Sawing small pieces of wood is done with a jigsaw. The device is small and usually has an electric drive. Factory models differ in their characteristics and cost. With small volumes of wood processing, it makes sense to make a jigsaw machine on your own, from improvised means. This requires a few factory parts.

A factory-made jigsaw is a reliable device, the operation of which is guaranteed by the manufacturer. Manual models are low cost. Stationary devices are expensive, but provide proper comfort when processing wood. The set of components in the device is largely the same for everyone.

The design consists of the following parts:

The part to be processed is placed on the desktop. The size of the workpiece depends on its size. Some models have a turntable, which makes it easier to work with the part - visibility improves. The presence of graduation facilitates the marking of the material.

Average characteristics of factory machines:

Special purpose models may have radically different characteristics. There are specifications of small sizes, for processing small parts. As well as models of large sizes, the industry also produces for retail. But such options will differ in high cost.

In the middle class, there is high competition for the consumer, so the devices will be cheaper. Characteristics are also sharpened for typical carpenter tasks. Based on them, you need to make drawings of a jigsaw machine with your own hands. Complex components for it are purchased at the store.

Experts classify jigsaws by type of construction. Features of the execution of the mechanism determine the possibility of processing wooden products.

Classification is carried out depending on the design of jigsaws.

Device types:

• With bottom support.
• Double caliper.
• On a pendant.
• With degree scale and stop.
• Universal.

Models with a lower caliper are most widely used. The bed of the desktop factory device has 2 halves - the lower and the upper. The sawing and chipping model is located on the top of the bed.

The bottom frame contains a controller, an electric motor, a main gear, an on/off button. Such a machine allows you to work with any materials and any size.

The presence of two calipers in the jigsaw is beneficial in that the upper half of the frame has an additional rail. This jigsaw is ideal for cutting small parts. The thickness of the workpieces on both models should not exceed 8 cm. The desktop of such machines, as a rule, has the ability to adjust in height and angle of inclination.

Suspended devices do not have a fixed frame, but are distinguished by their mobility. The processed material is fixed, and the master moves the working module. since the latter is attached to the ceiling, the thickness of the material is not limited. The tool is moved manually, regardless of the bed. This allows you to make patterns of complex shapes.

The presence of a scale of degrees and stops is suitable for those craftsmen who do the processing according to the drawings. The markup allows you to avoid errors during operation. There are universal machine models on the market that allow you to do several operations. Such a machine allows drilling, cutting, polishing and grinding. The cost of such devices will be much higher, but it is more comfortable to work with them. These are industrial examples.

The designs and drawings of the homemade jigsaw options presented on the network are different. Blame the imagination of the authors and the desire to make a device that will stand out from the rest. Only the concept is the same in most cases - they take a manual electric jigsaw as a basis and repurpose it.

Home woodworking lovers often look for information on how to make a jigsaw with their own hands without special skills. You can use a ready-made manual jigsaw as a base. The mechanism does not require careful refinement. The factory manual device is the drive. But the crank mechanism will have to be developed independently. Manufacturers are trying to offer the consumer a platform for quick rework, but personal needs can only be satisfied with their own product.

Assembly order:

1. Make a base table. A sheet of metal is taken as a material and a hole is made in it. The shape is oblong, 3-4 times wider than the saw blade. Holes for fasteners are made side by side.
2. A factory device is fixed at the bottom of the support table. Holes for fasteners are made next to the hole for the saw blade. Screws with a countersunk head are used as fasteners. This is necessary in order to ensure a perfectly flat plane of the table. Otherwise, the processed products will cling to the hats of the wines, which will cause inconvenience in work.
3. The design is fixed on a wooden table.

The advantage of creating a do-it-yourself jigsaw machine is that the factory tool can be detached at any time. When necessary - in the hands of an ordinary manual jigsaw. Therefore, it is better to purchase a manual version of the tool that can be used on homemade machine- it's cheaper. Stationary devices are expensive.

Comfortable work with wooden products can be provided by installing guide rails on a homemade support table. Additionally, markings are applied to the table, which makes it easier to measure the distance on the parts during processing.

The manual type jigsaw as the main device for the machine has disadvantages. The main problem is the file - it is too wide in manual models. Because of this, fine woodwork is difficult to perform with it - the curvature of the lines is limited.

The previous design is simple and does not have additional details that make it easier to work with wood. The direction of modernization is the possibility of replacing the file with a thin one.

