With a jigsaw you can cut almost any material: wood, metal, plastic, ceramic. Cutting performance and accuracy depends very much on the blade typesaw blade) that must be matched to the material to be cut. When buying jigsaws you can be guided by the labeling that reflects the purpose of the saw.
Jigsaw file types
Different types of saws differ from each other in shape, size, peculiarities of the teeth separation and sharpening, as well as the material, width and thickness of the blade. Saw lengths are usually 75, 85, 100 or more mm. When choosing a saw, take into account the thickness of the material you intend to cut. It is simple – the length of the saw should be at least greater than the thickness of the material plus the amplitude of the stroke.
Jigsaw teeth
The purpose of the saw can be determined by the pitch of the teeth. For example, to cut wood the saws are designed with a tooth pitch ranging from 2,5 to 4 mm. Saw blades for metal are characterized by a more frequent tooth pitch (1-2 mm). Saw blades for ceramic and glass cutting do not have any teeth at all – they are coated with special abrasive materials, mainly diamond. Wavy edge gives out a saw for cutting soft non-ferrous metals.
Jigsaw blade material
Saw blades for jigsaws are made of different grades of steel, as indicated by the marking.
Steel grade designation
- Jigsaws of high carbon steel HCS are designed for cutting relatively soft materials such as wood, chipboard, plastic and other man-made materials. Saw blades of this type are flexible;
- HSS saw blades, which are used for cutting metals.which are used for cutting metals, are thicker and harder;
- Bimetal BIM saws BIM saws combine parts made of HSS and HCS steel, which makes them more flexible and stronger;
- HM carbide saws are used for cutting materials such as ceramics, fiberglass, aerated concrete and similar materials.
Saw shank – check compatibility
The saw blade is clamped in a special clamping device on the drive shaft. The clamping device is usually designed for saws with a certain type of shank. Although some jigsaw models have universal clamping devices that are compatible with most shank types.
The most common saws with shank types are as follows:
- T-shank (cross shank) single stop shank. This form of shank is recognized by most electric jigsaw manufacturers: Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Skil, Metabo and many others;
- T-shank with double stop can be called a feature of Bosch saws;
- U-shank (with semicircular notch) is found among DeWalt, Skil and several other saws;
- Straight (smooth) shank of simple shape The straight (smooth) shank of a simple shape is chosen by DeFort, Bort and Hander.
- The round shank is characteristic of Makita electric jigsaws.
Bosch, Hitachi, Wilpu and Makita pay special attention to the design of the optimal geometry of saw teeth, which made them popular. Quality saw blades give a clean and efficient cut of the material they are designed for. Otherwise, the choice and purchase of a jigsaw blade depends on the user’s needs and abilities.
Marking of jigsaws for jigsaws
Let’s not ignore the designations in saw blade markingsso that you can easily figure out which saw is designed for which jobs. What do these letters and numbers on jigsaw blades mean? Let’s take the popular saw blades of the leading jigsaw manufacturer for example jigsaws from Bosch.
- The letter T means the type of attachment – T-shaped. There is also U-shaped, but such saws are less common.
- The numbers on the shank mean:
- The first number is the length of the saw:
- 1 – the standard short length of the saw, up to 75 mm;
- 2 – medium, up to 90 mm;
- 3 – extended, up to 150 mm;
- 7 – the longest (more than 150 mm).
- The following letters A,B,C,D mean the size of saw teeth.
Tooth A is the smallest one, that’s why all metal saws have letter A in their marking. - Some saws are marked with two letters at the end (T119BO). The last letter means:
- F – bimetal saws (the highest quality and most expensive);
- R – saws with reverse tooth;
- X – a universal saw for wood, metal and plastic;
- O – saws for curved cuts.
- P – thick saws for cutting strictly at the exact chosen angle, such saws do not bend and saw perfectly straight.
Here is an exampleSaw blade marking Bosch T118A means that it is a T-shank file, short, very fine tooth.
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