Replacing a Circular Saw Blade

You cut more accurately when you saw has a sharp blade.

You cut more accurately when you saw has a sharp blade.

When a circular saw blade wears out, it can make burn marks on the wood or chip the surface, cutting more slowly and putting wear on the saw motor. Replacement blades are inexpensive and some tool outlets even offer a recycling program that lets you exchange your old blade for a discount on a new one, so there's no reason to keep using a worn blade. The procedure for replacing the blade doesn't differ much from one model to another, but you may need a hex-wrench, instead of a standard wrench, for a battery-powered saw.


Unplug the saw if it has a power cord. If it's battery-powered, remove the battery.


Place the saw on a wooden surface and pull back the blade guard. If the saw has an arbor lock button on the top of the housing, press it in. The arbor is the shaft the blade installs on. If there's no lock button, press the blade into the wooden surface.


Fit a wrench around the arbor nut. If you have a battery-powered saw, the arbor nut may have a slot for a hex-wrench. If so, insert one in the slot.


Rotate the wrench in the same direction the blade turns. That direction is counterclockwise for direct-drive saws and clockwise for worm-drive ones. Keep the arbor button depressed while you unscrew the nut. If there's no button, continue pressing the saw down while you unscrew it.


Pull off the blade and fit a new one onto the arbor. Worm-drive saws have a diamond-shaped arbor, and you have to knock the center out the blade to make the hole the same shape. Do this by laying the blade flat on two pieces of wood with the center hanging over the gap between them. Punch out the arbor with a hammer.


Replace the nut and tighten it with the wrench, keeping the lock nut depressed or the blade pressed into the wooden surface. When the nut is tight, plug in the saw or replace the battery.

Things You Will Need

  • Wooden surface
  • Wrench or hex wrench
  • Two pieces of wood
  • Hammer


  • The proper-sized wrench for loosening the arbor nut usually comes with the saw.


  • Don't overtighten the arbor nut. Normal operation of the saw tightens it somewhat, and over-tightening it may may it difficult to remove.

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