The combination of accurate sawing of workpieces with good work speed is possible only with right choice cutting blade for each specific operation. When choosing files for a jigsaw, you need to understand them technical specifications and key differences between them.
When purchasing consumable equipment for a jigsaw, they first study the marking of the product, then look at the shape of the shank, the geometry of the blade, the type and size of the teeth.
Types of canvases - decoding of inscriptions
Some manufacturers use the European standard from Bosch to classify products, while others indicate it in addition to their labeling.
The purpose of the file for any material is indicated by the inscriptions:
- Wood - soft wood and medium density composite boards.
- Hardwood - laminate, hard rocks tree.
- Fiber, Plaster - fiberglass products.
- Acrylic - polycarbonate, plexiglass.
- Metal - galvanized profile, tin, pipes.
- Inox- stainless steel.
- Alu is aluminium.
- Soft-material - cardboard, rubber, carpets, polystyrene.
Inscriptions indicating the steel grade used in the manufacture:
- HSS is a high quality grade for fast cutting through hard materials.
- HCS - alloy steel for sawing wood and composites.
- Bi-Metal (BM) is a combination of the previous two alloys and is suitable for most applications.
- HM is a saw blade with a carbide tip for cutting blocks and ceramics.
Marking specifying the type of work:
- Clean - for a clean cut.
- Basic is a regular file suitable for various tasks.
- Speed - for fast and straight cuts.
- Flexible - flexible metal file.
- Progressor is a versatile blade with teeth of various shapes.
- Special - a blade for plastic, ceramics or other specific materials.
Jigsaw blades for wood
A quick cut of a beam or board that does not require smooth edges is performed with a long blade with large teeth, with a wide working part and a fair amount of divorce. This fabric is useful for construction work where speed is important. For example, when breaking an old window or cutting bars of a crate.
Sawing along the fibers is better with a blade with oblique cutters, and across - with straight ones. A cut in a thick board will move less from the vertical if you use a file with large teeth without wiring.
Files for fine cutting of wood have small teeth and a small divorce. With these canvases, you can carefully saw a furniture panel or parquet board. A minimum of chips on the laminated panel is provided by jigsaw files, on which the cutters are arranged in two rows.
The blade with the reverse incisors cuts the material with the downward stroke of the pendulum, which allows you to mark and cut from the front surface. In fact, this is not very convenient - you have to hold the jigsaw harder, overcoming the ejection of the blade from the cut line.
Figured sawing is performed with narrow files with a semicircular back side. These blades have small teeth and a short length. They pass curved sections without chips and are easily rotated in the section.
Blades for electric jigsaw for metal
For cutting profiles and tin, blades with a wave-like arrangement of teeth are intended, resembling saw blades for metal. Their incisors are small and set apart in groups of several. Special bimetallic blades with large teeth in the middle and small teeth at the edges are used for cutting sandwich panels.
Files for polymers
Thin plastic, ebonite, plexiglass and textolite are cut with a metal sheet. Thick plastic blanks are cut with a saw on wood, turning off the pendulum of the jigsaw and setting low speeds. A curvilinear cut of polymeric materials is performed with a narrow canvas for wood.
Window sills and pipes made of polyvinyl chloride are cut with a saw blade with large teeth at medium speed or fine teeth at low speed, excluding heating of the material.
Special jigsaw blades
For sawing drywall and materials containing cement, blades with carbide tips are intended. They cut well thermal insulation mats. To cut a tile or cut a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic, a blade without cutters, coated with a carbide composition, is capable. The working part of jigsaw blades, used for rubber, carpets, cardboard and similar soft materials, is similar to the blade of a knife.
The length of the file is selected based on the thickness of the material being processed. The tip of the blade must always come out of the cut, regardless of the swing of the pendulum.
In a home workshop, a set of 6-10 files is enough. To get started, you can purchase an inexpensive set of canvases. for various purposes and learn the finer points of the job. Then, based on your experience, choose the right jigsaw files.
What kind of saw blades exist and how to choose the best option for a particular case, every craftsman who has this tool in his household should know.
There are many factors influencing the choice of cutting blade: the material to be sawn, its thickness and density, the required cut quality, etc. In order not to make a mistake when buying, you should consider specifications files, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of a particular model.