Options for improving the design:

1. Build a rocker. The structure will be tensioned by springs on one side. The second side of the rocker is fixed on the file.
2. Fix the file between two rollers. They serve as guides for a thin file.
3. A stationary factory device is used as a drive system of two rocker arms. Between the latter, a file is pulled. The movement is transmitted from the factory device to the lower rocker of the file.

When buying or self-manufacturing, the design will have to be chosen based on personal preferences and the desire to poke around in technology. The use of guide rollers is a less popular option - its reliability is lame.

Modernization by installing rocker arms is common. It is better that at the same time the factory device serves only as a drive for sawing a jigsaw. To do this, turn off the pendulum stroke in the tool.

The heir to the property of grandparents often gets an old sewing machine. She has already served her purpose in tailoring, as more precise equipment is now being produced. In the absence of a jigsaw in the household, you can not spend money on its purchase. It is made by hand from a sewing machine.

Procedure:

Now jigsaw for figured cutting ready for plywood. It will be more difficult to work with a manual drive, as your legs will get tired. An additional disadvantage will be vibrations from the force impact on the tool. The electric drive of the machine, converted into a jigsaw, partially solves the problems of vibrations.

An expensive jigsaw can be replaced with a design own production. It will not be inferior to anything in terms of its qualities and functionality, if you take a responsible approach to the assembly process. It is important to make high-quality plywood mechanisms that serve as a support table. It is desirable that the table be able to rotate. For the option with sewing machine it will be impossible to do so. If desired, markings are applied to the table to make it easier to measure the details in the process.

Using a desktop jigsaw at home, you can make furniture, beautiful patterned shelves and much more. The mechanism allows you to cut smooth and sinuous parts from wood, plastic and dense foam materials. In order for a home-made device to fully meet the requirements, it is necessary to carefully select the appropriate design.

Design and specifications

The device of any model of an electric jigsaw machine must contain:

• saw;
• crank assembly;
• drive unit;
• saw tension device;
• Desktop;
• auxiliary mechanisms.

The processed material keeps within on a desktop. Some models are equipped with a rotary device that changes the slope of the surface. To make it easier to mark the material with your own hands, graduation is applied to the surface.

The larger the table, the longer the cut can be made. On average, this figure is 30 - 40 cm.

Drive power for homemade desktop machine is about 150 watts.

The crank assembly converts the rotational movement of the drive into reciprocating and transfers it to the saw. On average, the oscillation frequency of the file per minute is 800 - 1000. The vertical movement amplitude is not more than 5 cm. Some models allow you to select the movement speed depending on the properties of the material.

A manual jigsaw file can work with wood, plastic with a thickness of not more than 10 cm, having a length of up to 35 cm. For different types materials and works of the file vary, their width is 2 - 10 mm.

The manual tension device secures the saw blade for uniform sawing, it is a helical or leaf spring.

Types of machines

Structurally, all jigsaw devices can be divided:

• with bottom caliper;
• with double support;
• on suspension;
• with degree scale and stops;
• universal.

The most common are models with a lower caliper. Their bed is divided into two halves: lower and upper. At the top there is a cutting and cleaning module. At the bottom there is a control module, an electric motor, a transmission mechanism and a toggle switch. Allows you to process sheets of material of any size.

Double caliper models differ in that there is an additional rail on the upper half of the bed. Such devices are good for creating oversized parts. They are easier to install than the previous version. Both models allow you to process material no thicker than 8 cm. A working table with angle and height adjustment is attached to the machine.

Suspension machines are not equipped with a monolithic bed, they are very mobile. During processing, the cutting module moves, not the material. The working module is usually attached to the ceiling with its own hands, so the size of the material is unlimited. The cutting tool moves manually independently of the bed, creating very complex patterns.

Machines with a degree scale and stops are good for precise work on drawings. The design allows you to avoid errors. Universal jigsaws can perform several operations associated with cutting: drilling, polishing, grinding.

Making a machine with your own hands

Drawing homemade desktop jigsaw: 1 - rocker insert (2 pcs.), 2 - earring (2 pcs.), 3 - table, 4.6 - screws, 5 - thrust, 7 - eccentric, 8 - base, 9 - axes of earrings, 10 - upper rocker , 11 - axis of the rocker, 12 - lamb, 13 - cross member of the tension screw (2 pcs), 14 - tension screw, 15 - rocking stand, 16 - lower rocker, 17 - box, 18 - two-strand pulley, 19 - intermediate shaft, 20 - rack bushing, 21 - table plate, 22 - bearing with cover (2 pcs.), 23 - electric motor pulley.

