DeWalt Oscillating Wood w/ Nails Blade

Why I reached for this blade

Midway through a trim repair, I hit the usual remodeler’s surprise: buried brad nails hiding in old pine. Rather than swap between a wood blade and a metal blade, I put the DeWalt wood-with-nails blade on my multi-tool and kept moving. Over a few projects—door jamb trimming, toe-kick cutouts, rotted sill removal—I’ve used this blade enough to know where it shines and where it taps out.

Setup and compatibility

Mounting was straightforward. The open-back “universal” shank fit every OIS-style tool I tried without an adapter: a DeWalt 20V Max XR, a Bosch corded multi-tool, and a Ryobi cordless. The fit is snug, the indexing is consistent, and it didn’t slip even under stall-prone cuts. If you’re running a Starlock-only tool, check your interface before buying—while the blade is marketed for broad compatibility without adapters, some Starlock bodies won’t accept open-back blades. My package included just the blade; some retailer bundles mention washers for oddball flanges, but I didn’t need them.

Design and build

This is a mid-length plunge blade with a standard narrow profile that excels at controlled cuts. DeWalt catalogs it in the HCS family, and some listings call out an HSS edge. In the hand—and in use—it behaves like a bi-metal wood-with-nails blade, not a carbide-tooth demolition blade. Translation: it cuts fast in wood, tolerates incidental nail contact, but it’s not meant to chew through long stretches of metal.

The black coating holds up reasonably well and helps with glide in resinous stock. Etched on the face is a simple depth scale that I actually used more than I expected—handy for repeat plunge depths in jambs or drywall cutouts. As for size, be aware of how retailers measure. The overall length is roughly in the 3.8-inch range; usable plunge depth lands closer to 2.5 inches. That discrepancy explains why you’ll see two different numbers in listings.

Cutting performance in wood

In clean wood, the blade is quick and predictable. On soft pine and poplar, it plows with a light touch and leaves a tidy kerf. On denser oak and maple, you’ll want to slow the oscillation speed a bit and ease back on pressure to avoid chatter. For plunge cuts, the tip geometry bites without skating, so starting on a scribe line is easy. The depth gauge makes it trivial to stop shy of hidden plumbing or wiring when you’re freeing a section of baseboard.

Flush cuts—like trimming protruding shims or proud pocket screws—are controlled with minimal tendency to grab. I like the balance of width here: narrow enough to sneak between fasteners, wide enough to track straight along a line.

Handling nails and other surprises

This is where the blade earns its name. If you encounter the occasional nail inside a joist notch or behind trim, it will carry through without instantly destroying the edge. I deliberately crossed several brads and a couple of finish nails during jamb undercuts; the blade slowed a touch but kept cutting. On larger common nails, it will spark and complain but still finish the cut if you keep your pressure light and let the oscillation do the work.

There are limits. If your task looks more like metal demolition—cutting old fasteners on repeat or severing screws—the edge dulls quickly. You’ll finish the day, but cutting speed in wood drops off after a few significant encounters with metal. That’s consistent with non-carbide wood-with-nails blades in general.

Control, vibration, and heat

On all three tools I tried, vibration was well controlled, and the blade stayed true under side loading. It clears chips effectively in softwood; in hardwoods, occasional retractions to clear dust keep the cut cool. If you get aggressive on a high oscillation speed, you’ll find burn marks in oak; slowing down and letting the teeth do the work avoids that. I didn’t notice excessive heat transfer to the tool even during longer plunge cuts.

Durability and wear

Used as intended—mostly wood, occasional fastener contact—the edge lifespan is respectable. I burned through one blade during a day of casing removal peppered with surprise staples and nails; by late afternoon, cut speed had tapered, but the blade wasn’t useless. If your week involves lots of embedded fasteners, carbides are the better long-term value despite the higher upfront cost. If you’re mostly in wood with intermittent metal, this blade lands in the sweet spot.

The coating sheds in the first hour but doesn’t flake dramatically. Teeth deform before they chip, which keeps the cut reasonably clean even as the edge loses its bite.

Value and where it fits

This is sold as a single replacement blade. For pros, that’s convenient for topping up the kit without overcommitting to a multipack you may not like. For heavy demo, I still reach for a carbide-tooth alternative, but for trim, cabinetry modification, and selective removal, this blade is cost-effective.

Think of it as a general-purpose problem solver for finish and light remodel work: fast in wood, tolerant of surprises, and compatible with the tools most of us already own.

Practical tips for better results

• Let the blade do the work. Excess pressure shortens its life, especially after hitting metal.
• Step down the speed on hardwoods to avoid burning and maintain a cleaner kerf.
• Use the etched depth gauge when plunge-cutting near utilities or in finished spaces.
• Score your line with a utility knife before flush cuts on veneer to reduce tear-out.
• If you anticipate multiple nail encounters in the same cut, pre-locate them with a stud finder or magnet and set expectations for blade wear.

Limitations and small gripes

• Material labeling across listings is inconsistent. Whether HCS with an HSS edge or bi-metal, it’s not carbide; set expectations accordingly.
• “Universal fit” is accurate for OIS-style mounts, but Starlock-only users should double-check compatibility.
• After several intentional nail cuts, wood-cutting speed declines noticeably. That’s expected for this class, but worth noting if you’re price-sensitive and planning a day of demo.

Who will appreciate this blade

• Finish carpenters and remodelers who need to move quickly through wood with the occasional fastener.
• DIYers looking for a single blade that covers most household oscillating tasks without constant swapping.
• Pros who standardize on OIS-style tools and want predictable fit and fast plunge performance.

Final recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt wood-with-nails blade for general carpentry and light remodel work where speed in wood and tolerance for surprise nails matter more than maximum metal-cutting durability. It mounts cleanly on most oscillating tools, cuts fast with good control, and the simple depth markings make accurate plunge cuts easier. If your week is full of screws and nails, a carbide-tooth blade will outlast it; for everything else, this DeWalt strikes a practical balance between performance, compatibility, and cost.