The subtleties of cutting with a jigsaw

Today, many people strive to decorate the interior with pleasant little things, for example, carved elements. Wood products with beautiful ornaments and patterns are very popular. Wood always decorates the house, creates coziness, and most importantly, it is a natural material. Wood carving is a very pleasant and interesting activity that anyone can master if they carefully study the process and get ready for work.

A jigsaw is a tool that allows you to cut various elements out of plywood and create ornaments. A thin, serrated blade makes various cuts, lines and allows you to create wood ornaments. The jigsaw is also used in construction, but in this article we will focus specifically on cutting out decorative elements. Jigsaw cutting has a number of features. There are many variations of this tool. The two main varieties are hand jigsaw and electric jigsaw. Initially, a hand-held jigsaw was invented. This design consists of an arc and a blade. The blade is secured with clamps that allow you to change the tension. The frame includes a handle.

The clamps can be positioned to rotate. This allows you to change the plane and create complex thread features. The jigsaw blade and its entire structure are subject to wear and tear, so the file must be changed frequently. Craftsmen who work with hand tools have many spare files to replace. A jigsaw is a power tool. There are mechanisms in the body, there is a handle on the body, the sawing element is located in the front part at the bottom of the body. Sometimes there is a foot to help cut smoother. There are models with attachments used to facilitate sawing, edge leveling.

When working with a jigsaw, you should familiarize yourself with the parameters that are spelled out in the instructions in order to know exactly how to use the tool for cutting patterns. Such a tool differs from a manual jigsaw in the fastening of the file, its thickness and weight. The jigsaw has more weight and less accuracy, but significantly higher productivity.

To work with a jigsaw, plywood is used for cutting. Best of all is thin birch plywood with a thickness of 2-8 mm; for very openwork and dense patterns, sheets up to 3 mm thick are used. They also use specially prepared wooden blanks. It is more difficult to work with wooden blanks, but very beautiful edges remain. Plywood is easier to use and more affordable. Before starting work, it is worth preparing high-quality plywood. It is important to pay attention to some of the features of the material.

• For artistic cutting, sheets with a thickness of less than 5 mm are used; for furniture elements, 1-2 cm sheets are used.
• If you are going to cover the product with a colorless varnish, then the color of the plywood must be chosen carefully. If the finished product is coated with paint, colored varnish or stain, then any plywood can be used.
• The plywood should be dry well to 40-65%.Raw material will cause the tool to jam.
• The quality of plywood for artwork must be of high quality, plywood of the first or highest grade.
• Check the material carefully for knots and foreign stains.
• Check that the material is free of blisters, voids and resin stains.
• Check the sheet for delamination.

When cutting with a jigsaw, a certain set of tools is used. So, for work you will need:

• electric jigsaw and hand jigsaw;
• plywood or special processed board (thickness depends on the product);
• awl, drill with a drill, in order to make a hole into which the blade will then be lowered;
• several different files and sandpaper to smooth the edges;
• drawings, patterns, stencils for drawing on wood;
• mallet, hammer, pliers;
• working table - a surface of 20 by 30 cm with a hole converging to a cutout of 3-5 cm in diameter at an acute angle;
• thin awl and pencil for transferring the image to the board;
• spare jigsaw files for various types of cutting;
• spare files for hand tools.

As with any hobby and craft, sawing takes time to learn, but if you get through this easy step, you can create extraordinary gifts and jewelry. You will be able to implement many ideas without much material cost. Start by preparing your work area, which has all the necessary tools, drawings, and materials. It is recommended to sit on a chair of sufficient height so that your back does not slouch. Put your right (or left, if you are left-handed) hand with your elbow on your knee to relieve some of the load. When doing this, make sure that your knee or arm does not become numb. The desktop must be in order, remove all unnecessary tools and materials that you are not currently using. Fasten sketches and drawings vertically in front of you at the same level with the eyes. Observe safety precautions.

In order to cut the chipboard evenly, you need to comply with a number of requirements.

• Make only correct vertical movements with the jigsaw hand. Do not try to speed up the process by pushing the jigsaw to the side.
• Work with the maximum possible amplitude of the tool up and down, without jerking and gusty turns, to make a cut, use the entire surface of the canvas. It will be more efficient.
• Gently rotate and move the workpiece with your other hand. Do this slowly and calmly.
• Do not press on the blade from the side with a file.
• The sawing process takes place when moving from top to bottom; during the reverse movement, you should also not press on the tool.

