Festool PI561668, PM561593 Sawblade Selection, Blade Usage, Blade Length, Tooth Type, Tooth Set

Sawblade Selection

Festool sawblades are designed for optimal performance in a variety of applications. Choosing the correct sawblade is important for obtaining the best cuts and optimal blade life. There are several factors that determine which blades are best suited for the operation.

Some of the important parameters for choosing the best blade are length, tooth shape, tooth spacing, tooth set, and type of metal used for the blade body and teeth.

Blade Usage

The shank of Festool sawblades are color coded according to their general usage intention. These colors are listed below. The specialty blades are an exception in that each blade will have its own special purpose and material type. These include carbide tipped blades, ceramic cutting blades, and serrated foam blades.

Wood Plastic Metal Specialty

Blade Length

NOTICE: Always use a saw blade that is long enough to fully cut through the workpiece. Never attempt to make a partial-depth cut with a jigsaw. Attempting to make a cut with a saw blade that is too short to fully cut the workpiece will likely damage the blade and possibly the saw itself.

It is important to use a saw blade that is the correct length for the material being cut. Because part of the sawblade never extends below the sole plate of the jigsaw, the blade length must be greater than the thickness of the workpiece to be cut.

The length of a jigsaw blade is specified by the length of the body that contains teeth, but does not include the upper shank that fits inside the blade holder. The example below shows a 75 mm blade. The usable length of this blade is approximately 54 mm (2⅛"), which is 75 mm minus the 19

mmthat does not extend below the saw’s sole plate, minus the distance of the lowest tooth from the tip of the blade.

75mm

	Usable Length
19mm
	Approx. 54 mm

Tooth Type

Saw blades will have different types of teeth depending on the purpose of the blade and the type of material it is expected to cut.

►► Angle ground teeth are the most common type of teeth for wood cutting applications. These teeth have sharpened sides as well as sharp points to provide effective side cut- ting of the teeth, and not just the tips.

►► Straight ground teeth are more typical for plastic and metal cutting blades, but some wood cutting blades may also have straight ground teeth. The tips of the teeth are the primary cutting edges for the blade.

►► Carbide tipped blades provide for longer blade life. Carbide is a harder metal that does not dull as quickly as

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other metals used for the blade bodies.

►► Tungsten carbide abrasive blades are used for cutting very hard materials, such as ceramics. These types of blades cut in an abrasive or filing type of action.

►► Serrated blades are used for cutting very soft materials, such as building foam. The blade functions much like a knife in its cutting action.

Angle Ground

Straight Ground

Carbide Tipped

Tungsten Carbide Abrasive

Serrated

Tooth Set

The term “tooth Set” refers to whether the teeth of the blade extend out past the body of the blade. This permits the kerf of the blade’s cut to be wider than the body of the blade, which reduces the likelihood of the blade binding in the cut or overheating due to friction.

►► Conical ground blades (also called tapered or trapezoidal blades) do not have any set in their teeth, but the body of the blade is ground to be narrower that the width of the teeth. These blades provide very smooth cuts because the teeth are not set side-to-side from the body of the blade, but the body of the blade still has some clearance within the saw kerf.

►► Side Set teeth are when each individual tooth is alter- nately bent to the left or right of the blade body. This results in the kerf width to be wider than the blade body, and also makes these blades more aggressive in their cut- ting action. However, the wider the tooth set, the rougher the cut surface will be.

►► Wavy set teeth are used almost exclusively for fine-tooth blades, such as metal cutting or fine scroll blades. The teeth are so close together that it is not possible to put a set on each tooth separately, so the teeth are set in groups with a waving pattern down the length of the body.

No Set

Side Set

Carvex PS420 Series