Cutting blade material
The first thing you need to pay attention to when choosing a file is the material from which it is made. Each cutting blade of well-known manufacturers has its own marking. Knowing how to decipher it, you can easily determine whether the file is suitable for you for the upcoming work.
The marking indicating the material of manufacture of the canvas is as follows:
- HCS. Such files are related to wood tools. They are made of high carbon steel, which has ductility and elasticity. They can cut wood, chipboard, plywood and plastic. When choosing such a canvas, you should pay attention not to its hardness, but to its flexibility.
- HSS. Hardened steel products that can be operated at high speeds. Used for processing durable materials, including metals of various densities. Despite all its rigidity, hardened steel is a rather brittle substance that must be handled with great care.
- BIM. Bimetal blades, which are made from a mixture of high-carbon and hardened steel, due to which they have all the advantages of the first two types. Depending on the shape and size of the teeth, they can be used for both woodworking and metalworking.
- HIM. Manufactured from high-strength alloys, due to which they are characterized by high strength and rigidity. Mainly used for cutting ceramic tiles.
The color of the file can also indicate the material of manufacture and the purpose of the file:
- white (BIM) - for cutting wood and metal;
- gray (HCS or BIM) - for processing wood and materials based on it;
- blue (BIM or HSS) - for cutting metal;
- black (HIM) - for special tasks (sawing ceramic tiles, durable steel, etc.).
Jigsaw saw blade marking
Files intended for working with wood are marked with the letters HCS.
On the tail of any cutting blade for a jigsaw there is a marking consisting of letters and numbers. The first is the letter "T" or "U", which indicates the type of fastening of the blade to the tool: T-shaped or U-shaped. It is followed by numbers indicating the length of the file:
- 1 - short canvas (up to 7.5 cm);
- 2 - standard cutting element (7.5-9.0 cm);
- 3 - elongated file (9-15 cm);
- 7 - long file (more than 15 cm).
The longer the product, the thicker the workpiece can be cut with it.
The numbers are again followed by letters that indicate the size of the teeth:
- A - the smallest teeth (perfect for cutting laminate);
- B - larger teeth (used for processing wood, fiberboard, chipboard and plywood);
- C and D are the largest teeth used for rough cutting.
Some manufacturers use two instead of one letter at the end (for example, T101BR). The second letter means:
- O - for curly cutting;
- R - with a reverse tooth (improves the quality of the cut);
- F - bimetallic products (considered the most durable and reliable);
- X - universal blade (they can cut both wood and metal);
- P - thick files (used for corner cutting).
For example, the T118AF marking means that the selected model has a T-shaped mount and fine teeth, its length is up to 7.5 cm, and the material of manufacture is bimetal.
Choosing a saw blade for its intended purpose
When choosing a cutting blade for a jigsaw, you need to know what material it will work with. This tool is able to cut not only wood and materials based on it (chipboard, fiberboard, plywood, etc.), but also plastic, slate, brick, metal and even tiles. At the same time, for each material being processed, there is its own type of saw, with which the jigsaw will work with best efficiency. There are also universal cutting blades that are equally well suited, for example, for wood and metal.
Wood saws. Depending on the purpose, such products are divided into two groups:
- for fast cutting
- for a clean cut.
If you are faced with the task of sawing a large number of wood, while spending a minimum of time, then the best option would be a cutting blade with large teeth.
The larger the teeth, the faster the cut. However, as the speed of work increases, the cleanliness of the cut decreases, so here you need to choose between speed and quality.
If the speed of work is in the first place, then the best option would be a canvas marked T101D. With it, you can quickly cut wood up to 7.5 cm thick, for thicker material, you can purchase the T244D or T344D model.
For a clean cut, the T101B file is a good option. It is often used for professional purposes when assembling furniture and other jobs that require a quality cut. This product can also cut thick workpieces, but you will spend twice as much time on this than when using, for example, the T244D model.
Fabric on laminate. When laying laminate flooring, it is important that the cut is free of burrs. This can be achieved with the T101BR file, which is equipped with a reverse tooth. However, if you don’t have this model at hand, and you need to cut the laminate with something, you can get by with the usual T101B blade. Only in this case, before starting work, it is recommended to paste over the place of the intended cut with ordinary adhesive tape, which will protect the processed material from chips, burrs and other defects.
