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Post by hemdale on Jan 12, 2016 11:18:34 GMT -5
Hi guys, There are so many blades to choose from and it seems the general consensus is that Bosch is "globally" the best brand choice and they have a quite large selection to choose from. I'm not talking about Mafell or Festool blades since the idea of this topic / poll is to find the best blades / investment ratio possible. From what I've read on the internet, it seems the blades below have a pretty good reputation. Personally, I haven't made any choice yet and I'm waiting for your feedback. T101BF T101BR T101A T101DP T308BF BIM T308B T345XF T234X Show time ! I'm putting a link to the blades for further references: www.bosch-pt.com/gb/en/accocs/Accessories/172320/jigsaws/PS: for those who wondered, I'm not affiliated in any way to the Bosch group.
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Post by holmz on Jan 12, 2016 11:56:35 GMT -5
... I'm not talking about Mafell or Festool blades since the idea of this topic / poll is to find the best blades / investment ratio possible. ... Well I am not sure that the Bosch blades are not a better investment? If the part being cut is better served by a blade that results in less wastage then maybe a more expensive blade is cheaper overall? In any case I have some Mafell blades and festool blades, but I have been using Bosch because they're cheaper . And saving the the $ blades for when I really need them. I will have to get the numbers later... The stand outs are: - some really fine metal blades that I was using to cut 0.6-mm (0.024") sheet metal (ti). - a Hitachi 6 tpi blade for fibreboard that plows through cement board.
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Post by reflector on Jan 12, 2016 12:36:52 GMT -5
I find that the T308B and T234X are outstanding performers. I'll find out how much the anti splinter insert helps later. Image attached shows a closeup of 15/32" CDX cut with the T234X. I'd also question how good the Festool blades are compared to the Bosch ones after seeing the P1cc Perfection topic: mafell-users-forum.freeforums.net/thread/94/p1cc-perfectionAttachments:
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Post by GhostFist on Jan 12, 2016 12:43:42 GMT -5
Good thread. I'll have to go through my stash to see the numbers for what I've been using most. I've got a heavy cache of festool blades but don't like them as much as my bosch.
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Post by hemdale on Jan 14, 2016 19:41:26 GMT -5
Thanks guys. I'm thinking of buying a few blades to try them out so maybe a set of 3 blades such as:
1 inverted teeth blade 1 super fine blade 1 thick but stiff blade ( Even though I doubt that any blade could be stiffer than the Cunex)
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Post by MrToolJunkie on Jan 14, 2016 23:40:37 GMT -5
1044DP is my all time favorite blade - not set means perfectly smooth cuts. It is a great all around blade.
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Post by reflector on May 11, 2016 21:43:19 GMT -5
I found that the Spyder Skeleton jigsaw blade (The wood version, not the multimaterial version) produces a really clean cut at speed 3 with the pendulum set to 0 to 1. It also seems to work with the P1cc's dust collection a little better. Surprisingly at those settings I didn't experience any splintering of the paper thin veneer on the plywood.
In my limited use I found that it didn't like to cut higher than speed 3-4+ with the pendulum at 0 in reverse, it tended to splinter the pine plywood I used and jump a bit.
Still doesn't cut as well as the Bosch T234X Progressor blade. The T234X really blew my mind in some CDX fir plywood when it produced a burnished edge on a radius cut.
Edit (June 11, 2016): Anyone reading my posts should read the ones further ahead. With the P1cc the way you use the blades matters a lot more. The P1cc will practically take any good or great blade and make it perform to to unbelievable limits. I find using speed 2-3 and the pendulum set to "3" (From 1-5, right in the middle) is a good starting point when combined with a very conservative feed rate. Just experiment since different species and different thicknesses will require you to tweakyour settings. Occasionally pushing aggressively in a cut (Usually ripping solid material) will also give you a super smooth finish but it heats the blade like crazy.
