Popular Woodworking 2003-11 № 137, страница 83

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There are a bunch of quality saws out there, but not all can pass our test.

The circular saw is the power tool that belongs in every contractor's toolbox. In a woodshop it's the jigsaw. For straight, curved, fine or rough cuts, the jigsaw makes every task manageable. And you can use it for a variety of projects, from crosscutting a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood to shaping a scrolled arch on a Chippendale highboy.

For this test, we selected 12 jigsaws that have orbital cutting action, which means the blade moves forward during the upward cut, then returns to a straight up-and-down motion on the return

cut. The aggressiveness of the orbit can be adjusted as the needed.

There are many jigsaws that don't offer orbital action, but this flick of a switch allows you to choose either a quick-cutting tool or a fine-cutting tool, so we think it's an important attribute.

Different Features

Prices and features vary across the 12 saws, but there are many similarities, including the fact

that they all have a 1" stroke (the distance the blade moves up and down). The one feature that helped separate the crowd is the blade-changing mechanism.

Interestingly, many of the saws owe their blade-changing designs to Bosch, the inventor of the jigsaw. The Grizzly saw uses an old Bosch system that requires a screwdriver through the saw body. DeWalt and Craftsman have a top-knob system that clicks when

by David Thiel

Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255 or david.thiel@fwpubs.com.

the blade is locked - a system Bosch still uses.

Other manufacturers have moved beyond to what we refer to as a lever release. Depending on which design it is, this system can be good, somewhat confounding or, in a few cases, perfect, thanks to the assistance of an extra lever. (See "Toolless Blade Releases" at right.)

Also, many manufacturers offer saws with both a top-handle and a barrel-grip design. We frequently find the barrel-grip saws easier to control because of the lower center of gravity, but

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Popular Woodworking November 2003