How to make a jigsaw from a jigsaw yourself. DIY jigsaw table

Having made a jigsaw with your own hands, it will turn out not only to purchase practical tool but also save cash: it will be much cheaper than the factory counterpart, while having a full range of functions. Homemade jigsaw will allow you to create products complex shape from wood, plastic and other materials, the production of which by hand tools in normal conditions would take a lot of time and effort.

A homemade jigsaw allows you to make cuts of complex shapes.

You should consider the structure and sequence of manufacturing a simple desktop electric jigsaw, features of the assembly and the procedure for working with it.

How is a desktop jigsaw arranged?

As the name implies, this tool is designed to be placed on the surface of a desktop or workbench. Compact dimensions allow you to work with a jigsaw both in the workshop or garage, and at home. An electric jigsaw is an indispensable tool for making complex wood ornaments, figured plywood carvings, and the like.

Kinematic diagram of the jigsaw drive.

It is necessary to consider the structure in more detail desktop jigsaw factory production. This will allow you to understand the main features of the device and apply them in a homemade model.

The components of an electric jigsaw can be divided into 3 parts:

movable frame with a saw;
fixed base;
Electrical engine.

The principle of operation of the tool is as follows: an electric motor rotates a crank mechanism, which converts rotational movements into reciprocating ones. Movements are transmitted to a movable frame on which the saw is stretched.

A homemade device works using the same principle. To simplify the design, the movable frame can be replaced with a conventional manual jigsaw.

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Details for an electric jigsaw

When assembling an electric jigsaw, it is important to find a suitable motor that will drive the working tool - the saw. For this purpose, a motor from a drill, blender, food processor or other equipment of the same type.

The jigsaw frame is best made from aluminum pipe.

The movable frame is made of metal profiles, wooden planks or slats made of durable plastic. It is most convenient to work with square-section aluminum tubes, as they are easy to process, light in weight and have a significant margin of safety.

To fix the jigsaw in the desired position, a reliable frame made of wood or metal should be made for it. The dimensions of the frame do not have much effect on the operation of the jigsaw. They depend only on which version of the tool you need - a compact desktop or full-size, installed on the floor.

The jigsaw table is made from a thick sheet of plywood, in which a small diameter hole is made where the file will move (Fig. 2).

Between the case and the table place a gasket made of elastic material - rubber or leather, which will dampen the vibration.

There is also an easier option on how to make a homemade jigsaw. It consists in the fact that a manual electric jigsaw is mounted in a vertical position in a table-stand, while its file is attached tightly to the movable guide rails - levers.

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Assembling a desktop jigsaw

Construction homemade jigsaw begins with the assembly of the body, which can be made of plywood, chipboard or metal. The most simple model this tool can do without a case, but in this case, strong vibrations occur, which can significantly affect the convenience of work. In this case, two holes are made in the jigsaw - one for attaching the crank to the tool, the second for movable fixation of the jigsaw itself to the table. After starting the engine, the jigsaw begins to produce reciprocating movements that contribute to sawing the material.

Such a spring will provide the desired tension on the jigsaw saw.

A more elaborate model includes two separate strips, at the ends of which wing nuts are installed. From the opposite end, the bars are pulled together by a strong spring, which ensures a constant tension of the saw. Such a device works from a separate engine or, for example, from a drill.

A vertical bar runs inside the case, which is fixedly attached to its bottom or one of the walls. Two holes are made in it, the distance between which should be 2-3 cm less than the length of a standard file. Bolts or studs are threaded into the holes, on which straps are put on to hold the file.

The engine is built into the body and is attached to the lower bar by means of a disk with a connecting rod mechanism. A table with a hole for a saw acts as a housing cover.

