It is at least 40 years since I last used my fret saw - I normally prefer a coping saw. Now I need to use the fret saw and of course the blade is broken and I have no spares. So I looked online and found there is a whole range of blades available and I don't know what to order. How many teeth per inch? Skip tooth? Spiral? I need to cut straight lines in 15mm thick birch. I want a fine kerf. I assume I don't want a spiral blade for that but beyond that I am lost. What should I get?
Fret saw blades
- Thread starter Just4Fun
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loftyhermes
Established Member
I use 3 sizes of Niqua Speed reverse tooth blades, No's. 2/0, 3 and 5, available from several suppliers. For 15mm I would use the No. 3. Other good makes of blades are Olson and Pegas.
AES
Established Member
I agree with Lofty, except with 15 mm thick ply, I would use a No. 5 or even a No. 7! This highlights a "problem" with fret sawing (machine or hand) - "what suits Joe may not suit Tom"!
But they're cheap enough that you could afford to buy a dozen of each - personally I like Pegas and Axi are the UK distributors. Niqa and Olson are also good, but I THINK you have to get Olson by post from the US. Niqa are - I THINK - sold by Hegner who also are in UK. Hobbies in Norfolk (mail order) are also a source and again I THINK their blades are Niqa.
Reverse tooth blades have the first few teeth (at the bottom) pointing upwards, the idea being that when cutting thin or splintery stock, it reduces any splintering at the bottom of the cut. Skip tooth blades have, as the name suggests, every other tooth (or so) missed out, the idea being that when cutting thick stock there is more space in the kerf to clear saw dust. Spiral blades have the teeth all the way round (the blade is actually wrapped into a spiral during manufacture) and as you said already, will cut in all directions. IMO you don't need those. I find them very difficult to use anyway, but that's just me - some swear by 'em!
If faced with your job, I'd order 3 packets of a dozen blades each from Axi, ordering the Pegas "MGT" (modified geometry teeth) bIades in sizes 3, 5 and 7. A dozen of each should be more than enough to do the job with loads left over, and they're cheap enough for what they are.
HTH
But they're cheap enough that you could afford to buy a dozen of each - personally I like Pegas and Axi are the UK distributors. Niqa and Olson are also good, but I THINK you have to get Olson by post from the US. Niqa are - I THINK - sold by Hegner who also are in UK. Hobbies in Norfolk (mail order) are also a source and again I THINK their blades are Niqa.
Reverse tooth blades have the first few teeth (at the bottom) pointing upwards, the idea being that when cutting thin or splintery stock, it reduces any splintering at the bottom of the cut. Skip tooth blades have, as the name suggests, every other tooth (or so) missed out, the idea being that when cutting thick stock there is more space in the kerf to clear saw dust. Spiral blades have the teeth all the way round (the blade is actually wrapped into a spiral during manufacture) and as you said already, will cut in all directions. IMO you don't need those. I find them very difficult to use anyway, but that's just me - some swear by 'em!
If faced with your job, I'd order 3 packets of a dozen blades each from Axi, ordering the Pegas "MGT" (modified geometry teeth) bIades in sizes 3, 5 and 7. A dozen of each should be more than enough to do the job with loads left over, and they're cheap enough for what they are.
HTH
AES
Established Member
Sorry, for some reason I read 15 mm ply. "Does that change anything?" IMO, not a lot really. It MAY be better to use a skip tooth blade (more clearance for the saw dust), especially if the workpiece is soft-ish, and PERHAPS I'd use the No. 5 instead of the No. 3 that Lofty suggested. BUT, any of those suggested by anyone above will do the job.
As a rough general guide, the finer the blade (smaller the number) then the nicer the cut will be (need less or even nil sanding). But at the same time the finer the blade the slower it will cut.
But as said, all the suggested blades above will do the job fine. If you've got a lot of this to do, being a lazy so-and-so I'd buy a scroll saw!!! VERY useful tool for all sorts of other jobs around the shop, so IMO anyway, the cost can be justified.
As a rough general guide, the finer the blade (smaller the number) then the nicer the cut will be (need less or even nil sanding). But at the same time the finer the blade the slower it will cut.
But as said, all the suggested blades above will do the job fine. If you've got a lot of this to do, being a lazy so-and-so I'd buy a scroll saw!!! VERY useful tool for all sorts of other jobs around the shop, so IMO anyway, the cost can be justified.
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