There are generally two competing schools of thought for how high your table saw blade will be:

  1. The blade should be well above your work piece, anywhere from ½” all the way to its maximum height
  2. The blade should be raised to approximately ⅛” or 1 full tooth above the workpiece

Regardless of which school of thought you side with, you’re right since the end goal is still met - the wood is cut. However, when it comes to working with any high-powered saw, our opinion is that the best way is typically the safest way. 

Our recommendation is to only raise the blade approximately a full tooth above the workpiece. However, let’s discuss the pros, cons, and logic behind each argument along with counter arguments and other considerations you’ll want to take into account. 


Argument 1 - Raise the blade well above the workpiece, ½” or greater. 

The premise and logic behind this height is that it will do three things:

  1. It will put more downward force on the workpiece since the teeth at the front of the blade are doing the work. 
  2. It will make a cleaner cut and prevent tear out or binding because the blade can spin more freely with fewer teeth in contact with the work piece
  3. Less heat will be generated as a result of the blade spinning freer, thus reducing the rate at which the blade dulls

To better understand the logic behind these 3 points, let’s use the track and field event, the Hammer Throw, to understand the physics behind it all. 

If you don’t know what the Hammer Throw is, it’s a track and field event at the olympics in which a heavy metal ball is connected to a handle via a steel wire. 


Imagine the table saw blade as the hammer throw. The ball is the blade’s tooth, and the person is the arbor or center point that the blade rotates around. 

Notice that when the thrower releases the hammer, it travels in a straight line. This is known as the path of inertia. An object in motion tends to travel in a straight line. However, by applying a continuous sideways force on the object (the saw blade’s tooth or the hammer), the object can overcome inertia and follow a curved path. 

So why is this important and how does it relate to a table saw blade? 

For one, this does validate the first claim, in that raising the blade higher does produce more downward force on the workpiece. The workpiece will

The counterargument to a high blade height 

To only take the blade height into account for cut quality would be a huge mistake. Other factors, such as the below, also need to be taken into account:

  • Size of the blade
  • Sharpness of the blade
  • Type of wood being cut
  • Size of the wood being cut
  • Dryness or wetness of the wood being cut
  • Horsepower of the motor
  • How much power the table saw can draw (wiring setup and power availability)
  • Position of the fence and its offset
  • Height of the table saw

Simply said, assuming that raising the blade is going to provide a cleaner cut grossly ignores a collection of other factors that you need to consider. It is in our opinion that the second method outlined below will provide just as clean of a cut. 


Argument 2 - Raise the blade so that 1 full tooth is above the workpiece

The logic behind this argument is primarily based on safety.

  1. This is best blade height because the least amount of blade is exposed, thus greatly reducing the risk of injury. 
  2. Despite the lower height, efficiency of the cut is not a major consideration because a sharp blade with sufficient power will be able to cut through the workpiece regardless of the height. 

When it comes to woodworking, the community often agrees that the best cut is the safest cut. A piece of wood can be replaced if an error is made during a ‘safe’ cut, but a finger can’t be replaced if an error is made during an ‘unsafe’ cut. 

Injuries can still occur even with the blade lowered, but the risk is greatly reduced compared to a cut where the blade is raised to its full height. 

Almost all woodworkers and tradesmen will attest that they have no trouble getting any material through the table saw when the blade is set to a tooth above the height of the material. Few to no modern woodworkers will recommend argument 1 and instead favor using the ⅛” of the blade above the workpiece or something similar. 

The counterargument to a low blade height

For the few that are against the lower blade height, and are in favor of a fully raised blade, will argue:

  • There’s noticeable kickback from not having the blade high enough
  • The risk of kickback is greater with a lower blade
  • You will wear out the blade faster because there is insufficient air flow to cool the blade
  • You’re less aware of where the blade is because it’s lower. You’re able to see it easier when it’s raised high. 

To the first and second point, there may be some truth. In the earlier example, you will have more energy being directed back towards the user, BUT it’s negligible so as long as the rest of your table saw is in order. If you’re experiencing significant kickback at the lower blade height, there are likely several issues that are larger contributors to the kickback, unrelated to the blade height. These may include, but are not limited to:

  • Misaligned table saw fence
  • Underpowered motor
  • Dull saw blade
  • Too much friction between the workpiece and table (wax your saw’s surface)
  • Internal stresses in the wood binding the blade or the workpiece and fence

If the risk of kickback is greater with a lower blade height, it’s marginal at worst. A saw that’s been well-maintained and is well-powered will not have any issues. Raising the blade to a fuller height adds more risk to the user than what was originally present at a lower height. 

Modern blades do not have the same issues as their predecessors. Most modern blades have additional cutouts to allow for expansion and heat dispersion. Even the material is slightly different and more advanced than the blades of yester-year. Fearing that the blade will wear out faster due to heat buildup does not hold any validity with today’s blades. 

Lastly, regardless of what height you set your blade to and what power tool you are working with, understanding and paying attention to where the danger lies is your top priority. If you need the blade to be higher for you to pay attention to it, that’s the wrong solution.

Always, always know where the blade is relative to the workpiece and, most importantly, relative to your body and its parts. 


Other Considerations and Safety Recommendations

At the end of the day, blade height is only a single factor in safety or cut efficiency. You can still lose a hand or finger or severely cut yourself with the blade raised minimally above the workpiece. On the other end of the spectrum, your cut can still be horribly inefficient even with the blade fully raised. 

Blade height is not the only thing that matters.

Other considerations you’ll want to take into account or questions you’ll want to ask prior to making a cut are:

  • Am I fatigued or frustrated? If so, is this the safest way to be doing something? 
  • Is this the safest way to make the cut? Is there an alternative way I could do this? 
  • Is there another tool I could be using to make a safer cut?
  • Is this a cut I’m going to have to repeat? Should I create a jig?

Regarding the saw you’re using, is it the safest it can be? At minimum, every saw should have a riving knife or splitter, a secure rip fence, and a push stick. Reducing the lateral movement of the workpiece and increasing the distance of you and your limbs from the saw as the workpiece moves through the blade greatly reduces the risk of injury.