Jigsaw blade buying guide for wood on amazon.co.uk
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have an 18 mm plywood sheet, a corded jigsaw, and a basket of blades that all claim to cut wood. The cheapest pack can be the wrong tang, and a long-life pack can tear the face you wanted to keep. This guide is the order we use before the [jigsaw blades for wood comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/jigsaw-blades-wood): shank, then steel, then type code, then how many blades you will blunt. Prices are amazon.co.uk shelf prices in GBP from that comparison. We did not run a lab cut. We may earn a commission.
You have an 18 mm plywood sheet, a corded jigsaw, and a basket of blades that all claim to cut wood. The cheapest pack can be the wrong tang, and a long-life pack can tear the face you wanted to keep.
You have an 18 mm plywood sheet, a corded jigsaw, and a basket of blades that all claim to cut wood. The cheapest pack can be the wrong tang, and a long-life pack can tear the face you wanted to keep. This guide is the order we use before the jigsaw blades for wood comparison: shank, then steel, then type code, then how many blades you will blunt. Prices are amazon.co.uk shelf prices in GBP from that comparison. We did not run a lab cut. We may earn a commission.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Shank | Type code | Pack size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TopsTools TopsTools 15× T144D jigsaw blades | T-shank | T144D | 15 blades | 9.3 | about £5.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  TopsTools TopsTools 25× T101B jigsaw blades | T-shank | T101B | 25 blades | 8.8 | about £8.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Dekton Dekton 5-piece B&D jigsaw set | B&D / U-shank | Not stated | 5 blades, 75 mm and 50 mm | 7.2 | about £3.79 | View offer |
On this page
Check the shank before the brand
Most UK jigsaws of the last decade use a T-shank that clicks into a tool-free clamp. Older Black & Decker machines use a U-shank, sometimes labelled B&D type. Those shapes do not swap. Check a blade you own, or the manual, before tooth counts. Dekton’s five-piece at £3.79, 4.5 from 395 reviews, is the B&D set of 75 mm and 50 mm HCS blades, and UK reviews include shank-fit problems. The SabreCut 10-piece mix does not state the shank, so open the photos. Axminster jigsaw blades explains why T-shank now dominates.
HCS for wood, and when a mixed kit earns its place
High-carbon steel is the usual wood body for softwood, ply, chipboard and fibreboard, and it is cheap enough to replace after a nail. HSS belongs in the pack when you also cut thin metal. A wood HCS blade will skate or burn on steel. BGTEC’s £19.79 set, 4.6 from 442 reviews, pairs five HSS T118A and five T118B with ten HCS blades each of T101AO, T101B, T101BR and T144D. A timber-only weekend pays for metal blades it will not use.
Type codes: speed, clean cuts, and the top face
Once the shank fits, the printed code matters more than the logo. Abracs wood jigsaw blades groups them by tooth and a thickness band for a sharp blade in the named board. T144D and T111C are side-set, about 5–50 mm and 4–50 mm, for studs and OSB, and they chip veneer. T101B is the tapered clean cut around 3–30 mm. T101BR tidies a laminate top and still breaks out underneath. Trial the first cut on scrap. Packs by job are on best jigsaw blades for wood.
How thick the board is, in plain language
A 40 mm softwood stud sits inside the coarse bands and outside the usual T101B band, so a clean-cut blade will labour and heat. A 12 mm veneered shelf is where the coarse kerf does the damage. Saxton’s T144D listing says up to 65 mm, and TopsTools prints about 6–60 mm, both above the Abracs 5–50 mm line. Treat those ceilings as the seller’s. Ten to fifteen blades, or 25 of one code you repeat, is a first pack. Fifty unused blades are not a saving.
What to buy first
An old B&D clamp starts and stops with the Dekton five-piece. Fast softwood or OSB on a T-shank saw starts with TopsTools’ T144D 15-pack at £5.99, 4.6 from 5,662 reviews. Saxton is the same price with 599 reviews and a pouch. For 18 mm ply where the edge matters, TopsTools’ 25× T101B at £8.99, 4.6 from 2,930 reviews, is the stock, with T101BR if the top is laminate. Unplug before you change the blade.
Common questions
How do I know if my jigsaw uses T-shank blades?
Remove the current blade with the saw unplugged and look at the tang. A T-shank has a single top bar that seats in a tool-free holder. A U-shank has a U-shaped cut-out and usually a screw. The manual names the clamp if the blade is missing. Do not rely on the brand printed on the saw body, because current Makita, Ryobi and DeWalt models are typically T-shank while some older Black & Decker saws are not.
What is the difference between T144D and T101B?
T144D is a coarse side-set blade for fast cuts in thicker softwood, OSB and rough ply, with a trade band around 5–50 mm. T101B is a finer tapered blade for cleaner straight cuts in ply, chipboard and fibreboard, around 3–30 mm. The coarse blade clears the kerf and chips show faces. The finer blade leaves a tidier edge and bogs down if you force it through a 40 mm stud.
Can I use one blade for plywood and thick softwood?
You can make both cuts with a coarse blade if the ply edge will be hidden, and you will see tear-out if it will not. A single T101B is the better 18 mm ply blade and a poor choice for a 40 mm rip. Keep both codes if the week includes both jobs. Mixed 10-piece sets such as SabreCut’s include several codes with only a couple of blades each, which is a sampler, not a stock.
What does a reverse-tooth T101BR do?
The teeth are arranged to cut on the stroke that leaves the top face cleaner, which is why laminate-facing boards and worktops are the usual job. The underside can still break out, so support the sheet and keep orbital action off or on its lowest stage. It is not a substitute for a coarse blade in thick softwood, and it does not remove the need for a starter hole on an internal cut-out.
Do cheap amazon.co.uk packs fit Bosch and DeWalt jigsaws?
Many T-shank packs in this comparison name Bosch, DeWalt, Makita and similar brands. That is a seller claim about the tang, and it holds on a large share of current tool-free clamps. It fails on U-shank saws and on any trade saw whose manual asks for a specific shank. Check the tang photo against a blade that already fits. Review counts tell you whether other buyers were happy with fit at that price.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 20.10.2026.
- Bosch Professional GB T111C jigsaw blade (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Abracs wood jigsaw blade chart (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Axminster jigsaw blades guide (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First: electric jigsaws (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE woodworking WIS index (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE COSHH woodworking (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Bosch Professional GB 10-piece wood jigsaw blade set (retrieved 20.10.2026)