WHICH JIGSAW?

TombstoneT

I have never owned a jigsaw before, (all previously done with a handsaw).I've done a lot of research and at present trying to decide between a DEWALT 331k and a BOSCH GST 150 BCE, both I can get at same price. I am swaying towards the DEWALT. Any suggestions anybody?
Thanks in advance.

Steve

What do you want it for?

Is it just occasional DIY work? if so a really cheap one will do no more than €30. Just get some good blades.
If it's for trade work then the brands you are looking at are very good and will last.

TombstoneT

Steve wrote: »

What do you want it for?

Is it just occasional DIY work? if so a really cheap one will do no more than €30. Just get some good blades.
If it's for trade work then the brands you are looking at are very good and will last.

Hi Steve,
I will be using it to continue flooring and converting my attic plus re-fencing my back garden plus other jobs at home. I will find plenty of work for it. I don't mind the expense so much as this saw should see me out.My days of so much hand sawing are over (back and shoulder injury).
Thanks for your help.
Liam

dodzy

TombstoneT wrote: »

Hi Steve,
I will be using it to continue flooring and converting my attic plus re-fencing my back garden plus other jobs at home. I will find plenty of work for it. I don't mind the expense so much as this saw should see me out.My days of so much hand sawing are over (back and shoulder injury).
Thanks for your help.
Liam

for those jobs, where straight cuts are important and plentiful, a skill(rip) saw would be more suitable and far quicker. Having both tools to compliment each other would be the ideal.

TombstoneT

dodzy wrote: »

for those jobs, where straight cuts are important and plentiful, a skill(rip) saw would be more suitable and far quicker. Having both tools to compliment each other would be the ideal.

Hi dodzy,
I agree, a skilsaw would be more practical and faster, but as I will be buying just the one saw I will definitely go for the jigsaw. Long term I will have more use for the jigsaw than a skilsaw.I don't mind the extra cutting time as my attic floor will be a once off (I hope).

Thanks for the helpful advice.

cletus

TombstoneT wrote: »

Hi dodzy,
I agree, a skilsaw would be more practical and faster, but as I will be buying just the one saw I will definitely go for the jigsaw. Long term I will have more use for the jigsaw than a skilsaw.I don't mind the extra cutting time as my attic floor will be a once off (I hope).

Thanks for the helpful advice.

You'd get both saws for the price of either of the above if you were willing to buy non pro tools.

Seve OB

I bought some Festool saws on Adverts. Having had cheap B&D to mid rang Makita before, I have seen the light from the trees. They are a waste of time.

Buy quality and buy once. Personally, Festool is all I will probably buy in the future.

Keep your eye on adverts, they come up regular enough there in all sorts of conditions so you could get a good deal

Calibos

Seve OB wrote: »

I bought some Festool saws on Adverts. Having had cheap B&D to mid rang Makita before, I have seen the light from the trees. They are a waste of time.

Buy quality and buy once. Personally, Festool is all I will probably buy in the future.

Keep your eye on adverts, they come up regular enough there in all sorts of conditions so you could get a good deal

Ironically it seems to be the pros that scoff at Festool more than the DIYers and hobbiests. I guess if you know all the tricks of the trade to make good accurate cuts with lesser tools and you know they are going to get thrown around a worksite, it makes some sense.

For me who doesn't know the tricks, won't throw then around, loves the idea of the superb dust control, and the amortised cost spread over a number of jobs that I can save myself an absolute fortune on and then be able to sell effectively barely used nearly new tools for a reasonable price makes a lot of sense in my case .ie. say I blew 3000 on the Kapex, Carvex, TS55, 1400 router, Domino, RO 150 and CTL26. If they mean I can do a reasonable job on all the projects I want done of the next couple of years and I save myself 10 grand, well they have more than paid for themselves already.

