Thread: Jigsaw kit

well i have to admit that the jigsaww kit is the least impressive piece of triton gear i own. the blade stabilisation doesnt appear to do much at all really and the way it sits above the table seems to be ideal to obstruct your vision of the line of cut. the best thing about the jigsaw kit is the dust extraction, above teh table in the jigsaw kit and below the table on the jigsaw itself (depending on the model of jigsaw of course, mines a gmc 900 watt model), but is that worth a pinch of pelican pooo if the bloody thing wont follow a line. i wouldnt want to try cutting 50mm anything on it.

PS: anyone wanna buy a triton jigsaw kit, hardly used, as good as new???

Thanks Doug, thats just the sort of thing I wanted to know...I will look for a better alternative now. It took me a few attempts to read your reply...for some reason I just couldn't concentrate.

Originally Posted by Gajm

Thanks Doug, thats just the sort of thing I wanted to know...I will look for a better alternative now. It took me a few attempts to read your reply...for some reason I just couldn't concentrate.

G'day Gajm,
Why don't you do it with a coping saw if you only have a few to do? And I still reckon a trimmer is the way to go.

Gajm,

Doug highlighted one of the great features of the Jigsaw kit, particularly relevant if you are going to be cutting MDF. Dust extraction.

As for the capacity of the Jigsaw kit, this will naturally depend on your jigsaw and blade. I use a Makita, forget the model but the specs say it can handle up to 135 mm of timber.

Have used the jigsaw kit to cut a long gurve on 50mm cypress, which is a tad harder than MDF. No curvature of the blade.

Most jigsaw blades reciprocate (move) by about 22mm ish. The blade must still protrude from the timber at its most retracted position otherwise it will tend to punch through on the up stroke, giving a dirty cut on top and bottom.

Based on this, you will need a blade at least 75mm long. The jigsaw plate is only 2mm thick (or is it 1.6mm?), so this is negligible.

You set the overhead arm of the jigsaw so that it rests on the top of the timber and clamp it here. There is about 50 to 60 mm of clearance inside the overhead arm for the blade, so in your case you could use a blade 100mm long if you chose to.

As with most tools, the result you get will depend on the setting. You will not get a finnish as good as a band saw. The router table and Jigsaw kit combind are a fair bit cheaper than most band saws and you end up with the router table as well.

As for using a trimmer, 50mm is a fair depth to clean, let alone cut. That's a lot of dust.

Triton have a 50mm long 1/2" straight bit. you could use this in the router table to clean the cut and again take advantage of the dust collection.

As for visibility loss. When standing at the switchbox end, you have a direct line of sight to the blade. there are safety guards that protrude forward on both sides. I have had no difficulty with sighting.

If you have an extension table, you can combine it with the router table and jigsaw kit to give you a central point 250mm from the blade so you can spin the MDF on a point, giving you a pretty good circle.

Will need to select a blade that can handle the meat and the radius.

Dust - recommend the Jigsaw kit
Price - recommend the jigsaw kit
Speed - Jigsaw kit or Bandsaw
Accuracy - depends on the user, no matter what the tool
Coping saw, see you in a couple of weeks.
Jigsaw hand held, blade is likely to bend.

Steve

Originally Posted by doug the slug

PS: anyone wanna buy a triton jigsaw kit, hardly used, as good as new???

Same as mine - bought it, tried it, and put it away in the cupboard
I found a 105mm blade that worked best

Originally Posted by BarryBurgess

Same as mine - bought it, tried it, and put it away in the cupboard
I found a 105mm blade that worked best

I actually don't mind the kit- have used it successfully a few times. Where I have run into problems is not with the kit, but limitations with jigsaws in general. I have found that a combination of using the jigsaw kit and a $55 GMC scroll saw got a lot of delicate work done quite well. Since then, I have purchased a Jet bandsaw, and running a 1/16" blade gives very precise control over intricate pieces. One benefit is the lack of vibration that is inherent with reciprocating blades.

The jigsaw kit does have it's place in trying to improve the accuracy of an inherently inaccurate tool, but will become obsolete if (when) you upgrade to dedicated machines.