Best Table Saw Blades For Plywood
Best Table Saw Blades for Plywood in 2026
I’ve ruined a lot of plywood with the wrong blade. Not catastrophically — it’s not like the sheet exploded — but that ugly fuzzy tearout on the bottom face, the splintering that means you can’t use the cut edge on anything visible. You either hide it or you sand it for longer than you spent cutting it. I’ve done both. A lot.
The frustrating part is that tearout isn’t really a technique problem. You can slow down, use a zero-clearance insert, score the cut line with a knife — all of that helps on the margins. But if you’re running the wrong blade, you’re fighting the wrong battle. The blade is doing most of the work here, and a blade designed for plywood cuts plywood cleanly in ways that a general-purpose blade simply doesn’t.
I’ve been through enough blades now that I have actual opinions. Not theoretical ones. So this is what I’ve found works, what the differences are, and which ones are on Amazon right now so you can actually buy them.
The difference the right blade makes — same plywood, same saw, same cut speed. Left edge is a 24-tooth rip blade, right edge is an 80-tooth Hi-ATB. That gap in quality is why blade choice matters.
Why Plywood Needs a Different Blade
Plywood tears out on the bottom face because of how the wood fibers are oriented. Each layer of veneer runs in a different direction, and when a tooth pushes down through the bottom veneer rather than slicing it, the fiber lifts and splinters before it gets cut. That’s tearout. The tooth geometry is what determines whether you get a slice or a push.
ATB stands for Alternate Top Bevel. The teeth are ground at an angle — alternating left and right — so they act more like a knife slicing through the fibers than a chisel chopping them. Hi-ATB takes that bevel angle steeper, usually 30–40 degrees. The steeper the bevel, the more it slices, the less it tears. For plywood specifically, you want Hi-ATB with high tooth count. That’s the combination that matters.
Tooth count is the other variable. More teeth means smaller bites, more cutting contact per inch, smoother cut surface. A 24-tooth ripping blade takes enormous bites and moves fast — that’s what you want for ripping solid hardwood. For plywood it’s too aggressive. The standard recommendation for plywood is 60–80 teeth. I’ve settled on 80-tooth as my default for anything I care about — the difference between 60 and 80 is noticeable on veneered plywoods, especially birch and maple.
Thin Kerf or Full Kerf for Plywood?
This one gets debated more than it should. For most people on most saws, thin kerf is fine for plywood. Plywood isn’t hard to cut — it’s veneer layers with glue, not 8/4 hard maple. A thin kerf blade will cut through a 3/4-inch sheet of birch without putting any serious strain on the motor. The advantage is less material removed and slightly faster feed — relevant when you’re breaking down a stack of sheets.
Full kerf has one genuine advantage: blade stability. A thicker plate flexes less, which means more consistent cut geometry and slightly better repeatability on long rips. If you have a 3HP cabinet saw, full kerf is worth considering just for that stability benefit. On a 1.5HP contractor saw, thin kerf is the right call — you want the motor working efficiently.
The Freud LU79 I use most is thin kerf. The Forrest Duraline comes in both. If you’re unsure, go thin kerf — you can always upgrade to full kerf later if you find you need it.
Thin kerf (left) vs full kerf — the plate thickness difference is visible. Thin kerf removes less material and puts less load on the motor. Full kerf is more stable on heavy-duty cabinet saws.
The Blades — Reviewed
The Freud LU79 is the blade I reach for first when I’m cutting plywood I care about. Not the Diablo version — the actual industrial LU79, which is a different product even though Freud makes both. The industrial line uses more carbide and can be resharpened more times. Over the life of a blade that actually matters.
The 80-tooth Hi-ATB grind slices through the face veneers cleanly — both top and bottom. On 3/4-inch birch plywood I can cut all day and the edges come off clean enough that I don’t sand them before assembly. On harder veneers like maple-face plywood it’s still clean, maybe needing a light pass with 220-grit at most. The laser-cut anti-vibration slots in the plate are not marketing — you can feel the difference when the blade is spinning at speed. Less harmonic buzz, which means cleaner cuts at the end of a long rip.
One thing I noticed: this blade’s 10-degree hook angle is slightly aggressive for melamine. It cuts melamine fine — the name says it will — but if you’re cutting melamine board-on-board where you need absolutely no chipping on the top face, climb-cutting or a negative hook angle blade gives you more control. For regular veneered plywood the 10 degrees is right.
