Layered Jigsaw - blade choice

[Aggrajag]

I've just finished cutting and dusting a layered jigsaw for my sister, just got a bit of gluing and final filing/clean-up of the odd flake and it's done.

Pictures will follow once it's fully completed but I thought I'd ask about blades now it's too late

This jigsaw is 4 layers of 6.4mm ply so basically it's an inch of ply - 20 micro-layers Baltic birch top quality stuff. I did a test piece with a #5 Olson PGT, my favourite style of blade, but I found the kerf too large so it made the jigsaw wobbly and not snug enough. I then disappointedly noticed I didn't have any #3 of the same blade so I used some Pegasus #3 modified geometry blades I had that came with my saw. I have to say they've done a really neat job of the cut, top and bottom are clean but of course, and you'll all have seen this coming, cutting 1" of plywood with a #3 blade is never going to win any races.

I'm happy with the results, which is what really matters, and I've enjoyed making it, but what blade would YOU have chosen?

 

[gilljc]

Might be worth trying olsen mach blades, they cut very fast and are very manoeuvrable, much more so than the pgt, but the edge is not as mirror like as the pgt. I often use a mach #3 or #5 to cut up 1" hardwoods when I want to do some intricate cuts
Happy to send you a few if you want to try them?

 

[Aggrajag]

Cheers Gilljc, I've actually got a handful of those - will check which size later.