When working with a hand tool, make a cut along the inner border of the contour of the drawing, because any material leaves a cut, and this should be taken into account when working. When finished cutting, loosen the jigsaw clamp to keep the arch bracing for longer. Do not store the jigsaw with the file taut. This damages the performance of the instrument and its frame. To master jigsaw carving, you should start with the simplest elements. For example, from a straight cut. A straight line is the basis of the simplest drawings. Sometimes it takes a lot of skill to saw off a simple tabletop, any elements require a straight cut - as part of the drawing, as a joint.

To reduce chips, you need to properly thread:

• with low quality materials, use tools with small teeth, and cut faster;
• try a file with reverse or reverse teeth;
• using masking tape or tape, reinforce the cut line;
• moisten the back of the plywood with water.

Next, you should master curvilinear cuts, for this, try to cut a circle:

• fix the material as with a straight cut;
• put plywood with a contour on the work surface;
• cut slowly, moving the workpiece so that it does not exceed the boundary of the contour, with your left hand;
• if you deviate from the line, stop the feed, and with a short straight movement move the blade back to the line;
• the first circles to be done will most likely not be perfect, but after a few tries you will be able to boast of an even circle.

On the Internet today you can find a huge number of schemes, drawings and sketches for cutting out. For beginners, it may be better to use simple elements such as cartoon images without small details. With the help of various cutting of figures, toys, details for artistic decoration of furniture, shelves, tabletops, doors, decorative boxes and candy bowls are created. Large and very small items such as brooches.

With a simple jigsaw, you can make decorative wood tiles. Such elements are used to decorate walls. Cutting with a jigsaw is also used for working with laminate, its edges and individual parts. When cutting from a pattern, it is not necessary to execute the model with precision. When making a detail, you can change the proportions, add additional elements: beads, buttons, decorative elements, ribbons.

The most difficult, but beautiful is the artistic cutting of patterns. To create an ornament, you need to transfer the stencil to plywood. In order to make a stencil, use whatman paper, paper or the remains of wallpaper. Large pieces of furniture can be placed on a Whatman paper or a piece of wallpaper, for small pieces a simple A4 sheet is suitable. On a sheet with a pencil, you need to create a drawing or take a ready-made one, then you need to duplicate it with a brighter pencil or felt-tip pen to make it easier to transfer the drawing to a wooden blank. In order to make a pattern or ornament using a hand and electric jigsaw, you must:

• draw or find on the Internet a drawing that you will translate and cut;
• transfer this pattern to the workpiece;
• cut out a drawing - large elements can be made with a jigsaw, small elements only with a hand jigsaw;
• remove the rest of the paper if you glued the stencil to the plywood;
• process the edges;
• clean the product from dust and shavings;
• cover with varnish, stain or paint.

There are the following options for transferring a picture to a workpiece:

• simple drawings can be transferred with an awl, and then connect the lines with a pencil;
• you can use carbon paper;
• glue the drawing on the plywood with glue or double-sided tape, and after work remove the rest of the paper.

Artistic jigsaw cutting involves training and skills that require patience and hard work to learn. Start with simple patterns, gradually increasing the complexity of the patterns. Openwork products are very elegant and beautiful, and they are also an inexhaustible space for creativity and imagination. Curly cutting will require more work with a hand jigsaw than with an electric one, as mentioned above. A hand jigsaw allows you to make small elements in the drawing. Particular attention should be paid to the corners, which can provoke cracks or corner splitting.

To work with a jigsaw, it is worth using a number of tools that were described earlier. But there are also a large number of devices for cutting elements. At the first stage, most likely, you will get by with the necessary minimum set, then you can use special tools to equip the workplace. Their choice will depend on the initial set. You will understand in the process of work what you need. To make complex elements, files of various types are used. But also, special attention should be paid to the countertop. All figures are cut according to the same principle, but the finer the details, the more difficult their execution.

When working with a jigsaw, stand observe safety regulations.

• To protect yourself from fine dust and shavings, use glasses, gloves, and a dressing gown.
• Keep a distance between your hand and the blade when working. Thread carefully and calmly.
• Carefully read the instructions for the tools, study the parameters of the jigsaw. Use the tool as instructed to avoid injury and tool malfunction due to misuse.
• If you are a beginner, read the instructions carefully, understand how to use.
• Use only fully working and intact tools. Check the jigsaw and other equipment for damage and insulation integrity before each use.

• Do not use damaged blades.
• When working with an electric tool, attach the workpiece with a clamp, hold the jigsaw with both hands. If it is impossible to secure the workpiece tightly, work with an assistant, who must also observe safety precautions, wearing protective equipment.
• Observe fire safety when working with flammable substances: open flames and electric heating elements and devices cannot be located closer than 5 meters from the used workplace.
• Provide adequate ventilation to remove thread dust and paint vapors from the work area.

For information on how to saw out with a jigsaw, see the next video.