The tooth counts on the three top blades are the three common types that you should own: 18, 24 and 32 tpi (teeth per inch). So long as you don’t overtighten the carbide grit blade in a high-tension frame, it will work in a high-tension saw frame without snapping. The top three blades can be used in either a standard-tension hacksaw or in a high-tension hacksaw. Three typical bi-metal hacksaw blades (top) and a carbide grit blade (bottom). For metal that is thinner, use a blade with 24 or 32 teeth per inch. For metal that is in the vicinity of 1/16-inch thick and thicker, use a blade with 14 to 18 teeth per inch.

The cut goes much more easily when you switch to a 32-tpi blade.Ĭommon hacksaw blades are available with 14, 18, 24, and 32 teeth per inch. If you try cutting that with a 14-tpi blade, you’ll find that the teeth will snag on it. The same holds true for cutting something thin, like sheet metal. It's much easier to cut such a thick piece of metal using a blade with 14 or 18 teeth per inch. The fine teeth become clogged with metal particles. That is, if you cut thick material (say a half inch thick) with a blade that has a large number of teeth per inch (say 24 or 32 teeth), you’ll find it tough going. The goal is two have a minimum of two hacksaw teeth in contact with the material, while not increasing the tooth contact to the point where the blade clogs with the waste particles that it is producing. The immutable law of hacksaw knowledge boils down to this: Thick materials require a blade with fewer teeth per inch, while thin materials require a blade with more teeth per inch.

32-tpi hacksaw blade, 12-inch: Starrett KBS1232-2.24-tpi hacksaw blade, 12-inch: Lenox Tools 20161T224HE.18-tpi hacksaw blade, 12-inch: Lenox Tools 20160T218HE.Standard-tension, adjustable-length hacksaw frame: Starret K152.High-tension 12-inch hacksaw frame: Lenox 12132HT50.Furthermore, hacksaws also cut ceramic tile and plastics.īelow we show a few great hacksaws and blades, and explain the fundamentals of using this great tool. A small selection of blades will take you through an incredible range of work. They don’t have batteries that need to be charged. There are several good reasons to learn how to use one: Hacksaws are simple devices that cut metal quickly, accurately, and quietly. But with all the power tool options available today that cut metal, such as jig saws, reciprocating saws, circular saws, and abrasive wheel chop saws, you might ask whether you should bother with this old-school metalworking tool. Pegs made out of triplay are to easy to break.Metal isn’t hard to cut, and a hacksaw isn’t difficult to use. They are also stronger and you can just add an adaptor when needed. It is easier to create female connectors on both sides. Trace the female connectors and compare with the real samples. The cut was not too difficult to do as I found a piece of scrap wood roughly the size I needed. On a 12mm thick triplay board, trace a rectangle with the width and length of the desired track. If it is meant to fit train tracks only, you should make it compatible with switches. If it is meant to fit a road plate, the space between the two tracks might be wider. Odd measures might make it difficult to complete a circuit.ĭecide how large your piece should be. It is important because the Vario System has a mathematically determined set of dimensions to allow maximum versatility.

The longest track on the system is usually 216mm. It should roughly match the length of several tracks from your sample.

Hacksaw train rails