jigsaw blade holder rotating

Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little (ie, to allow for cutting curves)? I just bought an older B&D model 7517 or something like that. It has a cast (aluminum?) housing, motor requires oiling every so often, and has 2 places to check brush wear. I have no idea how old it is. I picked it out of numerous other used ones because I thought the motors on older units are supposed to be better than the newer plastic housed ones. I got it to cut 1/8" plywood but broke 3 blades in about 10 minutes. That could have been from 1) my inexperience, I've never used a jigsaw, 2) dull blades, or 3) bad machine. Ended up using circular saw to make "finish" cuts. If the blade isn't supposed to rotate at all then I have a problem and I will return it.

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Andrew
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"Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little..." No

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||

I have a 30 year old B&D jigsaw.. sounds like the same type, oil hole in each side near/above the blade? the blade holder assembly has always has some play in it, but not really turn... are both allen screws holding the blade tightened?

I've been trying to kill this thing for years and it's still in great shape.. original brushes and all.. lol We cut several holes in 1 1/8 underpayment for bathroom floors and it took a LONG time, but kept right on cutting..

You might be breaking blades from not applying downward pressure to the saw as it's cutting.. you'll know this because it's not a very loud saw, but if you aren't holding the "foot" against the wood, it's going to be loud and jump around a bit... and probably break a blade..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Well I took it apart to clean and inspect the inside. This thing is built to last, not a piece of plastic to be seen! (Well okay, the strain relief for the power cord is plastic.) I figured out where the slight rotation is coming from, and it doesn't look like anything is worn out or loose. The shaft slides along a block and the top of the shaft has a channel in which the pin from the motor slides to create the saw motion. I think the slight play actually is designed to minimizes the impact on the motor. The thing runs true and doesn't wobble around when it cuts.

In my infinite ignorance I managed to back out the blade holding screw too far too forcefully and stripped the thread near the tip. It still seems to hold a blade but I was pretty mad at myself. If only I could find a cheap one for spare parts...

Reply to
Andrew

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