Skil 3-3/8 In. 50-Tooth Plywood Circular Saw Blade

Why I reached for this blade

I keep a compact circular saw in my kit for quick cuts on site and in the shop—trim work, breaking down sheet goods, and the occasional notch in a cabinet side. For that saw, I’ve been looking for a fine‑finish blade that won’t bog the motor or drink battery on longer rips. The Skil 3-3/8-in 50T plywood blade looked like a logical fit: a thin 0.04-inch kerf, an anti-stick coating, and a dense 50-tooth count built to clean up tear-out on plywood and composites. After several weeks of cutting plywood, MDF, melamine, and a few tests on solid wood, here’s how it fared.

Setup and compatibility

This is a small-diameter blade with a 3-3/8-inch body and a 5/8-inch arbor. It dropped onto my compact saw without drama; the plate ran true and the flanges seated cleanly. If your trim saw uses a non-standard arbor, double-check before you buy—many compact saws use 10 mm or 20 mm bores. I don’t recommend bushings unless both the saw and blade manufacturer support them.

There are no expansion slots or anti-kickback shoulders. On a full-size 7-1/4-inch blade I’d be wary, but on a 3-3/8-inch disc it’s less of a concern. The small diameter simply doesn’t build heat the way a big blade does, and the anti-stick coating does its part to keep things sliding without resin build-up.

Cutting performance on sheet goods

Plywood is the target material here, and that’s exactly where this blade shines. Crosscuts on cabinet-grade birch ply were crisp on both faces with minimal fuzzing. On veneered stock, I still used painter’s tape on the show face and a zero-clearance base where possible, but even without those steps I saw clean edges that needed a light pass with 220 grit at most.

On MDF and hardboard, the cut quality is excellent—almost burnished. The high tooth count and thin kerf put less load on the motor, which matters on small cordless saws. I could keep a steady feed rate without the blade chattering or the motor stalling, even in 3/4-inch MDF. Chip-out at the top surface was negligible; at the exit side, a backer board eliminated the rare splinter.

Melamine is always a test. With this blade, top-face chipping was very well controlled; the bottom face showed the typical fleabite chips if I rushed. A slower feed and tape cured most of that. If you cut melamine all day, a dedicated triple-chip grind carbide blade will beat it, but for a general fine-finish compact blade, this does very respectable work.

Ripping, crosscutting, and finish quality

With 50 teeth packed into a small diameter, gullets are tight. That favors crosscuts and clean edges, not speed. Ripping 3/4-inch plywood was smooth and controlled, though clearly slower than a 24T or 36T blade. The upside is a noticeably better edge that barely needed clean-up before edging tape or glue-up.

In softwoods (pine, poplar), crosscuts were clean and free of tear-out. Rips were straight and burn-free as long as I kept the fence steady and didn’t force the feed. The 0.04-inch kerf helps—there’s simply less material being removed, so the saw maintains rpm and the cut stays controlled.

Behavior in hardwoods

Dense hardwood is not this blade’s home turf. The teeth are induction-hardened steel rather than carbide. That keeps cost and weight down and is fine for ply and MDF, but in maple and oak the blade dulled faster than I’d like. Crosscutting 3/4-inch oak went acceptably if I used a patient feed; ripping was a slog and started to show burn marks if I wasn’t meticulous. If hardwood is on your daily menu, switch to a carbide-tipped blade with a lower tooth count for ripping and a finer carbide tooth for crosscuts.

Thin kerf, heat, and vibration

At 0.04 inches, the kerf is very thin. The benefit is obvious on a compact cordless saw: less drag, longer runtime, and reduced strain. Compared to a general-purpose blade I had on hand, my saw stayed in its power band more consistently, and I could make long rips in sheet goods without feeling the motor labor.

Thin kerf blades can wander if the saw isn’t tuned, but on this small diameter I didn’t experience meaningful deflection. The plate felt stiff, and I didn’t see bluing or warping after extended cuts. The anti-stick coating held up well—no gummy residue after plenty of MDF and melamine, and no corrosion spots despite a humid week in the job trailer. Noise levels were modest; you’ll still wear hearing protection, but it doesn’t scream the way some small blades do.

Durability and maintenance

Steel teeth are the big trade-off. They start sharp and cut cleanly, but they don’t hold an edge like carbide. After a week of mixed cutting and some ill-advised hardwood experimenting, I noticed a subtle drop in cutting speed and a bit more fuzz on plywood crosscuts. A quick touch-up with a diamond paddle brought the edge back enough for another round of work, but if you want months of edge retention, you’ll want carbide. For occasional or moderate use in sheet goods, the durability is adequate, and the initial cut quality is genuinely good.

There are no expansion slots to telegraph into the workpiece, which I appreciate for finish cuts. Heat buildup never reached a point where I worried about the plate. As always, keep pitch off the teeth—a quick spray with a blade cleaner restores performance and prevents heat from building.

Value and use cases

This blade makes practical sense on compact trim saws used for:

• Breaking down plywood and MDF before final sizing
• Clean crosscuts on veneered panels where tear-out is unacceptable
• On-site cabinet adjustments, shelves, and closet build-outs
• Light rips in softwood and sheet goods without taxing a small motor

It’s not a framing blade, a demolition blade, or a hardwood workhorse. It’s a lightweight, clean-cutting option built for finish quality on sheet goods. For that job, the balance of thin kerf, 50-tooth geometry, and anti-stick coating lands right.

Tips to get the best results

• Set a shallow blade depth—just a few millimeters past the work—to minimize tear-out and reduce load.
• Use a zero-clearance shoe or sacrificial base to support fibers at the cut line.
• For melamine or delicate veneers, tape the cut line and score it with a utility knife for pristine edges.
• Keep your feed steady. Let the 50 teeth do the work; forcing a thin-kerf blade invites wander.
• Clean the blade when you see pitch build-up; performance will rebound immediately.

The bottom line

The Skil 3-3/8-in 50T plywood blade delivers exactly what a compact saw needs for finish work: clean edges, low cutting force, and predictable behavior in sheet goods. The anti-stick coating and thin kerf genuinely help small cordless saws stay lively, and the cut quality on plywood, MDF, and even melamine is better than I expected from a steel-tooth blade of this size. The limitations are clear—edge life trails carbide, ripping dense hardwoods is not its forte, and it’s a slower cutter by design. But if your primary task is making clean, accurate cuts in plywood and composite board with a compact saw, it’s a very sensible choice.

Recommendation: I recommend this blade for anyone using a compact circular saw to cut plywood, MDF, and similar sheet goods where edge quality matters more than speed. It’s affordable, easy on smaller motors thanks to the 0.04-inch kerf, and produces consistently fine finishes. If your work leans heavily into hardwoods or you need a blade that shrugs off months of daily use, step up to a carbide-tipped option and a lower tooth count for ripping. For finish cuts in sheet goods, this one earns a spot in the drawer.