arbor nut, and then rotate it in the same direction that the blade turns.
The best wrench for the job most likely came with your saw when you bought it.
It will be counterclockwise for a direct drive saw, or clockwise for a worm drive saw.
Once the nut is unscrewed, you can slide the blade off.
Step 4:
Take your new blade and slide it onto the arbor, just the opposite of how you removed the previous blade.
Slot the nut back in place, and tighten it up with your wrench.
Make sure not to over-tighten – and also keep in mind that the nut tends to get tightened even further when cutting, so the risk of under-tightening is quite low.
So just get it firmly tight, and then you’re good to go.
Step 5:
Replace the battery or plug the cord in again, and give it a test.
Make sure there’s no excess vibrations, and that everything seems secure and ready to start cutting.
Conclusion
Changing a circular saw blade is generally an easy process these days, as you can see from these simple steps. Whether you’re using a standard, mini circular saw, or cordless circular saw the job remains much the same.
You can expect the more expensive premium tier saws to make this job really easy, while with budget saws the process might not be as smooth.
Whatever the case, after changing the blade a few times you’ll be doing it like a pro!
