What is a reciprocating saw for: selection, rating and reviews A short, but most informative educational program, telling in detail what a reciprocating saw is and what it is for. How to choose an inexpensive and good tool for home and permanent work.
What is a reciprocating saw for?
A distinctive feature of the equipment is that for its operation it is not required to fix the material. The tool can be operated unsupported and in any position. It should be noted that few professional tools have such functionality. True, it is much more difficult to cut the material without fixing it, due to strong vibrations.
The equipment in question helps not only accurately, but also in a short time, to cut a large amount of materials. If you compare the tool with a hand hacksaw, the latter loses in many ways. This concerns the fact that a reciprocating saw can cut in a straight and curved path, which greatly expands its scope, answering the question of what a reciprocating saw is for. Naturally, making curly cuts requires experience, but it can be learned quickly.
PATRIOT RS 808
Quick release mount: yes
Speed control: yes
Pendulum stroke: no
Soft start: no
Backlight: yes
Specifications
There is a large assortment of reciprocating saws on the market, in which a small set of numerical values, called technical characteristics, helps to determine.
Power. The main indicator of not only a reciprocating saw, but also any equipment with an electric motor. The higher it is, the faster the material will be cut. However, as the power grows, the mass of the tool will also increase, which is not always convenient for the user who constantly holds it in his hands. Also, the power value affects the cost of the device. Vibration is a side effect of power growth.
Before purchasing the most powerful reciprocating saw, you should weigh all its advantages and disadvantages. For household needs, a tool up to 1200 W is quite suitable. It is able to penetrate metal and wood to an average depth of 13 cm and 30 cm, respectively.
Cutting depth. In fact, this is the same power indicator, but more understandable for the average user. This specification defines the maximum workpiece thickness that the tool can handle without getting stuck or causing overheating. Some owners use a rather long blade on low power electric hacks, however, this can damage the device. The average cutting depth of the tree is 18 cm.
Saw stroke frequency. If you plan to cut a material that is very hard, such as stone, a high forward speed is required. Whereas for cutting trees, productivity only depends on power. Before deciding on this parameter, it is recommended to think in what area the tool will be used. This is due to the fact that the great capabilities of the reciprocating saw allow you to cut any material. It is optimal to purchase equipment with a frequency controller.
Weight. If the equipment is supposed to be used in conditions where it cannot be grasped with both hands, for example, when pruning vegetation in a garden, the large weight of the tool will significantly complicate the work. The priority of this value depends on the intended conditions of use of the tool.
Pendulum stroke. The principle of operation is similar to the operation of an electric jigsaw, when, in addition to reciprocating movements, the blade also performs oscillatory movements. This increases the productivity of the equipment and extends the service life of the saw. On models with the implemented function, there is a regulator with which you can determine the amplitude of movement. The harder the material being worked with, the smaller the step should be. If we talk about such hard materials as stone, it is recommended to turn off the function in question. Also, turning it off is mandatory when curly cutting.
Quick-clamping file attachment. This is the functionality of the tool, designed to greatly facilitate the user’s work, as it shows whether it is possible to quickly change the cutting blade without using additional tools, such as a screwdriver.
Reciprocating saw models have a soft start function. This does not affect the operation in any way, however, it can significantly increase the safety of the equipment and its service life. In the first case, at the beginning of work, there will be no sharp jerks that can pull the tool out of the hands. This parameter also increases the cost of the tool, so it’s worth considering whether such a function is needed or not.
The last thing to say about tool performance is the presence or absence of a support shoe. This is a device that can be used to support the reciprocating saw if needed. This function is often used for curved cutting. In some cases, the support shoe is fixed at right angles, and in some it deflects significantly. Essentially, this feature expands the capabilities of the tool.
Reciprocating saws for metal and not only electric hacks as they are!
Reciprocating saws, this phrase in itself does not always evoke understanding even among experts in electrical engineering and its sellers. Surprisingly, in the West this tool is as popular as an electric drill or a chainsaw, everyone knows about it and is used in every home. It is not clear why such a saw did not please the Slavs, although, most likely, we, due to certain stereotypes and banal economy, simply cannot appreciate the tool.
Perhaps the whole point is that not so often we have to deal with a hacksaw for wood; the townspeople live in a concrete jungle, where dynamite is more useful than a hacksaw, and in the villages they prefer to work in the old fashioned way. But it is precisely to the hacksaw that the reciprocating saw is the closest in terms of operation, and, in fact, it performs its functions, only instead of muscular traction an electric motor works.
In the tool itself, everything is quite simple, a long body with an easy-to-grip handle in the shape of a familiar pistol, a trigger, several switches, a replaceable working blade, that’s the whole tool, if you don’t delve into the details. In principle, even a person who has never dealt with it can figure out the operation of this power tool in a matter of minutes.
How to choose a reciprocating saw tool functions
In many ways, a saber resembles a jigsaw, however, on the contrary, a jigsaw resembles a saber saw, because it was she who was invented first! As in the jigsaw, the saber tool performs reciprocating movements and gradually cuts the material, in the same way, the pendulum function is also found in the saber models, which we will discuss below.
The difference lies in the size of the hacksaw blade, as well as in some distinctive functions that cannot be done with a jigsaw. For example, in a garden it will be much more convenient to work with a saber when cutting trees, and it will be difficult to cut metal or aerated concrete with a jigsaw. By and large, the omnivorous saber unit changed the blade depending on the need, and we can safely cut wood, steel, stone, plastic, ceramics, glass, foam blocks! You still need to look for such a multifunctional tool!
It is easier to make a list of technical professions for which this tool would not be useful, than to list all the professions and crafts that will only be happy with such a unit. It’s not even about its functions, which at first glance can be duplicated by other tools; the layout of the products itself decides a lot.
In addition, this tool works completely calmly on weight, regardless of the shape of the part, be it round pipes, square bars. And for pruning trees, such a tool seems to have been specially invented! over, you can cut both a large branch and small wen. Maneuverability is the second name of the reciprocating saw! She will work as the hand of the master will lead her if necessary, round off an acute corner or cut out a part from a curved material.
The tool shows itself perfectly, and during dismantling work, the old window frame is sawed very quickly, the steel heating is disassembled. The tool is able to cut even wooden surfaces with metal parts, for example, old nails or self-tapping screws, and this, you see, is beyond the power of any jigsaw. And a very important advantage of saber saws, they are much safer than chain saws, circular saws and grinders, during operation there are no sparks, clouds of dust, scale, no overheating of the workpiece.
The best reciprocating saw how to choose a reliable tool?
Manufacturers have tenaciously proven any manual labor can be mechanized. Electric drills and chainsaws have replaced hand drills. What about a hacksaw? Yes, here is a network and battery saber saw, both for wood and aerated concrete, capable of working on concrete, metal and even stone; how to choose it, we learn from the article!