This is not a ripping blade. It’s slow on long rips through thick hardwood because 80 teeth means small gullets, which means slow chip evacuation. That’s the trade-off. I keep a separate 24-tooth ripping blade for hardwood, and the LU79 lives on the saw when I’m in a plywood project.
Freud’s dedicated plywood and melamine blade. 80-tooth Hi-ATB grind with laser-cut anti-vibration slots delivers chip-free edges on veneered plywoods, melamine, and fine moldings. Industrial carbide can be resharpened multiple times.
- 80T Hi-ATB slices face veneers clean both top and bottom
- Laser-cut anti-vibration slots — noticeably less buzz at speed
- Industrial-grade carbide — more resharpening life than Diablo
- Thin kerf works well on contractor and cabinet saws under 3HP
Forrest blades are the ones that experienced woodworkers go quiet about. Like, you ask someone in a serious production shop what they use and they’ll pause and say “Forrest” like the conversation is over. The Duraline HI-AT specifically is their plywood and melamine blade — 80 teeth, 40-degree top bevel, hand-tensioned plate, C-4 carbide teeth brazed by hand.
I used a friend’s Duraline on a kitchen cabinet project — about twelve sheets of 3/4-inch maple plywood over two days. The cuts were, genuinely, the cleanest I’ve ever gotten off a table saw. No fuzzing, no chipping, edges that looked like they’d been run through a drum sander. The blade also runs noticeably quieter than anything I’ve used. Something about the plate tensioning and the tooth geometry means the harmonic noise is just… less. It’s a quieter cut.
The price is real. $120 is real money for a blade. The justification is that Forrest will resharpen it for something like $25–$30, and after resharpening it’s back to new performance. A blade you can sharpen four or five times over its life is cheaper per cut than a $40 blade you replace every year. If you do a lot of cabinet work and plywood is a regular material, the math works out. If you’re a weekend warrior cutting one sheet every few months, it’s probably more than you need.
Also worth knowing: the Duraline is a full-kerf blade. On a contractor saw under 2HP it puts more load on the motor. Nothing dramatic, but if you’re running a modest saw the Freud LU79 thin kerf will cut just as cleanly with less strain.
Hand-tensioned, American-made plywood blade with 40-degree Hi-ATB tooth grind. Cuts cleaner than anything in this class and can be resharpened multiple times by Forrest — making it cheaper per cut over a long service life.
- 40° Hi-ATB grind — the steepest available, cleanest cut
- Hand-tensioned plate and hand-brazed C-4 carbide teeth
- Resharpenable by Forrest — buy once, use for years
- Negligible tearout even on thin maple and birch face veneers
The Diablo D1080X is the blade most people end up buying, and honestly it’s hard to argue with. At $35–$45 it performs significantly better than you’d expect for the price. The Perma-SHIELD coating resists pitch buildup, which matters when you’re cutting a lot of sheet goods — Baltic birch especially has a lot of glue in those plies and it gums up cheaper blades fast. The laser-cut stabilizer vents work. The TiCo carbide is noticeably harder than the generic stuff.
Compared to the Freud LU79 industrial: the Diablo is slightly less refined. Maybe 85–90 percent of the quality at 60 percent of the price. The carbide is less thick so you’ll get fewer resharpenings — but realistically most people don’t resharpen blades anyway, they replace them when they get dull. On that basis the Diablo looks very good.
I’ve used the D1080X for cabinet work and been happy with the results on oak and maple plywood. The cuts are clean, not as clean as the Forrest, but clean enough that I’m not spending time fixing tearout. That’s what matters in practice.
One minor thing I noticed: the hook angle on the D1080X is 15 degrees, which is more aggressive than I’d want for melamine specifically. On melamine I’d go Freud LU79 or the Forrest. For regular hardwood plywood and birch, the Diablo is excellent.
The most popular plywood blade on Amazon for good reason. TiCo Hi-Density carbide, Perma-SHIELD coating, laser-cut stabilizer vents — all the right features at a price that doesn’t hurt. Cuts hardwood plywood clean with minimal tearout.
- TiCo Hi-Density carbide stays sharp longer than standard carbide
- Perma-SHIELD coating resists pitch from Baltic birch glue layers
- Laser-cut stabilizer vents reduce vibration measurably
- Best performance-per-dollar in this roundup
The DW3106P5 is a two-pack: a 60-tooth blade and a 32-tooth blade. Together they cover most of what a general woodworker needs — the 32-tooth for ripping, the 60-tooth for crosscuts and plywood. For under $40 total, that’s hard to beat.
