Saw blades for jigsaws are on the market in a large assortment. This variety is due to the versatility of the electric jigsaw. It can be used to cut a large number of materials: from wood and metal, and ending with stone and ceramic tile.
Each manufacturer has its own peculiarities of saw classification. Despite this, the general principles of their construction are the same for all. Understanding these principles will help you make the right choice when buying a saw blade.
Characteristics of saw blades
- The length of the saw blade can usually be from 5 to 10 centimeters. The upper part of the blade is directly involved in cutting, so its length does not play a big role in the choice, unless you plan to cut too thick material. In this case you need a longer blade.
- Some manufacturers determine the tooth size by the number of teeth per 1 inch of blade length. Others specify a so-called tooth pitch, that is, the distance between the tips of two adjacent teeth. The size of the teeth affects the quality of the cut. The general principle: the bigger the tooth, the faster the work, but the worse the quality, the less – on the contrary.
As you know, the lack of clearance between the saw blade and the material to be cut leads to increased friction, heating of the saw and useless efforts at work. In electric jigsaw blades, manufacturers use several ways to eliminate this problem.
Ways to eliminate saw blade friction and clamping when working with an electric jigsaw
- Making normal lateral tooth setting of the saw blade as in a simple hand saw. The teeth are alternately bent at a certain angle to the side. This method is applicable only for blades with large enough teeth. In addition, it is impossible to get a clean cut with such a saw. But the speed of work will be good.
- Undercutting. This method, in which the plane of the saw blade itself is filed behind the teeth. That is, there is no tooth setting, but right behind them the blade is less thick, as a result of which there is no excessive friction and a very clean cut is obtained. And if such a saw has a slight set toothing, it will work much faster.
- Wavy camber. The essence of the method is that the saw blade (its edge) is made wavy (this method is often used in blades for hand hacksaws on metal). With this blade, which has very fine teeth, you can not only work on metal, but also get finish cuts on plywood and chipboard.
Important features of the saw blades include the ability to swivel the saw during work and the ease with which the saw blade can be replaced.
Independent saw blade swiveling and changing of saw blades
- Saw blade pivoting on its own. Some jigsaws are designed to do this without the need to turn the body of the tool. This is done by means of a handle on top of the tool body. The jigsaw can also be locked in any of four positions: 0, 90, 180, 360 degrees. When turning the saw blade it is important to make sure that the sides of the saw blade are not pressed while turning, because it can become deformed and even break.
- Changing the saw blade. This is quite a frequent procedure if the amount of work is quite large and varied. The need to change blades may be due to wear and tear as well as to different types of cuts and materials. Therefore, an important advantage when choosing an electric jigsaw is the availability of a convenient quick-clamping mechanism for common types of saw blades. The most common type of clamped saw blade tip – “European” (or “Boshevsky”) – has a cross-shaped shape. It is under such blades is better to choose a jigsaw. There will be no problems with the purchase of saws.
Types of attachment of saw blades
Stake fastening. Cheap models of electric jigsaws often have a saw blade mount in the form of a block with a slit, which is tightened with two screws. Using such a mount can lead to warping. If the jigsaw stem is warped, though, this will help correct the situation.
As they say, the wedge is knocked out with a wedge: one warp is corrected with another. A wedge fit can also cause the blade itself to jam, making it not so easy to remove from the clamp. The front block can also break if you cut carelessly and hit the material; the screw threads can break. In general, jigsaws with this type of attachment have only one big advantage – they are not very expensive.
Quick-clamp fastening. As for the quick-clamping system for securing the saw blade, there is a great variety of its implementation. Such a mount does not have the versatility of a slotted pad. Only saws with a certain clamping tip will fit it.
Such fastener also has a small longitudinal play, but it does not affect the quality of work. The only significant disadvantage of the quick-clamping mechanism is that some types of blades may not fit into it in terms of thickness.
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