The main drawback of a jigsaw with a separate engine lies in its most intricate part - the crank mechanism. The file with it makes not only vertical, but also inclined movements, which cannot but affect the accuracy of cutting. If you want to get an accurate tool, then it is better to replace the engine with an inexpensive factory-made manual electric jigsaw. It is fixed under the surface of the case and a file is threaded through the table, clamping it with one end in a jigsaw, and with the other in the upper bar of the structure. This design provides sufficient cutting accuracy, bringing this parameter closer to factory models.

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Advantages of working with an electric jigsaw

The electric jigsaw allows you to make complex cuts very accurately.

Unlike hand tool, an electric jigsaw has clear advantages, including:

higher speed of work;
the ability to work with two hands, thereby increasing accuracy;
security - with proper organization labor stationary tool is much safer because it can not escape from the hands.

Besides, independent production an electric jigsaw will save money, since factory machines of this type are quite expensive.

The article will primarily be useful to those people who often work with wood as a hobby, without making money from it. The author presented a fairly budget project desktop jigsaw, which can be collected in one day, with minimal cost for materials.

To create a machine, you will need the following materials:
- Working manual jigsaw;
- Plywood;
- Self-tapping screws and bolts with nuts;
- Guides of furniture boxes;
- Two bearings;
- Tension spring;
- Spray can with paint;
- Self-adhesive paper.

Materials and tools are standard, available in each workshop.

Step 1. Case.
The first step is to create a body for a manual jigsaw from plywood. Here it is necessary to think in advance where the holes for the switch and the speed controller will be located.
It should come out like this:

Step 2. Table top.
It is better to take a thick piece of chipboard with good coverage, since workpieces will be rubbed on it during the operation of the machine.

A hole is drilled in the chipboard for the file. The jigsaw itself will be attached to the back of the countertop.
An extension for fastening the boom is also made from furniture rails:

Here's what it looks like assembled:

And the tabletop is attached to the body:

Step 3. Arrow.
The arrow itself will be made of two furniture rails. They are bolted together to increase rigidity.

The boom supports are made of chipboard. Before painting and installing them, the point of attachment of the boom to the support is measured. Before that, they must be installed in their place:

After that, it is necessary to drill holes in the support for the bearing seats.

Step 4. Painting.
Prepared supports are painted from a can.

While they dry, the machine itself is glued with self-adhesive.

Step 5. Assembly.
Bearings are inserted into the supports, and they are screwed into place.

The boom mounting axis will be made of two bolts screwed into the guides as shown in the photo. The diameter of the bolts is selected in accordance with the diameter of the inner race of the bearing.

The bolts are securely tightened, after which the two halves are screwed to each other.

Here is a visual illustration of how the arrow will be fixed in the supports:

The boom is installed in its place and fixed with nuts.

The next step is to install the tension spring. It is necessary in order to return the arrow to its original position after the jigsaw pulls it down. Thus, the reciprocating motion of the file will be performed. It must be adjusted so that it is not too soft (this will complicate the operation of the machine) and too hard (this can lead to overheating of the jigsaw motor).

How to fix it is shown in the photo:

Then, from a thin strip of metal (1 mm), it is necessary to make the attachment of the file to the arrow. They must rotate freely on the axis, because during operation the arrow changes the angle of inclination to the jigsaw, and if they are static, this can lead to breakage of the file.

Here's what the mounts should look like:

The boom supports are additionally reinforced with a long bolt, it can be seen in the photo:

Step 6. Electronic part.
Since access to a manual jigsaw is limited, it is necessary to bring the controls to the outside of the case.

To adjust the speed of the jigsaw motor, the author used a phase power controller. Here is his wiring diagram.

Using a desktop jigsaw at home, you can make furniture, beautiful patterned shelves and much more. The mechanism allows you to cut smooth and sinuous parts from wood, plastic and dense foam materials. In order for a home-made device to fully meet the requirements, it is necessary to carefully select the appropriate design.

Design and specifications

The device of any model of an electric jigsaw machine must contain:

saw;
crank assembly;
drive unit;
saw tension device;
Desktop;
auxiliary mechanisms.

