Hi, I have a jigsaw, but it's really hard to cut straight. What do you lot recommend??
- posted
19 years ago
Which Saw??
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- posted
19 years ago
At the risk of sounding sarcastic, jigsaws are used to cut curves. Yes, it is hard to cut straight with them.
Depending on your use, you will have to either suffer with a jigsaw or use a circular saw. They are pretty easy to cut straight with.
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- posted
19 years ago
Circular saw.
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- posted
19 years ago
I have a bosch. I like it a lot.
however, it's expensive. if money's an issue for you, first try using a better blade in the saw you have.
your email address bounces.
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- posted
19 years ago
What, a circular saw cuts straight and not circles? ;-) Honest, if the OP does not say *what* he want's to cut it's hard to recomend something to him. But given him posting in a woodworking group and (as infered from his other posting about plans for a 13 year old) being rather young i would recoment a ryoba saw. Hand powered saws make it much harder to cut off fingers that electrically powered ones... And if you are still young you should use the opportunity to learn sawing the right way!
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- posted
19 years ago
Can you get those in the UK
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- posted
19 years ago
Use a fence.
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- posted
19 years ago
He's talking about a standard hand saw, not powered saw. Disston was a brand that no longer exists, they were in the USA. You could go to a hardware store and buy a nice new Stanley shark tooth (sharp tooth?), these are made with a new teeth design that will do both cross cutting and rip cutting. There used to be a difference between the two types. Maybe they cost around £14 or less. Or try to find an old used one.
Alex
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- posted
19 years ago
What's going to be better?
A Stanley one for £14 ish or a Challenge Circular saw for £25 from ArgosExtra
(whichever one you say will go on my XMas list! :)
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- posted
19 years ago
Use it against a straight edge.
Barry
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- posted
19 years ago
------------------ Unless you have a good jigsaw, where the blade can be set parallel to the base, a fence will introduce you to a whole new world of pain.
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- posted
19 years ago
Sam-
see if you can connect with Andy Dingley. He's in the UK and seems to know what he's about.
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- posted
19 years ago
It is not easy to make a straight cut with a jigsaw, nor a bandsaw for that matter. You could try using a clamp-on straightedge. Nothing beats making a straight cut on a well-tuned table saw.
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- posted
19 years ago
What are you cutting/ how often will you need a saw.
Circular saw or a table saw is much better for straight cutting. What is best? Depends on the needs. Circular saw is great for framing, shelving, rough work. If you want to make furniture, get a table saw.
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- posted
19 years ago
This is from the "what's it really matter department", but reading your comments Edwin, and I was reminded of life in the service when all I had was a cheap B&D circular saw and an even cheaper Skill jig saw, and a really, really bad B&D 3/8 single speed non-reversible drill motor. Made all of my stuff with those tools. I used to do stage magic when I was overseas and I made all of my own props as well as small furniture pieces. Just goes to show what you can do with lesser tools if you have to. Of course - I did do a lot more sanding then than I do now. Everything's relative - back then I'd have thought owning a couple of saw horses would have been the big time.
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- posted
19 years ago
On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 19:39:24 -0000, "Sam Berlyn" calmly ranted:
I'm not familiar with Challenge but both saws are fairly cheap. You might want to look at friends' & neighbor's circular saws before buying a circular saw. They might have some feedback for you, and you could try them at cutting some wood.
If you want a new handsaw, buy a Japanese Ryoba saw. It gives you a thin kerf, straight cut (I eyeballed a straight cut on a 2x8 jarrah plank and cut within 0.020") and both rip and crosscut teeth. I picked one up from
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in the USA for $26.
For an old saw, try Ebay and look for a real Disston or Atkins handsaw.
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- posted
19 years ago
Good thinking. I wish I was born with such a principle of economic humility, I'd be a better off man nowadays.
Alex
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- posted
19 years ago
Sam
More information often helps. What wood and how thick also what jigsaw.
Good blades help, generally Bosch in the UK. Cheaper jigsaws don't always cut straight, it may be that you have to hold the body of the saw slightly out of line with the cut to cut straight.
If your interested in some of the other suggestions given here. For a hand saw I would suggest to start with one of the hard point saws from Axminster preferable 10pt. With a Diston you would at some time need to find a saw sharpening service which are becoming hard to find.
For a circular saw something from B&Q or Axminster would do fine. The ones from B&Q don't always work well at first, you do the quality control rather than the manufacturer which is reflected in the price but they will swap them under guarantee. Two further points if it is for cutting ply or MDF laying it on a sheet of 25mm polystyrene and cutting through the sheet and
5mm into the polystyrene works very well. Also check with your parents before buying they have funny ideas about their 13yr old sons keeping all their fingers which circulars saws are very good at removing.Hope this helps
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- posted
19 years ago
On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 20:24:44 -0000, "gandalf" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
Hear here! Wot he sed.
***************************************************** Dogs are better than people.People are better than dogs for only one purpose. And then it's only half of ofthe people. And _then_ most of them are only ordinary anyway. And then they have a headache.........
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- posted
19 years ago
On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 17:32:47 -0000, "Sam Berlyn" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
You have had a lot of replies. But if you describe what you have tried more carefully, then it may be easier to give help.
To put it "bluntly", cutting _anything_ with a jigsaw is a skill, as it is with any other tool. That _INCLUDES TABLE SAWS_....sorry, short rant over.
***************************************************** Dogs are better than people.People are better than dogs for only one purpose. And then it's only half of ofthe people. And _then_ most of them are only ordinary anyway. And then they have a headache.........