Pin end or plain end fretsaw blades for your frame
Updated: 22 October 2026
The last blade snapped in the clamp, or it never sat at all. You bought a fretsaw blade and the ends were the other kind. Pin end or plain end fretsaw blades are not two qualities of the same strip. A pin is a small cross-piece that drops onto hooks. A plain end is a bare tang that jaws have to bite. A pin will not sit in plain jaws, and a plain end will not hook. This page is only that match. Tooth counts and spirals stay elsewhere. The nine packs are on the [fret saw blades comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/fret-saw-blades).
The last blade snapped in the clamp, or it never sat at all. You bought a fretsaw blade and the ends were the other kind. Pin end or plain end fretsaw blades are not two qualities of the same strip.
The last blade snapped in the clamp, or it never sat at all. You bought a fretsaw blade and the ends were the other kind. Pin end or plain end fretsaw blades are not two qualities of the same strip. A pin is a small cross-piece that drops onto hooks. A plain end is a bare tang that jaws have to bite. A pin will not sit in plain jaws, and a plain end will not hook. This page is only that match. Tooth counts and spirals stay elsewhere. The nine packs are on the fret saw blades comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Ends | Length | TPI | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Eclipse Eclipse 71-FS5R 18 TPI pack of 10 | Not stated. Reviews report no pegs | 125 mm | 18 | 8.4 | about £5.48 | View offer |
| Best value |  Draper Draper 25510 25 TPI pin-end pack of 12 | Pins at both ends | 127 mm | 25 | 7.9 | about £6.63 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Xcalibur Tooling Xcalibur 24 TPI pinned pack of 10 | Pin-ended | 130 mm | 24 | 5.5 | about £8.99 | View offer |
On this page
Hooks or jaws
If you can see two hooks, you need a pin at both ends. If you can see a slotted jaw and a screw, you need a plain end. Amazon titles often omit the end. Eclipse bullets never mention pegs, and buyers report that a pinned scroll saw will not take them.
The lengths are not identical. Proxxon’s leaflet shows 127 mm pin-end blades next to 130 mm plain blades. Draper’s pin-end length is 127 mm. Hobbies’ pinless grades are 130 mm. Eclipse is 125 mm. A pin that is also short still will not tension. Scroll saw blade does not mean pinned. The Faithfull hand frame uses plain-end blades at 130 mm. The Xcalibur bullet names a Faithfull CSBS and states pins. Those are two products, not one holder.
Packs that state pins
Draper 25510 states pins, 127 mm, and 25 TPI, 12 blades at £6.63. The brand also sells a plain-end pack elsewhere, so read 25510. Xcalibur states pins, 130 mm, and 24 TPI, 10 blades at £8.99, and the title also says coping saw. Eclipse’s coping part is 165 mm, so those words are a title problem. Order Draper for hooks near 127 mm. Consider Xcalibur only after you have measured 130 mm. Price and review limits are on the best fret saw blades page.
Packs that are plain, or only say so off Amazon
Eclipse 71-FS5R does not say no pins in the bullets. The reviews do. Jaws near 125 mm can use that note. Hooks should leave the pack.
Faithfull’s 16 TPI pack drew a reviewer who said these are not pinned. The 18 TPI bullets do not state the ends. The maker’s site says plain end, and that reply is not the amazon bullet. Its dimension also says 23 cm by 5.5 cm against 130 mm. ZenithQuest and both YUYTE colours do not give one end you can trust. Length, then ends, then teeth, is the buying guide.
A pin changes the hole
A plain end can pass a small hole. Proxxon’s plain-spiral note is about 1.5 mm, and a pin cannot use that hole. Charnwood’s pin-end listing, not one of these nine packs, asks for at least 7 mm. A US note often says about 5 mm and admits the hole dwarfs a fine fret. Do not average 5 mm and 7 mm. Drill a hole the pin you hold can pass.
Threading and the ping test are the how to fit a fretsaw blade page. Unplug a powered saw before the clamp opens. Eye protection still applies when a tensioned blade can snap.
Common questions
How do you tell a pin end from a plain end?
A pin end has a small cross-piece that drops onto a hook. A plain end is bare steel that a jaw must grip. Look for pin, pinned, or pin end. Draper 25510 and Xcalibur print that. Eclipse’s silence was resolved in reviews, which reported no pegs.
Will a plain blade fit a saw that has hooks for pins?
No. The hook needs the pin. A plain Eclipse or Faithfull blade will not catch. Reviewers who put the Eclipse pack into a pinned scroll saw found there were no pegs to seat. You would be clamping a bare end against hardware that was not built for it.
Will a pin blade clamp in a hand frame with jaws?
No. The pin stops the jaw from closing on the tang the way a plain end does, and the blade sits proud or crooked. A hand frame that the maker specifies as plain end, such as the Faithfull frame at 130 mm, needs the plain blade. Do not file the pin flat and hope. Buy the end the jaw was made for.
Which packs in this set state the end?
Draper 25510 states pins, 127 mm, 25 TPI, £6.63. Xcalibur states pins, 130 mm, 24 TPI, £8.99. Eclipse does not state the end in the bullets. Reviews report no pegs. Faithfull’s amazon bullets do not say plain end. The maker’s reply does. YUYTE and ZenithQuest do not give one end you can trust.
Why did Eclipse blades fail in a pinned scroll saw?
Because the blades have no pegs. The bullets never claimed pins. Buyers found that out when the hooks had nothing to catch. The pack is 125 mm and 18 TPI at £5.48, with 4.6 from 334 reviews. Those reviews are evidence of a plain end, not evidence that the blade fits every scroll saw.
How big a hole does a pin need for an internal cut?
Large enough for the pin to pass. One UK pin-end listing outside this set asks for at least 7 mm. A US note often says about 5 mm. Drill for the pin you hold, not the 1.5 mm plain-spiral figure.
Does scroll saw blade mean pinned?
No. Some scroll saws use pins for a quick change. Others use plain ends in jaws. The Faithfull hand frame is specified as plain end at 130 mm. The Xcalibur bullet names a Faithfull CSBS and states pins. Match the holder in front of you, not the words scroll saw in a title.
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)