There are times when you need to saw something metal, and only a jigsaw is at hand from a power tool. This is not the best option, but not the worst either. The jigsaw is quite suitable for sawing metal.

But if up to this point you only had experience with wood, you need to understand a very important thing: wood and metal - different materials in its structure. This means that the approach to the choice of tools and the cutting process itself is significantly different.

How to properly saw metal with a jigsaw

Some power tool manufacturers do not recommend working with metal parts if their thickness exceeds 5 mm. But there are those that allow you to work with parts up to 10 mm thick. It all depends on the reliability and quality of a particular model. In particular, on the quality of the pendulum node.

Before proceeding with the sawing work itself, you need to carry out some preparation and set up the tool. To correctly adjust the jigsaw, the pendulum pitch during cutting must be reduced to the first position or removed completely. So to speak, remove the beating of the pendulum. This is done to reduce wear on the jigsaw assemblies and avoid dulling the saw blade.

It is not necessary to press down firmly on the jigsaw. You still won't be able to cut faster, and the risk of damaging the tool increases. The jigsaw speed should also not be high. High speed can cause overheating of the cutting element, and this will reduce the sharpness and hardness of the saw. Take into account that one file may not be enough for the entire job. Especially if you don't have enough experience. Always keep one or two spare parts in stock.

The main types of saws for metal for jigsaws

Now let's go directly to cutting tools... The fact that this blade is intended for working with metal, you will be told by the inscription on the file itself or on the packaging. Such products are marked with the words: "For Metal" or "For metal", depending on the manufacturer.

By marking, you can find out about the material from which the file is made. The most common steel is HSS. From the manufacturer's description it follows that this is high-speed steel.

Some products have BIM markings. This is the designation of Bimetal, solid cutting edge and the softness of the body of the canvas. Two materials of different density are connected by surfacing. The soft body of the blade prevents the brittle steel from breaking on the teeth.

The cutting tool differs in shape. The most popular products are those with fine milled wavy teeth. They give an even cut, if necessary with a slight twist. But such blades cut material 1-3 mm thick.

To cut thicker parts, there are special files with a divorced "tooth" and modified geometry. The so-called "progressive pitch", in which the teeth increase from the jigsaw to the edge of the blade. Similar models can cut parts up to 10 mm thick.

The set-tooth file can be used to cut non-ferrous metals (such as aluminum, copper, brass) and hardwoods. They can cut metallic profile(pipe or square), if the diameter does not exceed 30 mm and the wall thickness is 1.2 mm.

The conclusion is obvious: you can cut metals with a jigsaw. But it is necessary to approach this process competently. Remove the beating of the pendulum, lubricate and do not overheat the cutting surface, apply correct canvases for various materials.

Don't be discouraged if it didn't work out the first time. A little patience and attention - and you will succeed!

What files exist for a jigsaw 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 that influence the choice of a cutting blade: the material to be cut, its thickness and density, the required cut quality, etc. In order not to be mistaken when buying, you should consider specifications files, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of a particular model.

Cutting blade material

The first thing to look for when choosing a file is the material from which it is made. Each cutting blade renowned manufacturers has its own labeling. Knowing how to decipher it, you can easily determine whether the file is right for you for the upcoming work.

The marking indicating the material of manufacture of the canvas is as follows:

1. HCS. Such files belong to the woodworking tool. They are made of high-carbon steel with ductility and resilience. They can cut wood, chipboard, plywood and plastic. When choosing such a canvas, one should pay attention not to its hardness, but to its flexibility.
2. HSS. Hardened steel products that can be operated at high speeds. They are used for processing durable materials, including metals of various densities. Despite all its toughness, hardened steel is quite brittle and must be handled with great care.
3. BIM. Bimetallic 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 wood and metal work.
4. HIM. They are made of high-strength alloys, due to which they are characterized by high strength and rigidity. Mainly used for sawing 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 files marking

Saw blades designed for woodworking are marked with the letters HCS.

The tail of any jigsaw blade is marked with letters and numbers. The first is the letter "T" or "U", which denotes the type of attachment 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 - extended file (9-15 cm);
• 7 — long file(more than 15 cm).

