Jigsaw files. selection, purpose, characteristics of saw blades

1. General classification
2. Woodworking saws
3. Files for working with metal
4. Homemade files
5. Option 1: regular serrated blade
6. Option 2: spiral file

A hand jigsaw is a universal tool for working on wood and metal. They can cut the product into pieces the right size, even into the thinnest fragments - the cutting area will remain smooth and neat. Materials with different densities and structures require suitable blades, so each home handyman There should be a variety of files for a hand jigsaw in stock.

General classification

Blades for manual jigsaws are divided into 2 main groups according to their intended purpose:

• for woodworking;
• cloth for metal carving.

The blades differ in the material they are made from, technical properties, number, location and frequency of teeth. Accordingly, each type of saw cuts metal or wood differently, leaving behind a cut of different quality.

Woodworking saws

Blades for working with wood are also divided into groups:

Files for working with metal

You can cut metal sheets with a hand jigsaw using a special file. Its canvas is equipped with small teeth located strictly one after another. Durable steel is used to make the blade. You can recognize a file by its blue tail - this is how all metal files are marked.

The frequency of teeth on a metal file is 9–10 per 1 centimeter.

The Universal Blade: Fact or Fiction

Files for hand jigsaws are sold in sets of 10 or more pieces, since they often break during use and new ones have to be inserted. The packaging may not contain information about the purpose of the products, which is why they are used primarily for working with wood.

There is no universal blade; you can cut wood and metal products with any attachment. Another question: how the problem is solved, and where the cut will remain. It is impossible to achieve fast and smooth cutting at the same time. You have to choose: either quickly or beautifully.

Working with plastic and polymers

If necessary, cut plastic product, for example, to shorten a window sill board, trim a polycarbonate sheet, and in other cases, it is better to give preference to a file with fine teeth. It will cut the material smoothly, the cutting area will remain level, and the structure of the material around the cutting area will not be damaged.

Homemade files

Blades for a manual jigsaw for wood can have different shapes teeth, frequency of their location. Various manufacturers offer standard forms files, because craftsmen are constantly busy searching for new solutions both in order to save money on ready-made jigsaw attachments and to improve the quality of their work.

We will look at 2 master classes on making different files for a hand jigsaw.

Option 1. Regular serrated blade

The blade blade often breaks during operation, which significantly complicates the process of manufacturing products from different materials. The cost of high-quality canvas can be very high (from 50 rubles per piece). Cheaper products are made from weak metal. To solve the problem and reduce the cost of jigsaw attachments, craftsmen figured out how to make a blade with teeth on their own.

For work you will need:

• strong wire of large diameter;
• forging plant;
• hammer;
• drill with attachments.

Procedure:

1. To begin with, take a regular jigsaw blade and cut the wire along its length; you can make a small margin for ease of work.
2. Using the anvil, we beat the wire with the blunt side of a hammer until it becomes a flat strip. Do not flatten the metal too much; we try to maintain the usual thickness of the finished file by eye.
3. You can put the finished strip into a jigsaw. We clamp it into the tensioners like a regular file.
4. We take a drill with a diamond blade and cut the teeth with the required frequency and size. The hand should move confidently, observing the chosen step.

The homemade product is ready to work. A description of this process is presented in the video.

Option 2. Spiral file

This finished product is often criticized by craftsmen: a store-bought spiral blade often turns out to be ineffective, and the installed blade does not work as expected. Price quality product– from 50–60 rubles per piece. Craftsmen have figured out how to save on purchasing a spiral file and make it truly effective.

What you need for work:

• metal tin can (not aluminum);
• pliers;
• hammer;
• installation with an anvil.

The master in the video shows the process of making a spiral file.

Stages of work:

1. Cut off the bottoms of the can and roll out the rolled metal.
2. We cut narrow strips of the same width (1.5–2.0 mm).
3. We clamp the ends of the strip into pliers and twist evenly.
4. After twisting, carefully tighten the twist to straighten it.

At this stage the work can be completed. The product can be installed in the tool. If the thickness of the blade turns out to be greater than necessary, we correct the situation with a hammer and anvil - slightly flatten the twist. Ready!

An electric jigsaw is a device for regular practical application every woodworker, and the development and improvement of technology has expanded the scope of its practical use. Now the device can be successfully used when working with other materials; the only thing that should be taken into account is the correct choice of saw blade. Jigsaw files are classified according to several of the most significant characteristics, which allows you to initially select the right attachment depending on the features and type of cutting. Let's try to figure out how to choose the right file for your jigsaw, and what types there are.

The demands placed on the instrument are currently very high. Productivity, speed of work, accuracy of the cut, and its evenness are important. IN general view All classification options for blades suitable for a jigsaw can be combined into several groups according to the following criteria:

• shank type;
• material used in the processing process;
• options for the shape of saw teeth;
• canvas width;
• tooth pitch;
• thickness of the canvas.

