How to fit a fretsaw blade and tension it properly
Updated: 22 October 2026
The new pack is open, the old blade is in two pieces, and the frame is still slack. How to fit a fretsaw blade is the same short sequence each time: seat both ends, point the teeth so a hand frame cuts on the pull, tension until the blade pings, and drill a hole before any cut that starts in the middle of the wood. Which end your holder needs is settled on the [pin end or plain end fretsaw blades](/hub/saw-accessories/fret-saw-blades/sub/fret-saw-blades-pinned-or-plain) page, and the packs themselves are on the [fret saw blades comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/fret-saw-blades).
The new pack is open, the old blade is in two pieces, and the frame is still slack.
The new pack is open, the old blade is in two pieces, and the frame is still slack. How to fit a fretsaw blade is the same short sequence each time: seat both ends, point the teeth so a hand frame cuts on the pull, tension until the blade pings, and drill a hole before any cut that starts in the middle of the wood. Which end your holder needs is settled on the pin end or plain end fretsaw blades page, and the packs themselves are on the fret saw blades comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Length | Ends | TPI | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Eclipse Eclipse 71-FS5R 18 TPI pack of 10 | 125 mm | Not stated. Reviews report no pegs | 18, teeth toward the handle | 8.4 | about £5.48 | View offer |
| Best value |  Draper Draper 25510 25 TPI pin-end pack of 12 | 127 mm | Pins at both ends | 25 | 7.9 | about £6.63 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Faithfull Faithfull 16 TPI pack of 12 | 130 mm on the included line | Not in the bullets | 16 | 4.6 | about £8.35 | View offer |
On this page
Teeth toward the handle on a hand frame
Eclipse’s maker page for 71-FS5R says the teeth point toward the handle and the blade cuts on the pull stroke. A push on a hand frame buckles a thin blade. That instruction is for this blade, not for every scroll saw.
A powered scroll saw often cuts on the downstroke. Do not copy the hand-frame direction onto the machine without looking at that saw’s clamp. Unplug a powered saw before you change the blade. A hand frame has no plug. In the shared YUYTE pool, the first blades snapped until they were tensioned for a pull stroke. That note is not a fitting manual for a contradicted spiral title.
Clamp, spring, and the ping
Seat the end nearest the handle first, teeth facing the pull, then the far clamp. If the blade only just reaches, spring the arm slightly so the clamp can close, then release it so the frame supplies the tension. Tighten until a light pluck makes a high ping. A dull thud means slack, and slack is how new blades snap.
Faithfull 18 TPI reviews say tension takes practice. If the blade sings and stays straight, it is tight enough. If it rattles, reseat the ends. If it will not reach the top clamp at all, more tension will not fix it. The spans here are 125 mm, 127 mm, and 130 mm, compared in the buying guide. Forcing a short blade bends it before it meets the wood.
A hole before an internal cut
Drill the waste before a shape in the middle of the board, thread the free end, then clamp and tension. Cut the inside before the outline. Proxxon’s plain-spiral hole is about 1.5 mm. A Charnwood pin-end listing, not one of these nine packs, asks for at least 7 mm. Do not average that with a US note of about 5 mm.
Unplug a powered saw before you thread the blade. The Health and Safety Executive links wood dust to asthma and dermatitis, and hardwood dust to nasal cancer. Wear a mask for hardwood indoors, and eye protection for the drill.
When the blade snaps
A new blade that breaks on first contact is often slack, backwards, or pushed through stock it was not pitched for. Do not twist a spiral to steer it. That job is on the spiral or flat fretsaw blade page. Faithfull 16 TPI reviews say blades snap as they touch wood. Check reach and tension before you reorder the same row. One Draper reviewer found oyster shell too hard.
PUWER 1998 applies to work equipment, not automatically to a hobby frame at home. The workplace duty holder should own a powered structural cut, a cut in steel, or hardwood dust with no extraction.
Common questions
Which way should the teeth face in a hand frame?
Toward the handle, so the saw cuts as you pull. That is the Eclipse instruction for 71-FS5R. A push on a hand frame buckles a thin blade. A powered scroll saw may cut downward instead. Follow that machine’s clamp, and unplug it before you change the blade.
How tight is tight enough?
Tight enough that a light pluck gives a high ping. A dull thud means the blade is still slack, which is when new blades snap. If it will not ping, reseat both ends.
What do you do if the blade will not reach the top clamp?
Stop. A blade that never reaches cannot be tensioned. Eclipse reviews include 125 mm that was short of a longer machine, and a Faithfull pack was short of two fretsaws. Order the length your frame measures. Extra screw pressure bends a short blade. It does not stretch it.
How do you start a cut in the middle of the wood?
Drill the waste, unclamp one end, thread the blade, then tension it again. Cut the inside shapes before the outline. A plain spiral may pass a hole of about 1.5 mm on Proxxon’s note. A pin needs a larger hole, and one UK pin-end listing asks for at least 7 mm. Match the hole to the end you fitted.
Why do new blades snap on the first stroke?
Usually the blade is slack, the teeth face the wrong way for a hand frame, or you are pushing a fine pitch into stock that snatches. Shared reviews describe snaps that stopped once the blade was tensioned on the pull. Heat and a forced spiral are the other pattern. Check ping and direction before you blame the whole pack.
Is the method the same on a powered scroll saw?
The hole and the tension still matter. The tooth direction may not. Many scroll saws cut on the downstroke. Unplug the saw before the blade comes out. Powered cutting also needs extraction, because wood dust is the larger exposure on a machine than on a hand frame.
Do you need eye protection for a piercing cut?
Yes. You are drilling a hole and then tensioning a blade that can snap. Wear eye protection for the drill and for a powered saw. A hand frame throws less dust than a machine, and a mask is still sensible if the wood is hardwood and the room is small.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the stored amazon.co.uk listings. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Spear & Jackson, Eclipse fret saw blades (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Eclipse data sheet, fret 71-FS5R and coping 71-CP7R (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Faithfull Tools, 130 mm fretsaw blades (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Hobbies Yellow Label fretsaw blades (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Proxxon DSH leaflet (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Draper 25510 pin-end fretsaw blades (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Trading Depot, Bahco 302-83S-12P (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: wood dust (retrieved 22.10.2026)