Type of platform and body material
The next point to pay attention to when choosing an electric jigsaw is the type of its working platform. There are models with cast and stamped platforms (also called soles). Since the former are much more reliable and durable, professional builders prefer them. Although if you are going to use the jigsaw “occasionally” you can do with a pressed working platform.
As for the shape and material of the body, then you can, for the most part, based on personal preferences. And crampons and mushroom jigsaws practically do not differ in their performance, and the quality of the plastic from which the body of the tool is made can not critically affect its work.
When selecting a jigsaw, you must pay attention to the type of work platform
How to insert the blade into the hand jigsaw. How to use the jigsaw: setting, sawing, maintenance and safety
Electric jigsaw is an indispensable thing in the home. With today’s jigsaws it is not only possible to cut wood. They can also cope with plastic and aluminum and even ceramics. But for each material it is necessary to buy their own saws. About how to choose the right saw blade for the material, and how to insert the saw blade into the jigsaw, and will be discussed in this material.
A quick overview of the jigsaw
The tool is a scaled-down copy of a mechanically powered jigsaw. Its working principle is similar to the hand jigsaw you have known since your childhood. it moves the saw vertically. Different from its counterpart, a different cutting tool.
One of the critical components is the saw blade clamping mechanism. On the market there is a range of tools equipped with different fixtures:
- Side thread clamp. Fastening is carried out by means of a screw, clamping the saw shank in the slots of the mechanism. It is characterized by ease of installation of the saw blade and reliable fixation.
- Bar clamp. Suitable for domestic tools at a low price. The threaded tool is placed in the slot. Fastening is performed with two screws with internal hole in the head for hexagonal key. The main advantage. ability to work with all types of shank, of different sizes and regardless of the intended use of the saw.
- Quick clamping mechanism. The most convenient of the presented methods. No additional spanner or attachment required.
Tool Tip Basics: Jigsaw : Tool Tip Basics
Mounting in the jigsaw
Stationary jigsaws (jigsawsaws). the natural evolution of electric hand tools. When working with such a unit, both hands of the master can manipulate the material, which greatly increases productivity and facilitates the work with oversized workpieces.
Special blades are used for such appliances, although craftsmen sometimes adapt the blades of a hand jigsaw. Pin saws have a special pin on the end, which makes the attachment more secure. Pinless, accordingly, do not have a special device and remain flat. Blades can be with or without a tooth set.
Inserting the saw into the machine is really not difficult at all.
- The saw blade is fixed in special slots, first in the lower, and then. in the upper. The teeth of the blade point downwards and towards the sawing machine. Tighten the blade with the lever, the tensioned saw blade should jingle with the impact.
- pinless saws need to be tightened especially carefully, they have a tendency to jump out of the clamping device, however, they remain popular, thanks to their wide range of use for sawing complex-shaped articles.
How to insert the saw into the jigsaw blade
In more than 30 years of active existence on the tool market, the electric jigsaw has undergone many changes that have not bypassed the clamping design. Modern and obsolete models of devices, have an identical structure and huge differences in detail. Today, the attachment of the saw in an electric jigsaw can be presented in 3 variations: shoe, screw and quick-clamp. The first 2 types, can be referred to the same group, and the last, divided into 3 common mechanisms. Let’s find out what each type of mount is, how to use it.
One of the most common varieties of saw blade clamps. It consists of a block and two screws that tighten it to the sliding rod. From the pluses of this element, we can highlight its versatility. The screws fixing the jigsaw file have a decent amount of torque, which allows you to install blades with different types of shanks in the device. A negative moment when using such a clamp, can be a misalignment of the saw during installation, which can complicate the work and cause breakage of the tool.
Changing the saw blade in the shoe mount is quite simple. The heads of the screws are usually sharpened under a small hexagon, which comes with the device and is located on the body or cable. The first thing to do is to loosen screws in turn (without unscrewing completely) and take out the old saw blade. When the fastener is loose, we insert the new saw blade into it (with the teeth forward) and tighten the screws evenly, one by one. It is better to screw in smoothly, by half a turn one, and the same way the second. Make sure that the saw blade stands at an angle of exactly 90° in relation to the jigsaw blade. When the saw blade is tightened sufficiently, you can get to work.
convenient and reliable type of attachment, like the previous one, can fix saws with different types of shanks. There is only one clamping screw, located on the side. An undoubted advantage is relatively simple and fast saw blade replacement in comparison with the shoe lock. Fixing the blade is quite even, but it is useful to check the angle when installing.