Types of files

By shank type

T-shaped version. This shank is called “Bosch”, since it was the Bosch company that came up with the idea of ​​its creation. Focusing on the leader in this field, other manufacturers began to produce jigsaws with the same shanks, which is why they are now ubiquitous.

U-shaped shank. Next most commonly used is American version, which is suitable for older types of jigsaws. Also compatible with models with screw and block terminals.

ShanksMakitaAndBosch. Rare representatives of their species, suitable only for jigsaws of the same manufacturer, and of the old type.

By material

Perhaps this is the main classification feature that most accurately separates all variants of jigsaw files and allows a detailed description of their types and operating features.

For metal. Such saw blades are most often made of special high-speed steel; the cutting segments themselves are small and depend on the degree of hardness of the metal - the harder it is, the smaller the tooth. In general, to tell the truth, a jigsaw is not very suitable for metal - the cutting process usually becomes lengthy. The selected file option can be suitable for either aluminum, steel, or non-ferrous metals.

On wood. Since the creation of the jigsaw, wood has been the only material option in its field of application, and it is still its classic purpose. These files are made from chrome vanadium or high carbon steel. At the same time, for rough cutting, where speed is not so much important as accuracy and precision, wide blades and large teeth are used.

For clean processing of chipboard and fiberboard panels, accuracy is required rather than increased productivity, so the file for these purposes has teeth up to 3 mm and a small set.

There are also special options with double row of teeth, allowing you to cut laminated panels as accurately as possible. For figured processing, narrow versions of blades with fine teeth and a slightly beveled back part are used.

For laminate. The peculiarity of this blade is the presence of so-called reverse teeth, which prevent the occurrence of chips on the front part when sawing. This saw has a small tooth.

For ceramic tiles. Such models are equipped with carbide coating on the edges. This attachment is convenient for cutting and even carving into shapes. However, it should be noted that a jigsaw can only cut wall tiles, for the floor you need a grinder or tile cutter.

Universal. They cope equally well with both wood and metal due to the fact that the teeth on one side of the saw are small and the teeth on the other are large. This blade is not suitable for curly processing and absolutely flawless cutting.

Special. They are divided into groups of products intended for different materials. For ceramic tiles, as described earlier, options made from the most durable alloys with special coating are suitable. When choosing a jigsaw for such purposes, keep in mind that the advisability of using it is only in cases of necessary shaped cutting; for straight edges, there are other, more suitable options.

If the material contains abrasive particles, as is the case with gypsum or cement, the files become dull very quickly. You should choose special blades with hard alloy soldering on the cutting part.

For soft “shapes” such as cardboard or rubber, choose "toothless" saws, which rather resemble knives. The edge is cut using a wave and grinding.

According to the shape of the teeth

With set milled. In such variants of files, the teeth are bent in different directions in turn. In this case, the width of the wiring is considered normal to be equal to 1.5th the thickness of the canvas itself. Thanks to the wiring, there is no strong heating, and sawdust is removed simply and easily. Used for quick cutting of not too hard wood, as well as plastic structures and non-ferrous metals.

With wavy milled. The setting is carried out in groups of teeth that deviate alternately to the left and to the right. The magnitude of the deviation of each subsequent one differs from the angle of inclination of the previous one, thus forming a wave. These saws are used for clean cutting of plastic and aluminum products and non-ferrous metal materials.

With ground teeth, conical grinding. Suitable only for finishing cuts when processing wood and plastic, as well as laminate and polymer materials.

With divorced polished. Used for rapid cutting with rough cuts of soft wood species, chipboards and fiberboard.

According to the width of the canvas

This file parameter is selected taking into account the specific requirements for specific work results. Wide blades are more stable, so nothing gets in the way of sawing high speed without fear of deviations. If you need to cut out a curve with high quality, then more suitable narrow options, with their help you can easily negotiate turns. In this case, it is necessary that the teeth themselves are located directly on the drive axis - this gives the tool controllability.

By tooth pitch

The step is the length of the trajectory between the vertices. Most countries have adopted the pitch designation TPI from the English “teeth per inch”, measured by the number of teeth per inch. That is, if, for example, the TPI value is 5, then this means that there are 5 teeth in one inch of blade.

If wood needs to be sawn crosswise, then it is advisable to use saws with a TPI of 7-4, when ordinary work 9-7 is enough, if you need extremely precise and accurate cutting - 13-10. It is also necessary to take into account thickness of the starting material, 6-8 teeth must be involved in the work, otherwise the blade will begin to vibrate and the cut will turn out torn.

According to the thickness of the canvas

The thickness of the file determines how far it will deviate from vertical installation. From this point of view, thick saw blades best provide an even, perpendicular cut. However, they almost certainly will not fit jigsaws that have a quick-release mechanism.