The processed material keeps within on a desktop. Some models are equipped with a rotary device that changes the slope of the surface. To make it easier to mark the material with your own hands, graduation is applied to the surface.

The larger the table, the longer the cut can be made. On average, this figure is 30 - 40 cm.

Drive power for homemade desktop machine is about 150 watts.

The crank assembly converts the rotational movement of the drive into reciprocating and transfers it to the saw. On average, the oscillation frequency of the file per minute is 800 - 1000. The vertical movement amplitude is not more than 5 cm. Some models allow you to select the movement speed depending on the properties of the material.

file manual jigsaw can work with wood, plastic with a thickness of not more than 10 cm, having a length of up to 35 cm. For different types materials and works of the file vary, their width is 2 - 10 mm.

The manual tension device secures the saw blade for uniform sawing, it is a helical or leaf spring.

Types of machines

Structurally, all jigsaw devices can be divided:

with bottom caliper;
with double support;
on suspension;
with degree scale and stops;
universal.

The most common are models with a lower caliper. Their bed is divided into two halves: lower and upper. At the top there is a cutting and cleaning module. At the bottom there is a control module, an electric motor, a transmission mechanism and a toggle switch. Allows you to process sheets of material of any size.

Double caliper models differ in that there is an additional rail on the upper half of the bed. Such devices are good for creating oversized parts. They are easier to install than previous version. Both models allow you to process material no thicker than 8 cm. A working table with angle and height adjustment is attached to the machine.

Suspension machines are not equipped with a monolithic bed, they are very mobile. During processing, the cutting module moves, not the material. The working module is usually attached to the ceiling with its own hands, so the size of the material is unlimited. Cutting tool moves manually independently of the bed, creating very complex patterns.

Machines with a degree scale and stops are good for precise work on drawings. The design allows you to avoid errors. Universal jigsaws can perform several operations associated with cutting: drilling, polishing, grinding.

Making a machine with your own hands

Drawing of a homemade desktop jigsaw: 1 - rocking chair insert (2 pcs.), 2 - earring (2 pcs.), 3 - table, 4.6 - screws, 5 - thrust, 7 - eccentric, 8 - base, 9 - axes of earrings, 10 - upper rocker, 11 - axis of the rocker, 12 - lamb, 13 - tension screw cross member (2 pcs), 14 - tension screw, 15 - rocking stand, 16 - bottom rocker, 17 - box, 18 - two-strand pulley, 19 - intermediate shaft, 20 - rack bushing, 21 - table plate, 22 - bearing with cover (2 pcs.), 23 - electric motor pulley.

In the drawing of a do-it-yourself desktop machine, the number of nodes must be minimized, these are: a rocking chair with a fixed saw, a frame and an electric motor. You can take the engine from an old electric machine.

Owners of a manual jigsaw were more fortunate. From a sheet of plywood, you can make a stand and attach a jigsaw to it. To fix the jigsaw with your own hands, you will have to make holes in the base of the tool. The simplest model is ready.

Now about more complex and functional ones. The do-it-yourself bed is made of 12 mm plywood, thick plastic or textolite. It is a base, a box for placing the engine and mechanisms, and a work table. On the other hand, we have a rocking chair with an eccentric. They are interconnected by a metal plate with bushing bearings. The whole structure is fixed with screws. To mount the intermediate shaft, prepare a pair of bearings. The two-strand metal pulley is mounted on the shaft as tightly as possible, the screw connection is fixed. In the same way, you can make an eccentric.

To change the amplitude of the rocking chair, four round ones are made on the eccentric flange. through holes with threads, remote from the axis by different distance. By changing the installation location of the screw, the swing of the rocking chair is adjusted. It is a pair of wooden yokes hinged to a rack. The rear ends of the rocker arms contain through cuts, tension screws are inserted into them. A file is fixed to the ends in front, movable due to metal hinges. Before fastening, the file is inserted into the groove working surface table.