Metal saws. They have small teeth and a blue tail. If you work with metal 3 mm thick, buy a T118A file. It is also suitable for cutting plastic. For thicker material, a T123X blade is recommended, and for aluminum, a T227D blade.
Tile saws. They are marked T150RIFF or T130RIFF. Instead of teeth, their cutting part is carbide coating. You need to know that it is recommended to use a jigsaw for cutting tiles only in extreme cases, as the work will be slow and high level dustiness. In the absence of a specialized tool for cutting tiles, it is better to use a conventional glass cutter.
Blade shape
For various tasks, a certain shape of the teeth is suitable, which differs not only in the type of sharpening, but also in the wiring method:
- Milled set teeth. This blade is perfect for cutting wood. Divorce is carried out by analogy with the usual hand saw. This allows you to slightly expand the cut, thereby preventing overheating and jamming of the tool in the thickness of the tree.
- Milled teeth with wave setting. In this case, not a single, but a group wiring is performed (for example, 4-6 teeth each). These blades are used for cutting metal.
- Ground teeth without setting. The best option for fine cutting. This blade allows you to achieve high quality cuts in wood, laminate and plastic.
- Grinded set teeth. Such a product is used for fast cutting, when there are no special requirements for the quality of the cut.
Now in the world of hand tools and tools, it is the jigsaw that is an example of a truly indispensable mechanism for processing the widest range of materials, equally suitable for working with both straight and any curved cuts. However, such wide opportunities are conditioned by manual jigsaws not only the features of their design, but also the richest assortment of consumable tools for it - among jigsaw saw blades (colloquially - jigsaw saws). Undoubtedly, the German manufacturers of the BOSCH concern are in the lead in the production of such saw blades, so it will be interesting to get acquainted with its classification of the modern generation of jigsaw saws, learn the arguments and details from its weighty assessments.
Experience dictates that in sawing with an electric jigsaw it will be very important to choose the right file for the intended purpose. When choosing a jigsaw model for yourself, it is best to use those varieties that use files with a u-shaped or t-shaped shank, since such shank samples are more securely attached to this tool.
Tooth profiles y are selected based on the density of the material being cut and the particular requirements for the quality of the cut (whether a wide and rough line of a quick rough cut will be tolerated, or it will have to be thin and clean, straight or figured ...). For example, if a jigsaw blade has set teeth, but it is not sharpened further after the milling stage, then such a blade will cut quickly, but with a rough cut quality. On the contrary, the teeth on the file, which are sharpened, but not divorced, will cut very cleanly. When sawing, parameters such as the tooth pitch and the material of the jigsaw itself will also be decisive. After all, say, in the process of sawing any metal, three or four teeth of the file will have to participate simultaneously in interaction with the workpiece (one or two teeth will turn out to be few in this sawing, and five to eight are already many). Therefore, for sawing thick workpieces, files with a rather large pitch are used, for thin ones, on the contrary, with a small one.
Thus, Bosch specialists believe that their jigsaw blades, which have set milled teeth, are most convenient for cutting sheets with a relatively clean edge, making quick cuts on soft and hard wood, aluminum, plastic and non-ferrous metals. These are, for example, Bosch jigsaw files of articles E 127 D and T 345 XF.
Bosch saw blades, which have a wavy saw blade line with milled teeth, are designed for cutting workpieces in a straight line, where it is required to leave neat edges along the cut line: the material cut by such saw blades can be plywood, aluminum, non-ferrous metal, and plastic ( examples of such files can serve as jigsaw files of the "Boszew" articles T 119 B, T 118 A).
Varieties of "Boshevsky", whose teeth are set and ground, are recommended for quick and clean cutting of wood and plastic (for example, files with the article "Bosch" T 144 D, T 244 D).
Bosch also produces jigsaw saw blades in which the teeth are ground at a free angle. For example, jigsaw blades with a tapered back side are effective for making free cuts, for precise, clean cuts in wood and plastic (sample of such blades have BOSCH articles T 101B, T 101DP, T 234 X).
Large assortment at BOSCH It is also observed in the materials that are used to make saw blades from them. Their short list is as follows:
HSS- this brand denotes blades made of high-speed, perfectly hardened, hard and durable steel. The downside of these characteristics of such steel is that it is brittle and difficult to machine. HSS steel files are effectively used for work on metal, aluminum and non-ferrous metals.