The 60-tooth blade performs well on plywood. Not as clean as the 80-tooth options above — you’ll notice the difference if you put cut edges side by side — but genuinely good. On CDX construction plywood or shop-grade Baltic birch where you’re not using the edge as a show face, you won’t care. It’s on visible-edge furniture-quality work where the 20-tooth gap between this and the Freud LU79 becomes apparent.
The 32-tooth blade in the pack is a solid ripping blade. I’ve used it on framing lumber and pine with good results. Not a specialty blade for hardwood ripping — for that you want a dedicated 24-tooth rip blade — but for general use it’s competent.
If you’re starting out and haven’t yet worked out which blades you actually need, this two-pack is an honest way to cover the basics without spending $120 on two separate blades. I’d upgrade the 60-tooth to the Freud or Diablo once you know you’re doing serious plywood work, but as a starting point this is fine.
Two blades for one price — a 60-tooth for plywood and crosscuts, a 32-tooth for ripping. Competent performance on plywood at a price that doesn’t require commitment. Good starting point before you decide which specialist blades your work actually needs.
- Two blades — 60T crosscut and 32T ripping — in one purchase
- 60T blade handles plywood well, better than the stock blade
- Thin kerf works on any contractor or cabinet saw
- Under $40 for two usable blades
The Woodworker II is not a dedicated plywood blade. It’s a 40-tooth general-purpose ATB blade. I’m including it here because it confounds expectations — a lot of experienced woodworkers use the WWII on plywood and get excellent results, better than you’d expect from 40 teeth.
The reason is the quality of the cut, not the tooth count. Forrest’s C-4 carbide is harder and sharper out of the box than most competing blades, and the plate tensioning means the blade runs true without wobble. A sharp, well-tensioned 40-tooth blade will cut plywood cleaner than a dull or slightly wobbly 80-tooth blade. This is the thing most tooth-count discussions miss.
People on Sawmill Creek have been saying the Woodworker II cuts plywood “beautifully” for literally decades. The Wood Whisperer used one. It’s the blade that stays on the saw because it handles everything adequately — ripping solid wood, crosscuts, plywood — and nothing else requires changing it. If you hate swapping blades (I do, somewhat) the WWII is the lazy-genius solution.
Two honest caveats. It’s a full-kerf blade, so on saws under 2HP it’s more load than a thin-kerf alternative. And at $100+ it’s hard to justify if you have a dedicated plywood blade that’s working fine. This one makes the most sense if you want one premium blade that does everything rather than two separate blades for different tasks.
Not a dedicated plywood blade but performs like one because of the quality of the carbide and the precision tensioning. Handles ripping, crosscuts, and plywood all adequately-to-excellently. The blade that stays on the saw because nothing else needs to replace it.
- 40T ATB handles ripping, crosscuts, and plywood cuts
- C-4 carbide sharper out of the box than most competing blades
- Hand-tensioned plate — minimal vibration at speed
- Resharpenable by Forrest — lifetime blade if maintained
Side by Side — All 5 Blades
Left to right: Freud LU79, Forrest Duraline, Diablo D1080X, DeWalt DW3106, Forrest WWII. Different tools for different budgets and priorities.
| Blade | Teeth | Grind | Kerf | Plywood Quality | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freud LU79R010 | 80T | Hi-ATB | Thin | Excellent | ~$60 | Veneered ply, melamine |
| Forrest Duraline | 80T | Hi-ATB 40° | Full | Best in class | ~$120 | Cabinet work, thin veneers |
| Diablo D1080X | 80T | Hi-ATB | Thin | Very good | ~$40 | General plywood work |
| DeWalt DW3106 (60T) | 60T | ATB | Thin | Good | ~$35 (2-pack) | Budget, starter kit |
| Forrest WWII | 40T | ATB 20° | Full | Very good | ~$110 | One blade for everything |
Which One Should You Actually Buy
For most people, that’s the Freud LU79R010 or the Diablo D1080X. They’re close in performance, the Freud pulls ahead slightly — especially on melamine and thin veneers — and costs $15–$20 more. Both are thin kerf, both work on any table saw, both are easy to find on Amazon.