Installing the blade in such a clamp, is extremely simple. The first thing to do is to loosen the fixing screw and remove the unwanted blade. Next, insert the new saw into the empty slot and gradually tighten, periodically assessing the flatness of its position. It is not recommended to tension it too much, because the saw blade tightened to the limit will vibrate significantly during the sawing, reducing the quality of the cut.
Quick-clamping As you can understand from the name, this type of fastening is the most convenient. It does not require a special key and allows you to change the saw blade in a few seconds. Unfortunately, the small advantages of saving time are outweighed by the substantial disadvantages. First, it is not universal. Only blades with certain type of shank can be installed. Secondly, the reliability of fixation in the majority of models leaves much to be desired. Of course, the original electric jigsaws of proven brands, have a quality quick-clamping system, but even that sooner or later comes into disrepair. The unique components of the mechanism, cause serious difficulties in the repair, making it virtually impossible.
Still, despite the negative aspects of the fastener, it greatly speeds up the process of working with different types of materials and has a weighty right to exist. There are a total of 3 subspecies of the device, distinguished by the location of the levers: frontal, lateral and radial.
To understand how to change a jigsaw blade in a jigsaw with a quick-action clamping, it is enough to repeat a couple of elementary steps. We unbend the sliding lever and, holding it with a finger, insert the blade shank into the slot. When the shank is immersed, let go of the lever and slightly bring the saw in. The mechanism should click, producing a characteristic click, which will indicate that the tool is ready to work. For a clearer view, we recommend watching the video below on how to insert the jigsaw into the jigsaw.
Selection criteria
Metal should be strong, difficult to bend. Wooden handles are more secure than plastic ones. The latter can fly out of the groove and cause injury. Tightening the fasteners should be easy, without the need for additional tools. Knuckles with small ears make it hard to work, t.к. They are difficult to grip and hold.
The choice of manufacturer is important. Chinese products are not durable. It is recommended to choose the products of verified firms. These include Stanley, Intertool, Mastertool and Topex.
The right choice affects the longevity and usability of the tool.
All jigsaw manufacturers have the TPI parameter “Tooth Pro Inch”. The higher is the index, the more accurate and straight is the cut. However, the sawing process takes longer. The jigsaw should also be chosen with the tooth pitch in mind. This parameter affects the ease of cutting and the movement of the tool in the material.
How to insert the saw blade into the hand-held jigsaw?
Incorrect positioning of the blade at the fixture can make the sawing process more difficult. The ends of the jigsaw should be clamped 1 or 2 mm in front of the screw. Clamping the tails at the edge or behind the screw will not provide a quality grip. The teeth should point toward the handle. The assembly process is as follows:
- The edge of the blade is clamped to the handle.
- Then the edge of the arc is squeezed with a small effort, the opposite edge of the blade is fixed at the other fixture. The tool can be pressed on with the chest or rested against the edge of the work table.
- The saw is inserted into the grooves, while at the same time the wing nut is tightened with the other hand.
- The use of pliers is recommended if manual clamping is not possible due to the size of the fixtures.
For a jigsaw with a tubular arc, the way of tensioning the saw blade looks different. Using a device that is part of the table for sawing. There are 2 round slots on the side of the board. The jigsaw should be set in the slots, clamps tighten the saw blade.
Hand jigsaw blades. Looking for the best
The quality of manual figured sawing of contours and grooves on sheet wood or plywood is mainly determined by the right choice of saw blades for the hand jigsaw. Their variety and price range confuses beginners. How to choose the right replacement tool, and how to use it correctly? Today, that’s what we’re going to talk about.
Hand Jigsaw Technology
Engaged in artistic (propyl) carving for the manufacture of various products using plywood. It is better to use birch plywood for this. It has a homogenous, light surface on which it is easy to trace details with a pencil or to transfer the outlines of a future part with tracing paper.
When selecting a workpiece for the manufacture of the product it is worth paying attention to the unevenness of plywood, hidden cavities in places of low-quality bonding veneer layers, delamination of edges, as well as chips on the edges of plywood.
These and other defects lead to poor quality of the product, the formation of a large amount of waste and wasting extra time on the work.
Hand Jigsaw. Design, principle of operation.
At the Art Sawing lessons, students work with a jigsaw.
Manual jigsaw is a versatile tool that is designed for straight and curved sawing of decorative (propylene) carving.
The design of a jigsaw is simple. It has a metal frame with a handle and two clips on the ends of the frame to secure the file.