HCS- brand of saw blades made of high-carbon tool mild steel. These qualities dictate its most successful use for cutting soft workpieces - wood, artificial materials.
HAS- brand of high carbon steel files, much stronger than HCS. Therefore, saw blades from this steel grade can be successfully used for sawing wood with nails inside its fibers, for sawing aerated concrete and soft non-ferrous metals.
Now at BOSCH you can also find in the assortment more complex, combined in composition materials for jigsaw blades:
Bimetal (F)- they are a highly elastic, inseparable connection of the blade of the HCS steel file itself, and on it there are strips of HSS steel, along which the tooth is cut. As a result of such a connection, a universal, very flexible, non-breakable file with a hard tooth is obtained, which significantly increases its service life and suitability for curved narrow lines of any curly cut and for a clean straight cut. For curved cuts, it is better to use a narrow and short Bi-metal combination file.
H.M. (Piff)- in this combination of material for files, the HCS steel carrier is coated by spraying with a layer of special grains of hard metal (there are simply no individual teeth on such files). Such files are convenient to use for sawing glass, tiles, bricks and abrasive materials. If the HCS steel carrier is still made with teeth that are spray-coated with a layer of hard metal, then such a saw blade can successfully saw hardwoods, reinforced fiberglass, asbestos cement, and even abrasive material.
Files "progressor" saw blades are called, in which there are different tooth pitches made of HSS steel at the end and beginning of the file. Thus, nporpeccop jigsaw blades with the article BOSCH T123 are universal in purpose for cutting wood and ferrous metals. The "progressor" file of article T234 made of HCS steel is produced by the "" concern for clean and fast sawing of wood.
This is the minimum knowledge about saw blades for electric and cordless hand jigsaws. However, in order to consider in detail the true variety of these blades, depending on the various combinations of materials from which they are made, and the shape of the tooth that is cut into them, a convenient summary table can be provided to help you make an accurate and successful choice for the job.
So, the areas of application of various jigsaw saw blades from the BOSCH concern are as follows:
| For straight cuts | For shaped and curved cuts | in thick material | in thin material | For high precision cuts | In rough cuts | File flat, semicircular, three-sided | Creating high-precision parallel cuts | |
| Options wood |
||||||||
| solid, soft wood, plywood, fibrous wood | T 132 | T 101DP | ||||||
| fibrous tree | T 132 | T 101DP | ||||||
| Wood fiber polymer coating | T 101 AO | T 101 AO | T 101D | T 101DP | ||||
| glued tree | T 101DP | |||||||
| Varieties metal |
||||||||
| Metal, mild steel | ||||||||
| Stainless steel | T 11I8 BOF | T 318 EHM | T 118AHM | T 118 ENM | ||||
| Non-ferrous metals | T 318 A | |||||||
| Puff materials |
T 318 A/BF T 318 B/BF |
T 318 A | ||||||
| Polymers | ||||||||
| PVC, polymers | T 101 V | T 101 BR | ||||||
| Plexiglass | TI01 A | T 119 VO | T 101 A | T 118 BF | T 101 A | T 119 V | ||
| Asbestos cement, glass fiber polymers | T 341 HM | T 101 BF | ||||||
| Miscellaneous | ||||||||
| Brick, glass, ceramics | T 130 RIFF | T 130 RIFF | T 15O RIFF | T 15O RIFF | T 130 RIFF | |||
| Leather, cardboard, rubber, insulating materials, carpet | T 101 AO | T 113 A | T 119 B | |||||
Let's also touch on the scope of hacksaw saw blades from the BOSCH concern.