The longer the product, the thicker the workpiece can be cut with it.

After the numbers, there are again letters that indicate the size of the teeth:

• A - the smallest teeth (great for cutting laminate);
• B - larger teeth (used for processing wood, fiberboard, chipboard and plywood);
• C and D are the largest rough cut teeth.

Some manufacturers use two letters instead of one letter at the end (for example, T101BR). The second letter means:

• О - for curly cutting;
• R - with reverse tooth(improves the quality of the cut);
• F - bimetallic products (considered the most durable and reliable);
• X - a universal blade (it can cut both wood and metal);
• P - thick files (used for corner cutting).

For example, the marking T118AF 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.

The choice of the file according to the purpose

When choosing a cutting blade for a jigsaw, you need to know what material it will work with. This tool 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 to be 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, for example, 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, the best option would be a cutting blade with large teeth.

How more teeth, the faster the cut goes. However, with an increase in the speed of work, the cleanliness of the cut decreases, so here you have to choose between speed and quality.

If speed of work is in the first place, then the best option would be a canvas with the marking 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 good option is the file T101B. It is often used for professional purposes when assembling furniture and for other work that requires a high-quality cut. This product can also cut thick workpieces, but you will spend twice as much time on it than using, for example, the T244D model.

The canvas on the laminate. When laying the laminate, 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 do not have this model at hand, and you need to cut the laminate with something, you can do with the usual T101B canvas. Only in this case, before starting work, it is recommended to paste over the place of the proposed cut ordinary scotch tape, which will protect the processed material from chips, burrs and other defects.

Metal saws. They have fine teeth and a blue tail. If you will work with metal 3 mm thick, buy the T118A file. It is also suitable for cutting plastic. For thicker material it is recommended to use a T123X cutting blade and T227D for aluminum.

Tile saws. Marked as T150RIFF or T130RIFF. Instead of teeth, carbide spraying acts as a cutting part. You need to know that using a jigsaw for cutting tiles is recommended only in extreme cases, since the work will be slow and high level dustiness. For lack of specialized tool for cutting tiles, it is better to use a regular glass cutter.

Cutting blade shape

For different tasks fits definite shape teeth, which differs not only in the type of sharpening, but also in the setting method:

1. Milled set teeth. This blade is perfect for cutting wood. Divorce is carried out by analogy with a conventional hacksaw. This allows the kerf to be slightly widened, thereby preventing overheating and jamming of the tool in the thickness of the tree.
2. Wave-set milled teeth. In this case, not a single, but a group setting is performed (for example, 4-6 teeth each). These saws are used for cutting metals.
3. Ground teeth without setting. The best option for fine cutting. This canvas allows you to achieve High Quality kerf in wood, laminate and plastic.
4. Set teeth with grinding. Such a product is used for fast cutting when there are no special requirements for the quality of the cut.

Today we will analyze the types of files for electric jigsaw, because when choosing, the buyer has many questions. There are a lot of types of files, because you can cut not only wood with a jigsaw, the list is much longer. Therefore, in this article we will figure out which saws it is better to cut a simple tree, and which chipboard or fiberboard, which saws they cut different kinds metal.

And of course, we will pay attention to marking, therefore, after reading this article, you will begin to figure out which file is suitable for which work. It's not for nothing that there are different letters and numbers on the files. What do they mean? We will analyze all this using the example of popular models from Bosch, since they good quality, and the price for them is quite low.

Marking

If you have ever been to a tool store, you have seen that there are letters and numbers on the shank of any file. Let's figure out what they mean.

The letter T means the type of attachment, that is, T-shaped (Figure 1). There is also U, it is much less common (Fig. 2).

The numbers on the shank mean:

The first number is the length:

• 1 - standard short, length up to 75 mm.
• 2 — average length, up to 90 mm
• 3 - extended, up to 150 mm
• 7 - the longest (over 150 mm)

The following letters indicate the size of the teeth:
A, B, C, D

Tooth A is the smallest, so all metal files have an A, for example T118A means a T-shank file, short, very fine tooth. Further, respectively - B - a slightly larger tooth (most often these are files with a fine tooth on plywood, chipboard, fiberboard and wood for a clean cut). Files with the letters C and D - with the largest teeth, in wood for rough sawing.

