Cutting Hardie Siding With Jigsaw

6x 3 1 4 t shank carbide coated jig saw blades grit 30.

Cutting hardie siding with jigsaw. Cut with a jigsaw if you re not cutting a straight line use a jigsaw with a carbide grit or a metal cutting blade installed. A thin blade kerf reduces material extraction reduces heat and adds to performance. To protect your hand you must wear gloves. If you are not using a saw which has a dust collector you must wear eye goggles to protect your eyes from the dust.

You can choose a wet saw jigsaw or a compound miter saw to cut your siding properly. I ve used a jigsaw with a metal blade on several occasions to cut 1 4 inch thick backer board. For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power shears. Cutting curves is much easier with a jigsaw and the preferred option in this case to a circular saw.

To keep dust to a minimum use a circular saw that s equipped with either a dust collection bag or electric fan that blows dust into a bucket. This blade is specially built for cutting hardie sidings. The saw cut slowly but smoothly and with minimal dust but after six to eight cuts i had to replace the. Dewalt dw3768 5 3 inch masonry board cut cobalt steel t shank jig saw blade 5 pack 4 3 out of 5 stars 25.

With that being said cutting circles by hand can be tough especially when precision is required. The bosch carbide edge jig saw blade provides 10x life versus standard bi metal blades featuring a carbide tipped edge designed for cutting abrasive building materials. Use a jigsaw fitted with a metal cutting blade or carbide grit blade. So this one jig saw blade really provides the confidence to make clean cuts in hard material.

Make the holes in the hardie board when you want to have the holes in the surface from a tub faucet or toilet flange this is the time to cut the board with the holes. A jigsaw might support you to have the right cutting line slowly without much hassle but you should change the blade after having six or seven cutting times. Setting up your cutting station correctly is just as important as selecting the right tools. James hardie has collaborated with a number of installers to identify easy setups that are effective affordable and will help you meet osha s compliance standards.

There are special jigsaw blades for this material. Just sharing some of the different methods i ve used for cutting hardieboard siding.