| materials | ||||||||||||||||||
| material - metal | material - wood | |||||||||||||||||
| S 234XF | S 617 K | S 1111 K | S 1617K | S 644 D | S 744D | S 1344D | S 1531L | S 1542 K | S 123XF | S 418 BF | S 427 D | S 518 A | S522AF | S 518 B | S 522 BF | |||
| wood materials | 1 | Solid wood | + | + | + | + | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Freshly cut wood | + | + | + | - | + | + | |||||||||||
| 3 | chipboard | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||
| 4 | + | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | wood with nails | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Plastics | 6 | PVC, polymers in general | - | + | + | + | - | + | ||||||||||
| 7 8 | Glass fiber reinforced plastics INOX/stainless steel | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | Metals | + | - | + | + | + | + | |||||||||||
| Metals | 10 | metal sheets | - | - | + | - | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Non-ferrous metals | + | + | - | ||||||||||||||
| 12 | Aluminum | - | + | + | - | - | ||||||||||||
| 13 | metal pipes | - | - | + | ||||||||||||||
| 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Various materials | 15 | Laminate/Cement bonded chipboard | - | |||||||||||||||
| 16 | Aerated concrete Gypsum boards | |||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Brick | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| materials | Main application categories | |||||||||||||||||
| metal | universal purpose | |||||||||||||||||
| S 518G | S522EF | S 918 A | S922AF | S 918B | S 922 BF | S 918 E | S922EF | S 1122AF | S 1122 BF | S 1122 EF | S 3456XF | S 611 VF | S 811 H | S 1211 N | S 1211 E | |||
| wood materials | 1 | solid wood | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Freshly cut wood | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | chipboard | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Plywood, composite wood materials | - | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | wood with nails | + | - | + | + | - | ||||||||||||
| Plastics | 6 | PVC, polymers in general | - | + | - | |||||||||||||
| 7 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | INOX/ stainless steel | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Metals | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||||
| Metals | 10 | metal sheets | + | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | + | - | + | |||||
| 11 | Non-ferrous metals | - | - | - | + | - | + | |||||||||||
| 12 | Aluminum | - | - | - | - | + | - | - | ||||||||||
| 13 | metal pipes | - | - | + | - | - | - | + | - | + | - | |||||||
| 14 | Steel pipes, cast iron pipes | - | - | |||||||||||||||
| Various materials | 15 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Aerated concrete Drywall | + | + | |||||||||||||||
| 17 | Brick | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Leather Insulating materials Carpet/styrofoam | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| materials | Main application categories | |||||||||||||||||
| special appointment | universal purpose | |||||||||||||||||
| S918H | S 1018 N | S920CF | S 1020 CF | S922HF | S 1122HF | S 922 VF | S 1122 VF | S 1222 VF | S 1411 D | S 1411 DF | S 828 D | S 518 EHM | S 641 HM | S 1141 HM | S 1241 HM | |||
| wood materials | 1 | solid wood | - | + | - | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Freshly cut wood | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | chipboard | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Plywood, composite wood materials | - | - | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | wood with nails | - | - | - | - | + | + | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Plastics | 6 | PV C, polymers in general | - | - | - | + | + | |||||||||||
| 7 | Glass fiber reinforced plastics | - | - | - | + | + | + | + | ||||||||||
| 8 | INOX/ stainless steel | + | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Metals | + | + | - | - | - | + | + | + | + | - | |||||||
| Metals | 10 | metal sheets | - | - | - | + | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Non-ferrous metals | - | - | + | - | + | - | |||||||||||
| 12 | Aluminum | - | - | - | + | + | - | |||||||||||
| 13 | metal pipes | - | - | + | + | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| 14 | Steel pipes, cast iron pipes | + | + | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Various materials | 15 | Multilayer material Cement bonded chipboards | + | + | + | + | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Aerated concrete Drywall | + | + | + | + | |||||||||||||
| 17 | Brick | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Leather Insulation materials Carpet/styrofoam | 2 | + | |||||||||||||||
| materials | Main application categories | |||||||||||||||||
| special appointment | ||||||||||||||||||
| S 2041 HM | S 1130 Riff | S 1121SB | S 1122 UB | S 1123 GB | S 1505 | S 1508 | S 713A | S713AW | ||||||||||
| wood materials | 1 | solid wood | + | + | F | -F | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Freshly cut wood | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | chipboard | -F | -F | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Plywood, composite wood materials | + | - | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | wood with nails | |||||||||||||||||
| Plastics | 6 | PVC, polymers in general | -F | -F | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Glass fiber reinforced plastics | + | + | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | INOX/ stainless steel | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Metals | + | + | + | + F | |||||||||||||
| Metals | 10 | metal sheets | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| II | Non-ferrous metals | - | - | + F | ||||||||||||||
| 12 | Aluminum | -F | ||||||||||||||||
| 13 | metal pipes | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Steel pipes, cast iron pipes | + | ||||||||||||||||
| Various materials | 15 | Myogolayer material/Cement bonded chipboard | ||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Aerated concrete Drywall | |||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Brick | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Leather Insulation materials Carpet/styronor | |||||||||||||||||
Properly selected components make the work of any tool more convenient and enjoyable. Perhaps the most significant working element of the jigsaw is the saw blade. This consumable can turn the sawing process into an even and neat song, or vice versa, reduce the work to a crooked and gnawed nonsense. To save yourself from possible unpleasant situations and choose the canvas that is optimal for your purposes, it is useful to know their types and features. Jigsaw files, at first glance, may seem too diverse, but after reading this article, you will understand that their classification is simple and very convenient.