There are also files with two letters at the end, for example, model T119BO, so let's analyze what the last letter means:

• F - bimetal (the coolest, highest quality)
• R - with reverse tooth
• X - universal for wood, metal and plastic.
• O - for a curved cut (cut a circle, for example, as a rule, thin, so that the file can be turned right during sawing).
• P - thick options for cutting strictly at the exact selected angle (thick, do not bend, so they cut perfectly). A striking representative is the T144DP, which costs much more than the standard ones.

By wood

The main purpose of an electric jigsaw is to cut wood. For this purpose, there are a huge number of files and they are all different. Let's go in order.

If you need to cut ordinary boards and you do not care about the quality of the cut, its cleanliness, you work at speed (for example, sawing ordinary boards for firewood or for a fence), then buy jigsaw files with a large tooth. Thanks to this, the cutting speed will be high, and if you work with a jigsaw in pendulum mode, then everything will be just fine.

In addition, also pay attention to the length of the file, since it will not work to cut a board or block 70 mm thick (for example) with the usual one, you will need an elongated one.

Well, the third nuance when choosing is thickness, standard files are not thick, but there are thickened ones (they saw much better, since they do not bend). Since most jigsaws use a standard mount (T-shaped), the name of the files for such a mount begins with the letter T.

A standard set of files, see the photo:

Well, now we will analyze each file separately, what can be sawed for it, for what work it is more suitable.

For metal.

T118A - a standard file for metal, has a very fine tooth (like blades for metal). You can cut metal up to 3 mm, but it costs a terrible grinding, so use ear muffs. Highly recommend. Also, due to the fact that the tooth is very small, it is also recommended to cut plastic with it, many finishers do this.

These are 5 files that we constantly sell together with jigsaws. By by and large they are enough for all household chores.

In addition to the standard metal file, there are special options for any other metal. For example, an aluminum file has a larger tooth, which prevents the teeth from clogging. After all, aluminum is a soft metal, so the standard metal is very quickly clogged with shavings.
Т224D - for aluminum, special. It says Alu on it.

File for tiles, stone and porcelain stoneware.

Not everyone has tile cutters and grinders, so they came up with special jigsaw files for tiles. The blade has tungsten carbide spraying instead of teeth, which actually cuts any stone surface.

T150Riff - special for tiles, the cost is about 250 rubles. Perfectly cuts tiles.

It largely determines the accuracy and productivity of cutting the material. The technical characteristics of the files discussed in the article and the key differences between them will help you choose the right blade for different types works.

A file for a specific job is chosen in two ways: firstly, they are guided by the inscriptions, and secondly, they look at the size, teeth and setting.

We read the marking

There is no single standard for the alphanumeric marking of jigsaw blades, but most manufacturers adhere to the European classification from Bosch or indicate it in addition to their own designations.

Decoding of marking

Files are made from different brands steel, affecting the purpose of the canvases and indicated by logos:

1. CV (HCS) is a resilient alloyed alloy for cutting wood, synthetic and wood-composite products.
2. HSS is a tough high speed steel for hard materials.
3. BM (Bi-Metal) is a compound of the first two grades of steel that can withstand significant loads and is suitable for many operations.
4. HM - hard alloy for cutting tiles and building blocks.

The purpose of the canvas is also indicated by the marks:

1. Wood - soft sawn timber, fiber boards.
2. Hardwood - solid wood, laminated panels.
3. Inox - stainless steel.
4. Alu is aluminum.
5. Metal - tin, profile and pipes.
6. Plaster, fiber - fiberglass.
7. Soft-material - rubber, polystyrene, carpets.
8. Acrylic - plexiglass, polycarbonate.

