Jigsaw files photo

Jigsaw blades: marking

The marking of jigsaw files can tell a lot about its purpose, including - you just have to take a closer look at it, meet and decipher familiar symbols, and everything becomes clear at once. This is, of course, if you know how it reads. That is why, to study replaceable blades for a jigsaw, you need to start with their marking. As a rule, it is a set of Latin letters and Arabic numerals... The first is a letter and it denotes the type of shank. As a rule, these are the letters "T", "X" or "U" - the latter is very rare, but the former is widespread and indicates that the shank is T-shaped.

Jigsaw blade: photo shank

Following the first letter is a series of numbers - as a rule, there are three of them, but it is the first of them that is important. It indicates the length of the canvas:

• 1 - standard short file 75mm long
• 2 - Standard file of medium length (90mm)
• 3 - Long file, the size of which is 150mm
• 7 - Very long. Size over 150mm

After the numbers, there are letters again, but this time, they do not denote the type of shank, but the size of the teeth - as a rule, this is letters A, B, C and D. "A" is the smallest tooth and "D" is the largest. "B" and "C" should be understood as intermediate options.

Quite often, in the marking of jigsaw saws, at the end there may be not one letter, but two - the last of them indicates unique qualities consumable material. Let's deal with them in a little more detail - we will not write large lists. As they say, only the most necessary and common:

What else can you read by studying the writing on the jigsaw blade? In principle, you can additionally learn about the material that was used to make it. By by and large it doesn't matter, but if you want to buy a really high-quality canvas that can work for a long time, you need to own this information. Between the T-shaped shank protrusions and the saw blade you can find three Latin letters, which tell about the material from which the file is made. There are not many options here - only four:

• HCS is a high carbon steel. For soft materials just what you need.
• HSS - tool high speed steel. This option is ideal for ferrous and non-ferrous iron.
• BiM - bimetallic files... Flexible and durable, and most importantly versatile.
• HM / TC - carbide files. Quite specific canvases - they are used mainly when working with very hard materials (steel, tiles, fiberglass and even abrasive materials).

Saws for woodworking

I want to note right away that the main purpose of an electric jigsaw is to work with wood and materials made on its basis (chipboard, plywood, ...) - everything else, as they say, is a side application. For this reason, jigsaw files for wood have a lot of varieties - they can differ both in the size of the tooth and the angle of its sharpening, and in the shape of the file itself. In general, without delving into the study of these tools, two main types can be distinguished:

Well, as for the subspecies of these canvases on wood for a jigsaw, then you should not bother with them - as a rule, this is to a greater extent specialized tool, and it is not yet a fact that he will show himself the best way... I will give a simple example - the T101BR blade, with a reverse tooth direction. One of the recommended uses for this saw is for a laminated surface. Practice shows that an ordinary blade on a tree with a fine tooth copes well with it - the reverse direction cuts worse and, moreover, creates vibrations and a lot of inconvenience in work.

Blades for metal work

Any jigsaw file for metal has a fine tooth and in its markings, the last or the penultimate one, there is always the Latin letter "A" - this is due to the strength of the material. The harder the material, the finer the tooth is needed to cut it. There are no special varieties of canvases for metal - the only thing that can be mentioned here is the shape cutting edge.

In many ways, the appointment of metal saws for a jigsaw is also due to other factors - you need to understand that each different type metal has its own characteristics. For example, aluminum is a soft and tough metal - if used for sawing standard blade with a small tooth, then most likely it will be ineffective and will clog. For this material, the files are made separately - for example, the T224D blade, it says Alu on it.

And finally, a few words about the so-called special jigsaw blades - most of them have a narrow specialization, and you can work with them only on a certain material. In particular, there are separate saws for, plastic, aluminum, profile metal, pipes, ceramics, cement, sandwich panels and even boards with nails. The most notable of them, so to speak, unique in its kind, can be called a diamond jigsaw file, which is used for very solid materials and ferrous metals and the so-called file for. The latter, in mass production, cannot be used - it cuts confidently, but slowly.

Various jigsaw blades photo

In principle, all that can be distinguished in the whole variety of replaceable blades for a jigsaw - there is not much left to say. For household, absolutely all types of files do not need to be bought - there is a so-called "gentleman's set" which includes five files that can cope with all household needs. These are T101D (for rough cutting of wood), T101B (for fine cutting of wood), T101BR (for finishing works Reverse Tooth), T119BO (for contour cuts in wood) and T118A Standard Metal Saw. These jigsaw blades will satisfy any home craftsman to the fullest.
The author of the article is Alexander Kulikov

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 most a good option, but not the worst. The jigsaw is quite suitable for sawing metal.