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Post by reflector on May 14, 2016 1:53:55 GMT -5
While using the Skeleton blade I had a bright headlamp on (The thing that gets me about the P1CC is the lack of integrated lighting) and I saw the dust being sucked right out of the cut. It seems to cut pretty well but it definitely doesn't cut to the same depth as the T234X, I think it practically maxes out at around 1.4"-ish, 1.5" (Two .75" boards) earlier with the blade at the highest position wouldn't clear the material very well. It wouldn't be as bad as banging the blade right into the material but I wouldn't use it for a deeper cut. It definitely wins out on the dust collection side of things, a lot less dust emerges from below when I'm cutting from overhead.
The T234X I also found out doesn't like to be flipped backwards, the geometry of the blade prevents full insertion into the P1CC when you reverse it and it is only gripped by the force of the bladeholder when inserted and locked in. The T101AO and Skeleton blade don't seem to have this issue. I will have to try out my other blades to see which ones can be reversed and which ones can't.
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Post by reflector on May 17, 2016 22:50:10 GMT -5
Oh to add another blade that can't be reversed:
The T308B ("Extra Clean") can't be reversed. The front of the blade near the T shank where the last tooth is has that protrusion on the body. It seems to share the same geometry/blank as the T234X Progressor blades.
My other blades seem to seat fine when reversed.
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Post by hemdale on May 18, 2016 19:32:42 GMT -5
Quick update: I've been using the Bosch T308 BOF (bimetal).
Cut quality is outstanding, super clean, super smooth and...rather quick. Only drawback, it's not THAT perpendicular and this blade is designed for curved cuts...not straight cuts. I've made a mistake since my original purchase was intending straight cuts.
Absolutely not a bad blade but not quite what I really needed.
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Post by reflector on May 28, 2016 5:40:17 GMT -5
Wow, I think I just found the perfect settings on the Spyder Skeleton blades. Speed 3 to 3/4 and oscillation at 3. I got cuts that are smooth as if I sanded them with 3000 grit Abralon. I think the quality of cut is comparable to what I got with the Bosch T234 Progressor blades. Seems like there's just a perfect range where you set speed, oscillation and just feed a little slow and you'll get crazy cut quality. Cut was in 2 boards of 1x4 SPF clamped together. The bit of roughness on the far right is where I started the cut with oscillation at 0. Afterwards I set oscillation to 3 and just gently fed the P1cc forward letting it cut at its own pace. It was almost like the vibration was causing the P1cc to just move forward with the gentlest nudge. I don't think the photo does justice given that its a macro shot and you can almost kind of sort of see the blade marks (Nice fine vertical lines) if you're a few inches away with a bright light. I also found out you can kind of power file on the P1CC as if it was a bandsaw if your blade is thick and rigid enough. It'll let you nudge the teeth on the side of the blade right up to a pencil line and cut the line in half without really deflecting the blade if you aren't doing anything crazy thick Checked the squareness of the cut and I think its less than 1mm out of square at the very furthest and that might of been because I started the cut from the front since I couldn't feed the P1CC in reverse. Attachments:
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Post by reflector on Jun 5, 2016 8:03:43 GMT -5
So far I'm having good luck with the Spyder Skeleton blade. The next up on my testing list is to try the Starrett Dual Cut blades. They seem interesting with the double bimetal layers on the outside edges and having the opposing teeth instead of the scoring setup found on the "Clean for Wood" and "Extra Clean for Wood" Bosch blades. I think the skeleton has a "similar" tooth geometry as the Bosch T101B (Clean for Wood) but the TPI is different and I think the blade is a thicker body. I will have to measure it later. I also have yet to try the T1044DP. That'll be an interesting one since I'll be stacking some 2x4s for a notching cut for something I'm working on. I found that the skeleton blade needs a bit of a feed and speed adjustment when cutting framing/construction lumber compared to the SPF (Which has tighter grain). A reduction in speed (From 3-4 to 2) and the same pendulum setting (3) produces a cut that rivals a 80 tooth finish blade (A Freud Diablo D1080X, nothing too special) with the 2x4 fed slowly enough during the crosscut