pendulm jigsaw ?

[goofy gorilla]

hi guys - i tried a trial run a old 40mm laminate worktop to cut out a hole for the sink to sit in..anyway drilled 4 holes with a small spade drill bit in each corner..then used my ryobi jigsaw, with a fine tooth blade (bayonet type) to cut out the hole...top of the worktop was fine but underneath it all came out at an angle ?,,,what am i doing wrong ?..pushing the jigasw too hard ?..what is the pendlum setting for ?...mine has 3 settings 0,1,2, and 3...what do i leave this setting on...?....any help and advice before i have a go on the worktop for my kitchen ?..ta

 

[pauldelahaye]

yep, I'd say when cutting thick material, let the tool cut forward at it's own pace, if you push the tool forward forcing it through the wood, I too find the blade cuts at an angle.

Also check that the tilt on the base is set at a true 90 degrees

 

[goofy gorilla]

do i leave the pendulm setting on 0?

 

[joinerjohn]

One way to do it is to drill the four corners, turn the worktop over, mark pencil lines joining the four holes and run a circular saw down the lines. You can then use the jigsaw to finish the cuts into the holes. (you will probably have to take the riving knife off the circular saw to do this though)
(WARNING) Taking the riving knife off, can turn your circular saw into a very dangerous beast... Watch your fingers...

alternatively, hire a Festool plunge saw (or similar) from a hire shop.

 

[big-all]

One way to do it is to drill the four corners, turn the worktop over, mark pencil lines joining the four holes and run a circular saw down the lines. You can then use the jigsaw to finish the cuts into the holes. (you will probably have to take the riving knife off the circular saw to do this though)
(WARNING) Taking the riving knife off, can turn your circular saw into a very dangerous beast... Watch your fingers...

alternatively, hire a Festool plunge saw (or similar) from a hire shop.

 

[big-all]

pendulum action pushes the blade forward on the upstroke so on a curve the point farthest from the base will cut at a greater radius
tighter the cut the greater the difference the difference is between zero and about 6-8mm so the cut out for you sink or hob farthest away from the machine will be something like 12 to 16mm bigger at the corners

you also get it where the blade will wander as its cutting at a slight angle to the machine base
you should never use a straight edge or guide with a jigsaw unless yours is 100% square otherwise is can only end in tears
with a jigsaw look at the blade ignore the machine line the blade up and follow the blade you will soon get used to the angle you need to angle the machine at

you need to work out if when using your machine freehand with a brand new blade on pendulum if it wanders if not use pendulum from the top and change the blade every 2m or so as the going starts to get heavy these blade will still be near new for normal cutting where the going is easier

 

[foxhole]

The cheaper jigsaws tend to give poorer results with thick material, though should not matter on corners of a sink cut out if you cut from the top as the sink does not sit deep enough to be affected.The straight cuts are best done with a circular saw or by hand if you don't have one.