(apologies for replying to my own post)
For anyone who needs to see to believe, watch the last 10 secs of this video:
Parkside, which means it's Aldis. For a start it 4kg against the B & D (KS656) at
That's the model I've ordered :-) By 'eck, it's quiet and smooth and fast cf the Powercraft! If the delivery is early enough tomorrow I can get a lot done. The main regular bits are in so just the interesting cuts to do.
I don't think it will fix a "good" jigsaw either, cutting straight isn't fixed.
Lets face it.. a jigsaw is just a powered pad saw and doesn't cut any better, just with less exercise.
A surprisingly exaggerated rate. IME jigsaws don't cut much faster than a hand saw and that takes about 35 seconds to cut 8x2.
I have yet to find a job you couldn't clamp rather than hand hold.
Which shows your experience is of the typical DIY shed jigsaw and nothing more. Kind of makes this discussion pointless.
Have a look at the video link I posted to see what you have been missing.
I think that applies to all makes. Even a cheapo circular saw works pretty well, but you have to pay top money for a decent jigsaw.
I should add that the video isn't doctored at all, I have that model & they really do cut that well.
Seconded. I had a cheapo B&D jigsaw back in Blighty that did suprisingly well for itself. Then I bought a cheapo B&D when I moved to the US, and the thing is total and utter crud (I still have it but only use it when I need to make quick, crappy cuts on something and it happens to be within arms reach - otherwise I would have given it some form of interesting death a long time ago).
Maybe it's an age thing, and the "old + cheap" ones are vastly superior to the "new + cheap" ones (certainly the more recent US one had plastic components for the sole plate's bevel - which naturally wore out within a few months; forget making a 90 degree cut with the thing!).
cheers
Jules
Mmmm, cupcakes...
*salivates*
Actually, I would be tempted to agree with that - but "nearly" is the important part; the number of DIY jobs that benefit from power tools is vast, so "nearly" still covers quite a few of them.
I have looked and I don't think the video is very good. They don't attempt to follow a line but just shove it about at random in what looks like a low density board not a high density board (it has big chips). I would say its not very informative from a product point of view.
But no bleedin' angle grinder or pressure washer!? ;)
Shifting argument again Dennis?
I thought we were talking about the speed of cut, not about following a line. In case you had not appreciated, it will cut at least that fast in a straight line as well.
Well the material looks like a lump of worktop to me. I doubt there is a worktop chipboard out there that is kind to saws, or for that matter a particularly low density.
However its a moot point, since I have a model similar to the saw demonstrated, so you can take my word for it that it can cross cut softwood faster than the chipboard cut in the demo - and far in excess of what can be achieved with a handsaw. It will also cut with a very high finish quality (although slower) if required. It cuts straight and square. Runs very smoothly and with practically no vibration. Like the blue bodied Bosch GST range of jigsaws it is simply in a different class from the jigsaws most people have used and base their expectations on, yourself included evidently.
You introduced the video. If you don't want me to comment on it don't introduce it.
To demonstrate your claims of 35 seconds to make an 8" cut were complete cobblers. Job done.
Comment all you like. However since you by your own admission have only used a crap jigsaw, and believe them to be useless, your comments are of limited interest or relevance.
But you haven't done any such thing. You have shown a video where a cut was made in about twice the time you said it took and in an unknown material.
You have no idea what jigsaws I have used other than the fact I think they are cr@p. Even I don't know what some of them as I didn't take any notice of what they were.
We may as well agree to disagree as it is obviously down to what you use them for.
PS. zip saws and good routers cut sink top holes rather well.
But I'd rather freehand a jigsaw than a router. I've owned a decent jigsaw for well over 30 years, and I can't recall a job where it wasn't used at some point.
And shower sawdust everywhere. And need multiple passes. And use expensive cutters.
You have clearly never used a decent jigsaw.
In order to prevent any chance of the bit snapping you'd need a 12mm dia cutter minimum on the router. Unless you're going to make multiple passes.
Quite how removing 12mm of material with a router as against 0.75mm of material with a jigsaw can be seen as more efficient either in terms of the energy used or the amount of waste generated is something even you couldn't argue your way out of.
As to sink cutouts and similar, its fairly obvious you've never had to cut out too many square inside corners in your time. For which the jigsaw is the only tool for the job.
As it happens all the jigsaws I've ever come across have far too small a base plate for accurate work. Although as supplied they're the best tool available for quick reducing jobs.
Wider baseplates are easily knocked up out of ply. An advantage of mild steel baseplates is that they're easy to drill. Two holes one front, one back, no need for any great accuracy as the ply base is cut to fit. So drill two holes in the baseplate. Then using the baseplate a template, drill two holes in a suitable piece of ply, plus further holes for the blade and for access to any adjustement screws. Countersink the holes in the ply, mount it on the baseplate and draw around the baseplate. Remove the ply and then draw lines parallel to the drawn baseplate lines according to how wide you want the base. At this stage by measuring from the blade to the edge of the baseplate you could also determine a specific offset at the side and front if required. The one illustrated is 44 side, 60 front. Having a wider baseplate makes checking the blade angle a lot simpler as well (3). Its then a piece of cake to run up a template to accomodate inside angles with the correct offset at the side and front for each cut.(4)
The B&Q cheapy in the pictures isn't a decent jigsaw. Makita/Blue Bosch have baseplates large enough for any job.
You do like making work for yourself don't you?
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