Wood – Is it safe to use stain and polyurethane on a wooden trivet

The difference between a 10" 60T and 80T saw blade is only slightly noticeable. In practice, chip out with either isn't a huge concern, provided you go slow. An 80T blade is naturally going to slow you down more, so that may be useful if your tendency is to yank the radial arm down and go.

Another consideration is the end grain of the piece, some trees are just flakier than others, in that case an 80T is a safer bet.

Teeth aren't the whole story. If you throw a crosscut table blade on a miter saw it might have a tendency to feed faster than you want. If you get a miter blade then there's not a ton of difference. The miter saw blade teeth are back angled a bit to avoid pulling the arm in on you.

So the safe bet is the 80T miter blade, but I'd be surprised if a 60T gave you any trouble.

A purest would say to use a mallet made of wood or rolled hardened rawhide, but not rubber. I have a couple of sets and even my expensive ones have held up well using a regular 16 oz hammer.

But remember my motto: Every tool in my box is a hammer, except for the screwdrivers which are also chisels"