- Scary.
(saw cuts loudly)
And not so scary.
(saw cuts quietly)
And I think that's why a lot of people who are new to DIY
gravitate toward the jigsaw.
It's quieter, looks easy to use,
and doesn't seem quite as scary
as some of those other teeth-bearing power tools.
Having said that though,
I remember when I first bought my jigsaw,
which was many many years ago.
From memory, I think Jesus may have been
a second year apprentice.
So we're going back a bit.
I found it difficult to cut a straight line,
let alone a curve, or god forbid, a circle.
And blade selection that was a little confusing as well.
So just letting you know,
that if you've had the same experience,
well, I've been there and done that.
But I promise you, after watching this video,
you'll be using a jigsaw like a pro.
G'day folks, Uncle Knackers here, and in today's video,
we're going to have a look at the humble jigsaw,
check out some of its features,
and then go over the basics of how to use it.
Let's go.
Now just before we kick off,
a quick tip regarding power tools.
And that is whenever you're using them,
make sure you're wearing some hearing,
and some eye protection.
Now I have to say that the jigsaw is a pretty basic tool,
but there are too many bells and whistles.
(unsuccessfully tries to whistle)
(successfully whistles)
(casual drumbeat plays)
The obvious part of the saw is its straight blade,
which makes it the ideal and the go-to tool
for curved and flush cuts, which I'll talk about later.
To change the blade on most jigsaw models
that use a T-shaped blade, which I'll also talk about later,
it couldn't be any easier.
Now most jigsaws, either down the side here,
or across the front,
will have a lever or a mechanism,
that if you open, you can then remove that blade.
How cool's that?
And then to instal the blade,
just simply reopen that lever or mechanism,
place a blade in until it can't go any further,
release the lever or mechanism, and you're good to go.
Too easy.
Now, just a quick safety tip,
whenever you are installing or removing blades,
make sure the power isn't connected.
And if your machine is battery operated,
make sure the battery isn't clicked in.
Now, this part of the jigsaw is known as the base plate,
and it can be tilted if you need to make a bevelled cut.
And to adjust the angle or the tilt of the base plate,
if we check out the back of my machine here,
which may vary from model to model,
but on mine, I have zero degrees up top,
all the way down to 45 degrees over here.
And it's the same for both sides.
Now to adjust the angle,
there's a screw on the bottom of that base plate.
Now, if we use the Allen key that comes with most machines,
there he is, loosen that screw,
and then alter the base plate to your desired angle,
lining that up with that notch up there,
and bang, you're in business.
(relaxed music plays)
And to start the machine is pretty straightforward.
All we have is a trigger down here,
and a locking button up there.
Pull the trigger up, and away you go.
Release it, and the machine stops.
And for a long continuous cut,
well, you might not want to hold that trigger
in position for a long period of time.
Just simply engage it, and then click in this locking button
here.
That'll hold the trigger in place
until you've finished your cut.
And then just simply pull that trigger up again,
that releases that locking button,
the trigger comes down, and the machine stops.
Now this feature here is one
that a lot of newbies don't know about.
And I have to say a lot of not-so-newbies as well.
Which is a real shame,
because it's a very handy option to utilise.
So basically most jigsaws can be operated
with either an orbital
or a straight up and down cutting action.
Now the orbital action,
as opposed to the straight up and down cutting action,
which is adjusted via this lever here,
thrusts the blade forward on the cutting stroke,
which greatly increases the cutting speed.
Now as a general guide,
select the large orbit cutting action
for fast cutting in wood and plywood.
Currently my machine is set on zero,
which means absolutely no orbital cutting action whatsoever.
And the blade is just going straight up and down.
Now, if we move our lever across to the three position,
that'll be the fastest cutting action for this machine,
and we're good to go.
Now the downside to that setting is
that the finish may not be as neat,
as you often get a lot of splintering,
also known as tearout.
Personally, I nearly always have mine set
to no orbital action at all,
which is the zero setting on your machine.
That way you'll finish up with a cleaner cut.
The only drawback is that the cut will take longer,
but for me, that's no big deal.
Now just to demonstrate the difference in cutting speed,
we'll do a little test.
I'll set the machine to three,
which is the maximum orbital cutting speed.
That's hard to say.
And then I'll set it to zero,
and we'll see which one's fastest.
(relaxing music plays)
(saw cuts)
So, as you can see from that demonstration,
when I had the machine set to number three,
the cut was so much faster than when I had it set to zero.
But when it was set to zero, the cut was much cleaner.
And here's another handy feature
to make your life a little easier.
