New Jig Saw Blades From Bosch

Bosch has just announced the introduction of a revolutionary new blade for jigsaws. Designated the “T 308B Xtra Clean for Wood,” this blade promises , and delivers , better cuts than we have ever seen from a jigsaw. A couple months ago we received some samples for testing in our shop, and late yesterday we got the green light to be the first to announce this new blade.

Until using this blade, I always regarded a jigsaw cut as a preliminary one , a cut that would need some extra work to remove saw marks, straighten a wobbly cut, or fix some tear-out on the top or bottom of the work. But thanks to the unique tooth geometry on this blade, I now think of the jigsaw as extremely capable for making finish cuts. I used the blade when making the Craftsman Bookcase for our August issue, and I’ve been using it to cut the large dovetails for the workbench that I’m currently building.

Here is a close-up of one of the joints, immediately after cutting. The light reflecting on the just-cut part of the joint indicates how smooth the surface is. If you look at the blade, you can clearly see that the teeth on the lower portion of the blade are a different shape from those at the top. Bosch refers to the top teeth as “pointed teeth” and the lower ones as “scalpel teeth.” This arrangement allows the blade to cut both on the up and down strokes, leaving a clean cut on both faces.

The cut edge is also exceptionally clean and smooth, and I found that the blade cut with far less resistance than most blades, allowing for a greater amount of control during cutting. At the moment we do not have a specific date for when these will be available for sale, or the price. When I have an answer, I’ll let you know. The 12 tpi blade will be available soon from Bosch distributors.

We shot some video yesterday, and you can view it by clicking on the player below.