Inverted Jigsaw??

[Paul.J]

I want to,if it can be done invert my Jigsaw in the middle of my Table saw side table.
Anyone got any good ideas to how it could be done.
I think i remember seeing a plate to help do it years ago but can't seem to find anything now :?: :?
I have a dewalt 321 saw.

 

[Derek Willis.]

Paul,
you surely could just drill the plate and the saw base and bolt it through, but what about adequate guarding that could be difficult and dangerous.
Derek.

 

[mailee]

Not to mention not very accurate Paul. You would be better off with a small bandsaw IMHO. :wink:

 

[Paul.J]

Just found This on the Axy site.
Similar to the one i remember but it was steel plate,and cheaper then :roll:
Just wondered if anyone had made their own to suit/hold their particular jigsaw :?:

 

[wizer]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0067600515

Spotted this the other day. Think I'd rather use a scroll saw tho....

 

[Gavin d]

Wouldn't it be dangerous if the blade snapped?

 

[Derek Willis.]

To be frank, why would anyone want to invert a Jigsaw, they are not accurate enough, they are slow to cut, and damned dangerous inverted.
Tell us, do you have a certain purpose for the use of a jigsaw inverted?
Go out and buy a bandsaw!!! You will never regret it, even if it is the chepest model on the market, but, saying all that, you will soon upgrade to something a little better. Mine is not of the upper ranges, but is a 150 depth of cut standard saw, and I have had it for more than ten years and do not use anything else, the best piece of kit in my shop.
Derek.

 

[xy mosian]

Hi,

they are not accurate enough,

Sorry I disagree, the accuraccy of cut from a jigsaw is very much down to the operator, as with most things. OK! they really cannot be used with a fence, but I recon, with my Makita 4300 and a down cut little set blade, I can, and frequently have split pencil lines, albeit slowly.

Now while I have mounted my machine upside down, bolted. I have often wondered about mounting it on a hinged arm, above the work, so that the weight of the saw holds its sole plate onto the workpiece.

I personally have neither the space nor the money to replace my small table top bandsaw. It has to be said that the portable jigsaw has been used on many occasions where a bandsaw, although perhaps more appropriate, could not be taken onto site. Given a choice, for the sort of work I have done over the years I would take a jigsaw. Others may be lucky enough to be able to make different decisions.

xy

 

[FatFreddysCat]

To be frank, why would anyone want to invert a Jigsaw, they are not accurate enough, they are slow to cut, and damned dangerous inverted.

Both kitchen fitters and shop fitters do this all the time with scribe strips and when scribing the ends of face frames. It means that you can cut more accurately to a line with minimal chip out on the visible surface and because you are cutting on the pull stroke, it's more accurate in the same way that a Jap hand saw can be a very accurate tool. Works better with a body grip saw, though, and you need to remember to keep the free hand well out of the way. As to accuracy I'd put my Bosch GST135BCE up against a bandsaw any day coz' there really aint much in it. Only problem with jiggers is that they are limited to about 1-1/2in or so depth of cut for accurate work. I'm not sure I'd pay £15 for a table to do it when an MDF offcut would suffice

Wouldn't it be dangerous if the blade snapped?

Why? Surely if the blade snaps it will just end up being left in the work? I rarely snap blades, but I do sometimes bend them if working above the job and in a hurry.

 

[xy mosian]

FatFreddysCat

That's about what I was trying to say.
Here here!

xy

 

[laird]

Not having a problem with jigsaws doing what they say on the box, but why invert?
Why not simply buy a blade that cuts the other way?

 

[Paul.J]

Thanks for the advice all.
I just want to cut some patterns out of 12mm mdf,something a bandsaw can't do,of which i do own one.
Ideally a scroll saw would do but it is just something that might be a one off so i don't want to invest in a scroll saw.

