by Richard Serra

Created on: November 08, 2011

If you've never used a jigsaw before, and you have a project that requires cutting curves or circles in wood, metal, plastic or any other cut-able material, a jig-jaw is the perfect tool, as it requires little skill, some common sense, and decent vision so as to make the cut perfect.

This article is a little more detailed, and for a reason. Making cuts with a jigsaw is not a simple matter of just drawing a design and then making the cuts. There are a few little tips that one needs to know so as to make those cuts, and do them easily and safely.

For the first time using the saw, try a few cuts on some scrape material so as to get the feel of how it handles, but be sure to wear protective goggles at all times. Try sketching a few curves, or a circle on the material as a guide for which to follow, so as to practice making a perfect cut.

If you want to cut out lets say a heart shape, a circle, or any other design, and it's going to be within the material such as the center, or anywhere within the borders, first drill a hole large enough so as to be able to stick the blade through the hole as a starting point.

Make sure you drill the hole so that the side of the hole lines up with the outline you've made, so that you don't have the outline of the drilled whole showing from where you start.

If the material is large enough, use two supports, with the design being in between, so that you have an clearance for which the blade will be able to cut without hitting the supports. If the material is small, use one or two clamps to secure the material to the side of a table, or whatever you're using for support. This will hold the piece in place as you make the cut.

That said, now it's time to try your first cut, and that would be after you've drilled your hole for inserting the blade through, so as to begin using the saw. Centering the blade to the lines of your sketched outline, trigger the power, and slowly move the saw forward following the sketched line in a steady forward motion with steady pressure. Don't try to force the blade as it will snap, or put unnecessary strain on the saw.

Depending on the design you've sketched, you may have some lines that come to a sharp point for which you have two options.
Stop the cut at the very end of the line that meets the other, and bring the blade back a couple of inches along the line you've just made a cut for, and then trigger the power again, and this time angle the blade so that you begin to cut towards the other line until

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