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No table saw? Build a $15 Sawboard for your small budget project!
DrewKaree:
Jigsaws are also not the ideal tool for this, although they help with some of the cuts you can't finish with a circ saw.
The blade support makes a difference on a jigsaw, as well as what NW mentioned, the blade. I also believe people tend to push a jigsaw more/faster than they should which contributes to the blade bending. Lastly, the PROPER blade makes a far greater difference with a jigsaw than with any other saw I've seen. Read the descriptions on the blade packages to see what they're designed for and pick the one best-suited to WHAT you're trying to accomplish in the TYPE of material you're trying to accomplish it on.
I've used 4 different jigsaws in my life. I hated the one I originally bought (some Master Mechanice or something like that....whatever True Value's tool line was named), I liked my brother-in-law's DeWalt (although his A.D.D. butt has nothing but a collection of bent blades ::) ), thought the Milwaukee I used was so-so, and REALLY dig MY DeWalt.
ChadTower:
My turn... mine is gluing up now. The base is 1/2" ply and the straight edge is 3/4" MDF. Both are materials I already had around.
DaOld Man:
I made a sawboard, and I have to say it is a very good device.
There are two problems I have with mine. (I didnt take time to read this full thread, cause it is long, so these problems might have already been covered, if so I apologize.)
First problem:
I cant use it to cut through two pieces of 3/4" MDF.
The blade wont reach all the way through.
I always cut my side panels both at the same time, so they will match if I screw up a little. I used 3/4" mdf on my sawboard. If I had used 1/2" this might not be a problem.
Second problem:
Sometime during my cutting my skill saw angle got a little off, cutting the sawboard as I made my cut. I was unaware of this whenever it happened.
After a few cuts, I noticed my pieces were not true, one end was a little wider than the other. After much head scratching, I found my sawboard was a little wider on one end than the other, so when I laid the sawboard down and lined it up on my two marks,
The sawboard was actually running at at angle, which made my saw run at an angle. Since you get used to trusting the sawboard so much, I didnt even think to check it until I had checked my saw and double checked my first measurements.
It was only about 1/16" off, but it was still not perfect. Even though some wood putty will fix the crack, you just have to be aware of it, so that all your other panels dont follow the 1/16" error.
That sawboard is now termite food. My next board will be made with the 1/2" foot board, and I will check it's end widths before I make a cut.
Maybe draw a line on the edge of the foot, if the line is disappearing on one end I know somethings wrong.
DrewKaree:
Make the base of your sawboard thinner to solve the first problem (hopefully). It can be as thin as 1/8", which I think would juuuust give you enough blade depth on your saw. Alternatively, you could cut everything to the proper dimensions with your saw for one panel, and use a router with a pattern bit. The pattern bit will make an exact copy as well, plus you'll more than likely need a router to add T-molding, so.... :)
I've never understood the second problem, and you're not the first person to bring it up. I've always kinda pushed on the handle of my saw at a 45, as if I'm trying to keep the entire shoe of my saw against the guide of the sawboard, and then moved the saw forward. Never have I had this problem, so maybe a few of you guys who have can relate your technique or how you believe this happened :dunno
ScottS:
--- Quote from: DrewKaree on August 27, 2007, 05:30:45 pm ---I've never understood the second problem, and you're not the first person to bring it up. I've always kinda pushed on the handle of my saw at a 45, as if I'm trying to keep the entire shoe of my saw against the guide of the sawboard, and then moved the saw forward. Never have I had this problem, so maybe a few of you guys who have can relate your technique or how you believe this happened :dunno
--- End quote ---
I think this is only possible if you've built your sawboard incorrectly. One important point of the construction, which is a bit elusive in your posts, is that you have to make a full-length cut with the circular saw against the sawboard's Guide Ripper. If you position the Guide Ripper over the Base in such a way that it's slightly angled and the trim cut doesn't remove material from the entire length of the base, then you might end up with a sawboard that cuts a slight taper! One way to check this is to push the saw along the sawboard and look at it from underneath. The circular saw blade should be tight against the edge of the sawboard over the entire length of the cut.
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