Popular Woodworking 2006-10 № 157, страница 26

CORRECTING A MIS-CUT

Using all these techniques together make the saw an extension of your body so you are making the cut as much as the tool is.

The Right Techniques

When beginners use a j igsaw, the tendency is to cut shy of the finished line. They generally figure that they can sand to the line and it will be a more accurate result.

I have found the opposite to be true. If you cut shy of the line then you are trying to keep a consistent gap between your blade and the cutline - and eyeballing a gap is tough for anyone to do.

I find that the more accurate approach is to attempt to split the pencil line with your blade. It sounds difficult, but with the right body position, it's easier than

Here's a jigsaw cut where I have strayed off the line. The first thing to do is to stop and back up to where the drifting began.

cutting shy of the line.

The other thing to keep in mind here is that you should not apply sideways pressure to the tool, which will bend the blade in the kerf. Many beginners will try to

Here's my favored position for jigsawing. My work is up quite high near the middle of my torso, my elbow is tucked against my body, my wrist is locked. Also, my left hand is holding the saw's base down against the work and my head is peering over the saw to watch the teeth.

Move the saw forward slowly into the mis-cut area. Don't push laterally. Let the teeth cut.

use sideways pressure to correct a wayward cut, but it almost always makes things worse.

Instead, just let the saw do the cutting. I like to tell people that it's like you are following the blade instead of pushing the blade.

And, of course, you should always remember that you're cutting wood. So almost any mistake you make can be fixed with a file and sandpaper.

So what should you do when things go wrong and you stray from the line?

First, stop cutting. Figure out what is causing you to drift. For me, it's almost always a problem with the tool's power cord. The plug (which is always plugged into an extension cord) has snagged on something, usually the work itself. So be mindful of your plug and your cord. For example: When I'm cutting a big tabletop, I'll ask one of my kids to help manage the cord. Or, if I'm alone, I'll pile the cord in the center of the tabletop, which reduces snags.

Proper cord management makes for cleaner cuts, overall. The less you are stopping and starting the saw during a cut, the cleaner the result will be.

After you've made sure your cord moves freely, it's time to correct the cut. For many woodworkers, the urge is to try to drift back

Here you can see what the corrected cut looks like when complete.

Here's why you don't want to apply lateral pressure to the blade to correct a cut. The blade bends very easily, making things worse.

to the line with lateral pressure.

Instead, you should back up to the point where you started to drift and start cutting again. You need to go slower than normal during this kind of cut because the blade wants to deflect. There's only material on one side of the blade during this operation and so the saw wants to drift.

You can also run into similar drifting problems when you are cutting tight radii and need to make relief cuts.

Relief cuts are generally good, because they allow your blade to make tight turns and help remove chunks of waste material as you are making your cuts.

But relief cuts can also create situations where the blade is cut-

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