How to saw with an electric jigsaw correctly. How to cut wood, chipboard, plywood

How to cut with a jigsaw

Electric jigsaw is a useful versatile tool that helps at home and in the workplace to saw various materials. But not everyone gets smooth cuts at first, so you need to know how to saw with an electric jigsaw so you don’t ruin your workpieces.

When to cut with an electric jigsaw

For cutting steel in non-industrial conditions we use gas and electric welding in cutting mode, angle grinder or facing grinder with metal cutting disc, hand jigsaw with metal saw, scissors, guillotines.

An electric jigsaw is used in the following cases:

• You need a clean cut, without dross and overheated metal structure;
• You have to cut a circle, a curved line for a trimmer or an oval which cannot be done with any other tool;
• When you need to make a cut at an angle, the adjustable tilt of the jigsaw’s platform allows you to do this;
• When no other tool is available.

It is dangerous to work with a sparking cutting disk on an angle grinder, gas and electric welding in a cutting mode in rooms where combustible and lubricating materials, other flammable materials are stored. In renovated rooms, this can damage the finish. The jigsaw is also used here.

How to make a correct marking for sawing

To make a smooth cut with the jigsaw, you must mark the metal or wood. The step-by-step process of its creation looks like this

• On both sides of the workpiece measure the required distance using a ruler and mark.
• Exactly connect the points with a line, drawing it with a dark marker or a pencil with a thick rod.
• The contour marking is first drawn on paper, and then transferred to the material with a paper clip.
• Turn the jigsaw and begin to saw the workpiece smoothly and evenly, without pushing the tool and not trying to increase pressure on the blade.

It is important to be particularly careful when making curved cuts. To saw the material straight along the marking, you must go slowly around small curves and move the blade forward without rushing.

What the tool can do

An electric jigsaw for cutting laminate board should have the following characteristics:

It must be possible to perform the tool even and clean cut without cracks and chips. It is necessary to choose a saw blade with a special setting and a fine pitch of teeth. Quality electric jigsaws from reputable manufacturers come with a set of saws. each of which is designed to work with different building materials, including laminate.

Special saws are available for laminate

Features of sawing round and oval elements

How to saw a straight circle with a jigsaw? Marking is put on material, holes are drilled in workpiece with drill bit with diameter matching the width of saw blade. Curvilinear elements are sawn with specially designed narrow blade. Do not move the tool hurriedly along the path. A circle cutter is used to cut a regular circle. Determine the center of the circle, fix the compass stop in it, and saw with a narrow saw. When working, you are guided by its position, because the guides, which help to make a straight cut, here only bring down the course.

Sometimes a hole is not drilled in the workpiece. The edge of the jigsaw blade is set behind the marked line. Increase the angle until the material is sawn through. The tool is stopped, the blade is pulled out and set in a usual working position. To the marking come out, gradually rounding off the cutting lines, the jigsaw is not pressed.

To saw non-standard shapes, the tool is set with the saw upwards on the saw table. The workpiece itself is moved along the marking. With this method it is possible to control the entire process.

The jigsaw can be used to carefully saw a circular hole

Features of sawing round and oval elements

Before sawing out a circle or an oval, it is necessary to mark the workpiece. Drill a hole in the material slightly larger than the saw blade. Components with curved lines require a narrower saw. The process of cutting should proceed slowly.

If you need a regular circle, use a circular saw. In the center of the circle fix a stop (compasses) and cut with a narrow blade. It is desirable to be guided here by the saw itself.

There is no need to drill a hole in the material. The jigsaw should be set behind the line of marking, necessarily the edge of the sole. Increase the angle until the workpiece is cut through. Then stop the jigsaw and take it out and put it back in its usual position. The line of intersection has to be machined step by step. A little rounding in the cut. Having learned these simple tips, it will be clear how to saw a smooth circle with a jigsaw.

Before sawing complex workpieces always make a marking

How to saw a tile

Choice of saw. To work on this material, a special blade is used, without teeth. Abrasive materials are applied to the surface of these saws. Cutting tiles or ceramic tile is rarely used, t. к. The consumption of blades is too high in this case.

Pendulum stroke. Pendulum stroke is switched off.

Stroke frequency. Work is performed at the lowest speed setting.

The jigsaw is ideal for cutting out short curved features in tile.

How fast should I saw Chipboard, Laminated Chipboard with a jigsaw?

To evenly cut chipboard with the jigsaw, you must operate the electric or hand-held tool at slow speed while pressing the blade firmly against the workpiece. If you move too fast, the cut is not very accurate, there is a higher chance of splintering.

Users say that when cutting with the jigsaw head in a straight line and at low speed, the jigsaw moves about 50 cm per minute. If you increase the intensity of the movements and set the maximum angle, you can cut up to 2 m in the same amount of time. But the cut will be rough, with large chips.

Tip! If you saw the material carefully, the pendulum motion feature should be disabled.

How smoothly the jigsaw will cut the chipboard, also depends on the sharpness of the blade. New blades allow you to saw material cleanly in the planned line and at a constant speed. But after about 3 m of the workpiece the jigsaw starts to blunt, which slows down the progress and makes the cut rougher.

How to fix a jigsaw if it cuts crookedly

If the electric jigsaw is sawing crookedly, it is necessary to carefully inspect the body of the tool and the working nozzle itself. Fix the situation by tightening the fasteners or simply repairing the machine.

Checking the blade

Even in new jigsaws the saw blade can go crooked because of the wrong setting of the vertical angle. Usually the defect is visible to the naked eye upon close inspection of the implement.

To correct the situation, loosen the fasteners and move the sole plate until it is in the correct position. After that the platform is fixed again firmly with a clamp.

If the jigsaw slices crookedly after the adjustment, it is necessary to check the flatness of the soleplate. If the surface has height differences, it is removed from the machine, fixed on the anvil and corrected with a hammer. The platform is ground with sandpaper.

It is recommended to check the angle and flatness of the soleplate before each use of the jigsaw

Displacement of the groove for fixing the jigsaw head

If the jigsaw is not sawing smoothly, the groove on the drive rod that secures the blade may be misaligned. The problem is a little more difficult to fix in this case. The rod itself is designed in such a way that a simple adjustment does not allow to eliminate the misalignment of the groove.

Nevertheless, there is a solution. If the slot cannot be returned to the correct position, simply turn the shank of the tool itself by the same amount, but in the opposite direction.

To prevent the blade from breaking from applying too much force, it needs to be prepared. First, the transition point of the shank to the cutting part is heated on a gas stove so that the metal becomes flexible. After that, grab the nozzle with two pliers and turn its tip relative to the blade.

How to ensure smooth sawing with a jigsaw

If all measures to adjust the nozzle are performed correctly, but the tool goes sideways and saws crookedly, it remains to pay attention to your own actions to operate the device. To get a smooth cut, it is necessary:

• To secure the part on the working table with high quality;
• Choose the blade carefully according to the material, thickness and width of the workpiece;
• Pre-apply the saw trimmer line on the metal or wood with a pencil or marker.

To cut not crookedly, but with maximum precision, you need to use built-in laser pointer and backlighting while operating the tool.

It is necessary to constantly remove sawdust from the marking line for a clean cut