Sometimes there is an inscription on the file that specifies the type of work:

• basic - standard blade for a high-quality cut;
• speed - a file with set teeth for fast cutting;
• clean - blade without setting for a clean cut;
• progressor - a file with different teeth for cutting various materials;
• flexible - flexible blade for cutting metal;
• special - for cutting ceramics, plastics and other special jobs.

We cut wood materials

Cutting wood and everything that is made from it is the main purpose of a jigsaw. Therefore, a larger assortment saw blades is produced specifically for wood and is subdivided according to the type of work.

Fast cut

Certain construction works with a tree do not require special care, for example, sawing bars for lathing or dismantling an old window frame... More important here is the speed provided by the blades for fast cutting with characteristic features:

1. Coarse teeth - up to 6 mm.
2. Fairly divorced - about 1 mm.
3. Long canvas- from 60 mm.
4. Width - up to 10 mm.

For thick workpieces, similar canvases with large incisors are used, but without routing - they move less from the vertical. In principle, the thicker the file, the better it holds perpendicularity.

Advice. For cutting along the fibers, a blade with an oblique tooth is better, and with a straight tooth, for a cross cut.

Clean cut

An operation such as cropping furniture board or parquet boards, requires a smooth and precise cut. Similar tasks are performed with less productivity, but better quality, using blades for a clean cut, having:

1. Teeth less than 3 mm.
2. Minor divorce.

Most of the files are cut for retracting, so the material is placed reverse side... To mark and cut from the face, you need a reverse tooth blade. It is not very convenient for them to work - in addition to maintaining the direction of the cut, they have to overcome the pushing force of the tool.

Advice. Cutting panels laminated on both sides with almost no chips allows specialized file with two rows of teeth.

Figured cut

It is problematic to cut small radii with a wide blade. Files for curly cut have a beveled back, which facilitates turning, without chipping, they pass roundings and differ in appearance:

1. Small (up to 2 mm) tooth.
2. Narrow working part - up to 4 mm.
3. Small in length - up to 40 mm.

We cut polymer materials

PVC pipes and window sills are sawn with saw blades for wood or metal with a large tooth. Fine-toothed files are also suitable, but you will have to cut at a minimum speed, otherwise the sawdust will soften and clog the blade - you will no longer get sawing, but a cut with heated metal.

For thin plastics and plexiglass, a metal file with small teeth is suitable. For a thick one, you can take a canvas on a tree, turn off the pendulum mechanism and cut at low speeds. Figured sawing of polymer sheets is carried out with a narrow saw blade for wood.

We work with metal

For cutting galvanized profiles and sheet metal products, wave-cut saws are used, similar in profile to canvases for hand saw... They differ in small (up to 1 mm) teeth, deflected not through one, but in groups of 3-5 pieces.

At permanent work take three blades: for steel, aluminum and for non-ferrous alloys. If you don't have to cut metal often, then one file is enough for steel, which is also suitable for ebonite and PCB.

In general, a jigsaw is not very suitable for cutting metal: the tool is heavily loaded, and the process is slow. Rather, it is an extreme method, justified only occasionally, for example, when cutting sandwich panels. bimetallic saws with small incisors at the edges and large in the middle.

Canvases for specific tasks

Drywall and cement-containing materials will quickly plant any file, with the exception of specially designed carbide-tipped blades, which also cut thermal insulation well.

A hole in the tile is cut with a file on ceramic without teeth with carbide spraying. It is also suitable for working with glass fiber reinforced polymers.

Cutting part of blades for cardboard, rubber and others soft materials made not by teeth, but by ground waves or just like a knife.

For cutting combined materials, special files are intended, one half of the blade of which is equipped with small teeth, and the other with large ones.

Advice. The length of the file is chosen based on the thickness of the material. To prevent the blade from pulling out and breaking, its end must come out of the cut line in any position of the jigsaw pendulum.

For household needs, a set of 5-10 files for various purposes is enough. Just starting to use a jigsaw, they acquire an inexpensive set, master the subtleties of working with different types of canvases and, on the basis of their own experience, select necessary files... Still, there are no rigid recommendations, often one canvas copes well with tasks that are atypical for it. Here you can experiment, but think first.