But if you had only experience with wood up to this point, you need to understand a very important thing: wood and metal are different materials in their 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 reliability and quality certain 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, hard cutting edge and softness of the blade body. 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!

Today we will analyze the types of files for an 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 are of 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 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.

The jigsaw is a versatile power tool that you can use to cut a variety of materials, making straight or curved cuts. With this tool, you can possess such different materials as wood, glass, metal. For each type of work, it is necessary to select a certain type of files.

In order to choose the right file for a particular job, you need to find out what parameters you need to pay attention to, what characteristics of the file differ from each other, how to read the marking correctly.

Looking at the photo of jigsaw saws, you can see that they are very different from each other. external dimensions(length, width and thickness), the shape of the teeth, the type of attachment, the material from which the files are made and, accordingly, their purpose. Below is an overview of jigsaw files, with a description of the characteristics and features of choice.

Types of attachment of jigsaw files

There are several types of file tails. Any power tool is designed to work with only one type of files, therefore, when choosing files, you should pay close attention to this issue.

The most common type of shank is the English T shank.This type of fastening was developed by the market leader electric jigsaws- Bosch company. Following the leader, such fasteners are used by other equally well-known manufacturers. Therefore, these files are the most common.

With such a tool, you may not be aware of the existence of other types of file attachments. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are files with other types of fasteners.

Such files have one or two holes for attaching the equipment, as well as old Bosch fasteners with a double T-shaped shank, which has not one, but two stops.

Blade length

It can be different: from 4 to 25 cm. The longer it is, the thicker the workpiece can be cut. For thin workpieces, it is better to use short blades, this will improve the cut quality, since there are no large deformation movements in a short file compared to long files up to 25 cm long.

The maximum thickness of the material to be cut also depends on the technical characteristics of the power tool.

File width

The width of the file is selected depending on the planned work. If you need to make long, even cuts, then you should choose wide file... If you need to do curly cut, then a narrow file is better to cope with this task.

File thickness

The quality of the cut also depends on this parameter, but a blade that is too thick or thick may not fit a particular quick-clamping mechanism.

A thin blade deviates less from the vertical during operation, and the cut is smoother. Therefore, without special need, it is better to use files of standard thickness.

Saw blade geometries

The file geometry is determined by the tooth setting. It can be simply milled with wavy or classic layout, in addition, the teeth can be ground with the classic setting of teeth and with conical grinding of teeth without setting them.

Ground teeth differ from milled ones in that they are additionally ground at an angle to increase their sharpness, the spreading of teeth increases productivity, the width of the saw. At the same time, its unevenness increases.

Classification of jigsaw blades

As well as saws for a hand-held jigsaw, various accessories are available for power tools, designed to work with various materials... Wood canvases are the most common, since this tool is most used when working with this material. The design of jigsaw files for wood is determined by the parameters of the work.

For high productivity, saws with a large tooth width up to 6 mm and a large setting up to 1 mm are used. These files are needed for rough work... If a neat cut is required, then they work with files with smaller teeth and with a slight set of them.

When cutting, you should pay attention to which side, when working on the material, chips and scuffs are not formed. On this side, the material must be placed face side... This is determined by which side the teeth are located on the blade: towards or away from the jigsaw.

A clean cut on both sides can be made using a double row blade with multidirectional teeth. To cut curly lines, use narrow files of small length with small teeth with a beveled back side.

Saws for metal are made from durable steels, they have very small teeth - up to 1 mm. Individual files are produced for different metals. There are three main types of jigsaw blades for metal: for aluminum, other non-ferrous metals and steel. You can get by with one tool if you rarely need to cut metal.

Large-toothed blades are used to work with polymers and plastics. Small toothed blades will also work, but remember that this could melt sawdust and clog the blade teeth. Thin plastic can be cut at low speed with a blade on wood.

You can cut with a jigsaw ceramic materials... For this, files with diamond or tungsten carbide are used. Such a tool is not replaceable if necessary to make a curved cut.

