How to Use a Jigsaw

Before you cut anything, look the tool over. The blade clamps into the front, the flat metal base is called the shoe, and up top you have a speed dial and an orbital setting. The orbital action pushes the blade forward on each stroke for faster, rougher cuts, so turn it down when you want a cleaner edge. Spend a minute finding each control. It pays off once the blade is moving.

Blades are not all the same. The number on the pack is the tooth count, and it tells you a lot. Fewer, bigger teeth cut wood fast but leave a rougher edge. More teeth per inch give a smoother finish and are what you want for thin plywood or trim. There are metal-cutting blades too, with very fine teeth. Match the blade to the material and the cut goes a lot better.

Most modern jigsaws take blades without a tool. Flip the release lever, slide the blade into the clamp with the teeth facing forward, and let the lever snap back. Give the blade a light tug to make sure it seated. A blade that isn't fully in can rattle loose mid-cut, and that ruins your line and your day. It should sit straight and run true in the shoe.

Line the blade up on the outside of your pencil mark, rest the front of the shoe on the wood, then squeeze the trigger and let the blade get up to speed before it touches the line. Here you can see it working straight down through a 2x4. Let the saw do the work. Push gently and steadily. If you force it, the blade bends and the cut angles out on the underside.

The shoe tilts, which lets you cut angles instead of straight down. Loosen the base with the lever or hex key, tip it to the angle you want, and read the gauge stamped on the side. Forty-five degrees is the common one for mitered edges. Lock it back down firmly before you cut. A loose shoe will drift off your angle partway through and you won't notice until the piece doesn't fit.

With the saw dialed in, keep your eyes on the blade and the line, not on the body of the tool. Feed at a steady pace and keep the shoe flat on the surface the whole way. Rushing makes the blade wander wide of your mark. Going too slow can scorch the wood. Find a smooth, even push and the cut tracks the pencil line cleanly from start to finish.

To cut a shape in the middle of a panel, you need a way in for the blade. Mark your shape, then drill a hole just inside the waste line, big enough for the blade to drop through. Here a circle is laid out on plywood and a hole is bored near the edge of it. Now the blade can start from that hole and cut out to your line without having to plunge blind.

Curves are where the jigsaw shines. Ease into the arc and let the blade steer, turning the whole saw slowly so the blade never binds. Tight curves need a narrow blade and a slower pace. If you feel the saw fighting you, back off and take a wider approach. Follow the line around and you end up with a smooth, sweeping curve like the one cut here in plywood.