that it burnishes it. All I have to do is feed the P1cc a little slower (To match the reduced speed). I think I prefer the skeleton blades (But not the price) for the dust evacuation. They seem to run cooler since they have better clearance for dust and I think it also contributes to the cut quality I've been experiencing with the P1cc given how it has the dust extraction channel (I'm watching dust get pulled upwards during the upstroke and right into the footplate. It looks insane for a jigsaw when you can see the dust stream do that.) At this point I can conclude that there's probably some "optimal" settings are for the Bosch blades I have that'll produce the same cut quality. I am pretty sure at this point that any good or great jigsaw blade will work exceptionally when it is inside the P1cc and the pendulum and speed are set right. I've found the P1cc to be an outstanding performer as a jigsaw. I'll have to see if I get a chance to play with a Bosch JS572 and/or a Carvex to see if they produce results that come close. I'll be serious when I say this (Again): The P1cc when operated properly with decent or good jigsaw blades produces a smoother cut edge than what I could achieve with a 400 grit sanding belt or P600 Abranet and that's across or with the gain. I'll reinforce what I said with the P3000 Abralon: Cuts are amazingly smooth when you have them right. For some reason the older Bosch Powertools UK catalog of jigsaw (And reciprocating saw) blades isn't available anymore. For reference I've uploaded it since its about 50mb. The newer catalog is available on the Bosch website but it seems smaller but it has some new stuff like a T1044DP equivalent for PVC pipes. The catalog PDF is below: www18.zippyshare.com/v/yL3V3ok3/file.html
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Post by GhostFist on Jun 5, 2016 9:17:06 GMT -5
Nice one gonna have to give your blade recommendations a whirl
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Post by reflector on Jun 5, 2016 9:29:44 GMT -5
I think its the P1cc that works the magic.* As far as I can tell, what's happening is I'm hitting the proper surface speed and feed rate for the jigsaw blade in whatever species and thickness of wood I'm cutting. The P1cc holds the blade rigidly enough and the blades don't heat up so the cutting results are amazing. By cool I mean cool to the touch, down to the teeth. The photos don't really do as much justice as physically running your finger over the cut surface.
I seriously did not believe you could achieve mirror finish cuts with a jigsaw until now. I thought it was a fluke with that sheet of plywood until I started hitting construction lumber. I think some guy who Festool sponsors once said something along the lines of "You should be realistic, this is a jigsaw. For mirror crosscuts you need a Kapex." Right now I'm kind of blown away that if you hit the right speed/pendulum/feed rate you basically can get that mirror finish, with or across the grain. I also find that the reduced feed really avoids splintering with the pendulum on.
There is one thing I have noticed: No pendulum means generally so so surface finishes. I think it has to do with clearance of the swarf/dust. Its a hypothesis, but: The T234X and T308B have tapered grinds, so dust can escape on the sides of the blade since the blade has relief. The Spyder Skeleton has the cutouts in the body
I didn't have luck with the T308BFP when I tried it but it seems like this might be a "try different settings and feed rates until you hit what seems like the best for the blade" problem. Maybe it isn't and its something about being able to clear the swarf/dust out of the cut.
*At some point I kind of mentally justified the purchase of the P1cc in the sense that it does "20% more" than the rest of the high end jigsaws (Features like blade reversal, more pendulum settings, more powerful motor) at "200%+ the price." I think I am going to take that back. I've been impressed and blown away so far at the quality of the cut and the squareness it can achieve. The P1cc basically takes what's an good, excellent or extraordinary jigsaw blade and pushes it to the very limits of what you can do with a piece of reciprocating metal with teeth.
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Post by GhostFist on Jun 5, 2016 10:50:22 GMT -5
I agree, when you get the feel of the p1cc it doesn't even seem like a jigsaw anymore but rather a unique machine unto itself. You may be on to something with dust removal in the cut. Take for example how this affects an oscillating tool like the fein multi master. Certainly is a cause of heat/friction build up. Worth further exploring blade geometry and tool settings/techniques
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