Versatility is One of its most attractive attributes of a reciprocating saw. There are a variety of different blades that can be fitted onto reciprocating saws, depending on what you need to do. You can fit them to cut wood or metal, for instance, and you can choose blades for a variety of thicknesses. Below we will take a look at some of the most common reciprocating saw uses.
Window Fitting
Thanks mainly to this tools convenient portability, construction experts usually use one when fitting or cutting out a window. One of the nice reciprocating saw uses is that it can be used in places that other saws can't reach. This means that if you're planning to do window work, you need to make sure you have a good reciprocating saw, preferably one with a long blade, before you begin.
Cutting Branches
The Reciprocating saw is powerful enough to cut through tree branches and even smaller tree trunks. With the right blade, you can cut through as much as 12 inches of wood. While pruning can also be done with a chainsaw or an axe, a reciprocating saw is safer than the former and much easier than the latter. Hand pruning is a serious waste of time when you consider the various tools available that can do the job much better with significantly higher speed. Again, portability is a major advantage here as well and enhances the list of all the various uses.
Cutting Pipes
Cutting through pipes, such as PVC pipes is another one of the common reciprocating saw uses, this is one of the more awkward tasks that you may have to do with a saw, requiring you to get into strange or uncomfortable positions or cut at less than totally natural angles. The beauty of a reciprocating saw lies in the way it can be used to cut in a variety of angles, minimizing the discomfort.
Creating Indentations for Wiring
Making indentation in the walls so you can put in wiring is another task perfect for a reciprocating saw. No matter what the wall is made of or what sort of indentation you need, there is a blade out there than can be fit onto a saw for that purpose. It's easily the best way to get wiring done, and you can do it anywhere on the wall with a minimum of awkwardness and strain.
Cutting Through Nails
Recipro saw uses include using metal-cutting blades that make it much easier to remove nails or pins that are otherwise going to prove difficult to get rid of. When doing demolition, a this saw can be used to slice through nail-filled wood relatively easily.
Cutting in Patterns
A recipro-saw doesn't just cut in straight lines-it also has the ability to cut in zig-zags or curved shapes that no other kind of saw can match.
The above list is anything but exhaustive. Perhaps the best way to summarize all of the uses is to say that it can cut through just about anything you want, so long as you use the proper blade at the right speed.
Reciprocating Saw Blades
Dimensions
Reciprocating saw blades can range in length from 2.5 to 12 inches. Know ahead of time how deep you want the cut to be, so you can choose the right length. A greater width reduces bending or wobbling. The thickness you want also depends on what you're planning to do: most tasks require a thickness of about.035 inches, while.05 inches is better for the really hard jobs.
Teeth per Inch
Recipro Saw blades can have as few as 3 or as many as 24 teeth per inch (TPI). A blade's TPI is one of its most important qualities, and greatly affects how the saw will cut. A lower TPI means faster, rougher cuts; higher TPIs are suited for slow, smooth cuts. Which one you want depends largely on the material you'll be using the blade on. When cutting metal, for example, you'll definitely need a blade with a high TPI. There are also "variable-pitch" reciprocating saw blades, which have more teeth in one section of the blade than another.
Material
Most blades are made out of one of four types of material:
Carbon steel: flexible, cheap, but easily worn out.
High-speed steel: more durable but less flexible than carbon steel.
Bi-metal: combines the advantages of carbon and high-speed steel and can last significantly longer than either.
Carbide grit: best used for materials such as fiberglass, ceramic tile, and cement board.
Since some blades are cheaper than others because they are less durable, think about what you need before you buy. If you plan on reusing the same blade again and again, it will be worth the price in the long run to purchase one that lasts a long time; if not, it might be wiser to pick the less expensive option.
Common Reciprocating Saw Blades
Four of the most common types of reciprocating saw blades are:
Course-tooth: designed to cut green wood.
Fine-tooth: for smooth cuts in wood, plastic, and hardboard.
Hack saw: for cutting metal up to 1/8 inch in thickness.
Knife: versatile design good for cutting materials such as cloth, leather, linoleum, and rubber.
In addition, there are many specialty blades made to perform more specific tasks.
Other Considerations
Some reciprocating saw blades require a little maintenance. Those designed to cut heavy materials should be regularly lubricated with oil.
One final thing to note is that some tools make it much easier than others to change out the blades. A saw with a key-less blade clamp will let you fit a new reciprocating saw blades with less time and effort than one without it, so that feature is something to look for if you anticipate frequent blade-changing.
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