Dear Pat: I plan to do a project that requires power saws, but the blades are old. I went to get new ones, but I do not know how many teeth the saw blades should have. Are the ones with more teeth better? — Abbey T.

Dear Abbey: People typically think there are just a few different power-saw blades depending upon the type of power saw that uses them. There actually are many different saw blades that can be used in each type of saw. You probably noticed a huge range of prices from about $20 to as much as $100 for similar looking saw blades.

There are differences in the tooth designs of various blades, which does affect their functionality, but the primary consideration when buying a new saw blade is the number of teeth. In general, a blade with more teeth will cost more to buy, but it is not necessarily better. You will probably end up needing several different blades to cover all the project's cutting tasks.

A general rule of thumb is a blade with fewer teeth will cut wood faster than one with many teeth, but the quality of the cut will be rougher. When just rough-cutting wall studs or other structural lumber, a low-tooth-count blade is ideal. Your primary concern when making these saw cuts is just getting the piece to the proper length and making it square, which is a function of the saw quality, not the blade.

A saw blade with more teeth cuts slower, but the quality of the cut edge will be much smoother and cleaner. Even if you have plenty of time, you many not want to use a high-tooth-count blade. The slower cutting results in more heat buildup, so using this type of blade when it is not needed can result in burning the wood edges. When making fine-quality furniture and cabinetry, this can ruin the piece of wood.

The least number of teeth you will find on a circular saw blade is about 14. A circular saw blade is only 7-1/4 inches in diameter. Fourteen teeth are ideal for the rough cuts on 2x4 framing lumber, and they cut very fast. If you would attempt to use this type of saw blade to cut thin material, it would destroy the wood. It would also create an unacceptable cut on plywood.

A 24-tooth blade is a good compromise for many cutting jobs, and it is the most common blade supplied with new circular saws. It is, however, still considered a fairly low number of saw teeth. You will find this blade produces a reasonably smooth rip cut (along with the grain of the wood), but the crosscut (across the grain) will be quite rough.

If you are planning to do any cutting of plywood or plastics for your projects, select a blade with 40 or more teeth to minimize the amount of tearout on the wood surface. This blade also produces a fairly nice crosscut on solid lumber. For cutting high-quality veneered plywood and some plastics, use a blade with 60 or 80 teeth.

When fitting joints together, you will use a miter or cutoff saw. This is typically a larger diameter blade with more teeth. Most of the cutting done on this type of saw is crosscutting, so a blade with at least 80 teeth is advisable for clean edges.

Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about Pat Logan and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.