Help with buying Jigsaw Blades please

[loops25]

Hi

My b/f will be needing some blades for the jigsaw, we will need to cut kitchen worktops so which blades do i buy?

Also I hear that you can buy blades to cut ceramic tiles so which blades do i buy?

Thanks to anyone that helps

 

[Burnerman]

There are loads of different blades that you could use, some more suitable than others, obviously.
For ceramic tile, you need a grit edge blade (Screwfix 10599) but a diamond blade tile cutting machine is much better.
For the worktops, a blade of around 3mm pitch will give a smooth but slow cut (89560) whereas a coarser pitch blade (29880) will be quicker.
Either way, its worth getting some practice first! Jigsaws are great cutting out holes for sinks, hobs etc but for straight cuts a circular saw, cutting from the underside, is much better.
Be aware, there are several blade fixing systems for jigsaws - they aren't universal! But do buy new ones - old blades have a tendency to wander.
John

 

[loops25]

Thanks John

We do have a circular saw so perhaps we would be better using that for the worktops, do I need to buy a blade for that?

 

[Burnerman]

You need a quality blade with tungsten tipped teeth to do the job well, maybe with as much as 60 or 80 teeth around its circumference, and you cut from the underside of the work surface to do this. Depending on the saw make, depends on what blades are available....Screwfix and Toolstation have good supplies, and the size of the arbor hole in the middle is another deciding factor.
If you haven't done this sort of stuff before, limit things to straight cuts - if you need your worktops to turn a 90 deg corner then get a kitchen fitter in (not trying to be patronising here but worktops are expensive, and special jigs are needed).
For cutting rectangles out of worktop, you cover the cutting areas with masking tape and measure out your shape with that...you then drill a hole within each corner of about 20mm (drilling from both sides) so the jigsaw runs into that at the end of each straight cut.
Again if you can find a chunk of worktop for a bit of practice, so much the better.
John