How to Use Oscillating Tools More Efficiently: Get the Skinny on Oscillating Blades and Attachments

A lot of us have an oscillating tool and those of us who don’t have one, well, we definitely want one. These tools make so many of our jobs easier — they help us work faster and keep us totally efficient on the job. Because they perform so many applications, though, how do you know you’re really using them to their fullest potential? Fortunately, these tools are born and engineered to be super-efficient and, accordingly, it only takes keeping a few tips in mind to ensure you’re getting the most out of your multi-tool.

Oscillating Tool Blades and Attachments
Just like any other machine, the results you’ll get out of your oscillating tool will be only as great (or as mediocre) as the accessories you use with it. Accordingly, using the right carpet removal raleigh blade or attachment for each application is one of the most important considerations before engaging your multi-tool. It’s also one of the first factors you’ll have to consider before getting to work and, perhaps more than any other component, the accessories you choose will affect your ability to perform a job properly. For that reason, your attachments are probably the biggest contributor to multi-tool success.

To ensure your attachments can meet each task with the proper angle and force, oscillating tool accessories come in a comprehensive variety of shapes, sizes and materials. To quickly sum up your options, here is a brief rundown of the most popular accessories for your multi-tool.

Know Your Accessories

Sawing | Cutting Blades
To put it succinctly, there a lot of cutting attachments for your multi-tool. Because there are a lot of different things you’ll need to cut, there are a lot of different blades to cut them with. Accordingly, its super important to your results and to the life of your tool and your accessories that you use the right blade for each cutting job. For example, attempting to cut metal with a blade designed to cut softer materials will literally destroy your blade. Don’t do this. Cut metal with a blade designed to cut metal; use blades labeled bi-metal, metal or titanium. Similarly, although a metal blade will cut wood, it will do it much less efficiently than a wood cutting blade. For faster, smoother cuts, better results and longer lasting accessories, use the blade designed for the task being performed.

There are oscillating blades designed to cut just about everything. You can find them built specifically for cutting wood, plastic, drywall, fiberglass, metal, floor coverings, coatings, residues, silicone, caulk, putty, cardboard, foam, insulation, rubber, grout, leather, felt, styrene, concrete, masonry, plaster, ceramics, stone tile, epoxy, backer-board, etc. As you might assume, then, these blades also come in many various shapes and sizes. Depending upon the task at hand, you may choose from plunge cut and flush cut blades, straight blades, wide-base straight blades, circular and half-circle blades, triangular and finger blades, tapered blades, scraper blades, concave and convex blades, hooked blades, and wavy and segmented blades. That’s a lot, right? So although many blades also offer multipurpose cutting, please choose your attachments carefully to ensure you are using your blades and your power tool to its fullest potential.

Scraping Blades
Scraping blades do pretty much exactly what you’d expect them to — they scrape. They are ideal for removing adhesives, silicone, paint, undercoating and etc. Scraping blades are available in both flexible and rigid designs and with a variety of blade shapes from straight to curved to ensure no residue (or etc) is beyond scraping up.

Rasping Blade
Also available in a variety of shapes and sizes, a rasping blade is typically used for grinding and sanding applications like grinding filler, tile adhesives, stone, concrete and wood. Some rasping blades are shaped to produce terrific accuracy allowing users to work with these blades for more creative purposes.

Grout Removing
Grout removing blades are great for getting tough materials out of touch to reach places. These round or half-round blades are most typically used on materials like plaster, concrete, sealant and, yes, grout. As with all applications, it is vital to the performance (and lifespan) of your multi-tool to use the right attachment with particularly hard materials.

Sanding
Available in both round and triangular shapes and with a variety of sanding materials, a sanding attachment allows your multi-tool to work as a surface sander. Hook-and-loop style abrasives allow you to sand and smooth virtually every surface and because the tool itself is compact, you have great access into tight spaces.

Polishing
With a multi-tool and a hook-and-loop polishing attachment you can produce high-quality finishes on most every surface. Fabricated with a variety of polishing materials (i.e. felt, fleece, etc), these attachments help you create an ideal finish to metals and natural surfaces (like aluminum, chrome, stainless, and stone materials). The polishing attachment is also handy for removing blemishes or heat discolorations from surfaces.

Cutting Tips

Flush Cutting
Because its arbor sits atop the blade, a flush cut blade allows you to cut flush against a surface. For this reason, flush cutting blades are useful for a lot of different applications like flooring, wall trim, windowsills, door jambs and etc. Without a flush cutting blade, you’d typically need to make flush cuts by hand, it goes without saying, then, that they save a lot of time and a lot of energy.