Saw

Not quite the right forum but I wonder if anyone hereabouts has anything along these lines - a mini jigsaw that can be clamped upside down ... (One example here

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- "Scroll Saw 60W") if so can anyone suggest any other makes/similar ideas.

Reason for asking? This sort of thing strikes me as being ideal for cutting out windows and the like from plywood/hardboard buildings .. lots, lots quicker that the old drill a load of holes that saw between them method.

Reply to
Chris Wilson
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Chris,

I tried something like this years ago with a Black and Decker jigsaw clamped upside down in a Workmate. I was hoping to use it to cut shapes out of plywood, IIRC. But the problem was that the saw cuts on the 'down' stroke, which translates into an 'up' stroke when you turn it upside down, and it became quite a dodgy operation to try and cut wood if the wood you were cutting was relatively small and light. It would have worked much better if the blade could have been reversed so that the saw cut on the down stroke when the saw was upside down but you couldn't do that with the blades supplied for the B&D jigsaw.

It might work with a smaller jigsaw if the force required to hold the workpiece down against the action of the blade is relatively light.

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie

Minicraft even made a table for it that could also be used as a fret table. But there not very good and for the same money you can buy a proper strong well made fret saw That can cut straighter and faster and smother with out snagging. Even cut out chassis

Reply to
Trev

I'd say buy a fretsaw, mine was purchased from the hobbies catalogue in the early 1970s and is still going strong after years of misuse. You have more control and its probably quicker. However for a lot of windows all the same size a punch is the way to go. I was lucky enough to be Merchant Navy so one of the engineers took some steel pipe, squared it up and filed the inside to get a cutting edgs (apparently this is better than having the slope on the outside), the other end was filled with something like plastic metal. This was used with a plate on whoich two rectangular strips of metal were welded. The piece is positioned so the punch will pass between the bars. Worked fine for my 3mm scale military modelling buildings made from thin ply, also worked on thick card using a cutting mat.

Reply to
Mike

You can buy jigsaw blades with reversed teeth that cut on the up stroke. I have some somewhere, but not sure if they are B&D.

Reply to
MartinS

makes/similar

I think you'll find that a power jigsaw cuts on the up-stroke (i.e. towards the body/sole of the saw) unless you've put the blade in the wrong way up. My B&D jigsaws, both standard and minicraft, certainly have the blades oriented that way. So, turning the saw over would make it cut on the down stroke (but still towards the main body of the saw). Orientating the blade this way in relation to the saw ensures that the work is pulled against the foot of the jigsaw on the cutting stroke. The angle of the teeth allows them to "slide" through the cut on the reset stroke and, unless you're trying to force the work through the saw too fast, should result in minimal "bounce".

Steve

Reply to
Steve

First things first, thanks to everybody who's taken the trouble to reply.

And secondly just for info, I emailed chronos with a query at around the same time as I made my post here ... and got a reply at 8.40pm on a Saturday night so he gets full points for service, which is a bit of a shame because of the suggestions here I'm going to save up for a proper fretsaw so he doesn't get an order from me ... at least for the time being, if you haven't visited the site though it's worth a look ... bit of an Alladin's Cave.

Anyway, enough of all that, can anyone tell me what the difference is between a Scroll Saw and a Fretsaw? From the photo's I've seen they look pretty similar as though they do the same job.

Also can anyone let me know if the blades on these things are quick to change? The reason I ask is the same reason I was initially attracted to the "upside down jigsaw", that is having a piece of work which needs a lot of cut-outs it would be a simple matter to drill a hole per cut-out, slip it over the blade, make the cut then simply lift it off and move on to the next whereas with the fretsaw (unless I'm missing something obvious) I'd still drill the holes but then would have to unfasten the blade feed it through the hole, make the cut, un-clip the blade, remove the blade, move teh work, re-thread the blade and so forth ... I'm sure that the accuracy of the cuts would make up for it but it would be a bit of a slow process ...

... not at slow as the X-acto needle saw I put a minute ago is though. :-(

(And yes I have tried my Dremmel with a cutting blade but it's not the most accurate way of working). :-)

Stamps and dies ... yup might try that with a bit of sheet metal, the only problem there is that I'd need a hard/strong surface to work against and my workshop although reasonably well equipped for my needs is also my garage and it's unheated ... got to admit I'm a bit wimpy and prefer to work inside at this time of the year. :-)

Reply to
Chris Wilson

The Americans call our powered fretsaws scroll saws

There are two kind of fittings the plane ended as you use in the hand held fret or piercing saw and pin ended kind of like coping saw some saws can use a single ended blade

Offcut of work top

Reply to
Trev

DOH! ... Cheers!

...

That sounds like the dog's do-dahs ... you've been very patient, one last question if I may ... any particular make you'd recomend, don't wewant to spend more than around £150 tops ... sometime after Christmas and before April when Mk 3 gets born.

There is that but ...

Bang!!! rattle ... Bang!!! rattle ... Bang!!! rattle ... Bang!!! rattle ... neighbours and my children might get a tad upset ... :-)

Reply to
Chris Wilson

I have not been following the market for some years I have a rexon and price will vary

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Also check out your B & Q. I bet you can get a good one under £100

Reply to
Trev

In news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Jim Guthrie blithered:

Mine cuts on the up! You sure you got the blade in the right way up?

Reply to
GbH

Steve,

I happened to go to the local B&Q yesterday for something else and I also checked out their jigsaw blades, and you are correct. :-)

It was about thirty years ago when I tried the upside down jigsaw and I can distinctly remember it being a very dodgy operation since I only tried it once then gave up. Brain fade has probably ensured that the real reason is now lost for ever, unless it was just some sort of shortcoming in the design of the B&D tool itself.

I've remembered what I was trying to do - I was attempting to saw a sheet of marine ply into sleeper strips for a Gauge 1 garden layout, and thought I would use a jigsaw rather than a circular saw since the kerf would be thinner.

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie

I doubt you can fit the blade the wrong way up in any jigsaw. The direction of cut is determined by the blade. Ordinary blades cut on the up-stroke. Down-stroke blades are used. e.g. for cutting laminate material like kitchen worktops where you need an accurate cut on the laminate side[1]. The down cutting action minimises chipping of the laminate.

MBQ

[1] Which you probably will not get by cutting upside down and following a cutting line on the reverse side with a normal blade due to the way jig saw blades can bend.
Reply to
MBQ

I don't know about putting the blades in inverted, all the one's I've seen/used have been handed for up-stroke operation and it would indeed be tricky to put them in the wrong way. Nothing is completely foolproof though.

As to cutting laminate, I wasn't aware of opposite direction blades. Every time I've cut laminate I've used a marking knife and cut to the marked line without difficulty (oh how my school woodwork teacher would glow with pride!!). Maybe I've just been lucky.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

This sounds daft but try your local ALDI supermarket a friend of mine bought a super power fretsaw there for £25. Having used it I was impressed, Cast Iron base, good motor and fittings to take any kind of blade.

Reply to
Les Pickstock

Cheers Les, I think I've set my mind on one from Axminster though, a bit more expensive but variable speed.

Reply to
Chris Wilson

Also, Screwfix sell Ferm power tools which are very good value. I have a router, angle grinder and power saw from them, all work well.

Guy

Reply to
Just zis Guy, you know?

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