Skil 10 In. 28-Tooth Carbide Tipped General Purpose Circular Saw Blade

A week with Skil’s 28T general‑purpose blade

I spent the past week running the Skil 28T general‑purpose blade on both a contractor table saw and a 10-inch sliding miter saw. I used it for the kinds of cuts most people ask a single blade to handle: ripping 2x lumber, breaking down sheet goods, crosscutting softwood trim, and the occasional cut in laminate and PVC. It’s a thin-kerf, carbide-tipped, alternating top bevel (ATB) blade with a clear anti-stick coating, expansion slots, and anti-kickback shoulders. On paper, that sets it up as an all-arounder tilted toward speed. In practice, it behaves exactly like that: fast, predictable, and plenty capable, with a cut quality that leans “construction clean” rather than “cabinet ready.”

Setup and fit

The blade drops onto a standard 5/8-inch arbor. Mine was flat and true out of the box, with no visible runout when spun by hand. That thin 0.07-inch kerf is notably narrow compared to full-kerf blades, and you feel that the moment you start a cut—there’s less resistance and quicker spin-up, especially on a jobsite saw with a smaller motor. The anti-stick coating is slick without being greasy, and it didn’t rub off or pick up pitch immediately, even after several hours in resinous SPF.

Ripping and crosscutting solid wood

In framing lumber (SPF and hem-fir), the blade was in its element. Rips were quick, feed pressure was light, and the cut edges were straight. With a decent fence and even feed rate, I saw no wandering or tooth marks beyond what I expect from a 28-tooth profile designed for speed. The anti-kickback shoulders seem to contribute to that steady feel—you can feed assertively without the blade trying to self-feed.

Crosscuts in 2x stock were equally straightforward, both on the miter saw and the table saw with a sled. End grain looked clean enough for structural work or paint-grade trim. You’ll still want a light sand or a pass with a block plane if the edge is visible on a finished piece, but there were no ragged fibers or burn marks. In harder stock—oak and maple rips—feed rate needed to be moderated compared with softwood. The blade stayed straight, but if I got greedy and pushed too fast on 5/4 maple, I could feel the thin kerf begin to flex just a touch. That’s typical behavior for thin-kerf blades: keep your feed rate consistent and let the teeth do the work, and it tracks fine.

Sheet goods and veneer behavior

In plywood and melamine, the 28T ATB shows its limits. It’s usable, especially for rough breakdown cuts, but veneer tear-out is visible on the top face if you’re cutting without a zero-clearance insert or scoring pass. Flipping the sheet and cutting with the good face down on the table saw minimizes the top-side tear-out, and a zero-clearance insert helps a lot. On melamine, I got chip-out on the exit edge of crosscuts unless I taped the line and slowed the feed. If you’re regularly doing cabinet-grade plywood and prefinished material, a 40–60T blade is the smarter dedicated choice. For occasional sheet-good work, this blade is serviceable with the right setup.

Plastics and laminates

The coating and thin kerf help with plastics. In 3/4-inch PVC trim and laminate countertop offcuts, I got clean edges with minimal melting as long as I kept the feed steady and didn’t pause mid-cut. The ATB profile shears laminate well enough that a quick pass with a file cleaned up the edge. Again, if plastics are your primary workload, a higher tooth count would improve finish, but I didn’t run into any clogging or gumming that slowed me down.

Vibration, heat, and noise

The expansion slots do their job. Even during longer rips in wet pine, I didn’t hear the telltale warble that shows up when a plate starts to move. Noise levels were typical for a thin-kerf blade—maybe a hair higher pitch on the miter saw at full speed, but no shriek or harmonic whine. Heat management was good. I didn’t see blueing on the plate or significant pitch buildup on the teeth after a long session. The clear coating seems to reduce drag; chips cleared well and I didn’t need to push hard to keep material moving.

Accuracy and tracking

With a tuned fence and proper alignment, the blade tracked straight. The thin kerf is forgiving on smaller motors, but it also makes technique more important in denser woods—if you torque the stock or rush, you can induce minor deflection. On the miter saw, miters landed on the line consistently. The shoulder design may be helping keep the cut stable, but good support and a firm, even feed are still the main players.

Durability and maintenance

Carbide tips held their edge over the week on mixed materials. After breaking down a stack of 2x material, cutting several dozen miters, and making a handful of plywood cuts, the teeth still felt sharp to the fingernail and cut clean. As with any carbide blade, you can have it resharpened when it finally dulls; the tooth geometry is a standard ATB, so any competent sharpening service should be able to handle it. The coating wiped clean with a bit of pitch remover, and the plate stayed flat.

What it does well

• Fast, low-effort ripping in construction lumber
• Respectable crosscuts in softwoods without burning
• Good performance on plastics and laminates with proper feed
• Minimal vibration and heat thanks to the thin kerf, coating, and expansion slots
• Plays nicely with underpowered or portable saws that benefit from reduced kerf width

Where it comes up short

• Veneer tear-out on plywood and chipping on melamine unless you support the cut
• Not a finish blade—edges are more “jobsite clean” than “glue ready”
• In very dense hardwoods, the thin kerf can flex if you push too fast or twist the stock

Tips for getting the most out of it

• Use a zero-clearance insert on the table saw when cutting sheet goods.
• Keep feed rate steady; let the ATB teeth shear rather than forcing the cut.
• For hardwood rips, raise the blade so the gullets clear chips and reduce heat.
• Tape the cut line or score the face veneer on plywood if the edge will be visible.
• Maintain a clean blade; the anti-stick coating helps, but pitch still accumulates.

How it compares to other options

Against a 24T “framing” blade, the Skil 28T offers noticeably cleaner crosscuts with only a slight reduction in rip speed. Compared to a 40T general-purpose blade, it rips faster and loads the motor less, but leaves a rougher edge and is more prone to sheet-good tear-out. For a single blade that lives on a jobsite saw used mainly for lumber and occasional sheet materials, the 28T balance makes sense. If your work is finish-forward—trim carpentry, cabinetry—consider stepping up in tooth count and swapping blades based on the task.

Who it’s for

• Remodelers, framers, and DIYers who need one blade to handle mostly wood with occasional plastics or laminates
• Users of portable/jobsite table saws where a thin kerf eases the load
• Anyone prioritizing speed and predictable tracking over furniture-grade finishes

If you expect a glue-line edge off the saw or frequently cut veneered sheet goods for visible cabinetry, you’ll be happier pairing this with a higher tooth-count blade and swapping as needed.

Recommendation

I recommend the Skil 28T general‑purpose blade as a dependable, fast-cutting option for everyday carpentry and general shop work. It rips 2x material with ease, crosscuts cleanly enough for paint-grade work, handles plastics and laminates without drama, and stays cool and steady thanks to its thin kerf, expansion slots, and anti-stick coating. It won’t replace a fine-tooth blade for finish carpentry or delicate veneers, but as a primary blade for construction tasks or a go-to on a jobsite saw, it strikes a practical balance of speed, control, and durability.