The jigsaw is a tool that serves a multitude of purposes. It is ideal for making curved cuts as well as quickly roughing out work before it is trimmed by a router, or by hand. With the proper blade and powerful enough motor, you can saw through almost any material. Another benefit to the jigsaw, it produces less dust and less noise than cutting with a circular saw. When you are installing at a clients home and a cut needs to be made, sometimes the jigsaw is a better choice. How to Choose a Jig Saw A jigsaw allows the user to cut curved and circular patterns in stock, combining the benefits of a scroll saw and band saw into one. For versatility, choose an orbital-action, corded model that feels good in your hand and has an easy blade changing system. Like most power tools, there is standard corded model and there is the battery-powered cordless Jigsaw. Corded models offer an unlimited amount of cutting-time, and offers the power required when cutting through hardwood or metal. Corded jigsaw motors range from 3.5 to 6 amps, with the higher amp models offering more power for cutting through harder or thicker materials.

Choosing a Jig Saw

Jig saws are extremely versatile and handy tools. They combine many of the functions of a band saw and a scroll saw into one small, portable package. With all the features and choices, finding the right saw for your projects can be difficult. Use our guide to help you decide. Lowe's is happy to provide this information as a service to you. One of the most important parts of the saw is the blade. Different blades are available for different applications. Blades are classified by the number of teeth they have per inch (tpi). The higher the tpi the smoother the finished cut. The lower the tpi the quicker the cut. The material from which the blade is made also effects performance.

Choosing Jig Saws

These saws range in price considerably, as does the quality. It is safe to say that the higher priced ones are generally better, but there is, as always the exceptions. My suggestion would be to try them out if it can be arranged, prior to buying it. I know this isn't always possible, but in some local retail stores, it can be arranged. Other items to check would be ease of blade changes, length of stroke, or blade travel, amperage of the motor, ease of tilting the base for miter cuts, an option I rarely have had a need for, and will it cut in an orbital action as well as vertically. A saw with this capability will make rough cuts much faster than just a vertical stroke. The blade support system is very important, as it plays a major role in producing straight cuts.

Jig Saws for Woodworking

Though jigsaws have earned a bad rep in the woodworking community for their blades’ knack to bend resulting in cuts that aren’t angular, the upsides are too great to not have this power tool in your toolbox. When curved cuts are called for, particularly on thin surfaces like plywood, etc few power tools are as diligent as the jigsaw. High-end jigsaws include two main features that factor into their elevated costs: Variable Speed and Orbital Action. While variable speeds aren’t necessary for woodworking, adjusting speeds to make complicated and delicate cuts can be particularly useful, especially when dealing with metals. If you start out with a high-end jigsaw and switch to a single speed jigsaw, you’ll miss the flexibility and if you start out low and go high, you’ll never want to switch again.

Makita 4329K 3.9 Amp Variable-Speed Top-Handle Jig Saw - Review

The Makita 4329K Variable-Speed Jig Saw combines a strong 3.9 amp motor with a variable-speed dial control (500-3,100 RPM) optimizing cutting. The saw provides a 11/16-inch stroke and three orbital cut settings as well as standard straight cutting. The limit of cutting wood is 2 9/16-inches deep. It has a compact design of 8 7/8 inches long and weighs 4.2 pounds.