The saw blade attachment mechanism is very important. In the manufacture homemade device with his own hands he should be given Special attention. The insert plates of the rocker arms carry constant loads during movement, therefore they are rigidly fixed and tightened with screws and Grover washers. The fastening earrings should not be strongly compressed by the screws, allowing the hinge axis of the plate to move.

This article will focus on the design homemade machine from a household electric jigsaw. The following will be step-by-step instruction, photos, videos, as well as drawings and diagrams.

Introduction

There are a lot of design options - from the simplest, where it just sticks out of the countertop, to quite complex structures with guides, the possibility of sawing at an angle, when it is possible to set not only 90 degrees to the base, but change the angle (well, within reason, of course). There are devices (machines) for, that is, making a straight and even cut.

Such devices are increasingly being used because of their versatility and functionality. In fact, they are similar in parameters and purpose to stationary machines and have a strictly defined practical use in every workshop.

Purpose

Plywood thickness, mm	Layers of plywood, not less than	Sanded plywood		Rough plywood
Plywood thickness, mm	Layers of plywood, not less than	Maximum deviation, mm	Different-thickness	Deviation, mm	Different-thickness
3 mm	3	+0,3/-0,4	0,6	+0,4/-0,3	0,6
4 mm	3	+0,3/-0,5		+0,8/-0,4	1,0
6 mm	5	+0,4/-0,5		+0,9/-0,4
9 mm	7	+0,4/-0,6		+1,0/-0,5
12 mm	9	+0,5/-0,7		+1,1/-0,6
15 mm	11	+0,6/-0,8		+1,2/-0,7	1,5
18 mm	13	+0,7/-0,9		+1,3/-0,8
21 mm	15	+0,8/-1,0		+1,4/-0,9
24 mm	17	+0,9/-1,1		+1,5/-1,0
27 mm	19	+1,0/-1,2	1,0	+1,6/-1,1	2,0
30 mm	21	+1,1/-1,3	1,0	+1,7/-1,2	2,0

Preparatory stage

draw up sketches and make a drawing of the future product,
make paper patterns of future elements and details
stick templates on the blanks of future parts.

There are two ways to make templates - take a tracing paper and draw on it the kennels of the future workpiece. This has been done since ancient times, since nothing is needed for this, except for a ruler and a pencil. However, if you have a computer and a printer, it would be nice, of course, in A3 format, but A4 is also suitable (you just have to print several sheets and then glue them together), then the process of drawing with a pencil and a ruler can be replaced by drawing the outlines of blanks on a computer.

Then cut out with a clerical blade or just a sharp knife.

After that Once the template is ready, it must be glued to the workpiece.

Tip: You don’t need to glue it tightly, since in the future you will have to remove the template, and this will be difficult if you glue it “tightly”. Accordingly, you can stick, for example, on stationery glue, use glue stick or, as in our example, glue in the form of a spray.

Create blanks

At this stage, you need to do:

Cut blanks exactly according to the template,
Process workpieces - align the ends, remove burrs
Drill the necessary holes;
Make grooves with a file;
Drill seats for bearings;
Select grooves with a milling cutter for the cover and seat;

We install the bracket. It should be noted that the mounting of the bracket must be done without excessive tightening of the nut - there must be free play. To do this, use a self-locking nut and only slightly tighten it.

Installing the spring shouldn't be difficult. You need to do as shown in the photo below.

For the future fastening of the file, you need to make a simple clamp in the form of a plate with two holes. It must also be installed on the bracket using a self-locking nut. Moreover, the backlash of the plate in the seat is very important because the bracket moves, and the clamped plate will hamper its movement.

Below is a sketch of the design of the upper attachment of the file.

Then it is necessary to make technological holes for the controls of the jigsaw, so that it is convenient to change the engine speed, you can access the start button and its lock. There is another solution that allows you to make it more convenient to turn on the tool - this is to place an outlet and a switch in an easily accessible place on the machine body, which would turn the power on and off in the outlet. We plug the cord of the jigsaw into the outlet, and it turns out that we will turn it on and off using a switch installed in a place convenient for us. However, this is a matter of taste.