 

[xy mosian]

Paul J

The last time I turned my jigsaw upside down it was driving the lower end of a fretsaw blade. The upper end was being held by a length of 2" softwood architave mounted so that it was bent and provided tension to the blade. The whole thing worked extremely well, although it had to be clamped to the bench of course. I was lucky in that the Makita jigsaw I use has an 'Old Fashioned' blade clamp. Not sure how you could do it with the modern blade lock system. The top of the blade was held by two nuts at either side of a hole in a bolt, the bolt sitting in a saddle fashioned from a length of 22mm copper pipe which was, in turn, glued to the arhitrave. In preparation for the job, new fretwork rail for a Davenport in mahogany, I bought ten new blades, expecting some breaks. In fact I did not break one blade, such was the smooth running of the device.

If you have the time and the inclination, go for it. I can see no reason why a similar system could not use a scrollsaw blade. What have you got to loose, apart from some time.

If you think I can help please get in touch.

xy

 

[SBJ]

Using an inverted jigsaw is an underrated technique. As said before it works very well, especially if you have a barrel grip jigsaw.

Not having a problem with jigsaws doing what they say on the box, but why invert?
Why not simply buy a blade that cuts the other way?

If you use a downcut blade you are constantly having to put pressure on the jigsaw to keep the base tight to the work piece. By using a standard blade in an inverted jigsaw the force of the cutting action "clamps" the work piece to the base. It's also much easier to follow the blade with out the body in the way. Have a go, it takes a bit of getting used to, but the results can be quite suprising.

 

[gasman]

I agree with SBJ
Festool actually make an insert for the CMS specifically designed to take their jigsaw here - and it works very well - very accurate and it enables me to cut very thin 2mm strips off small pieces - very difficult on my table saw as I can't get / make a zero clearance insert for it

 

[Paul.J]

XY wrote

If you have the time and the inclination, go for it. I can see no reason why a similar system could not use a scrollsaw blade. What have you got to loose, apart from some time.

Thanks for the explaination,and i will be having a go at it.
I want something that can be left in place so i can just fix the jigsaw up when needed,so i will have to get me thinking cap on
The plate i saw was a universal fitting,and thought at the the time it was a good idea.I should have bought one i suppose :roll:

 

[wizer]

Just make one Paul. Just a sheet of conti board (12mm) with 3 or 4 brackets to hold the jigsaw in place. Simples.

 

[xy mosian]

Paul,

If you go for a home built jobby.
Bolt the jigsaw to the jig/machine extension, it will come loose otherwise, wing nuts work well.
The tricky bits are holding the blade to the jigsaw and positioning the sole plate of the jigsaw in the correct place to get the cutting section of the blade in the right place with respect to the table. This last point is made more difficult with 'modern' bayonet connecting blade holders.
I will happily sketch something up if you like.

xy

 

[Duncan A]

Paul

Triton make/made a jigsaw mounting plate to do pretty much what you're asking for, complete with a simple blade steady (blocks of wood either side of the blade). The plate is a compromise but I find it handy on occasion.

It wouldn't be too difficult to make up something similar, or perhaps you could buy one from http://www.woodworkingcentreshop.co.uk/ ... Plate.html who may be able to do you an Event deal as long as you contact them by Monday 11th May.

PM me with your email address if you'd like a copy of the video and instruction manual.

Duncan

 

[Philipp]

Hi!

I am using this: http://www.neutechnik-werkzeug-shop.de/ ... D200100%26

Ok, not a band saw, but it's a pretty help for me. The arm that guides the blade is very useful and enables you to cut quite accurate angles. You need extralong blades, which I file to rip-cut when making longer cuts with the grain.
I have a second arm for my jigsaw table. I cut the vertical part in the middle and srewed the two parts again together using thick bars of aluminium. Thus, I reached a depth of cut of roughly 65 mm.

Dust extraction can be connected, too and helps keeping the workshop a bit more tidy.

You can also purchase a special device that allows using coping saw blades by putting tension on the blade from above. So one can saw very fine curves quite quickly.

Biggest disadvantage: somewhat noisy due to vibrations. I now put an old mouse pad between the jigsaw table and the bench which reduces the noise considerably.

Regards
Philipp