"the tool is just a motor, it's the bits and blades that are worth spending money on"

londonTiger

Nothing can be further from the truth. Bought a ryobi jigsaw ages ago and have been struggling with it quite badly.

I thought it was just doing what it needs to do and that it was cutting itself which was problematic. I cut 4mm thick aluminium sheets with a jigsaw and had quite a few blades melt and fuse together so they become almost like a straight edge!!

I don't know if it avctually melted or whether the aluminium has pressed into the blade teeth so much that it looks that way. In any case - cuts were horrible.

Jigsaw failed on me eventually and I went and borrowed a bosch. Put in a new blade from the same pack. The cuts were smoooth!! The blade did all the work - I didn't need to force it to cut or take BREAKS after 5cm to stop the blade from overheating and fusing with the aluminium.

What I think happened is that the cheap ryobi was not movING straight - there was probably some slight sideways momentum which cause the teeth of the blade to get caught or just rub sideways and start to heat.

Lastly let's not mention noise. The bosch was probably as quiet as you can get. OTOH the ryobi was LOUD.

prosaver

Did you put the right blades in as they difer for different materials?

thescouselander

Cutting Aluminium is a challenge for a jigsaw - probably not the best tool for the job in reality. In any case cutting metal successfully as all about getting the cutting speed right. Could it be that the Bosch just had a slightly slower cutting speed?

snowcat75

The aluminium would almost certainly be sticking to the blade, the blade should through chip away from the blade otherwise it doesn't clear.


Its impossible to know the issue, but metals need to be cut with the correct blade (which isn't a fixed thing for specific materials as stock types effect it), feed rate (pressure in this case) and blade speed.


A light cutting oil is also required.


I use both horizontal and vertical band saws, and a guide chart is always referred to for initial setup.


Google some metalworking sites, and especially the raymech website which is an engineering bible.

londonTiger

i have used the correct blade, in any case used the same blade on both jigsaws

snowcat75

londonTiger wrote: »

i have used the correct blade, in any case used the same blade on both jigsaws

A universal blade that can always contact 3 teeth on the material irrespective of section?


Iv been fabricating for 20 years, yes some tools are just junk but I often fing that most are usable, it just requires a more experienced operator.


A jigsaw is a pretty rubbish tool to be cutting aluminium with TBH.

londonTiger

snowcat75 wrote: »

A universal blade that can always contact 3 teeth on the material irrespective of section?


Iv been fabricating for 20 years, yes some tools are just junk but I often fing that most are usable, it just requires a more experienced operator.


A jigsaw is a pretty rubbish tool to be cutting aluminium with TBH.

I cut small bits out of aluminium extrusions for flight case build. Basically cutting out a 25mm by 76mm rectangle out of the edge of 4mm ish aluminium extrusion to fit a latch on the gap.

So very little cutting so a jigsaw is OK for the job.

The blade is also designed for cutting metal as well.

In any case, had serious issues cutting with ryobi I think the blade movement is not perfectly aligned and shimmying slightly left to right

londonTiger

thescouselander wrote: »

Cutting Aluminium is a challenge for a jigsaw - probably not the best tool for the job in reality. In any case cutting metal successfully as all about getting the cutting speed right. Could it be that the Bosch just had a slightly slower cutting speed?

My experience is faster is better with aluminium. Slower and the teeth tend to get caught. Same with drilling, best to put the bit on highest speed than go slow

londonTiger

Btw, aluminium is quite soft. I use the jigsaw to cut out recesses for the latch. But do the end cuts and mite cuts using a mitre saw.

The mitre saw I use is not designed for metal, it's designed for wood. I use a universal (wood/metal) blade on it. The aluminium is comparable to wood it's only slightly more harder to cut than hardwood

Aluminium is MILES softer than steel. You wouldn't even touch 4mm steel on a mitre saw meant for wood.

Reece_

To be honest I've never heard anyone suggest that the tool is just a motor and money is better spent on blades. But if that were true then there'd be no market for high end tools or certainly less of one.
Blades and drill bits etc do make an awful lot of difference though and imo worth spending on quality bits but the tool itself is just as important if you want to make things as easy as possible.
Jigsaws especially are a tool where you'll notice dramatic differences between low and high end manufacturers, as you found , you often get more sideways play with cheap jigsaws, of course a slower approach can to some extent help, and user ability plays a big part but be as careful as you want with the best blades on earth with a cheap jigsaw and end result won't be a touch on a rushed cut with cheap blade on a mafell or festool jigsaw.
One thing I always say when buying new tools is that I can't afford to buy cheap tools.

snowcat75

londonTiger wrote: »

Btw, aluminium is quite soft. I use the jigsaw to cut out recesses for the latch. But do the end cuts and mite cuts using a mitre saw.

The mitre saw I use is not designed for metal, it's designed for wood. I use a universal (wood/metal) blade on it. The aluminium is comparable to wood it's only slightly more harder to cut than hardwood

Aluminium is MILES softer than steel. You wouldn't even touch 4mm steel on a mitre saw meant for wood.

Hardwood and aluminium and not comparable through hardness, wood is measured for sheer and bend strength, Metals and minerals although are measured for bending strengths (moduli) are also hard tested either in Vickers, Rockwell etc.


I have worked and machined and welded at least half a dozen types of alu, and commonly work with steels from EN1A to EN24, and of course mostly Mild, not to mention phos bronze, plastics,irons and composites, each material and grade has its own characteristic and a knowledge of how to work it is crucial.


Most worrying though you seem to have a TCT blade in a standard mitre saw, a wood working mitre saw could have a no load speed of over 5000rpm, a TCT blade is rated to around 1600rpm, I bought a machine off a guy who had lost an eye doing the exact same thing....