The CMT ITK Xtreme Sliding Fine Finish Saw Blade - 12" x 1", 72-Tooth ATB is engineered for demanding fine finish crosscutting on miter saws, slide miter saws, and table saws. Designed around CMT's ITK Xtreme platform, this 12-inch circular saw blade delivers splinter-free, tear-out-free results in hardwood, plywood, veneered panels, melamine, MDF, and molding - making it the go-to choice for finish carpenters, cabinetmakers, and woodworkers who cannot tolerate rough edges or chipping on final-dimension cuts.

Key Features

• 72-Tooth Alternate Top Bevel (ATB 15 deg.) Grind - the high tooth count combined with a 15 deg. alternate top bevel geometry slices cleanly across wood grain and laminate surfaces, producing fine finish cuts with minimal sanding or cleanup required.
• Tri-Metal Silver-Copper-Silver Brazing - this special tri-metal brazing method bonds carbide teeth to the steel plate with exceptional strength, allowing the blade to handle high stress and impact particularly when cutting harder woods and composite materials without tooth loss or premature failure.
• Precision Blade Body Flatness via Special Straightening Processes - the blade body undergoes specialized straightening procedures that guarantee exceptionally reduced tolerances, delivering stable, accurate tracking through every cut and reducing the risk of deflection or wandering.
• Full Blade Balancing on Every Unit - each saw blade is individually balanced, ensuring maximum stability at operating speeds and smoother, vibration-reduced performance throughout the cut.
• Thin Kerf Design (0.102" kerf / 0.071" plate) - the reduced kerf removes less material per pass, lowering motor strain on both corded portable and stationary saws while preserving more of your workpiece.
• 7 deg. Hook (Cutting) Angle - the moderate positive hook angle is tuned for controlled feed in compound miter and slide miter saws, giving the operator smooth, predictable cutting behavior rather than aggressive self-feeding.
• 1" Bore Diameter (25.4mm) - fits the standard 1-inch arbors found on most 10-inch and 12-inch corded miter saws and table saws without requiring reducing rings on typical setups.
• HW (Tungsten Carbide) Tooth Material - premium carbide tips maintain edge sharpness longer than standard steel teeth, extending service life and sustaining cut quality through heavy production use.
• 6,400 RPM Maximum Rating - rated for high-speed operation on full-size sliding compound miter saws and stationary table saws, keeping you within safe operating parameters on professional-grade equipment.

Why This Product

• When finish quality is non-negotiable - on veneered panels, melamine, or hardwood trim - the 72-tooth ATB 15 deg. geometry cuts cleaner surfaces on both the face and underside of the workpiece, reducing or eliminating the need for secondary sanding or edge treatment.
• The Tri-Metal Silver-Copper-Silver brazing is specifically suited for users who regularly cut harder hardwoods and composite materials, because standard single-braze teeth can loosen or fracture under that repeated impact stress - the tri-metal bond is designed to absorb and resist it.
• For woodworkers running sliding compound miter saws - one of the most demanding arbor-load applications for a blade - the combination of full blade balancing and precision straightening processes translates directly into straight, square cuts without the chatter or runout that can accumulate on an unbalanced or warped plate.
• The blade is optimized for both 10-inch and 12-inch corded machines, giving shops that operate mixed saw setups a fine finish blade that performs consistently across their equipment without needing separate blade inventories for each machine size.

Specifications

• Manufacturer Part Number: 253.072.12
• Brand: CMT Orange Tools
• Diameter: 12"
• Bore Diameter: 25.4mm (1")
• Number of Teeth: 72
• Tooth Grind: ATB 15
• Cutting Angle: 7 deg.
• Kerf Thickness: 0.102"
• Plate Thickness: 0.071"
• Maximum RPM: 6,400
• Tooth Material: HW (Tungsten Carbide)
• Blade Class: Fine Finish Compound Sliding ITK Xtreme

Approved Applications

• Fine finish compound sliding cuts
• Crosscuts in hardwood
• Cutting plywood and veneered wood panels
• Cutting melamine
• Cutting MDF
• Cutting molding

Frequently Asked Questions

What machines is this blade compatible with?

This blade is designed for use on miter saws, slide miter saws, stationary table saws, and portable table saws. It is optimized specifically for 10-inch and 12-inch corded machines.

What is ATB 15 tooth geometry and why does it matter for finish cuts?

ATB stands for Alternate Top Bevel - teeth are ground alternately left and right at a 15 deg. bevel angle. This geometry acts like a scoring knife on both sides of the cut line, shearing wood fibers cleanly rather than tearing them, which is what produces fine, chip-free surfaces in hardwood, veneered wood, melamine, and MDF.

What makes the Tri-Metal brazing on this blade different from standard carbide brazing?

The Special Silver-Copper-Silver Tri-Metal Brazing uses a layered metallic bond between the carbide tooth and the steel plate body. This layered structure allows the joint to absorb and distribute high stress and impact - particularly relevant when cutting harder woods and composite materials - rather than concentrating that stress at a single bond layer as standard brazing does.

What is the maximum safe operating speed for this blade?

This blade is rated for a maximum of 6,400 RPM. Always verify that your saw's no-load RPM rating does not exceed this value before mounting and operating the blade.