The jigsaw blade is a narrow steel band with teeth pointing in one direction. Files are differentiated by the width of the blade and the notching of the teeth.
Use a wide blade with coarse teeth for thick plywood and a narrow blade with fine teeth for thin plywood. The finer the teeth, the longer the cutting time, but at the same time the better the quality of the resulting surface.
To prepare the jigsaw for work, the file is fixed in the lower clamp so that the teeth are directed to the handle.
a) correct fastening. b) improper fastening.
After that the tensioning frame is squeezed with a special device and the second end of the file is clamped in the upper clamp.
If the clamped ends of the frame are released, the frame will take its previous position which will lead to the tensioning of the file.
and hygiene requirements.
When working with the hand-held jigsaw, the following safety and hygiene regulations must be observed.
Wear a smock or apron with armlets.
Only those tools and objects that are directly necessary for the job should be in the workplace.
Only serviceable and correctly adjusted tools should be used.
Tools and appliances must be positioned on the table so that they do not protrude beyond the table or fall to the floor.
The sawing table must be firmly fixed.
Sit upright while working.
The jigsaw file must be held perpendicular to the workpiece.
It is necessary to saw evenly, making up and down movements, not pressing strongly on the file, so that it does not break.
Fingers of the hand must not be placed close to or against the movement of the file.
Every 10.Take a 12 min break.
While working with a tool, do not get distracted and do not disturb others.
Do not blow out sawdust from the sawing area. Use a brush to remove them.
Push and cut with the sharp part of the instrument towards you and receive it away from you.
When the work is done, the tools need to be placed in the allotted place, and the workplace should be cleaned.
Before we begin work we sand the plywood with sandpaper, then the chosen figure is put on it and fixed with two pencil pins. The drawing is traced over the entire outline with a pencil. Do not use a sharp or hard pencil when copying the drawing.к. it can spoil the drawing to be translated, which we use several times.
After transferring the drawing onto the prepared plywood, you can visually compare the two pictures. If you notice any inaccuracies or omissions, correct them. In cases where you need to translate a drawing with a more complex pattern, it is best to mark the outlines of the drawing with a pencil. At the end of copying, all the marks should be erased with an ordinary eraser.
When sawing with a jigsaw, mount a special sawing table in the back clamp of the workbench. The workpiece is laid on the table, held with the right hand, and the left hand is used to cut.
The plywood workpiece with a drawing (marking) put on it on the table for sawing and hold with the left hand. Jigsaw table is a special support fixed to the table or workbench cover for convenient sawing with the jigsaw. It can be fixed to the cover with a clamp or screws
Ways of fastening the sawing table: a. with a clamp; b. with screws; c. in clamps.
Take the jigsaw by the handle with the right hand and, putting the file to the workpiece, begin sawing out the jigsaw blade perpendicular to the workpiece.
When sawing, make sure the file moves evenly and perpendicular to the plane of the workpiece. It is necessary to saw with a jigsaw slowly and evenly. When sawing corners (especially sharp ones) it is more convenient to saw in two directions.
Internal corners are sawed along the side of the angle to its top, and external corners. along the side of the angle from its top.
Sawing out sharp corners: a. inside, b. outside
In this case it is not necessary to change the sawing direction, and the corner will be sawed out clearly enough.
Outer contours must be sawed on the outside of the mowing line and inner contours on the inside. This means that the scribe line must remain on the workpiece for orientation during further machining
Sawing: a. along the inner contour; b. along the outer contour. The gaps between the cutting line and the kerf should not exceed 0.5 mm. The scribing lines after sawing are the borders of the workpiece with the file.
If there are both outer and inner contours on the workpiece, the inner contours are cut first.
When sawing out the inner contours of the workpiece it is necessary to make holes in it for placing the file in them. They are made close to the mowing line so as not to damage it. Holes can be drilled or made with a hand drill. A block of unnecessary wood should be placed under the workpiece to prevent possible shearing of the lower layers of plywood.
After that, the frame of the jigsaw should be squeezed in a special device and unscrew the nut of the upper clamp.
The freed end of the saw is inserted into the made hole and again secure in the upper clamp. After removing the clamping device, the workpiece together with the jigsaw is carefully placed on the table for sawing and work begins.
Small works are carried out in the round hole of the table, and sawing of large and medium contours is performed in the cutout of the table.
When sawing on curves the plywood is slowly rotated without stopping saw motion in the kerf. When the movement of the saw acquires the desired direction, it is possible to saw further along the mowing line of the marking.
Sawing methods: a. in circular hole; b. in the cutout of the table