The Non-wood Jigsaw Blades

Jigsaw blades are the main components of jigsaws. These blades provide the primary quality of jigsaws in its versatility and ability to cut through a variety of materials such as wood, metal, or ceramics. In this article we will discuss the non-wood cutting jigsaw blades designed for a specific material.
Jigsaw Blades for Metal

Typically, metal-cutting jigsaw blades are designed and manufactured to have a wave type side-set of the teeth. These are available in different lengths for cutting longer and different depths. The teeth of jigsaw blades for metal are side-set in groups arranged in a fluent shape. This prevents the blade from being squeezed too much when cutting soft metals such as aluminum.

Jigsaw Blades for Soft Material

A jigsaw blade that cuts soft material is not what wood workers first think of when it comes to the best jigsaw in the workshop. But when it comes to cutting soft material like insulation, polystyrene, rubber, carpet or leather, these blades are useful in this application.

This group of blades is often used in home improvement jobs. In reciprocating saws, there are larger blades for soft material that are often used to effectively cut 8 to 10 inches of insulation material.

Jigsaw Blades for Cutting Ceramics

This special jigsaw blade cuts ceramics, fiberglass, reinforced plastics and cement board. These types of blades are often used in construction projects often seen used by professional woodworkers in cutting fiberglass.

This blade has a tungsten carbide edge and no teeth. The blade’s tungsten carbide edge cuts like a file and not a saw. When professional woodworkers do this action, they switch off the pendulum or orbital action on the jigsaw. They also turn down the speed of their jigsaw to prevent overheating of the blade. These blades can overheat when cutting tiles.

Blades for Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics

A grit type jigsaw blade is used to cut fiberglass and works like a file. The ceramics blade is very common but your alternative is to use a special tungsten carbide tipped jigsaw blade with teeth for this application. This type of blade actually cuts rather than just grinding the cut.
The tungsten carbide tipped blade has extended life and can provide cleaner and faster cuts in all sorts of epoxy or reinforced plastics and even on fiber cement boards. These blades are commonly used by roofers, carpenters and contractors.

Jigsaw Blade to Cut Acrylic Material

These types of blades can typically look like a standard blade for wood. But on closer examination, the teeth are not side set but are rather thinner and taper ground. One of the trickiest tasks in the workshop is cutting acrylic material. Acrylic material when cut tends to overheat and will smear or spread most of the time.

This special jigsaw blade for acrylic materials actually solves these problems. Make sure to reduce speed on your jigsaw and keep the orbital action at a low rate when cutting polycarbonate or Perspex material.

Today there are too many blades available from a variety of manufacturers. This article has shown you the most important jigsaw blades used by woodworkers, contractors, carpenters and roofers available in the market today. This will guide on what blade to use for your next project.