Thread: jigsaw and 10.8v drill

You seem to have your heart set on a Makita jigsaw. Good choice. They have an excellent reputation as a robust, no frills professional saw as used on worksites worldwide. Colleagues that use them are impressed with their performance.

However, there's a couple of points to consider, if I may crave your indulgence.

Bosch, having invented the tool, have consistently "lead the pack" in producing superb quality, innovative tools without peer in my opinion. Of all different types of tool the company produces, their jigsaws are almost universally regarded as the best. They consistently outperform significantly more expensive models from Festool and Mafell. As the world's largest producer of jigsaw blades, they are specifically designed to work together, with a synergy that lesser brands cannot emulate. Some of the newer styles of blade, like their combination "down & upcutting" blades, produce better results in critical materials such as melamine coated board than alternatives.

Secondly, I'm wondering why a body grip style tool? Having used both, and having used body grip tools for most of my life, I still prefer top-handled versions. I own 3 bodygrips, and one bow-handled saw. Both styles have advantages. When I asked, in another forum, which style was preferred, and why, the results were more or less evenly mixed. European tradies preferred body grips, citing reasons of "better control" and "cleaner cuts when used upside down from under the material being cut". Anglos and colonials preferred a handle, also citing "better control". I've tried to cut from underneath the material, but found any advantage from less splintering/chipping on the topside is offset by a relative LACK of control in following the marked cutline. The one great advantage that I will acknowledge is that a lock-on switch allows you to concentrate better on the work in progress, but an "accelerator type" trigger on a bow handle allows the user to delicately feather the speed in tight manoeuvres, for example, and instantly stop the tool if a cut is in danger of going awry.

The previously mentioned blades negate any advantage in cutting from underneath anyway. I've traditionally used downcutting blades (and zero pendulum) on melamine and veneers, which make the tool want to "hop", unless significant downward pressure is applied. A bow handle is much better in controlling this tendency.

As I see it, and other users seem to agree, body grip styles are designed to cut from underneath, and bow handles from above. What you buy should therefore be determined by how you cut your work. I fall in the latter category. You of course may prefer the "cack-handed" method.

When using a jigsaw the ability to follow the cut line will depend on a number of factors such as type of blade, sharpness of blade, radius, thickness of material, grain of material, speed of feed, speed of blade, operator control etc.

I have owned a Makita jigsaw for twenty one years and have had no problems. Having variable speed (a bit like soft start) makes it easier to use. I have also used a jigsaw with just an on/off switch and found it harder to control.

Depending on your intended use, would a scroll saw be suitable. Moving the timber through the tool rather than moving the tool over the timber will produce a better result.

Hope all this helps.