# just bought a jigsaw



## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$. 
so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw.. 
ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
first thing i did was cut my huge 6' cutting board down into squares.. they are not the nicest looking squares lol.. then i tried to cut out a shape.. waaaaay harder to do.. lol. it will take a bit of practice, but im happy i wont have to use the coping saw forever

here is the one i got http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/2/CordedPowerTools/Jigsaws/PRDOVR~0548223P/Mastercraft%252B5A%252BOrbital%252BJigsaw%252Bwith%252BLaser.jsp?locale=en


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

make sure you are able to clamp ur work down mate or itll jump all over the place lol


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i put in on some crates and kneel on top of the board, putting all my weight on it.. works so far.. no jumping.


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

blades with lots of small teeth help too.


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

your life just got better


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## pelleteer (Dec 19, 2009)

You'll be cutting out near-perfect shapes in no time. It doesn't take a whole lot of practice to master one of these. A few tips: 1. Like marcus said, make sure your work is very secure. 2. Do short sections of cutting at a time, stopping frequently to blow sawdust out of the way and make sure you're still following your pre-drawn pattern on the wood. 3. use something very visible to draw your shape on the wood first. I use a black fine-point Sharpie.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i got a variety pack of blades. some of the blades even cut metal.. holy crap


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Just keep at it ... a bit of practice and you will be fine.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

thanks guys. i was hoping i would get some pointers and, sure enough you did not let me down. I will post some progress when i get more into it.. i also picked up a pruning saw for fork hunting in the forests.. before i was using a finetoothed coping saw.. what a joke lol.. it worked , but , well.. you know what i mean.


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

id still be inclined to clamp it down mate,safety first an all that and itll mean you can be more accurate and give your attention to whats goin on ,not wether its still under your knee,without patronising,one slip of the mind with any power tool can result in accident,preach over lol and enjoy bj


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

you are absolutely right. i am still very new to tools.. i will take my time and be safe. i like all my fingers


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## gamekeeper john (Apr 11, 2011)

clamp it down or u will have your fingers off lol, the thin narrow blades will be best for slingshots because they cut tighter curves, also when using the metal blades on metal you should pour water on when your cutting, it keeps it cool and stops the blade clogging up, i use to do a lot of work in 14mm aircraft alloy, john


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## AJW (Apr 24, 2011)

I've had a new jig saw for about 3 weeks, and I'm still going over to my neighbors band saw to get frames cut out. The saw blade goes on an angle half way down so the cut isn't straight up and down. I've learned how to swear in languages I don't know. What am I doing wrong? Please don't tell me my mistake is using a jig saw.

Al


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

gamekeeper john said:


> clamp it down or u will have your fingers off lol, the thin narrow blades will be best for slingshots because they cut tighter curves, also when using the metal blades on metal you should pour water on when your cutting, it keeps it cool and stops the blade clogging up, i use to do a lot of work in 14mm aircraft alloy, john


awesome, thanks man. this one i got also has an attachment to hook up my vacuum so it takes the dust away while i work.. im pretty stoked on it. thanks again everyone for advice.. i will get some clamps..


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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

Looks like a nice saw. If it's varible speed sometimes you can slow it down and make a big differance in your cut.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

My advise is don't cut your stock into little squares. Cut your forks out of the big piece of wood, it's easier to hold down.


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## rubberpower (Aug 16, 2011)

AJW said:


> I've had a new jig saw for about 3 weeks, and I'm still going over to my neighbors band saw to get frames cut out. The saw blade goes on an angle half way down so the cut isn't straight up and down. I've learned how to swear in languages I don't know. What am I doing wrong? Please don't tell me my mistake is using a jig saw.
> 
> Al


Only thing that comes to mind is to check the make sure there is nothing in the blade holder that causes the blade to be off set. I know this sounds simple but is the sole of the saw square to the blade?


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## AJW (Apr 24, 2011)

Thanks rubberpower, I will check to see that it is clear. I have no idea what I could be doing to cause the blade to travel off course. I hope I find something in the blade holder. Thanks for the advise.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

I usually cut the frame from the end of a board and work at each side. The last short cut separates the frame from the long board. The board is held in my B&D Workmate.

Bending blades? Try a "scrollsaw blade" and work a bit slower on the curves. My old jigsaw didn't have the rollers at the back of the blade and my rough frames had a terrible angle that I had to sand straight with drum sanders. My new jigsaw has the rollers and works much better.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## Daniel J (Dec 15, 2010)

by the looks of the jigsaw it is far better than mine. mine is a black and decker variable speed jigsaw. i agree with most of the posts above. you really should clamp the wood down. safety first!


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i can't wait to try to cut some metal with it.


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

AJW said:


> I've had a new jig saw for about 3 weeks, and I'm still going over to my neighbors band saw to get frames cut out. The saw blade goes on an angle half way down so the cut isn't straight up and down. I've learned how to swear in languages I don't know. What am I doing wrong? Please don't tell me my mistake is using a jig saw.
> 
> Al


There's a plate/shoe which should be adjusted so that it rides the woodwork at a perfect 90 degree angle - make sure that it is set properly and tightened down. Also, check to make sure that your blade is straight to begin with. Perform no circumcisions until all is readied.


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

bj000 said:


> so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$.
> so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
> i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw..
> ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
> ...


Sometimes, especially if you're cutting very thin wood, you'll need to sandwich the wood between two other pieces, all clamped together, then sawn, so that you don't splinter or break your finished work.


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

bj000 said:


> so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$.
> so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
> i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw..
> ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
> ...


Would help to see the edges of the squares you cut, and to see if they were cut at 90 degrees. Post pix??? We're always better at helping folks when we have a clear picture, literally, of the problem.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

thanks for the advice.. i will post some pics tomorrow or next day


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

bj000 said:


> so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$.
> so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
> i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw..
> ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
> ...


When you're ready, I'll tell you how to change it into a more manageable scroll saw. Get used to it and it's various controls first. Hopefully you have or can research the operator's manual.


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Check this link http://slingshotforum.com/topic/9268-jigsaw-blades/page__hl__blade__fromsearch__1


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

THWACK! said:


> so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$.
> so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
> i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw..
> ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
> ...


When you're ready, I'll tell you how to change it into a more manageable scroll saw. Get used to it and it's various controls first. Hopefully you have or can research the operator's manual.
[/quote]
what do you mean? i can turn it into a scrollsaw?


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

bj000 said:


> so i went to cash my paycheque today at the local pawn shop and i just happened to see a mastercraft jigsaw, brand new in box for 20$.
> so i bought it, then bought a bunch of new blades..
> i came home, and tried my hand at the jigsaw..
> ITS WAY HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.
> ...


When you're ready, I'll tell you how to change it into a more manageable scroll saw. Get used to it and it's various controls first. Hopefully you have or can research the operator's manual.
[/quote]
what do you mean? i can turn it into a scrollsaw?[/quote]

Yes.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

turning it upside down?


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

Yup, turn it upside down with a large board on top, which has a hole in it for the saw blade. Secure the jigsaw to the board (from one side only).

Place the jigsaw in a vise to hold it still.

Don your woodcarver's Kevlar and stainless steel carving gloves and eye protection, and "have a go" at it.


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## craniac (Sep 2, 2011)

You can get some cheap C-clamps at Harbor Freight that won't set you back too much.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i got two 3 inch diameter C-clamps and 2 5 inch C-clamps. i will see what i can do.


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