A Hacksaw is certainly a handy tool to have in your toolbox, but you need to ensure you have the correct knowledge to use one properly. There are several types of hacksaw, and each one is used for different purposes.
Continue reading to find out about the types of hacksaw available and what they can be used for as well as different types of hacksaw frame and blades.
Table of Contents
The Three Types of Hacksaw
There are several different types of hacksaw, but the majority of them can be seperated into one of these groups below.
Junior Handheld Hacksaw
Contrary to the name, this tool isn’t only for children, however, it is the hacksaw you would see in a school woodwork class as it’s the easiest to use. It’s the handiest type of hacksaw and extremely versatile, therefore, should have a place in everyone’s toolbox.
What Can it Be Used for?
This hacksaw can be used to cut small metal pipes like curtain roles or plumbing pipes. It can also be used to saw through plastic or wooden beams such as stair rails. Maybe you have a chair that’s a little too high for the table, it will take you a few seconds to saw an inch off each leg and voila, perfect fit! It’s also useful to note that this is the type of saw used by butchers to separate meat and cut through bones, therefore, many people have one of these stored in the kitchen.
Handheld Hacksaw
This hacksaw is just an enlarged version of the junior handheld hacksaw, the frame is larger and the blade is often longer, sturdier and have bigger teeth. The handheld hacksaw tends to have a pistol grip and screws on each side of the blade so you can tighten or loosen the tension. You also canhave the ability to decide which way the teeth are facing depending on whether you want a push or pull cutting action.
What Can it B e Used for?
This saw can be used in the same way as the junior saw but on a bigger scale. The blade is stronger and the tension and direction of teeth can be adjusted, meaning you have more control over how you cut through an object. This is certainly useful when you want to be more precise. Use one of these to slice through larger pipes, trees or logs and even huge sheets of plastic.
Power Hacksaw
The strongest of them all is the power hacksaw. Used for tasks that are simply too big to complete with a hand-powered saw. A power hacksaw would make these tasks look easy, saving you time and a lot of effort. Also, if you choose to use a power hacksaw for larger jobs your work will be much more precise.
What can it be used for?
This type of hacksaw can be used for precise jobs such as cutting through a 15mm piece of wood or plastic for example. It can also be used for jobs that would otherwise take you quite a while using a hand saw.
Types of Hacksaw Frame
The base of the hacksaw frame is like the letter C with a handle fixed on one end. There are usually pins on each side where the blades can be added and adjusted but there are differences in the two types of hacksaw frame.
Fixed Hacksaw Frame
This frame means that only one size of blade can be fitted which might not be ideal depending on the job you want to complete or which blade you need. You can find two types of handle for this frame, the pistol handle and the straight handle, this choice can be made purely for your comfort.
Adjustable Hacksaw
This gives you much more flexibility than the fixed frame, you can adjust the distance between the ends of the frame meaning that you can slot in any type of blade you need. Another great benefit of this type of frame is that there is an addition to the choice of handle. As well as the straight and pistol handle, you can also have a tubular handle which is extremely sturdy and useful for difficult tasks.
Types of Hacksaw Blades
There’s not just different hacksaws and frames, there are several types of blades available too, all depending on what you need to saw.
Medium Grade Blade
This is a much more versatile blade that can cut through nearly all types of metal; brass, carbon steel and cast iron. These blades have many more teeth per inch; 20 – 24.
Fine Grade Blade
This is a more precise blade when compared to the others, they are great for cutting through thin tubes, pipes or sheets of metal. The fine grade means that the cut is cleaner and sharper as long as you use it with the correct material. 24-30 teeth can be found per inch on this blade.
Superfine Grade Blade
With an incredible 30 teeth per inch, this superfine blade is great for cutting very solid metals. Any thin sheet of metal should also be cut with one of these blades to give a precise and clean cut.
Hard Blade
The hard blade is usually made from high quality, tempered steel. The blade is strengthened all the way through, even down onto the teeth, making it perfect for cutting through difficult materials. The only problem with this blade is that the teeth are so sharp that occasionally they can become brittle and break during use.
Flexible Blade
A flexible blade has the same sharpened teeth as a hardened blade, but the back tends to be a flexible sheet of metal. The slight flexibility means that they’re great for precise work but the teeth are less brittle and are much less likely to snap.
Course Blade
This is much more suited to cutting through softer metals like copper, tin, aluminium and mild steel. This blade is used mostly by plumbers that have to cutprecisely through copper pipes on a daily basis. They averagely have 14 to 18 teeth per inch.