If you build cabinets regularly and plywood is a constant material: buy the Forrest Duraline. Do it once, sharpen it a few times, and stop thinking about plywood blades forever. The performance advantage is real and the total cost of ownership over a few years is comparable to replacing cheaper blades annually.
If you just need one blade that does everything and you hate the idea of swapping: Forrest Woodworker II. Genuinely handles everything. Just be aware it’s full kerf and needs a saw with enough motor behind it.
And if budget is the real constraint right now: the DeWalt 2-pack for $35 will cut plywood acceptably and give you a ripping blade too. Just know there’s a quality gap above it when you’re ready to step up.
For a full breakdown of table saw blade types, see our guide to the best table saw blades covering ripping, crosscut, combination, and dado blades. Also useful: our zero-clearance insert guide — the single biggest free upgrade for plywood cutting quality.
Common Questions
For clean cuts on veneered plywood, 60–80 teeth with a Hi-ATB grind is the standard recommendation. 80-tooth blades produce noticeably cleaner edges on thin face veneers like maple and birch plywood. That said, tooth count isn’t the whole story — a sharp, well-made 40-tooth blade (like the Forrest WWII) will outperform a cheap 80-tooth blade because the carbide quality and plate tensioning matter as much as tooth count. Don’t assume higher tooth count automatically means better results.
Tearout on the bottom face of plywood is caused by teeth pushing down through the face veneer rather than slicing it. Two fixes: first, use a blade with Hi-ATB tooth geometry — the angled teeth slice rather than chop. Second, use a zero-clearance insert (ZCI) in your throat plate — this supports the veneer right up to the blade edge so it can’t deflect and tear. Both together eliminate tearout in almost all cases. A zero-clearance insert alone makes a significant difference even with a mediocre blade.
Technically yes — a ripping blade will cut plywood. What you’ll get is significant tearout on the bottom face, especially on veneered plywood. A 24-tooth flat-top grind ripping blade makes enormous cuts with very little slicing action and is the worst possible choice for clean plywood edges. If you’re ripping construction CDX for something that goes in a wall, use whatever you have. If the cut edge will be visible in any way, use a 60–80 tooth ATB blade instead.
The Freud industrial line (LU79R010) is better than the Diablo (D1080X) for a specific reason: more carbide on each tooth, meaning more resharpening life, and slightly higher-grade carbide. In actual cutting, the difference is subtle — both cut plywood cleanly, both have anti-vibration features, both work well on veneered plywoods. The performance gap is most noticeable on melamine and very thin veneers where the LU79’s slightly steeper Hi-ATB grind produces marginally cleaner edges. Worth the $15–$20 price difference for cabinet-quality work. For general plywood cutting, the Diablo is excellent value.
Baltic birch has many thin veneer layers with a lot of glue between them, which gums up blades faster than regular domestic plywood. For Baltic birch, a blade with a non-stick or anti-pitch coating (Diablo’s Perma-SHIELD, Freud’s Perma-SHIELD) helps significantly. The Diablo D1080X and Freud LU79R010 are both excellent choices. The Forrest Duraline also cuts Baltic birch very cleanly. Avoid uncoated budget blades for high-volume Baltic birch work — the glue content dulls them faster than anything else in the plywood family.
Last Thought
Tearout on plywood isn’t a table saw problem or a technique problem. It’s a blade problem. Swap in a proper Hi-ATB 80-tooth blade and a zero-clearance insert, and the same cut that was giving you fuzzy edges comes off clean. That’s it.
The Freud LU79 is the one I’d start with. It’s not cheap, but it’s not Forrest money either — and the performance is close enough to the Forrest that most people in most situations won’t need to spend more. If you’re building cabinets for a living, buy the Forrest and sharpen it. If you’re a weekend woodworker who cuts plywood a few times a year, the Diablo D1080X does the job for $40 and you’ll be genuinely happy with it.
Just get off the stock blade. That one isn’t helping anyone.
Related Guides
More on blades, setup, and getting cleaner cuts.
Finlay Connolly is a woodworking enthusiast and power tool specialist with over a decade of hands-on experience in the workshop. As the founder and lead writer at ProTableSawReviews.com, Finlay combines expert knowledge with real-world testing to help woodworkers, DIYers, and professionals choose the best tools for the job. With a sharp eye for detail and a passion for precision, Finlay is committed to providing trustworthy, practical advice backed by years of experience and research in the field. Whether you’re cutting dados or comparing fence systems, you can count on Finlay for honest, reliable reviews that make your next cut your best one.