Marking jigsaw files is especially useful for those who are not yet experienced enough in carpentry and cannot indicate the purpose of the nozzle based on its appearance.

Most manufacturers tend to label their products using the system invented by Bosch.

So, the marking is affixed on the tail and contains a combination of letters and numbers.

The first letter in the combination indicates the type of shank:

• T-shape,
• U-shaped,
• M - for Makita jigsaws,
• Fein standard.

• 1 - the shortest length, does not exceed 75 mm,
• 2 - average 75-90,
• 3 - long 90-150,
• 7 – the longest files with a length of over 150 mm.

The next letter indicates the size of the teeth:

• A – fine teeth,
• B – average,
• C or D – large.

The last letter indicates some additional important information:

• F - working part made of particularly strong bimetallic alloy,
• P - precise cut,
• O - narrow back,
• X - progressive tooth pitch,
• R - reverse (reverse) direction of the teeth.

The color of the shank can also say a lot. Gray indicates that the saw is intended for wood materials, blue for metal, and red for plastic structures.

The type of steel used as the basis for the blade during production is indicated by a special combination of letters on the neck:

• HM – hard alloys,
• CV – chrome vanadium steel,
• HSS – high-speed steel,
• HCS (CV) – high carbon steel,
• BM (BiM) - CV and HSS connection, very strong and durable.

Often marked on the file letter designations, directly reflecting the essence of its purpose. For those who are at least a little familiar with English language, deciphering these letter combinations will not be difficult.

• "Wood" indicates working with soft wood and other soft materials.
• "Hardwood" - solid wood, PVC panels.
• “Inox” – works with stainless steel.
• "Metal" - metal.
• "Alu" - aluminum.
• Fiber, Plaster - fiberglass.
• Soft-material - rubber, carpet.
• Acrylic - polycarbonate.

Conclusion

Now you are familiar with the main types of blades, and you can easily answer the question of how to choose the right file for your jigsaw. Taking into account the specific design of each product, you can truly choose suitable option a file that will last for a long time and will not spoil your original idea. For those who frequently practice carpentry, it makes sense to acquire various options files and use them strictly for their intended purpose. If you take out a jigsaw a couple of times a year, then it is better to have universal models on hand for urgent and rough work, and entrust accurate and shaped cutting to professionals. Happy shopping to you!

All photos from the article

Wood jigsaws come in many varieties. They differ in width, length, tooth, material and even tail. In this article we will look at the subtleties the right choice, on which the quality of the cut and the speed of your work depend.

General provisions

The file for a manual jigsaw for wood is cutting tool, which in the process of work makes translational movements up and down, making straight or figured cuts.

Tip: when purchasing electric jigsaw check for the pendulum function.
Thanks to it, additional movement of the blade forward and backward occurs, which speeds up the process and reduces the load on the engine.

The use of such equipment greatly simplifies the processing of wooden and other products with your own hands. In addition, it makes it easy to create shaped cuts necessary when assembling certain structures or for the purpose of decorating them.

Varieties

The first thing you need to pay attention to when choosing a suitable file for a jigsaw for wood is its marking, which determines the material from which it is made:

Canvas material

It turns out that if you need a jigsaw for wood, then you should buy products marked HCS, but if the range of work can alternate with metal, then buying a set of BIM blades will be more rational. HSS is definitely not suitable for wood due to the short tooth travel, and HM/TC is too expensive to waste on cutting wood samples.

Canvas size

1. Jigsaw files for wood, as a rule, have a length of 7.5-15 cm, which allows you to cut fairly wide boards.
   It is designated as follows:

• “1” is the shortest option, 75 mm.
• “2” – medium file 90 mm long.
• “3” – elongated blade, reaching 150 mm.
• “4” – extra-long saw exceeds 150 mm.

1. Patterns for cutting wood with a jigsaw are made only with a thin blade, but sawing chipboard and fiberboard is done with a thick blade.

Tooth profile

The video in this article will introduce you to additional materials. Good luck with your choice!

Plays a big role when working with a jigsaw correct selection files for various materials. All manufactured jigsaw files differ in a number of parameters, which we will consider today.

What are jigsaw files made of?

Depending on the purpose, various types of metals are used for the manufacture of cutting elements, The bulk of files are made from the following materials:

1. Carbon steel HCS is used for the manufacture of saws intended for woodworking, artificial materials, plastic.
2. High-speed steel HSS is used for the production of cutting blades for materials with increased hardness (steel, non-ferrous metals).
3. Bimetallic files are characterized by increased ductility; they are a hybrid of HCS and HSS products whose teeth are made of high-speed steel. This technology has made it possible to reduce the cost of the canvas, while maintaining the main qualities high level. Files of this class can be used for various purposes; they are universal consumables, which is used for cutting metals, wood, and plastics.
4. Carbide files (HM) are used to work with specific materials, such as fiberglass, aerated concrete. The same cloth, but with abrasive mixtures applied to it, is used when working with ceramics.

