Before you buy a jigsaw for metal, you need to determine whether it will be used occasionally as needed or regularly on a daily basis for heavy metal work. By deciding this question, you will know if an inexpensive household jigsaw is enough or if a professional tool is needed.
Note, there are universal jigsaws for metal, wood and plastic, as well as jigsaws for metal.
A hand jigsaw is most often purchased for woodworking jobs. With the electric jigsaw, you can work not only with wood, but also with almost all kinds of metal, using special replaceable saws.
When selecting a jigsaw for cutting metals such as steel, aluminum, copper or brass, it should be borne in mind that all power tools are clearly divided into professional и household. The dividing line goes along many parameters: power, safety margin, functionality, adjustment limits and cost.
Jigsaw power
The thicker the material that needs to be cut, the higher the load on the jigsaw drive and the greater the power reserve should be. With a household jigsaw of average power it is possible to cut metal with a thickness of up to 0,5 mm. If you intend to cut metal workpieces up to 10mm thick, you will need a tool from the professional category. For comfortable metal cutting it is necessary that the power of the jigsaw exceeds 600 W.
Power reserve
Jigsaws are designed to be used for short periods of time. Neglecting to do so may cause the tool to overheat and break. For this reason, the tool must not be overheated during operation and breaks must be taken to cool it down. Professional jigsaws are capable of functioning for many hours without interruption.
Features
Functionality should be understood as design features and the ability to adjust the modes of operation. When choosing a metal jigsaw, give preference to the model in which the saw drive rod has a circular cross-section. If it is decided to buy a household jigsaw, pay attention that it was equipped with a mechanism of horizontal feeding of the saw, or as it is called, the mechanism of pendulum stroke. Additional comfort of work provides a built-in backlight and a system of blowing the work surface, freeing the cutting zone from sawdust.
Adjustment limits
Professional tools use stronger materials and reliable adjustment mechanisms. Adjusting the stroke frequency and depth of pitch allows you to set the optimal cutting mode depending on the density and thickness of the material. Limiting the maximum frequency makes it easier to cut thicker material.
Choosing the right saw for cutting metal
Cutting performance depends not only on the characteristics of the tool, but also on the material and tooth geometry of the saw blade mounted on it. Metal cutting saws are distinguished by their fine teeth and are labeled accordingly. For example, the standard prescribes universal saws for cutting metal up to 0.5 mm thick to be marked as T118A.
Saws are also available that take metal specifics into account. To overcome the tendency of aluminum to clog the saw with lumps of metal, the teeth of the saw are made coarser. Such saws are also suitable for cutting plastic.
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