In the drawing of a do-it-yourself desktop machine, the number of nodes must be minimized, these are: a rocking chair with a fixed saw, a frame and an electric motor. You can take the engine from an old electric machine.

Owners of a manual jigsaw were more fortunate. From a sheet of plywood, you can make a stand and attach a jigsaw to it. To fix the jigsaw with your own hands, you will have to make holes in the base of the tool. The most simple model ready.

Now about more complex and functional ones. The do-it-yourself bed is made of 12 mm plywood, thick plastic or textolite. It is a base, a box for placing the engine and mechanisms, and a work table. On the other hand, we have a rocking chair with an eccentric. They are interconnected by a metal plate with bushing bearings. The whole structure is fixed with screws. To mount the intermediate shaft, prepare a pair of bearings. The two-strand metal pulley is mounted on the shaft as tightly as possible, the screw connection is fixed. In the same way, you can make an eccentric.

To change the amplitude of the movement of the rocking chair, four round through holes with threads are made on the eccentric flange, remote from the axis at different distances. By changing the installation location of the screw, the swing of the rocking chair is adjusted. It is a pair of wooden yokes hinged to a rack. The rear ends of the rocker arms contain through cuts, tension screws are inserted into them. A file is fixed to the ends in front, movable due to metal hinges. Before fastening, the file is inserted into the groove of the working surface of the table.

The saw blade attachment mechanism is very important. In the manufacture homemade device with his own hands, he should be given special attention. The insert plates of the rocker arms carry constant loads during movement, therefore they are rigidly fixed and tightened with screws and Grover washers. The fastening earrings should not be strongly compressed by the screws, allowing the hinge axis of the plate to move.

Having made a jigsaw with your own hands, you will not only get a practical tool, but also save cash: it will be much cheaper than the factory counterpart, while having a full range of functions. A home-made electric jigsaw will allow you to create complex-shaped products from wood, plastic and other materials, the production of which with a hand tool under normal conditions would take a lot of time and effort.

A homemade jigsaw allows you to make cuts of complex shapes.

You should consider the structure and sequence of manufacturing a simple desktop electric jigsaw, assembly features and the procedure for working with it.

How is a desktop jigsaw arranged?

As the name implies, this tool is designed to be placed on the surface of a desktop or workbench. Compact dimensions allow you to work with a jigsaw both in the workshop or garage, and at home. An electric jigsaw is an indispensable tool for making complex wood ornaments, figured plywood carvings, and the like.

Kinematic diagram of the jigsaw drive.

It is necessary to consider in more detail the structure of a factory-made desktop jigsaw. This will allow you to understand the main features of the device and apply them in a homemade model.

The components of an electric jigsaw can be divided into 3 parts:

• movable frame with a saw;
• fixed base;
• Electrical engine.

The principle of operation of the tool is as follows: an electric motor rotates a crank mechanism, which turns rotational movements in reciprocating. Movements are transmitted to a movable frame on which the saw is stretched.

A homemade device works using the same principle. To simplify the design, the movable frame can be replaced with a conventional manual jigsaw.

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Details for an electric jigsaw

When assembling an electric jigsaw, it is important to find a suitable motor that will drive the working tool - the saw. For this purpose, a motor from a drill, blender, food processor or other equipment of the same type is excellent.

The jigsaw frame is best made from aluminum pipe.

The movable frame is made of metal profiles, wooden planks or slats made of durable plastic. It is most convenient to work with square-section aluminum tubes, as they are easy to process, light in weight and have a significant margin of safety.

To fix the jigsaw in the desired position, a reliable frame made of wood or metal should be made for it. The dimensions of the frame do not have much effect on the operation of the jigsaw. They depend only on which version of the tool you need - a compact desktop or full-size, installed on the floor.

The jigsaw table is made from a thick sheet of plywood, in which a small diameter hole is made where the file will move (Fig. 2).

Between the case and the table place a gasket made of elastic material - rubber or leather, which will dampen the vibration.

There is also an easier option on how to make a homemade jigsaw. It consists in the fact that a manual electric jigsaw is mounted in a vertical position in a table-stand, while its file is attached tightly to the movable guide rails - levers.

