Useful information:
A hacksaw blade looks like a narrow strip. With holes for fixation at its ends. There are three main criteria for choosing hacksaw blades.
Application
There are hacksaw blades on hand (mechanical) and power tools. Parameters of cutting part may vary. So, for hand hacksaws blades with 250-300 mm length are intended. They are 12-25 mm wide and 0.63-1.25 mm thick.
Manufacturing material
– Carbon steel. They are the least durable, intended for non-ferrous or soft metal and marked as HCS;
– High speed steel. They have the most wear-resistant teeth but tend to be fragile. Besides, their prices are high enough. They are marked as HSS.
– Bimetal hacksaw blades. Modern technology displacing earlier ones: base – carbon steel, over which HSS strip is welded, which serves as the basis for the teeth; it is denoted by BIM.
– There are also alloy steel hacksaw blades for cutting brick, concrete or stone. Designation HM.
Tooth size
According to international standards, PPI or TPI is used for describing tooth sizes. The larger this number, the smaller a tooth. Most known jigsaw blades have a tooth pitch of 18 or 24.
How to install a blade in a hacksaw
An installation method is determined by the fastener system on the hacksaw itself. In the case of a threaded clamp, the blade is put on the corresponding protrusion, slightly stretched, and then fixed with the wing nut. In case of abrupt load changes on the hacksaw, this fastener system should be checked regularly. For hacksaws with a lever-type device, installation and replacement process are simplified: extend the lever located on the side opposite to the handle of your hacksaw, put on the blade, and return the lever to its initial position.
When properly tightened, the canvas should make a slight ring and vibrate a little. During operation, a blade should not change its moving direction under load.
When properly tightened, a blade should go tang and vibrate a little bit. During performance, such a blade does not change its moving direction under load.