In this article, Andrey, the author of the YouTube channel Stroykhak, will tell you about some tips for working with an electric jigsaw.
Materials
- masking tape
- Chipboard trim
- Sheet aluminum
- PVC pipes.
Instruments, used by the author.
-
- Square
- Allen key
- Vacuum cleaner
- Points
- Technical hair dryer.
Manufacturing process.
The first thing you need to do when working with a jigsaw is to put on glasses, because one single speck caught in the eye can ruin you all day, or even more.
If you have not already done so, you should check the perpendicularity of the nail file and the sole of the jigsaw.
Andrei does not remember that he ever had to cut with a jigsaw at an angle of 45 degrees.
But the mobility of the sole has its drawbacks, and requires periodic adjustment of perpendicularity. We set the angle of 90 degrees, and tighten the screws. Now the jigsaw is ready to go.
The next tip is that sometimes burrs may appear on the soles of the jigsaws.
Also, a screw can get out of vibration. Therefore, check the tightness of the screws periodically.
And when working with delicate surfaces it would be nice to stick a masking tape on the jigsaw sole. Then everything goes smoothly.
Are jigsaws being released now without a swingarm? But when Andrey acquired his first jigsaw, this function was not on it. Only then, when the author bought a jigsaw with a pendulum, he realized how convenient it is.
The pendulum stroke allows for more aggressive and faster cutting of the workpiece by swinging the file.
And we will see this now on the example of a blank from a laminated chipboard. We take four segments with different pendulum moves.
As we see, as the amplitude of the pendulum stroke increases, a large number of chips are formed on the workpiece. But cutting is faster and easier. So you constantly have to find a compromise between the speed and cleanliness of the cut.
Now about connecting a vacuum cleaner to a jigsaw. You can make an adapter to a jigsaw from a PVC pipe with a diameter of 32 millimeters. Moreover, if you do not have a proprietary adapter, this option may suit you. Despite its ugliness, it allows you to quickly connect the vacuum cleaner to any tool, and not just to a jigsaw.
Structurally, the jigsaw is designed so that it blows a stream of air onto the saw, and so it cools and dust is blown off the workpiece.
If for some reason the hole becomes clogged, it will be terribly inconvenient to cut due to the large number of sawdust.
When connecting a vacuum cleaner - on the contrary, it will drag in all the debris and dust.
Jigsaw files are made of ordinary carbon steel with the designation HCS. Also made of high speed steel marked HSS. What is the difference?
When sawing, the files become very hot, and from heating they lose strength and become dull.
From ordinary steel, the nail file dulls already at a temperature of 250 degrees, and from high-speed steel at a temperature of 550 degrees. Therefore, if you do not allow overheating, the files from high-speed steel will last much longer.
For cutting plastic with a jigsaw, a nail file with a large tooth is selected, and a small engine speed is set.
Let's start sawing at low speeds. The chips go smoothly and are cut well.
We change the speed to high - the plastic begins to melt, and the jigsaw stops cutting.
We look, what happened? First an even cut, and then one molten porridge. Therefore, the jigsaw stopped and stopped sawing.
When cutting metal, the situation is different. With thin or soft metal, you can set the speed higher.
For example, let's cut aluminum. We set low revs, turn off the pendulum (it’s useless here). Cut is going well. Changing the speed to high is also excellent.
For a better glide of the saw and a better cut, you can drip a drop of oil - and everything will go like clockwork.
Of course, for cutting sheet metal if the tools are better than a jigsaw.
But if you still have to cut a thin sheet of metal - put a thin substrate under it, plywood for example, and it will be much more convenient to cut. Because the sheet of metal will not vibrate much.
But if you need to crawl somewhere, and cut something there? Here again the jigsaw comes in handy, only with the sole off. So his mobility increases at times.
To cut a square hole in the middle of the workpiece, you can use two methods of entry into the material. The first is through the hole. We drill a hole, and from it we begin to cut in different directions.
The second method is without prior drilling. Just tilt the jigsaw, and pulling it to the cut path, we deepen the canvas into the material.
With round holes, a slightly different situation. To make it a jigsaw, we make a hole, and in a circle we cut the workpiece. But to do this with a regular nail file is very difficult - it is difficult for her to turn, and she overheats, and begins to burn. But with a thin nail file it is very simple to do, but it has another drawback. From overheating, it often breaks, but it cuts very cleanly.
What to do if there is only an ordinary nail file? We drill a hole in the center, and from it we cut the rays to the borders of the circle. Thus, small sectors are formed, which are very easy to cut, and the nail file does not get stuck and does not overheat.
Thanks to Andrei for simple but practical advice on working with an electric jigsaw!
All good mood, good luck, and interesting ideas!