So, below is the manufacture of technological holes on the body.

Here are the controls that are now available.

Now you need to make clips for the file itself. The principle is simple - we take a bolt and make a cut at the base of the cap, but not completely. In the future, the file itself will be inserted into this cut. The principle is shown in the photo below.

This is how the upper assembly of the saw blade is mounted and assembled.

The lower node is almost the same as the upper one, except that it is not a plate that is used, but a standard file is taken (it can be “BU”), almost the entire cutting part is sawn off with a grinder (angle grinder) and the shank is left. In the remaining cutting part, a hole is made with a similar bolt with a slot at the base of the cap, which will also include a file. The principle is shown below.

After the file is fixed, we install the jigsaw itself. We fasten it with the help of bolts with countersunk hats so that they do not stick out on the tabletop of the machine.

Now you need to adjust the perpendicularity of the file, relative to the table of our machine. To do this, you can use a square, or, as in our case, just a bar that is exactly trimmed. We make the adjustment as follows. To adjust the file to the left / right, the adjustment of the upper plate is used - its displacement on the axis - respectively in the desired direction.

And to adjust the file position forward / backward, the displacement of the file attachment itself forward or backward is used.

The machine is almost ready, it remains to make and install a plate that surrounds the jigsaw file. It can be made from textolite or any piece of sheet plastic.

This completes the manufacture of the jigsaw machine.
We hope that the presented material was useful to you.

Conclusion

dimensions

Here is a table with overall dimensions:

General assembly scheme

Let's attach a complete assembly scheme, which in a sense can be a 3B drawing for making a do-it-yourself jigsaw machine.

Video

The video on which this material was made.

An electric jigsaw is a tool without which it is simply impossible to perform many woodworking and material processing works in which it is used. Possessing compactness and low weight, a manual portable jigsaw is able to cut out products of very complex geometry from a workpiece.

In work, the jigsaw is very convenient and besides, it provides very precise and thin cut. If you do not want to spend money on a purchased jigsaw, you can make it yourself at home.

The lightest product

The jigsaw table itself can be made with your own hands in a short period of an hour. The advantage of the fabricated design is its simplicity. It can be easily mounted on a countertop or workbench and, if necessary, can also be easily disassembled. disadvantage homemade design can be considered as a small area.

The simplest product consists of the following parts:

Plywood.
Mounting screws.
Clamps.

The working basis of the machine can be laminated plywood, in which it is necessary to drill holes for installing fasteners and for the saw itself. Plywood must be at least 10 mm thick. In this case, in the sole of your power tool, you may also have to make holes for the mounting screws.

Homemade design can be attached to workbench with clamps. Please note that the heads of the screws for fastening must be recessed into the surface of the sheet so that they do not interfere with you during operation. Such a machine can easily handle the processing of small workpieces up to 30 millimeters thick. A drawing of this type of machine can be easily found on the Internet, and then with your own hands you can assemble it at home.

Another variant

This option consists of the following parts:

Bed made of chipboard.
Tube for vacuum cleaner.
Laminated plywood for machine cover.
Confirmants.

There is a second version of a stationary device for working with wood material which is collected from more spare parts, but it will not be difficult to make it. The bed is made of chipboard and consists of a rear wall and two sidewalls. To make it easy to get to the power button, the front wall of the machine is missing.

AT back wall do-it-yourself necessary drill holes for vacuum cleaner tube and cord. The cover for the machine can be made of laminated plywood with a thickness of 10 millimeters. The whole structure can be pulled together by confirmants. The jigsaw can be fixed in the same way as described above in the first case.

On a machine made according to this option, more massive workpieces can be processed, however, when working with a thick workpiece, the jigsaw saw can go in both directions and lean back. In this case, the accuracy of the cut deteriorates. This disadvantage can be easily eliminated with your own hands by installing a bracket on a home-made machine that will serve as an emphasis.

