Jigsaw blades.

[PHSUK]

Is there any way of knowing what jigsaw blade is best for different types of material you are working on. I have a number of blades which all look quite similar and a couple of very fine-toothed blades that I presume are for cutting metal?

Each of the blades has an etching on them like 9-10, 2E-40, 8-10, B-22 and 2B-10. The teeth angle back upwards so this suggests they all cut on the up-stroke? I can understand various types of saws but I can't find any definitive explanation that says to use this jigsaw blade for this type of wood, this blade for that type of wood, and so on. Can anyone explain it to me?

[DJ’s Timber]

Normally the packaging that the blades come in tells you what they're suitable for. I would go to you local hardware and compare them to various ones on the shelf to see what brand you have and then you can look on the packet to see what is type is.

Some blades have different set on the teeth which will give you a straight or curve cut with minimal chipping while some are for quick fast cutting with a fair bit of chip out.

[PHSUK]

DJ, thanks for the bump on the blades. I've found a couple of references and it looks like each manufacturer brings different categories of blades to the table. The stock issue ones I got with the jigsaw (Makita 4340CT) seem to be the lower end of the market. I don't have anything in the documentation that describes the blades it came with, only the Makita blade numbers. I don't think the blades are necessarily bad but I'll confine them to cutting rough stock and invest in some better quality blades made by other firms.

[MurrayD99]

This might help
http://www.ukindustry.co.uk/makita/J...__Specific.htm
Note the splinter-free option. I think these are OK. Not sure what else is around & better.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

BTW, whether it cuts on the up-stroke or down-stroke is irrelevant to the type of material you're cutting. The cut and set of the teeth determine that.

The direction of cut is more relevant to the situation you're in... for example making a cutout in a veneered kitchen counter you'd want to cut on the down-stroke so the teeth don't catch and "lift" the veneer off the substrate.

Sometimes you have to cut from the other, unveneered, side so then you use an up-stroke blade for the same reason.

[Audiowizard]

I alway just go with what is on the package. But historically, the closer the teeth are the finer the cut.

AW

[Dean]

I don't think the blades are necessarily bad but I'll confine them to cutting rough stock and invest in some better quality blades made by other firms.

Grab some P&N jigsaw blades. They are excellent quality and cut very nicely. Very sharp!

[PHSUK]

I alway just go with what is on the package. But historically, the closer the teeth are the finer the cut.

AW

Package? Oops. I generally throw away all documentary evidence and product descriptions in my excitement when unpacking new tools.

MurrayD: thanks for the link to the blade types and it's given me a better understanding of them now. I also made another discovery about my Makita...it has a rotary setting for the blade movement. Inadvertently I had it set to maximum blade rotation which explains why it was trying to jump out of my hand all the time. Duh!

[MurrayD99]

Package? Oops. I generally throw away all documentary evidence and product descriptions in my excitement when unpacking new tools.

MurrayD: thanks for the link to the blade types and it's given me a better understanding of them now. I also made another discovery about my Makita...it has a rotary setting for the blade movement. Inadvertently I had it set to maximum blade rotation which explains why it was trying to jump out of my hand all the time. Duh!

My Makita doesn't have that action - but I can imagine!