Blade choice matters

[ear3]

Just got a good reminder that blade choice on the jigsaw really matters. To Rip Cut some 8/4 white oak for these rail holders I'm making, I started with the thick 75/4 blade, because that was what was already loaded in the Carvex. It cut like a snail, and when I started to see and smell burning on the blade, I shut the machine off not having gotten half of the way through a single cut. Then switched over to the 75/2.5 blade, and the cut went swimmingly -- a little more vibration than on the standard blade, but cut quality and most importantly speed were great.

You can see the comparison in the pic.

 

[Nat X]

I never work with oak but I'm surprised by the result there--I'd probably have assumed the exact opposite would be true. Can you tell why the thicker blade was encountering so much more friction?

 

[Holmz]

 

[ear3]

A crosscut would have been fine with the thicker blade, but because it was a rip cut the greater thickness was the cause of it getting bogged down.

[member=40772]Holmz[/member] Thanks for the info on that blade. Never seen it before.

I never work with oak but I'm surprised by the result there--I'd probably have assumed the exact opposite would be true. Can you tell why the thicker blade was encountering so much more friction?

 

[Shane Holland]

For those who haven't seen it, here's a handy-dandy jigsaw blade choosing widget. Just plug in your cut type info and get recommended blades.
http://www.festoolproducts.com/Jigsaw-Blades-s/245.htm

 

[Holmz]

For those who haven't seen it, here's a handy-dandy jigsaw blade choosing widget. Just plug in your cut type info and get recommended blades.
http://www.festoolproducts.com/Jigsaw-Blades-s/245.htm

The only issue is that the link is myopic, and it is possible that there could be better blades for a Festool jigsaw than a Festool jigsaw blade.