And that is most jigsaws will come
with the option to fit a cutting guide,
which is what this little fellow here is,
for performing long continuous cuts,
at a certain defined measurement.
So all you need to do is to slide the guide in,
and then tighten the nut at your desired measurement,
which will be from the face of the guide
to the face of the blade, and away you go.
It's that easy.
(saw cuts)
Speaking of tool-related things, how's this?
I was talking to a good mate of mine the other day,
and out of the blue, he asked me,
out of interest, what tool do you think would best deal
with a traumatic event?
I had a bit of a think about it, and I thought,
obviously, it's gotta be the coping saw. (laughs)
Because yeah, it's just good at coping.
It copes.
Yeah.
I'll get my coat.
Now, when it comes to jigsaw blades,
and then selecting the top of jigsaw that you want to buy,
it's really important to remember,
that certain types of jigsaws will only take
a certain type of jigsaw blade.
And there are two styles to choose from.
And they are the T-shank blade, and the U-shank blade.
The T-shank blade has lugs there and there.
And you can also see how the top tapers in.
Now on a U-shank blade, there's a U shape cut into the top,
and sometimes it's even a hole in the centre,
to accommodate for older machines.
Now this particular blade here is a universal type blade,
which means it's suitable for all types of jigsaws.
So on a typical U-shank blade, those lugs won't be there.
So when it comes time
to buying your brand spanking new jigsaw,
do yourself a favour, make life easy on yourself,
and select one that takes a T-shanked blade.
They're far more common, so you got a lot more choice,
and the blades are so much easier to change.
In fact, more often than not,
as you saw earlier in the video,
you don't even need a tool to change it.
Now, just in relation to the teeth configuration
of a jigsaw blade, you'll notice that all the teeth face
in an upward direction.
That's because the saw cuts in an upward stroke,
which is good, cause that then keeps the wood hard
up against the base of the saw.
And you'll also notice that we have quite a large selection.
And that's because they all have different uses.
If we come over here, you can see it says six TPI.
TPI stands for teeth per inch.
Now this guy here, being six TPI,
is a fairly aggressive type of blade.
You'll cut very quickly,
but you also get a lot of splintering or tearout.
Now, this fella, he's ten TPI,
and he's probably my go-to all rounder jigsaw blade.
You can still cut reasonably quickly, but the tearout
or the splintering is far less than the six TPI.
This guy here is 20 TPI,
and is used for doing very fine work,
such as cutting laminate.
And this little chap, it's 14 TPI,
but he's also a scroll saw blade,
which means that it's thinner and narrower
than these guys over here.
And this is the one you use for doing curves or circles.
Now this one, this is 14 TPI,
but the blade is a reverse blade,
which means that the teeth face downwards,
which means that when you're cutting a piece of wood,
because the teeth are facing downwards,
you get zero splintering or tearout.
The only downside is that these blades,
if you're not used to it, tend to bounce.
Now here's a couple of tips to help you get started.
(saw cuts)
When starting a cut,
make sure the machine gathers and reaches top speed,
before you entered the cut.
If you don't, the saw will tend to bounce, and make a mess.
Then slowly advance the saw along the cutting line.
Don't force the tool, just let it work at it's own pace.
And you'll finish up with a beautiful clean cut.
(relaxed music plays)
If you ever find yourself having to cut a curve or a circle
into a piece of wood,
then the jigsaw is the perfect tool for the job.
Now, when you're cutting out a circle with a jigsaw,
you need to drill a hole first,
to slide the blade in to start the cut.
And just say for instance,
that we're cutting out that circle
because we want that circle.
You're drilling the hole on the waste side of the line,
which is over here.
Now, if you, on the other hand,
want to cut a circle into this piece of wood,
the circle becomes a waste.
So you start our hole on the waste side of the line,
which is over here.
(drill whines)
(saw cuts)
When cutting a circle, the trick is take your time.
Don't force the tool, and just gradually turn the jigsaw
as you're going around the circle.
And there we have it.
There's your circle, and it didn't turn out too bad.
So as you can see, it's not a hundred percent perfect,
but it's not too bad for our hand-cut circle.
And it just goes to show you how versatile the jigsaw is.
Now, if you want to see more videos
like the one you've just watched,
make sure you check out my beginner's guide
to using power tools playlist,
which should be popping up over there, just about now.
Hope to see you there shortly.
And as 2020 draws to a close,
I just want to thank everybody
for all your support throughout the year.
It's been greatly appreciated.
And I wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas,
and a very prosperous 2021.
Alrighty.
Now after all that, I think I need a cup of tea.
So until next time, be good, be safe.
And I'm out of here.
Cheers.