File marking

Appointment and specifications files are indicated in the markings on the side surface of the blade. The labeling is simple enough. The first letter indicates the type of attachment. For example, T-shaped. The following is a number from 1 to 7, which characterizes the length of the web.

The next two numbers indicate the purpose of the blade, and the next letter at the end of the marking describes the size of the teeth (A - Small, B - Medium, C and D - Large). The last letter gives Additional information about the blade: F- bimetallic, O- narrow, P- thick, R- reverse direction of the teeth, X- variable size of the teeth.

To start with, it is advisable to purchase a set of jigsaw files, consisting of a set of jigsaw files different materials, and then expand it if necessary. Expendable materials determine the quality of work and ease of use of the tool.

It is impossible to say unequivocally how to choose the best file for a jigsaw. Some files provide great performance, others provide very good quality cut. The correct choice of the file determines the efficiency of the work.

Photo of jigsaw files

Standard blades for hand jigsaws have a length of 130 mm, while the range includes modern manufacturers you can find options with a length of 150 and 160 mm. The types of files are classified according to two main parameters: their dimensions and the configuration of the teeth.

V general outline blades for hand jigsaws are similar to, but have one important difference: they always choose pinless files with flat ends, which can be fixed in the tool clamps and easily threaded into thin holes when creating small patterns.

The dimension of files for a hand jigsaw is similar to an easel one: from # 2/0 to # 12... But practice shows that the most optimal options for hand sawing there are numbers from # 3 to # 9.

Which files are better?

The quality of cutting directly depends on the characteristics of the blade. Therefore, it is best to always choose products from trusted brands. Their products are made of high-quality carbon steel, the blades have clearly formed teeth with a positive sharpening angle; blades are hardened for maximum hardness and long service life. Overpayment in this case turns out to be a justified investment in convenience of work, high quality of project execution and a long service life of the blade.

Let's understand the basic concepts

The labeling of jigsaw blades contains the basic information that allows you to choose the best blade for a particular type of wood and the project as a whole. To decipher this marking, it is important to familiarize yourself with the key concepts.

TPI Is a value indicating the number of teeth per inch of blade. For a hand jigsaw, it is appropriate to choose blades with a high TPI. They cut wood more slowly but allow better control of the cutting line.

Reverse tooth - a blade with a reverse-directed tooth, which cuts the material during the return movement of the saw, thereby preventing the formation of chips on the seamy side of the cut product. They are especially relevant when using plywood blanks.

Tooth set - created to prevent the saw from jamming in the workpiece, which in turn ensures trouble-free cutting (especially of sharp turning and curved lines) and minimizes the formation of chips. The cutting width when using such saws increases slightly, which should be taken into account when making a project.

File classification

Based on the features of the configuration of the teeth, blades for a hand jigsaw are classified into the following types:

1. Standard (Standard Tooth) - classic files, the teeth of which have the same size, direction and distance from each other.
2. Missing tooth files (Skip-tooth Blades) - the absence of teeth provides effective chip evacuation from the workpiece surface and increases the cutting speed. Unlike classic options they heat up less and wedge less often.
3. Double Tooth Saws (Double-tooth Blades) - These blades cut a little slower, but leave a perfectly smooth cutting line. They also efficiently remove chips and overheat less.
4. Reverse files (Reverse Skip-tooth) - blades with some of the teeth pointing up. They trim the wood with the backward motion of the jigsaw, which reduces the number of chips by reverse side blanks.

Dimension table

The table below summarizes the basic information regarding the dimension and marking of modern hand saw blades. Turning to it, you will know how to choose the right blade number for cutting from wood of a specific thickness.

Despite the varied palette of options, the gold standard for cutting with a hand jigsaw is the number of blades. #3 , #5 and #7 .

At first, it can be difficult for beginners to control the file, which is constantly being pulled to the side. Not having gained the proper experience, it is advisable to use canvases with great value TPI: They cut more slowly but allow better control of the cutting line.

Working with files with a reverse tooth is not the most the best solution for a beginner. It takes some experience to master this blade. Otherwise, the workpiece will bounce upward and the sawing itself will be very slow.

What to choose for thin plywood?

When working with thin material use canvases with maximum number teeth per inch. Thin blades with a high TPI cut less aggressively, place less stress on the brittle edges of the workpiece and will not be pulled to the side by the jigsaw. These characteristics make them ideal for cutting. small parts and patterns from thin plywood.