Deciphering the marking
To date, there are several standards for saw blades, each of which is assigned to a specific brand. Bosh files are the most popular in Europe. In second place is Makita. The third is shared by Festool, Hitachi and others. Since the marking of saw blades for the Bosch standard jigsaw is the most common, we will analyze it in more detail.
As you can see in the image above, the alphanumeric designations of the saw blade have their place and meaning. For a clearer disclosure of the overall picture, let's talk about each character in a nutshell.
Shank type can have several different variations, which must be considered by owners of jigsaws with quick-release fastening. If your tool has a shoe or screw clamp, you can install a blade with any shank into it.
Tooth size affects the quality and speed of cutting. If you are working with decorative or facing materials, it is better to choose a file with the smallest teeth (A). So the work will be much more accurate, albeit noticeably slower. For quick and rough sawing of boards, chipboard and similar materials, it is recommended to use blades with a larger tooth (B, C, D). Determine whether to sacrifice speed or quality should be based on the tasks.
- F - Bimetallic. Sufficiently flexible blade with very strong teeth, which is a symbiosis of two metals. It is used for straight and figured cutting of metal and has increased wear resistance.
- O - With a narrow back. Relatively thin jigsaw blade used for shaped sawing.
- P - For a precise cut. Thick blade, resistant to bending during operation. Great for precise, straight cuts at a certain angle.
- X - Teeth with progressive pitch. Multipurpose blades suitable for cutting wood, plastic and metal. For its versatility, they pay with the quality of the cut, which leaves much to be desired.
- R - Reversible (reverse) teeth. Unlike the standard direction, upwards, the teeth of the reversible blades are directed downwards. When working with a jigsaw with a similar file, chips are formed on the opposite side.
In addition to the standard European marking, which not all manufacturers adhere to, there is a single designation that can be found in the description of any saw blade.
saw blade material
Depending on the material being processed, saw blades can be made from the following steel grades:
- CV - chrome vanadium steel. It is used in the production of saw blades for wood and its derivatives (plywood, fiberboard, chipboard and others).
- HCS - alloy (carbon) steel. Suitable for cutting wood and plastic.
- HSS - high speed steel. Used for cutting metals.
- BM (Bi-Metal) - a bi-metal blade is a mixture of two steel grades (HCS and HSS), where the back of the file has an HCS alloy, and the teeth are HSS. Bi-metal blades are very strong and manoeuvrable, and can be used for straight and curved cuts in wood and metal.
- HIM is an alloy based on tungsten carbide. Files made of steel of this grade are used to work with ceramics, foam blocks and similar materials.
For what material
- Wood - Blades for plywood, chipboard, fiberboard and soft woods.
- Hardwood - Blades for sawing dense woods and laminates.
- Metal - For working with ferrous metals.
- Alu - For cutting aluminium.
- Inox - For stainless steel.
- Fiber&Plaster - For cutting polymer products.
- Soft-material - A versatile blade for working with metals, plastics and wood.
- Basic - A file with an average cut quality. The best option for everyday use at home.
- Clean - A blade for making a clean cut.
- Speed - For rough but fast cuts.
- Flexible - Flexible saw blade for working with metal.
Types of jigsaw files
The variety of saw blades today is beyond the comprehension of the average user. Jigsaw saws are divided according to dimensions, tooth pitch, types of cutting edges and other parameters that are completely alien and uninteresting to most buyers. At the same time, everyone wants to work with an optimally tuned tool and get the result of proper quality. In order to briefly and clearly explain to you how to choose a jigsaw file, we have divided them into the most popular materials.Jigsaw blades for wood
Sawing of wood and its derivatives is carried out with blades of steel grades CV, HCS and BM. The size of the teeth depends on the type of material being processed and the requirements for the quality of the cutting line: A and B are blades with the smallest teeth. Used for clean cutting of laminate.
