DeWalt XPC Jigsaw Blade Set, 10 Pieces, DT2290-QZ

DeWalt XPC Jigsaw Blade Set, 10 Pieces, DT2290-QZ

DeWalt DT2290-QZ is a set of 10 jigsaw blades from the XPC range, for wood, laminate and plastics. All blades are HCS carbon steel with a T-shank, supplied in a case with a clear lid.

Set contents

• 2 x HCS 105-1 - smooth cuts in wood up to 30 mm. Overall 100 mm, working 75 mm, 2.5 mm tooth pitch.
• 2 x HCS 101-2 - rough fast cuts in wood up to 60 mm. Overall 100 mm, working 75 mm, 3 mm pitch.
• 1 x HCS 130-1 - smooth curved cuts in wood up to 15 mm. Overall 75 mm, working 50 mm, 2 mm pitch. The narrow back allows a tight radius.
• 2 x HCS 116-1 - fast cuts in wood up to 60 mm. Overall 100 mm, working 75 mm.
• 1 x HCS 127-1 - clean cuts in wood.
• 2 x HCS 116-2 - fast cuts in thicker material.

How to pick a blade from the set

The choice comes down to one question: how clean the cut has to be. With a coarse tooth (101-2, 3 mm pitch) the saw moves fast but the top edge tears - fine for rough parts that will be covered. With a fine tooth (105-1 at 2.5 mm and finer) the cut is smooth but progress is slow.

The second consideration is material thickness. Blades embody a rule that is often ignored: at least three teeth must be in the cut at once. So thin material takes a fine tooth and thick material a coarse one. Getting it backwards leads either to a torn edge or to a jammed blade.

Curves

Blade 130-1 has a narrower back and a shorter working length - exactly what allows a tight turning radius. A wide blade in a tight curve twists, wanders off the line or breaks. If you are cutting a template or a small-radius shape, this is the blade.

Shank and case

The shank is T-shank, so the blades fit all T-shank jigsaws, regardless of brand. The case has a clear lid - you see which blade is where without opening it, and with ten visually similar blades that saves time.

Why HCS rather than bi-metal

HCS is high-carbon steel - relatively soft next to bi-metal, but far more flexible. In wood that is the right balance: the teeth never meet material hard enough to blunt them quickly, and the flexibility lets the blade bend under sideways pressure instead of snapping. That is why wood blades are almost always HCS and metal blades bi-metal.

The practical consequence is that these blades forgive mistakes. Push the saw sideways or start at an angle and an HCS blade flexes and recovers; a bi-metal blade in the same situation breaks. For a set used daily and by different people, that is an advantage.

Technical specifications

Questions and Answers