Bosch PRO Laminate Set Jigsaw Blades, T-Shank, 3 Pieces, 2608636429

Bosch PRO Laminate Set Jigsaw Blades, T-Shank, 3 Pieces, 2608636429

Bosch 2608636429 is a set of 3 jigsaw blades for laminate, with a T-shank. It contains T101BIF for straight cuts and T101AOF for curves.

Why laminate is difficult

Laminate flooring and faced board are a hard surface over a soft core. That creates a specific problem: an ordinary wood blade chips the facing where the tooth exits - that is, on the visible face if you cut from above.

The answer in the BIF and AOF blades is reverse tooth geometry. The teeth point downward instead of upward, so the cutting stroke presses the laminate onto the bench rather than lifting it. The result is a clean edge on the face side - the side you see.

The two blades in the set

• T101BIF - for straight cuts. The wider body holds the line and does not wander on a long cut. This is the blade for shortening a board or cutting along a straight line.
• T101AOF - for curves. The narrower back allows a tighter radius without the blade twisting. This is the blade for cutting round a pipe, for a socket opening or for a scribed angle.

Together in one set they cover both tasks that come up in the same laminate installation.

Practical tips

Reverse-tooth blades have one quirk worth knowing: switch the pendulum action off. Orbital action adds a forward-and-back movement which, with a reverse tooth, works against the purpose and starts tearing the edge. The blade also pushes the machine upward - keep it pressed down onto the material.

If you do cut with the laminate face down, reverse blades lose their point - an ordinary clean-cut blade does the same job in that position.

Compatibility

The shank is T-shank - the universal standard. The blades fit all T-shank jigsaws, whatever the brand of machine.

When the set pays for itself

A jigsaw is in practice the machine laminate gets cut with during installation, for several reasons. A circular saw gives a straighter cut but is heavy and does not come into a room stacked with laid boards. A hand saw is slow. A jigsaw cuts in place, against the row already down, and it makes the cut-outs every floor demands: around radiator pipes, thresholds, door casings and non-square corners.

That is exactly why a set with two blades - straight and curve - is the practical answer. Those two tasks do not come separately: over a day's installation you swap blades several times, and with only one blade type either the cut comes out ragged or the curve comes out crooked.

Technical specifications

Questions and Answers