FLSO Jig Saw
Jig Saw
A jigsaw is an electrically powered hand-held saw, which uses a reciprocating blade to cut straight lines and irregular curves, such as stenciled designs, in wood, metal, or other materials.
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Control is an issue with jigsaws; the blades are small and weak, with the lower end entirely unsupported. Good cut control requires the presence of blade rollers, which keep the blade aligned just above the sole plate. To guide a jigsaw on curved cut, it must be steered (turned) and not forced to move sideways. The use of sharp blades is important as well to get high quality cuts. In the SOA, we have several types of blades for various materials, and will replace them for students as needed.
Here is a Schematic drawing showing the parts of the Jigsaw.
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1. To remove a previously used blade, pull blade change lever (Fig 2.) until blade ejects. Blade ejects forcefully when released. Hold on to the blade and direct away from yourself or bystanders.
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2. Pull the blade change lever to the point that the slots on the blade clamp's ring line up with the slot in the center of the clamp (Fig. 2).
3. Insert the saw blade (teeth in cutting direction) until it the “T” part of the blade shank is completely inserted in to the blade clamp. (When inserting the saw blade, the back of the blade must rest in the groove of the guide roller) (Fig. 2a.)
4. When blade change lever is released, it will spring back to its closed position.
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The "Lock-On" button, located in the handle of the tool allows for continuous operation at maximum preset SPM without holding the trigger (see: Schematic). TO LOCK TRIGGER "ON": squeeze trigger, depress button and release trigger.
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BLADE ORBIT SELECTOR LEVER: Maximum cutting efficiency can be obtained by adjusting the blade orbit selector lever to suit the material being cut. The following chart will help you determine which setting to use for your application. This orbit selector chart is intended, as a guideline only, and test cuts in scrap material should be performed first to determine the best setting. Setting O Hard materials such as metals or thin sheet metals. This setting can be used with knife blades, grit edge blades, rasp work and down cutting blades. Setting I Soft materials where cleaner cutting or delicate scrolling work is performed. Setting II Medium density materials such as harder woods or particleboard. Setting III Soft materials such as wood, plastics, etc. and when fast cutting is more important than a clean cut.
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CHIP BLOWER: The jigsaw is equipped with a two-position chip blower to help keep the cutting line clear of chips. It also helps to stop cutting occasionally and physically blow on the cut-line to see where the blade is, in relation to the marks you’ve made.
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FOOTPLATE ANGLE ADJUSTMENT: The footplate (Fig.6) may be tilted to allow angle cuts up to 45° in either direction (Fig. 6). To adjust footplate, remove dust shroud if used, loosen the footplate screw and slide the footplate slightly forward towards the back of tool, then rotate to desired angle.The detent slots will hold the footplate firmly at 0°, and there are additional position marks for 15°, 22.5° 30° and 45° angles. Intermediate angles may be set with a protractor (Fig. 6).After positioning the footplate, securely tighten the footplate screw (Fig. 6).
TOOL TIPS: Always be certain that smaller work pieces are securely fastened to a bench or other support. Larger panels may be held in place by clamps on a bench or sawhorses. To begin a cut, clearly mark the cutting line, and rest the front of the footplate on the work. Engage the switch, and move the blade into the work using only enough forward pressure to keep the blade cutting steadily. Do not force, as this will not make the saw cut faster; let the blade do the work. Choose blades carefully, as the ability of the jigsaw to follow curves, provide smoother finishes, or faster cutting is directly related to the type of blade used For tight curves it is best to use a narrow or scroll blade. (Please ask for Shop Tech assistance when selecting the proper blade for your material.)
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TYPICAL USE: Most Often, students will need to cut portions of a site model, by making edge cuts or internal cutouts in a model base. We have some Styrofoam blocks on top of the main tool cabinet which allow forming a base, upon which various cuts can be made without damaging worktables. Usually, the students will either draw lines to be cut directly on the sheet material, or spray-glue a printed drawing to the surface of the material to be cut. This works especially well for large sheets of material. Smaller parts should be clamped to the edge of a workbench, with areas to be cut over-hanging the edge of the bench, so as to avoid damaging the bench.
Clean-up
When you are finished working with a Jigsaw, clean the area before leaving the workstation. There are 4 Trash barrels in this room, and each one has a broom, bench brush and dust pan attached. You must use these items to clean up your work areas at each machine, when you are finished working there. Also, there are scrap barrels at each workstation to deposit scraps of material, which may be useful for someone else. Please do not put materials with stray hardware or glue on them, or food/drink items, only re-useable materials.
Plunge Plunge cutting is useful and time-saving in making rough openings in softer materials. It is not necessary to drill a hole for an inside or pocket cut. Draw lines for the opening, hold the saw firmly, tilt it forward so that the toe of the saw foot rests on the work, but with the blade well clear of the work. Start the motor, and then very gradually lower the blade. When it touches, continue pressing down on the toe of the saw foot slowly pivoting the saw like a hinge until the blade cuts through and the foot rests flat on the work. Then saw ahead on the cutting line. We do not recommend plunge cutting with a scroll blade. To make sharp corners, cut up to the corner, then back up slightly before rounding the corner. After the opening is complete, go back to each corner and cut it from the opposite direction to square it off.
Clean-up
When you are finished working with a Jigsaw, clean the area before leaving the workstation. There are 4 Trash barrels in this room, and each one has a broom, bench brush and dust pan attached. You must use these items to clean up your work areas at each machine, when you are finished working there. Also, there are scrap barrels at each workstation to deposit scraps of material, which may be useful for someone else. Please do not put materials with stray hardware or glue on them, or food/drink items, only re-useable materials.