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Assembling a desktop jigsaw

The design of a homemade jigsaw begins with the assembly of the body, which can be made of plywood, chipboard or metal. The simplest model of this tool can do without a case, but in this case strong vibrations occur, which can significantly affect the comfort of work. In this case, two holes are made in the jigsaw - one for attaching the crank to the tool, the second for movable fixation of the jigsaw itself to the table. After starting the engine, the jigsaw begins to produce reciprocating movements that contribute to sawing the material.

Such a spring will provide the desired tension on the jigsaw saw.

A more elaborate model includes two separate strips, at the ends of which wing nuts are installed. From the opposite end, the bars are pulled together by a strong spring, which ensures a constant tension of the saw. Such a device works from a separate engine or, for example, from a drill.

A vertical bar runs inside the case, which is fixedly attached to its bottom or one of the walls. Two holes are made in it, the distance between which should be 2-3 cm less than the length of a standard file. Bolts or studs are threaded into the holes, on which straps are put on to hold the file.

The engine is built into the body and is attached to the lower bar by means of a disk with a connecting rod mechanism. A table with a hole for a saw acts as a housing cover.

The main drawback of a jigsaw with a separate engine lies in its most intricate part - the crank mechanism. The file with it makes not only vertical, but also inclined movements, which cannot but affect the accuracy of cutting. If you want to get an accurate tool, then it is better to replace the engine with an inexpensive factory-made manual electric jigsaw. It is fixed under the surface of the case and a file is threaded through the table, clamping it with one end in a jigsaw, and with the other in the upper bar of the structure. This design provides sufficient cutting accuracy, bringing this parameter closer to factory models.

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Advantages of working with an electric jigsaw

The electric jigsaw allows you to make complex cuts very accurately.

Unlike hand tool, an electric jigsaw has clear advantages, including:

• higher speed of work;
• the ability to work with two hands, thereby increasing accuracy;
• safety - with the right organization of work, a stationary tool is much safer, because it cannot escape from the hands.

Besides, independent production an electric jigsaw will save money, since factory machines of this type are quite expensive.

I didn’t want to put my expensive Makitovsky jigsaw on the table all the time, so I decided to buy another one to create a table. I very successfully turned up a jigsaw in the store "Our House" Caliber LEM-610E for only 862r. Included: wood file, side stop, vacuum cleaner adapter, spare brushes for the motor.

There was an outlet next to the display case and I looked at it in operation. Quite decently made, convenient, there is an adjustment of speed with a wheel, the inclusion is fixed with a button. The saw holder moves clearly without backlash.

It’s very fortunate that I was able to twist it in my hands before buying it, I wouldn’t risk ordering it from the Vseinstrumenty.ru website without knowing what it is. (Although the reviews about it are good) By the way, it costs more there and also pays for delivery ... so I successfully bought it in Our House. :)

Despite the advantages, he has a number of shortcomings that he saw on closer examination:

1) The file does not fit into the file holder. Apparently this is a copy of the marriage, but I did not waste my time on the exchange. Each saw has to be sharpened. (Although on the second jigsaw I won’t be able to use them after turning - it doesn’t matter, they are relatively inexpensive)
2) And this drawback can be seen even in the picture. The canvas is tilted strongly forward. (This also managed to be fixed by putting under back soles of tin strips, achieving 90 o .
3) The speed control wheel turns hard, not very clearly and with jamming. At the minimum speed value, the tool cannot start at all (However, the same garbage with the start-up of my other "caliber" drills. This is unpleasant, but does not spoil life much)

As always, everything is in the spirit of minimalism. I did not make a separate switch. It is quite conveniently turned on with a standard button and fixed.

To do this, I bought a bracket in KrepMarket (this is a fastener from some kind of iron structure system)

By the way, I love CrepeMarket. Any screws, nuts, screws, fasteners. Every time I design something, I wander there in thought and collect the necessary details for myself.

The excess was cut and trimmed.

Back view. Now the distance between the bearings has a fixed file clearance of 1.2mm. I have a plan for the future: make a gap adjustment.

For thin materials can be omitted below.

As an experiment, I drew an asterisk and tried to cut it out evenly

For a 130mm file, the maximum possible thickness is 5cm. It turns out that there are very long files, I recently saw a 300mm file on the market

Sawed off a 1.5mm slice from a 40x40mm bar

Which is what I did. Now it can cut long workpieces with a width of 11.5 cm. The old L-shaped design also remained, and if more strength of the holder is needed, it can be installed again, although the new design has remained quite strong and reliable.

I also came up with the idea of ​​making a knife out of an old blunt file, grinding off its teeth and sharpening it.

