Need to chew through metal pipes, rusty nails, or a stubborn sheet of steel? Forget the hacksaw arm workout, a reciprocating saw with the right blade will do the heavy lifting. These beasts are basically demolition on a stick… powerful, fast, and surprisingly versatile. But before you start showering sparks like it’s New Year’s Eve, you’ll want to know a few tricks of the trade.
This guide shows you how to cut metal with a reciprocating saw and, more importantly, how to do it faster, safer and without trashing your blades (or your knuckles).
Choose The Right Blade
Your reciprocating saw is only as good as the blade you stick in it. Think of the saw as the engine and the blade as the tyres, wrong type and you’ll spin out. Swap the blade and you can slice through wood, plastic, drywall, fiberglass, masonry and, yep, metal. But each metal type demands its own teeth.
- For thin sheet metal, grab a bi-metal blade with 20–24 TPI (teeth per inch). The fine teeth keep edges neat and prevent your sheet from looking like it lost a fight with a lawn mower.
- For medium thickness metals like steel pipe or angle iron? A 14–18 TPI bi-metal blade is your sweet spot, enough bite without the chatter.
- For aluminium, a blade with around 8 TPI cuts cleanly without clogging.
- Finally, for cast iron or stainless steel: you’ll need a carbide-tipped blade with at least 8 TPI. Carbide teeth laugh at hard metal where standard blades cry for mercy.
A true bi-metal blade has about 8% cobalt electron-beam welded to a high-strength steel backer. Translation, it’s tougher, stays sharper and lasts longer. Think of it as giving your saw a set of titanium dentures, ready to chew through metal without breaking a sweat.
How To Cut Metal With A Reciprocating Saw?
Blade chosen? Good. Before you start your masterpiece, you also need to gear up.
Grab your eye protection, those hot metal chips are not party confetti.
Your hands and eardrums deserve better than flying shards and high-pitched whines, so you should invest into gloves and ear protection, too.
And don’t forget your dust mask. Optional but wise, especially when you’re cutting coated or rusty metal.
Finally, if the metal isn’t fixed in place, clamp it down. A wiggling pipe is a recipe for bent blades and colourful language.
Getting The Technique Right
For flush cuts, when the blade needs to lie flat along a surface, go for a longer blade so more of it can rest flat. Insert it with the teeth facing upwards, then flip the saw over so the handle stays clear of your cut. That keeps the line straight and your fingers safe.
Working with thin sheet material? Use a short blade, just a couple of inches longer than your cut depth. Shorter blades waggle less, giving you more control.
Plant the blade where you want to start, and use the shoe (that flat plate at the front) as your pivot. Let the shoe guide the blade until it bites. Then move the saw slowly and steadily, no need to muscle it. The reciprocating motion does the grunt work.
When you’re done, withdraw the blade straight back through the cut. Don’t yank it sideways like you’re slicing sourdough. That’s the fastest way to end up with a bent blade.
Extend Your Metal Cutting Blade Life
Metal cutting is brutal on blades, but you can squeeze every last bit of life out of them.
- Repurpose your blunt blades. A worn metal blade is perfect for jobs like cutting plastic pipes or roof shingles. Too sharp and the teeth will grab and chatter; slightly dull is just right.
- The teeth closest to the shoe take the most punishment. If your saw has an adjustable shoe, slide it forward so a fresh section of blade does the cutting.
- Lower saw speeds mean less heat, and less heat means blades last longer, so slow your roll, buddy.
- Remember to pick thicker blades for big jobs. A longer, thicker blade absorbs heat better, so it won’t fry itself halfway through a cut.
Bonus: a cooler blade cuts straighter, so you’ll spend less time wrestling it back on line.
How To Cut Faster And Smarter?
Want to move from “weekend warrior” to “metal-munching legend”? Try these pro hacks:
- Select a longer blade for flush cuts. Bend it slightly so more of the blade rests flat; the tip does the cutting while the rest keeps you steady.
- Protect finished surfaces when cutting near a polished floor or painted panel. Tape a strip of cheap pipe insulation to the saw’s shoe for a built-in scratch guard.
- Use a quick squirt of cutting oil or WD-40, it keeps heat down and teeth sharp. Less friction equals a smoother cut and longer blade life.
- Make sure to rotate your blade zones. If you’ve got an adjustable shoe, keep moving it so different parts of the blade share the workload.
- Finally, to straighten a bent blade, sandwich it between two bits of scrap timber and tap it with a hammer, carefully. You want it straight, not toothless.
These tricks aren’t just about speed, they’ll save you blades, cash and a whole lot of frustration.
Reciprocating Saws With Orbital Action
Some reciprocating saws come with an orbital action, that means the blade moves in a slight oval pattern, like it’s dancing the cha-cha.
Great for chewing through wood at warp speed, but when you’re cutting metal? Forget it.
Switch orbital action off. For metal, a straight back-and-forth stroke gives you a cleaner cut, less vibration and a blade that lives to fight another day.
Orbital mode on metal just leaves you with jagged edges and an early trip to the hardware store for a replacement blade.
More Handy Tradie Tips
Because a few extra nuggets never hurt.
Mark your cut clearly. A bold line or even masking tape shows exactly where you’re headed, especially when sparks fly.
Keep spare blades in your kit. Nothing kills momentum like a blade that dies mid-job.
Match blade length to the job. One or two inches longer than the cut depth is ideal, too long and it wobbles, too short and you risk binding.
Definitely mind your stance. Keep a solid footing and brace the saw. The back-and-forth action can surprise you if you’re off balance.
These small habits separate the seasoned pros from the weekend warriors.
In Conclusion
Cutting metal with a reciprocating saw isn’t rocket science, but it does reward a bit of know-how.
Pick the right blade, TPI and blade type matter more than brute strength.
Clamp your work and gear up with eye protection, gloves and ear defenders.
Extend blade life with slower speeds, an adjustable shoe and a dash of lubricant.
Skip the orbital action, straight cuts are king when it comes to metal.
Follow these steps and you’ll be slicing through pipes, nails and sheet metal like a hot knife through butter, without wrecking your tools or your temper. Next time someone whinges about how hard cutting metal is, you can grin, fire up the saw and prove them wrong.