Shopsmith Forums

So I am looking to have some blades for my newly acquired jigsaw I am refurbishing. I go to Olson Saw to look for blades and there are too many to choose from. I have nothing in mind to cut, I just want an assortment to handle anything that might come up. Anybody have suggestions?

I used to use a scroll saw for things like cut outs in plastic control panels and some prototype pieces. When I discovered spiral blades I was ecstatic because you can cut in any direction. You have to slow down for those but it's way easier for me to follow a line without turning the work. You need the faster cutting blades as the material gets thicker, so maybe those crown tooth blades above. Can't say much else except you need multiples of any blade you like because if you have just one it will break before you are done.

I have used the spiral blades Ed referred to on my Scroll Saw also but have not tried them on my Jig Saws. An important thing to note is the difference on how the Jig Saws and the Scroll Saws work. Because the Jig Saw uses spring tension on the blade from the upper arm instead of even tension between the arms like the Scroll Saw reverse tooth blades are not designed to use on the Jig Saw. The Jig Saw cuts on the down stroke while the Scroll Saw cuts in both directions. On the Jig Saw the bigger the blade the less likely to break. I would use blades found on page 2 of the Olsen chart for the Jig Saw. This may sound as though I don't like the Jig Saw as much as the Scroll Saw but is not true. Both have their pluses and minuses which is why I have both and use the one that is best suited for the job at hand.

Thank you both. I ordered a bunch of different blades.