A reciprocating saw is one of the best tools for cutting just about anything – from framing studs to drywall, or from sheet metal to cast iron pipes, this versatile power tool can do it all.
So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the reciprocating saw can do much more than just cut stuff.
With the right accessory, this tool will take a lot of the hard work off of things like scraping old paint, digging out grout, and brushing away rust and stains.
Here are some reciprocating saw accessories you probably didn’t know about – and you’d be glad you did.
1. Wire Brush Attachment
If you have ever tried scrubbing away rust, flaking old paint, or hardened mud and grime with a handheld wire brush, you’ve probably thought that surely, there must be an easier way.
It’s much better nowadays, now that you can leave a lot of the manual work to a reciprocating saw and a wire brush attachment.
Just like a wire brush, this accessory comes with a block and a set of durable wire bristles that will make quick work of stripping away paint and rust from a wide variety of surfaces, anything from wood and metal to brick, concrete, or masonry.
Most wire brush accessories for reciprocating saws come at around 4 1/2 inches long, with an attachment point firmly fixing the tool on to a standard reciprocating blade chuck.
Get one of these for your saw and never have to scrub the hard way again.
2. DeWalt Breakaway Blades
DeWalt probably took inspiration from the box cutter for this one. In 2017, the power tool maker has recently introduced its line of 2-in-1 blades that are designed to let you, the user, break away a portion of the blade as soon as it’s become too dull.
The remaining portion will still come with a shaft and an adapter hole that lets you fit it into the reciprocating saw chuck.
Thanks to a clever design of the break-away sections, it doesn’t matter if you dull the front section first, or if you need to discard the rear section – both will still fit into the saw and will give you an equal cutting length.
As of the moment, DeWalt is offering the 14 and 18 TPI versions of their BreakAway blades, and both come in 6 inch and 9-inch lengths.
The shorter 6-inch blades give you two 4 inch sections to work with, while the 9-inch blade can be broken up into a couple of 6-inch sections.
3. Scraper Attachments
Just like the wire brush, the scraper is yet another tool that calls for a lot of elbow grease – or a reciprocating saw.
If you have the right tool, you can get a scraper blade attachment and let the power saw assist you in quickly digging under linoleum and laminate tiles, or pull out old carpeting.
You can basically use your reciprocating saw and scraper combo to scrape away just about anything, from old paint and wallpaper to dried drywall mud and tile adhesive.
Scraper attachments for reciprocating saws come in a variety of widths, as you would expect.
You can get narrow 2-inch scrapers for getting into tight spots, or opt for the wider 4 and 6 inch wide scrapers to cover more surface area.
4. 4x4 Saw Guide Attachment
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The reciprocating saw is often seen as a rough cutting tool more suited for demolition than for precision work.
That doesn’t mean that you cannot get straight cuts with this tool, however.
With a 4x4 saw guide attachment, you can get neat, clean cuts on 4x4 lumber with your saw. This attachment is perfect for outside work, and lets you use your reciprocating saw to quickly and efficiently cut the tops fence and deck posts.
It’s even more handy if you’re working on existing fences and decks, too, since the guide is attached to the existing material.
5. 6x6 Saw Guide Attachment
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This attachment is the same as the 4x4 saw guide for reciprocating saws, except bigger.
If your fence and deck posts are a bit on the thicker side, and you are working on existing posts, then a 6x6 reciprocating saw guide attachment will let you do the job much faster with a reciprocating saw compared to having to rig up a circular saw to do the same job.
If you’re working on new posts and you only have a reciprocating saw with you, this attachment lets you get basically the same results using cheaper reciprocating saw blades, as well.
6. File Attachment
Filing down a tailpipe or a section of cut steel plate can be quite the chore. Fortunately, there are file attachments you can slap on to a reciprocating saw to take out a lot of the hassle.
These file attachments can be surprisingly versatile too, since you can use some of the half-round metal files available on the market.
One of these attachments on your reciprocating saw will let you round down metal plate corners or smooth and deburr cut pipe sections quickly and efficiently.
Just remember to always wear eye protection whenever you are working on metal with a reciprocating saw, even if it’s just a file attachment you are using.
There are also small round ‘rat tail’ files that you can use with your reciprocating saw.
These are mainly for quickly deburring metal and plastic pipes, since you can do one pass around the lip of the pipe without having to re-orient the tool. These are also incredibly handy for quickly sharpening garden tools, as well.
7. Rasp
While files are often used for metal, a rasp is often the better choice for working on wood. These rasps let you quickly take off material from wood or plastic in order to reshape the work piece.
You’ll find them useful for adjusting doors that get stuck in their hinges, or for adjusting sticky windows, gates or drawers.
These rasps often come with a hex shank adapter that lets you position the attachment in six directions to better fir the angle you are working with.
8. Nylon Brush
Using a nylon brush the manual way is easy enough for smaller areas, but when you have a whole jet tub or pool to scrub, you’re better off investing in a tool to save you time.
You can fit a nylon brush attachment to your reciprocating saw to give yourself a tool that can scrub and clean larger areas than you would have been able to do by hand.
You can safely scrub a wider variety of materials, too, compared to a wire brush attachment – the softer nylon bristles are safe to use not just on metal, brick, and masonry but also on wood, plastic, and tile.
9. Stainless Steel Brush
A stainless steel brush attachment on a reciprocating saw is a great tool to have for surface preparation.
Durable steel bristles let you prepare metal, brick, wood, and tile for painting or welding. These brushes will let you make quick work of removing peeling paint, hard water stains, and rust spots.
10. Sanding Pad
If you don’t have a belt or orbital sander handy, then a reciprocating saw with a sanding pad attachment can make for an excellent substitute.
Most sanding pad attachments come in the form of ‘mouse’ style pads shaped like a flat iron.
This design fits standard hook and loop sanding pads made for oscillating sanders, but more importantly, the shape helps you get to the hard to reach surfaces and corners on wood, drywall, plastic, and metal pieces.
11. Scouring Pad
For cleaning and polishing stainless steel surfaces, grills, tile and softwood, a scour pad is often your better choice.
They are gentler than nylon or steel brushes, and the larger 5 inch long pads let you cover more surface area with each pass, as well.
12. Grout Remover
Refreshing the grout on your tile floors and bathroom walls means having to dig out old, grimy and hardened grout – a labor-intensive process that you can easily do with a reciprocating saw.
Put on a grout remover attachment or a grout rake as it is also called, and you have a tool that will save you a lot of time and effort.
Most grout remover attachments are coated with carbide grit for added durability and longer life.
The curved profile of this tool lets you apply pressure to make quick work of cement-based grout as well as hardened epoxy grouts.
Remember to pick a grout remover attachment that best fits your tile joints; these tools go anywhere from 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
13. Dust Attachment
This is one attachment that you can use with other reciprocating saw blades or tools.
Most models fit around the base of the chuck, and connect to a vacuum hose that you can connect to your shop vacuum at the other end.
Around the rim of the attachment, a vacuum shroud helps to funnel dust and debris to the dust collection port, which helps to contain the dust generated by the reciprocating saw blade.