The jigsaw saw will move between two 11mm bearings, which must be screwed to the L-shaped strip made of steel. The back of the saw will rest against the wall of the bracket itself. This design will prevent your jigsaw blade from deviating from a given path.

The bracket must be attached to the frame, made of bars 50 by 50 millimeters. It can be lowered or raised depending on the length and thickness of the wood being processed. To do this, the frame itself, together with the stop, must not be fixed tightly to the sidewall of the machine, but pressed against it with a hardboard, steel or textolite plate. Install vertical rack frame between hardboard and bed.

The machine can be more convenient if you mount an additional limiting bar on it, with which you can cut the material into workpieces of the same length and thickness.

The limiter is attached to the machine with clamps. Him are made from wooden beam , aluminum or steel corner. You can also, for convenience, install a bar on a sled, which must be fixed to the sides or bottom of the tabletop.

Table for jigsaw machine made of chipboard

To make this jigsaw table, you must have a certain carpentry skill, since when connecting its tsarg with legs, it must be made into a tenon groove. The tenon groove itself can be changed to a connection using dowels, wood glue and self-tapping screws.

The cover of the machine must be made lifting, to facilitate access to the tool when replacing it. In order for the machine to be multifunctional, it is necessary to provide a place for mounting a milling manual machine.

The table is assembled from the following materials:

bar 80 by 80 millimeters;
bar 40 by 80 millimeters;
laminated plywood or Chipboard dimensions 900 by 900 millimeters.

Measure the distance between the legs, it should be from 60 to 70 centimeters. The bars for the prolegs and the tsarg will be obtained if the bars 80 by 80 millimeters are cut lengthwise. You can choose the height of the legs yourself at your discretion, it all depends on how convenient it will be for you to work on the machine.

At each end of the prolegs and the tsarg, it is necessary to drill two holes for the dowels. The same holes must be made on the sidewalls of the legs. Coat the dowels with glue for half their length and insert into the ends. After that, assemble the frame completely. It will turn out to be indestructible. After checking and possible corrections, it tightens tightly.

All surfaces at the contact points must be smear with glue. Use self-tapping screws for additional structural strength, which must be screwed through the holes prepared in advance for them.

The lid must be attached to one of the drawers with the help of hinges; for this, a slot must be made in it to facilitate the removal and installation of the jigsaw. On a tabletop with back side it is necessary to screw two strips with a pre-selected quarter, into which the sole of the power tool should enter.

Holes must be made in the slats, into which bolts or clamping screws must then be installed. A jigsaw fixed under the tabletop will be able to cut thicker material if a recess is made for its sole in the lid. The easiest way to make this recess using a milling machine.

As a result, the table will turn out to be very simple and spacious, so the necessary strength of its cover can be provided by a large thickness of chipboard or plywood. Use sheets of 20 mm or thicker.

Jigsaw machine using thin saws

Since, when cutting difficult patterns in plywood, I saw an electric jigsaw, it is not well suited for this, you need to take a thin nail file. It can be fitted to hand power tool using the original tool.

We also attach the jigsaw to the tabletop, but a thin file must be pulled, as it will not be enough just set on a pendulum. To facilitate the process of stretching the file, it is necessary to make a rocker from a bar.

In this case, the tension of your web is provided by means of a spring. Put its lower loop on the transverse hairpin. The upper loop must be inserted into the adjusting screw, which changes the tension of the damper. All wooden blanks for a homemade machine are made of hardwood.

Since there is no possibility of fastening a thin-section blade in a jigsaw machine, you can remake a piece of an old saw by first drilling a hole in it and completing it with a screw with nut and clamping plate.

A vertical slot must be made in the rocker arm, into which a second steel plate must be inserted. It is attached to the rocker with screws. The upper part of the file must be attached to it in the same way as the lower part. To make it easier for you, you can take an old jigsaw to make a trimming plate.