• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Jigsaw Shopping

D

DudeItsMe

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Messages
15,720
So.. I need some tips on what kind of Jigsaw to get
smile.gif


Currently I only plan on using this for one mod, to a Praetorian 730, but I can gauruntee that if I don't suck at it I'll mod more afterwards. I'm not looking for super expensive (OK you might be able to convince me), but I want something that gets the job done with quality, since I plan on keeping this case for a number of years. I checked them out today at Menards and they had lots of different ones... ones that were cheap like 3.5 amp and ones up to 6.0 amp with laser guides and that were orbital.

I'm not really sure what I need... how strong must it be to cut aluminum? Is there an advantage to orbital for case modding? I know the laser guide would rock if you have your cut line drawn out, so I'd love to have one of those... but is the laser adjustable? Obviously for curves you'll need to put the laser closer in front of the blade (since you're not cutting in a straight line duh) to make sure you're staying on track.

BTW, I have a variable speed Dremel, 10k to 35k I believe, but I don't want to use it to cut a window. I did it before, and it took like four hours, and the cost of cutting wheels alone probably ended up costing what a jigsaw would
tongue.gif
Not to mention the cut was kinda jagged with all the metal burs and such. Of course the case was some sort of steel, so that could be why.

Any suggestions?
 
Personally there isnt a lot to a jigsaw for me to say that there will be a lot of difference in the higher models from one to another. Overall build quality to me will be key, and desired features, like in your case if you want the laser then sounds good. Orbital versus other I doubt you will see a difference in metal cutting, but with that said brings me to my point. I would put more consideration into the abilty to moderate speed on the jigsaw and types of blades you use. These will give you the best increase in modding output then the brand you happened to choose. 3.0 amps is more than enough to cut aluminum as with the proper blade (finer teeth) you will slice through like butter taking the appropriate speed of course of progress (and fairly low jig speed as well).

For me a common B&D jigsaw with easily attacheable blades does the trick and a worklight. Most any cut I do with a jig saw is already marked and a laser is kind of overkill, but kind of nice toy. I prefer lasers on things like Drill Presses and Miter Saws because the cut is more important and harder to line up precisely. Consider higher powered jigsaws if you are going to cut (you guessed it) thicker/harder materials like steel, thick wood planks, or doing a lot more work at one time.

Bigger motors also tend to handle the longer work loads with beefier internals. Just get a feel for them in the store and buy the one with features you want. Then get some good set of blades with different teeth patterns for the materials you will want to cut. Dont use the same saw blade for every material, your jigsaw will thank you and your work will thank you. Hope that helps...

edit: typo
 
^^^ - good advice on the jigsaw Mickey21 :)

All I can add is that when cutting thin metal you should use jigsaw blades with high teeth
counts (TPI = teeth per inch).

In general 32tpi & above is best for 16-20 gauge metal. My preference is the 36tpi "Bosch Blue" blades.
A bit more expensive but well worth it.

Also, a bit of cutting oil doesn't hurt either. If the metal chips coming off your blade start to
discolor you know you are creating too much heat.

BTW ...... a jigsaw will probably create larger burrs than using a Dremel. What method did
you use to cut your window?
 
if possible i would look for one with variable speed comes in handy......on thin materials....all the jigsaw has to give is some times too much...
 
Susquehannock said:
BTW ...... a jigsaw will probably create larger burrs than using a Dremel. What method did
you use to cut your window?
Click to expand...
I used a Dremel and the reinforced cutting wheels. I probably could have gotten it down better, but it was a trash case to begin with, and I didn't like the direction it was taking. I didn't file it--only used the grinding wheel on the Dremel a bit.

Like I said, the case material was pretty strong stuff, so maybe that had something to do with it. It defeintly wasn't easy to work with, and I've never worked with the light aluminum most cases are made of today.

I guess what I need is tips on fisishing the cut (smoothing the edge), but I also plan on using door edge molding to cover it up... so as long as it's straight....
 
I use my dremel for all types of cuts, and Ive ONLY worked with steel. You just have to take it slow and steady, you can end up coming out with some amazing cuts if you dont rush into things. The most ammount of wheels Ive ever used on a window was 6... it was an OLD server case made out of extremely thick steel.

Ive messed with 3 other steel cases (Ive never worked with aluminum)... cuts seem to take about one cut off wheel per 24 inches or so of cutting.

Also, buy yourself some files. Files = your friend.
 
Amps dont mean quality. 6 amps is way too high for your application - it will just be uncontrollable. In fact, you should try to get the low-end as far as amps.
 
Other good information put forth there. I too use the Bosch blades as mentioned above. Pretty good life and cuts with those. The oil is sound advice and forgot to mention that myself. Always use a lubricant when cutting any type of metal. Not sloshed on or anything, just applied to the blade from time to time.

Also want to mention that if it is possible, clamp thin wood material to the metal surface if you feel the metal may warp from the cut. This will give the piece some backing to keep it from bending and flexing during the cut. Which is where the finer teeth come to play.
 
Well reading Qtip42's tools of the trade guide, he said the dremel wasn't for big jobs. And after the experience I had cutting that first window, I would agree with him
tongue.gif


My dremeled cut actually wasn't bad, it was straight, but the biggest problem was the edges being rough. Probably could have been fixed with filing, but I scrapped the case because it wasn't taking the paint very well. I think the cut might have been fine after I covered it with the door edge molding, but I wasn't sure that I could get it filed down neatly to that point.

Anyone got tips on what you did to finish the cut, or if you put anything like the molding over it? I only really want to use the molding because I know it'll make the cut appear straighter.
 
If the cut is straight, filing to deburr and then possible spot grinding to further enhance takes it down quite a bit, but in the end sanding is usually the best step to getting a smooth and touchable finish to it. Filing can be enough but tends to make it hard to evenly remove material from the area. Short of having the cut professionally done on a waterjet, laser, etc, I would sand it down or get creative like acrylic, molding, etc...
 
Uhhh....
smile.gif


So what should I look for in a file? Nobody ever talks about them in mods
tongue.gif


Yes I'm a hardware newb, kinda sad since I work in a hardware store (in the paint department mind you)
 
DudeItsMe said:
Uhhh....
smile.gif


So what should I look for in a file? Nobody ever talks about them in mods
tongue.gif


Yes I'm a hardware newb, kinda sad since I work in a hardware store (in the paint department mind you)
Click to expand...

Only thing you need to look for is whether or not its made for metal. I have a set of big files and a set of small files for details. Big files are better to get straighter edges and such, small files are better for the details you couldnt otherwise make perfect.
 
redface.gif
I thought there was like different coarsenesses and such. I don't think that's a word. Roughness? Like sandpaper I guess.
 
Ya but if you're trying to cut any metal more than 1/8" with a jigsaw, you probably are using the wrong tool.
 
I think I may stick with the dremel/file method. Maybe I misinterpreted Qtip's idea of a "big job" (and seeing his mods, I probably did
tongue.gif
)
 
Qtip42 said:
Ya but if you're trying to cut any metal more than 1/8" with a jigsaw, you probably are using the wrong tool.
Click to expand...

I disagree there, but everyone has their own way of working. ;)
 
DudeItsMe said:
Well reading Qtip42's tools of the trade guide, he said the dremel wasn't for big jobs. And after the experience I had cutting that first window, I would agree with him
tongue.gif
Click to expand...


ahah! Someone finally read it! I can die peacefully now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top