C - medium teeth with the corresponding cut quality. Popular for working with chipboard, fiberboard, plywood and wood.
D is the maximum length of the tooth. Used to be fast but rough cutting chipboard and tree.
For straight cutting decorative materials(coated board or laminate), a T101BR file (medium reversible teeth) will do.
Timber or thick wood is best sawed with a T344C blade (long with large teeth). The size of the file should be selected based on the thickness of the material being cut.
The main qualities that a chipboard file for a jigsaw should have is a small length (up to 75 cm), class A or B teeth with an average pitch of 2-3 mm.
Figured sawing is best done with a dense type T101BO (with medium-sized teeth and a thin back).
Jigsaw blades for metal
Cutting metal with an electric jigsaw occurs using files from the following steel grades: HSS and BM. Such cutting elements are characterized by a small tooth with a wave-like dilution (as on a hacksaw). Bimetal types of jigsaw blades (BM) have larger teeth that decrease towards the base.
For cutting sheet metal, 1-3 mm thick, a T118A file is suitable, up to 75 cm long, with a fine tooth.
Thicker metal, up to 6 mm, is best sawed with an instance of T118B, the same length (up to 75 cm), but with larger teeth.
Pipes or metal profiles, 1-3 mm thick, are conveniently sawn with blades of the T318A type (90-150 mm, with a fine tooth).
To work with very thin sheets(from 0.5 to 1.5), a jigsaw file for metal, brand T118G (up to 75 cm, with a microscopic tooth) is suitable.
Files for plastic
To work with a jigsaw with PVC products, blades from the following steel grades are used: CV, HCS, HSS and BM. Here, special files for plastic (Fiber & Plaster), and ordinary ones, for wood or metal, are suitable. When working with this material, it is better to give preference to large teeth (B, C, D). If, however, only files with fine teeth, it is recommended to set the minimum stroke speed on the tool, as heated plastic filings can seriously clog the cutting part. It is better to cut thick plastic with a bi-metal blade T101BF (up to 75 cm, medium-sized tooth). The speed in this case should be below average.
Plexiglas and plastic sheets can be cut quite confidently with a fine-toothed metal file T101A.
Ceramic jigsaw blade
The fragile structure of ceramics differs significantly from flexible metal and fibrous wood. To cut such material, special blades are required, which differ from the usual ones in the absence of teeth, in place of which, a tungsten carbide or diamond coating is applied. Jigsaw blade for tiles, made of carbide material, with the designation “HM”.
In most cases, the specimens presented in stores are made of tungsten carbide alloy and can only cope with wall tiles. There are stronger, diamond jigsaw blades for stone that can cut floor tiles.
When working with an electric jigsaw with ceramics, it should be understood that this tool is not intended for such material. This device, it is better to use for curly cuts, and for straight lines - a tile cutter or a grinder.
For cardboard
Blades for jigsaw for cardboard, rubber, foam and other soft materials, has a wavy cutting part, without any teeth. When working, the file does not crumble or tear the material, but smoothly and accurately divides it into even parts.
Great for cutting carpet and much cheaper than professional scissors.
The best jigsaw files
A variety of various brands allows us to make the best choice for the budget, the choice of saw blade. Among the offered products you can find consumables of different quality. If you talk about which jigsaw files are better, you can select several manufacturers: Bosh, Makita and Matabo.The most common, with a quality that exceeds the price, are the original paintings of the Bosh brand, of any classification. Jigsaw blades of this brand have perfect performance and are very easy to use. Unfortunately, among the offers, there are often low-quality fakes that create a false impression of this company. Fortunately, there are several proven ways to distinguish a fake jigsaw file from the original.
- Counterfeiting is made by stamping from a large sheet of metal, as a result of which one of the sides of the saw blade has slightly rounded edges. original files"Bosch", turned perfectly evenly on all sides.
- Poor quality metal with corrosion and defects indicates a defective product.
- The inscriptions and emblems on the file must be clear, without blurry contours. If the print on the file is lopsided and blurred, then you have a fake in front of you.
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