Chapter 8 Power Tools 203
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
angled to the left and right of the center of the blade. These blades produce
fast, smooth cuts in wood. Instead of angling each tooth, blades with wavy
set have alternating groups of two or three teeth angled to either side. Wavy
set is restricted to fi ne-tooth blades and is used for cutting thin pipes, tubing,
and sheet material. Blades with raker set have groups consisting of one set
of teeth to the right, one set to the left, and a raker tooth (no set). Raker set is
used for cutting thick metal and dense woods.
Reciprocating Saws
Several types of saws use a
reciprocating motion to cut through
a variety of materials. Handheld
reciprocating saws operate by mechanically
moving a blade in a fast back-and-forth
motion similar to the motion of a handsaw.
See Figure 8-33. Reciprocating saws can be
powered by standard AC electric power,
a DC generator, or rechargeable batteries.
These saws are commonly used during
demolition and in other situations where
a less precise or rougher cut is acceptable.
Special setups are available for jobs such as pruning trees, cutting pipe, and
emergency rescue operations.
Just like the blades of hand-operated saws, reciprocating saw blades are
designed to cut in only one direction. Most cut on the pulling stroke. Only
one end of the blade is supported by the tool, so blade construction must be
relatively stronger, thicker, and more rigid than band saw blades.
B
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Figure 8-32. A—Study the different parts and configurations of band saw blades. Most of the blade terms apply to all saw
blades. B—A decision on which of the three basic types of blade set to use to cut a material requires knowledge of the
material characteristics and how each set cuts.
Raker
set
Wavy
set
Alternate
set
Width
Tooth
spacing
Rake
angle
Regular Tooth
Configuration
Skip Tooth
Configuration
Hook Tooth
Configuration
Tooth
gullet
Pitch
or TPI
A
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Handles
Foot
Blade
Trigger
switch
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Figure 8-33. Reciprocating saws are demolition tools that provide
convenient, aggressive cutting power. They are not designed for
finesse operations.