Black & Decker 7-1/4-Inch 40-Tooth ATB Thin-Kerf Fine Finishing Saw Blade (5/8-inch arbor)

Why I reached for this blade

I keep a handful of 7-1/4-inch blades ready for different jobs, and I’m always hunting for one that can live on a circular saw without forcing compromises. After several weeks of ripping and crosscutting construction lumber, sheet goods, and a bit of plastic sheet, this Black & Decker 40T blade earned a spot in my “leave it on the saw” rotation. It’s built around a thin-kerf, 40-tooth ATB configuration with a fairly aggressive +15° hook—ingredients that promise easy feed and clean edges in common jobsite materials. That’s exactly how it performed for me.

Design and build

A few features stand out right away:

• 40T ATB: Alternate top bevel teeth shear fibers cleanly, especially on crosscuts through plywood and laminated panels, and still pull their weight in rips through 2x stock.
• Thin kerf (.045 in) with a .071-in plate: The spec sheet lists a very thin kerf. Paired with a carbide tip, this translates to low cutting resistance and good battery runtime on cordless saws. In use, it feels every bit the thin-kerf it claims—light, quick, and efficient.
• +15° hook angle: The blade feeds willingly. That aggressive geometry is great for handheld circular saw work where you want the blade to pull into the cut without bogging down.
• Expansion slots and heat-treated plate: These help manage heat and reduce the chance of warping through long rips.
• Sandblasted, residue-resistant finish: Aids in friction reduction and resists pitch buildup. I noticed less drag than uncoated plates, especially when cutting resinous framing lumber.
• Fish-hook gullets: Chip evacuation is effective; the blade stayed surprisingly clean during prolonged rips.

The 5/8-inch arbor includes a diamond knockout, which makes it compatible with older worm-drive saws that require a diamond arbor. Leave it intact for standard round-arbor saws; once you knock it out, you can’t put it back.

At 0.7 lb, it’s lightweight, and on a compact circular saw that translates to fast spin-up and less strain.

Setup and compatibility

I ran this blade primarily on a 20V cordless circular saw and briefly on a small benchtop table saw with a 5/8-in arbor. No runout issues out of the package, and the plate was flat. The expansion slots are simple cuts (not the wavy, laser-cut style you see on premium blades), but the blade behaved well at speed and under load.

For miter saw work, the +15° hook is a bit aggressive—more on that later. On a circular saw it feels right: the saw advances under its own weight with minimal pressure, which is what I want when I’m balancing sheet goods.

Cutting performance

• Softwood framing lumber: On 2x SPF and pressure-treated stock, the blade ripped quickly with minimal motor strain. Thin kerf is a clear benefit here; the saw feels like it picked up an extra battery cell. Edge quality was smoother than a 24T framing blade and good enough for exposed edges on shop projects.
• Plywood and OSB: Crosscuts in plywood were clean on both faces with light tearout on the bottom side if I pushed too fast. With a zero-clearance shoe or painter’s tape, I consistently got paint-ready edges. Rips in 3/4-in sanded ply tracked straight and didn’t leave burn marks.
• MDF and particleboard: The ATB teeth handled these without chipping out badly. Dust production is heavy (as always), but the blade didn’t load up, and the residue-resistant coating seemed to help with pitch and fines.
• Plastics and wallboard: Cutting PVC sheet and wallboard required a slower feed to avoid melting and chipping, but the blade did fine. For acrylics and polycarbonate, I’d still reach for a dedicated plastic blade if surface finish is critical.
• Hardwoods: On oak and maple, crosscuts were crisp; rips were serviceable but demand steady, straight feeding. The thin plate can deflect if you twist the saw mid-cut or lean on it—common with any thin-kerf blade. Keep the depth set just past the material thickness to reduce leverage on the plate.

Noise and vibration were well controlled for this class. It’s not as hushed as a premium, laser-cut plate with filled damping slots, but there was no harsh singing, and vibration in the handle stayed modest unless I forced the feed on dense hardwood.

Accuracy and surface finish

The blade delivers a finish I’d call “jobsite fine.” On plywood shelving and built-in carcasses, edges came off the saw clean enough to sand lightly and finish. For trim-grade crosscuts or veneered panels where the show face cannot chip, a 60T to 80T low-hook blade remains the better choice.

Tracking was solid. On a long rip in 3/4-in oak, the saw tried to wander when I rushed the feed; easing up restored line fidelity. This is the trade-off with thin kerf—great efficiency, a bit less lateral stiffness—so let the teeth do the work.

Durability and maintenance

Carbide tips held their edge better than I expected at this price tier. After breaking down several sheets of ply, framing a small bench, and trimming out a couple of closet organizers, the blade was still cutting cleanly. The sandblasted, coated plate stayed fairly free of pitch; a quick scrub with a blade cleaner brought it back to near-new.

Heat buildup stayed in check. I intentionally did a few long rips to see if the plate would wander as it warmed—it didn’t. The expansion slots seem to earn their keep.

This size and tooth count are easy to have sharpened once or twice if you want to extend life, but given typical replacement costs, many users will just swap in a new blade after it dulls.

Limitations and trade-offs

• Hook angle: The +15° hook is perfect for circular saws but can be grabby on a miter saw, especially in narrow moldings. If you need glass-smooth crosscuts on trim, pick a dedicated fine-finish, low-hook blade.
• Thin-kerf flex: If you push hard in dense hardwoods or cut with a lot of side pressure, you may see minor deflection. Use a steady feed, set minimal blade exposure, and support the work to minimize this.
• Kerf spec oddity: The listed .045-in kerf is extremely thin for a 7-1/4-in blade. In practice, it behaves like a typical thin-kerf blade—low resistance with adequate accuracy—but if you need maximum plate stiffness, a full-kerf option will be more rigid (at the expense of runtime and feed effort).

Value

This blade feels targeted at the practical user who wants more than a rough-cut framing blade without paying premium prices. The combination of 40T ATB, thin kerf, and decent damping features hits a sweet spot. Edge quality is a clear step up from a 24T, but cut speed doesn’t fall off a cliff. On cordless saws in particular, the efficiency gain is noticeable.

Who it’s for

• DIYers and remodelers who want one blade that can break down sheet goods cleanly and still rip 2x stock.
• Pros who need a reliable, efficient jobsite blade that won’t struggle on a cordless saw.
• Anyone cutting a mix of wood, plywood, particleboard, wallboard, and occasional plastics without swapping blades constantly.

Who should look elsewhere:
- Finish carpenters seeking ultra-clean crosscuts in trim and molding—opt for a 60–80T blade with a lower hook angle.
- Users working primarily in thick, dense hardwoods who prefer the tracking stiffness of a full-kerf plate.

Practical tips

• For cleaner plywood cuts, back up the cut line with a sacrificial board or use painter’s tape on the exit side.
• Set blade depth so the gullets clear the stock by just a hair; it reduces tearout and improves control.
• Keep the diamond knockout intact unless you need it. Once removed, it won’t center on a standard round arbor as precisely.
• Clean pitch periodically; even with the residue-resistant coating, any blade cuts better when clean.

Recommendation

I recommend this Black & Decker 40T blade as a versatile, everyday option for circular saw users who want efficient cutting and a reliably clean edge across common materials. It strikes a sensible balance between speed and finish, benefits cordless runtime with its thin kerf, and includes thoughtful features—expansion slots, a coated, sandblasted plate, and a diamond knockout—for real-world compatibility. It’s not a specialist’s blade for fine trim, and you must respect the thin kerf in dense hardwoods, but as a go-to general-purpose cutter for wood and sheet goods, it delivers strong performance and good value.