They can figuratively cut material like a sealant. The cut is even. Much better than a utility knife. Pictured is a mouse pad.

Well, perhaps that's all. The table turned out to be reliable and comfortable. Now I have a tool on which I can do finer work than on a circular.

After several unsuccessful attempts to cut out complex shapes with an electric jigsaw, I decided to make a homemade desktop jigsaw from the drawings from the network. It will be very easy to cut complex shapes of small sizes from light materials on it.

To assemble a jigsaw machine with your own hands from a jigsaw, you will need:

• electric jigsaw
• plywood sheet and boards for support
• screws for wood
• bolts with nuts

Tools: drill, sandpaper, clamp, tape measure.

Step 1: Cut out the lid and base

Draw two rectangles 250x300 mm on a sheet of plywood and cut them out with a jigsaw. These rectangles will be the base and top of your machine. Carefully sand the surfaces of the rectangles with sandpaper, especially the one that will be the lid.

Step 2: Making the Front Racks

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Measure the height of the jigsaw from the sole to the handle so that the jigsaw fits in the box of the machine, the racks must be greater than this distance. My jigsaw is 18 cm high, so I made 20 cm long posts from the board. Then I squeezed two pieces together with a clamp and sawed off 5 mm from them on both sides so that both posts were the same height.

Now the racks can be screwed to the base. To prevent the wood from cracking, you must first drill holes for the screws and countersink them.

Step 3: Attach the jigsaw to the lid

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1. Remove the sole from the jigsaw using the supplied hex. There is already one hole in the lid, you have three more holes to drill so that there is a mounting hole in each corner.
2. In the central part of the plywood cover, mark the place where you will fix the sole of the jigsaw, and the hole for the jigsaw blade.
3. Now you can drill four holes in the plywood, countersinking them with a spade bit so that the screw heads are flush with the surface. It remains to make a hole for the saw.
4. Now put the sole back on the skis of the jigsaw, and attach the plywood cover to the sole so that the file goes into the hole intended for it.
5. Insert a washer into the expansion of each mounting hole, insert bolts into the holes and tighten them on the other side with nuts. Turning the bolts was a little tricky, so I fixed the head of each bolt with a flathead screwdriver, and twisted the other side with a wrench.

Step 4: Install the jigsaw on the base

Lower the lid with a jigsaw onto the base with uprights and fix it on top with screws, having previously drilled holes for them. Be sure to countersink these holes so that the wood does not crack when screwing. The jigsaw should not touch the base and should have a good grip on the lid. Therefore, the screw heads must be flush with the surface of the cover, otherwise they will unwind during the operation of the jigsaw.

From the remnants of the board, I made an additional two rear racks, so the machine became much more stable.

Step 5: Finishing the Machine

At this stage, the machine is quite functional, it is enough just to fix it with a clamp on the tabletop and you can work.

I identified two features of my jigsaw machine:

• the canvas walked a little to the sides, especially when working at high speeds.
• the width of the blade was greater than that of standard electric jigsaw files, which left much to be desired in cutting particularly thin holes.

Step 6: Decrease the Canvas Width

A smaller blade will allow you to cut through thin curves and make it easier to cut rounded corners.

1. Extend the file to the maximum, do not forget to turn off the jigsaw from the network.
2. Mark the point where the blade comes out of the housing. Below this point, nothing needs to be removed.
3. Remove the file from the jigsaw and grind the blade to the desired width on the grinder. While grinding, dip the file in cool water so that it does not overheat, otherwise the metal will lose its hardness, and the file will no longer be able to cut through anything. A change in color is a sign of overheating of the metal.
4. When you get the desired blade width, put the file back into the jigsaw.

Step 7: Making a File Guide

The guide will not allow the blade to walk to the sides during cutting, especially at high speeds.

I made the guide out of a small strip of PVC plastic. At one end of the strip, use a jigsaw to make a small cut at an angle to the middle of the strip. We fix the strip behind the file by screwing it to a wooden L-shaped part mounted on the cover of your machine. The guide can be lubricated with oil for better movement.

Remember:

1. The guide should never be higher than the blade at the lowest point of the blade path.
2. The guide limits the size of the material you are about to cut due to its height and the attachment point on the surface. Therefore, it is better to fix the guide as high as possible (considering the previous remark), and as far as possible from the canvas, with a bias to the side, as soon as possible.

Step 8: Conclusion

With a little effort, you get an almost real desktop jigsaw. Of course, it will not replace a real machine, but given its zero cost, it is an excellent option.