Jigsaw tearout

[tony]

Hi folks , we do most of our cutting by jigsaw , that is cutting ply between 1/4" & 1" . Its nothing fancy , but I just wondered what blade / machine / accessory would give me the best cut , without too much tearout , thanks , Tony

 

[Eric The Viking]

Straight or curved cuts?

If straight, use a plunge/rail saw instead!

If curved: use really sharp blades, and the ones that are ground tapered to the back rather than flat 'hacksaw type'. This is so that there is less tendency to scuff behind the cut - the blade will stay cooler and sharper too.

Can you improve the tearout further by making some sort of zero-clearance atrrangement to fit on the bottom of the shoe? You'd need a "Y" shaped slot, so you can follow the line easily, and I'd make it from hardwood personally, or something a bit more robust, like Tufnol. I'd guess the difficulty would be aligning it accurately with the blade, and anyway they do tend to twist as you turn the saw. It onlly needs to be 'zero clearance' at the leading edge of the blade (where it's actually cutting).

Necessary but horrid things, jigsaws, in my limited experience. Yes, you can follow curves, but the time you spend cleaning up afterwards makes you wish you were using something else....

... [brightens] Can you use a router instead?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My ancient Bosch takes a plastic plate in the sole which stops most of the spelching. Just read up on the blade info - if you start with the correct blade you're half way there. For tight curves an AO, for most others a 127 or 244 (iirc ) are ok. Unlike Eric I love my jigsaw, it probably does five times the work of any of my other powertools - it's probably cut about twenty tons of fire wood over the years, and I use it for sheet stuff and all sorts. It's easier and safer than a 7 1/4" circular - they are appalling things (imo )

 

[Eric The Viking]

Unlike Eric I love my jigsaw, it probably does five times the work of any of my other powertools - it's probably cut about twenty tons of fire wood over the years, and I use it for sheet stuff and all sorts. It's easier and safer than a 7 1/4" circular - they are appalling things (imo )

Fair enough - if I'd done that much work with one I probably couldn't hate it! Mine goes years between uses, literally.

Almost all the curvy stuff gets done on the bandsaw - wish I'd bought one years earlier.

I completely agree about good blades - they transform the way the thing cuts.

I never liked my handheld circular saw, either. In fact I gave it away to someone more fearless. The rail saw is a completely different proposition though - quick, pretty safe (unless you're stupid with it), and a truly excellent finish. In fact it's probably safer than a jigsaw in one sense: It's true you might get kickback (if you're stupid with it), but as soon as the saw is lifted, the blade is guarded. Mine's the Makita, but I think they're all like that.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I don't use enough sheet stuff to justify a "trackie". I sold an older DeWalt 7 1/4" at a car boot because I was afraid of using it, the design was so poor I thought it dangerous to use. I agree about the bandsaw, though. One point I didn't make was not only to use the correct blade, but to use the correct sharp blade. Even on firewood as soon as the saw struggled the blade got chucked, that's why my saw is still good. It's cheaper to destroy blades than powertools.

 

[tony]

Thanks folks , I will look at the blades & see if it takes a plastic plate or homemade job , cheers Tony

 

[Cordy]

Hi, I am new to woodwork.
Need to cut one inch planed pine timber to a circle of about 40 mm diameter

I have a modern jigsaw - Bosch GST90BE but having difficulty cutting a neat circle
Any tips much appreciated
Thanks

 

[blackrodd]

Thanks folks , I will look at the blades & see if it takes a plastic plate or homemade job , cheers Tony

You don't say what make/model of jigsaw you are using.
You will tend to get best results with better and slightly more expensive model, or makes.
Some have a "kick out" type of lever, on the l.h. side, the most "kick out" or clearance used will result in a cleaner cut, in thicker timber, cutting with the grain
You're ply cutting will benefit from lesser or nil setting, Decent blades are a must.
I tend to use Bosch,101d for thicker timber It has rip type teeth and just a few of their finer toothed ones,which may well be useful for you, and the ply cutting, the number of which I cannot recall, Sorry.
Go and have a look, on line or at you're local jig blade type shop.
Not the hacksaw ones!
HTH Regards Rodders

 

[Racers]

Hi, I am new to woodwork.
Need to cut one inch planed pine timber to a circle of about 40 mm diameter

I have a modern jigsaw - Bosch GST90BE but having difficulty cutting a neat circle
Any tips much appreciated
Thanks

A sharp blade is a must with a jigsaw, you can get narrow ones for cutting tight curves they might be your best bet.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Bosch T101 AO are the ones for tight curves - you can't force them, they will break or bend very easily.

 

[Bod]

I've used blades that cut cleanly on both strokes, with great success, just with a basic Black & Decker jig saw.
Its the blade that counts, get the correct one for the job, and change it as needed.

Bod

 

[Bod]

Hi, I am new to woodwork.
Need to cut one inch planed pine timber to a circle of about 40 mm diameter

I have a modern jigsaw - Bosch GST90BE but having difficulty cutting a neat circle
Any tips much appreciated
Thanks

I don't think you will much joy doing that with a jig saw, its a bit small.
Do you need a hole or a wheel, and how thick is your timber?
Do you have any other tools that might help? (drills etc.)
Other than that, the correct blade for tight curves in timber, is what is required, and practise.

Bod

 

[ColeyS1]

perhaps rough them out and true them up with a disc sander if you've access to one ?

 

[Cordy]

This is what I am trying to cut

edit
The dimensions are inside the timber to be saved

More practice may improve my work
Would a high or low speed be better ?

sorry for hijacking this thread btw

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Which part is the waste? If it's the part marked with the dimensions, and you have any amount to do, it might pay to look for a better way of cutting the 40mm circle and then using a jigsaw for the other cuts.

 

[Cordy]

The dimensions are inside the timber to be used
I will amend post

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Get a 40mm forstner? It depends how many you have to do. A 40mm hole saw in a press would do it, but the finish would be a bit rough.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A router and a templet would do, but you'd have to be careful with the cutting sequence so as not to break the pointed bit off.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I think I've still got the waste the wrong way around. You are using the outer piece?

 

[Cordy]

I am using the inner piece