Festool Wood Universal HW Circular Saw Blade 160 x 2.2 x 20mm 28 Teeth for TS 55 and TSC 55

What Is a WOOD UNIVERSAL Saw Blade?

A WOOD UNIVERSAL saw blade is designed to provide dependable cutting performance across a wide selection of timber and wood-based materials without being limited to only one cutting direction or specialised application.

Unlike dedicated rip-cutting blades, which prioritise rapid cutting along the grain, or fine crosscutting blades, which emphasise an exceptionally smooth finish, a universal blade provides a practical balance between the two.

The Festool HW 160x2,2x20 W28 uses 28 carbide-tipped alternating teeth and a 15° chip angle to achieve this balance, making it an excellent everyday blade for general woodworking and panel processing.

What Does HW Mean?

HW is Festool's designation for tungsten carbide cutting material.

In this blade, the cutting teeth are manufactured from high-quality fine-grain carbide and fitted to a precision-manufactured steel blade body.

Tungsten carbide provides significantly greater wear resistance than ordinary tool steel cutting edges, helping the blade retain its cutting performance during repeated woodworking operations.

The combination of durable cutting tips and a robust steel body supports reliable professional performance and a long service life when the blade is used correctly.

What Does W Tooth Shape Mean?

The W designation identifies an alternating tooth arrangement, commonly referred to as an alternating top bevel or ATB tooth pattern.

In this configuration, successive carbide cutting teeth are ground with alternating bevel directions. This geometry allows the blade to cut effectively through wood fibres and is particularly useful when performing both rip cuts and crosscuts.

When cutting across the grain, the alternating bevel edges help sever wood fibres cleanly. During rip cutting, the tooth arrangement and chip angle provide an efficient cutting action suitable for general-purpose woodworking.

This versatile tooth geometry is one of the main reasons the Festool W28 blade is classified as WOOD UNIVERSAL.

Why Does This Blade Have 28 Teeth?

The number of teeth on a circular saw blade influences cutting speed, chip clearance and the resulting surface finish.

A blade with relatively few teeth generally removes material quickly and provides more space for clearing chips. A blade with a higher tooth count typically makes smaller cuts per tooth and can produce a finer finish under suitable conditions.

The 28-tooth configuration of the Festool WOOD UNIVERSAL blade offers a useful compromise between these characteristics.

It provides efficient cutting performance in common timber and sheet materials while producing a good general-purpose cut quality.

For applications requiring an exceptionally fine finish on delicate veneers or decorative laminates, a specialised fine-tooth blade may be more appropriate.

What Is a 15° Chip Angle?

The chip angle, also known as the hook or rake angle, describes the orientation of the cutting tooth relative to the blade's radial cutting geometry.

A positive chip angle helps the cutting tooth engage and remove material efficiently.

The Festool WOOD UNIVERSAL blade features a 15° chip angle, providing a balanced cutting action suited to a variety of wood-cutting tasks.

Combined with its alternating tooth geometry, this makes the blade suitable for cutting both along and across the grain.

What Is the Difference Between Rip Cuts and Crosscuts?

Rip cutting: Cutting parallel to the natural direction of the wood grain. This operation generally requires efficient chip removal as the blade travels along the fibres.

Crosscutting: Cutting across the direction of the wood grain. This operation requires the teeth to sever the fibres cleanly to minimise tearing and produce a suitable cut finish.

The Festool W28 alternating-tooth geometry provides a practical balance between these two cutting operations, making the blade particularly versatile for general workshop use.

Understanding Blade Diameter, Cutting Width and Bore

Blade diameter – 160mm: The overall outside diameter of the saw blade. This dimension must match the saw manufacturer's permitted blade size.

Cutting width – 2.2mm: Also known as the kerf, this is the nominal width of material removed by the carbide cutting teeth during sawing.

Blade body thickness – 1.6mm: The thickness of the steel blade plate itself, excluding the wider carbide tips.

Bore diameter – 20mm: The central mounting hole that fits onto the compatible saw spindle.

These measurements are important for correct blade selection, safe mounting and compatibility with the saw's cutting system.

Why Is Blade Body Thickness Important?

The blade body is the steel disc supporting the cutting teeth. Its thickness influences the blade's stiffness and compatibility with certain saw components.

The Festool HW 160x2,2x20 W28 has a 1.6mm blade body thickness and a 2.2mm cutting width.

The carbide tips cut a slightly wider path than the steel blade body, helping provide the clearance required for cutting.

When a saw is equipped with a riving knife, the blade's body thickness and cutting width must be compatible with the riving knife dimensions specified by the machine manufacturer.

Never select a replacement blade using the outside diameter alone.

Understanding Festool Saw Blade Colour Coding

Festool uses application-specific colour identification to help users select the appropriate blade for different materials.

The WOOD UNIVERSAL range is identified as a general-purpose solution for suitable solid timber and wood-based panels.

Selecting a blade designed for the material helps improve cutting performance, minimise unnecessary wear and achieve more predictable results.

Specialised blades may be required for aluminium, abrasive construction materials, hard plastics, laminates or other materials outside the intended WOOD UNIVERSAL application range.

Understanding the HW 160x2,2x20 W28 Designation

HW: Tungsten carbide cutting teeth.

160: Outside blade diameter of 160mm.

2,2: Nominal cutting width of 2.2mm.

20: Centre bore diameter of 20mm.

W: Alternating tooth geometry.

28: Total number of cutting teeth.

496302: Official Festool manufacturer part number.