Not so long ago, most jigsaw manufacturing companies used their own standards for the blade tail, this was mainly due to the different fastening mechanism. Nowadays, an increasing part of the tool allows you to use several different types of files:

1. The European standard shank is cross-shaped; today, most jigsaw models can work with such files. This standard is used by companies such as Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Metabo and many others. This shape of the shank allows you to securely fix the file in the quick-release mechanism, and the increased width makes it more reliable; blades of this type break somewhat less often. The product is marked T.
2. The shank of the files, which were previously used exclusively by Bosch, Metabo, and AEG, is somewhat different from the one described above (it has another additional stop). The marking is the same as the first type - T.
3. Makita also used files of its own design; their rectangular shank had a semicircular cutout. Such canvases are marked with the letter U.

In addition, there are also blades with straight shanks, with a different number of holes (MA). But, let us repeat once again, most of the saws produced today have a European standard shank; this has significantly simplified the choice of components, which previously could have become a problem for rare jigsaw models.

Types of teeth and blade geometry

They are used for various purposes and different shape blade teeth, which may differ not only in the shape of sharpening, but also in the method of setting.

• For working with wood, saws with milled set teeth are most often used. The cutting is carried out by analogy with a conventional wood saw; this allows you to slightly increase the thickness of the cut and prevents the blade from jamming in the wood. In addition, this shape promotes better removal of sawdust from the cut and prevents the file from overheating. Such blades can be used to work with wood of varying hardness, soft metals, and some types of plastics.
• To work with various types of metals, saws with the same milled teeth are used, but they already use wave routing (not through one, but in whole groups of 3-5 teeth). This gives the file a wave-like profile.
• For finishing cutting, blades with ground conical teeth are used; setting is not used on them. This file will provide the most high quality cut on wood, laminate, plastic and other similar materials.
• Ground set teeth on a file are used to ensure high cutting speed, but the quality of the cut is significantly deteriorated.

Types of files depending on purpose

Of all the manufactured types of jigsaw blades, three main groups can be distinguished:

1. On wood
2. For metal
3. Universal

Of course, there are also a number of special files that are used less frequently, these include blades for of stainless steel, ceramics, laminate, plastic, gypsum fiber materials. Let's consider the features of the main types.

Woodworking saws

Files in this category are most often made of HCS carbon steel, which explains their relatively low cost. Such files usually have grey colour, may differ in different parameters:

• The length of the file determines the possible thickness of the cut; today you can purchase a blade with a long working part of up to 155 mm, this allows you to work with timber with a thickness of 110-130 mm.
• The width of the file also plays a significant role. For straight cuts, it is worth using blades of large width, this allows you to maintain the cutting line, but figure cutting carried out with narrow cutting elements.
• The size of the tooth also affects the cleanliness of the cut; the larger it is, the faster the speed of work, but the worse the quality.
• For finishing cuts, saws with reverse teeth are often used, this helps prevent damage to the front side of the material. But working with a jigsaw with such a file is somewhat more difficult; significant vibration is felt.

Metal cutting files

Such blades are made from high-speed steel HSS containing a certain amount of carbon. It is characterized by increased hardness, which makes it possible to use such files for working with various metals, the canvases are usually blue.

Metal files can have different tooth shapes and blade geometry. For normal cutting, use fine-toothed files of the same size; for more hard materials products with changing geometry are used. Most often, such blades have teeth, the pitch and size of which gradually increase towards the edge. At the same time, the cut is simplified due to the fact that a kind of planing of the metal occurs, with each tooth removing a minimum layer. This reduces the load on the tool and allows you to increase its service life. For the same purpose, curvature of the canvas in its lower part is sometimes used.

Universal jigsaw files

These blades are capable of cutting various materials, ranging from wood to soft metals. Basically, the geometry of such a tool is similar to the shape of wood files. If desired, you can find cutters of various widths and lengths; there are also models with variable tooth geometry.

The advantage of such paintings is considered to be relatively low price, while maintaining (thanks to the HSS steel used in the teeth) its cutting qualities.

Other types of special files are used relatively rarely; they are designed to perform tasks in a narrow area. If you don’t have too much experience working with a tool such as a jigsaw, we can recommend purchasing a set of files for various purposes, this will help to get an idea of ​​the features of different canvases. And based on the information received, make a choice for permanent job. The fact is that there are no strict recommendations, sometimes when implementing various types works, seemingly completely inappropriate canvases are used, the choice mainly depends on personal experience. Therefore, in this matter you can experiment, albeit within reasonable limits.