Seve OB

Calibos wrote: »

Ironically it seems to be the pros that scoff at Festool more than the DIYers and hobbiests. I guess if you know all the tricks of the trade to make good accurate cuts with lesser tools and you know they are going to get thrown around a worksite, it makes some sense.

For me who doesn't know the tricks, won't throw then around, loves the idea of the superb dust control, and the amortised cost spread over a number of jobs that I can save myself an absolute fortune on and then be able to sell effectively barely used nearly new tools for a reasonable price makes a lot of sense in my case .ie. say I blew 3000 on the Kapex, Carvex, TS55, 1400 router, Domino, RO 150 and CTL26. If they mean I can do a reasonable job on all the projects I want done of the next couple of years and I save myself 10 grand, well they have more than paid for themselves already.

Yea. I put about 1500 in so far. Thought i was mad at first, but the gear i git was a basically new big router, basically new jigsaw, plunge saw in decent nic and new rails still in the box. Add to that a table including extensions and fences that all can be mounted in. Paid 1250.i think for all that and I really weighed ut up like you did, knowung that only a few jobs around the house would actually pay for it by not having to get pros in!

I since added a vacuum and that was so well worth the 200 bills or so i paid. My bext purchase is going to be an impact drill but festool dont have any at the moment, so that might be my first new purchase...... Well thats apart from the few tool boxes i bought recently. I love the systainer system, so clever.

Calibos

Don't get me wrong, it would be madness for a DIY'er to buy Festools just to do a pair of built ins beside the fireplace. ie. Spend several grand on tools for a once off job you could pay someone the same few grand for but have the job done in days instead of several weekends over a month. Neither am I saying that the pros are over charging. They aren't in most cases. However, if one has the time and interest and desire and has enough projects to spread the cost over then it can very much make sense for some DIYers to buy the tools even Festools. TBH, I was being conservative in my last post. Between beds with drawers, Murphy bed, built in bookshelfs, built in wardrobes in 4 bedrooms, footboard with built in TV lifts, window seats, outdoor furniture, cumaru/Ipe decking, 10 linear metres of display cases, wooden flooring etc projects planned, I have enough to keep me going for years and Im probably looking at nearly 40 or 50 grands worth of custom cabinetry based on prices for various similar individual jobs I've seen quoted. With 15 grand in materials, my own time and 3000 worth of Festools over the next few years, I'll probably save myself over 20 grand.

Of course I'm a most unusual case. The desire is there and plenty of free time. I'm not denying that. But for me Festool is a no brainer. Can't wait to be in a position to start acquiring the tools and starting. hopefully by the end of the year. Been planning to do it for several years now but finally all the ducks are starting to line up in a row.

dodzy

Calibos wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, it would be madness for a DIY'er to buy Festools just to do a pair of built ins beside the fireplace. ie. Spend several grand on tools for a once off job you could pay someone the same few grand for but have the job done in days instead of several weekends over a month. Neither am I saying that the pros are over charging. They aren't in most cases. However, if one has the time and interest and desire and has enough projects to spread the cost over then it can very much make sense for some DIYers to buy the tools even Festools. TBH, I was being conservative in my last post. Between beds with drawers, Murphy bed, built in bookshelfs, built in wardrobes in 4 bedrooms, footboard with built in TV lifts, window seats, outdoor furniture, cumaru/Ipe decking, 10 linear metres of display cases, wooden flooring etc projects planned, I have enough to keep me going for years and Im probably looking at nearly 40 or 50 grands worth of custom cabinetry based on prices for various similar individual jobs I've seen quoted. With 15 grand in materials, my own time and 3000 worth of Festools over the next few years, I'll probably save myself over 20 grand.

Of course I'm a most unusual case. The desire is there and plenty of free time. I'm not denying that. But for me Festool is a no brainer. Can't wait to be in a position to start acquiring the tools and starting. hopefully by the end of the year. Been planning to do it for several years now but finally all the ducks are starting to line up in a row.

For someone who doesn't 'know the tricks', you must be either an extremely competent DIYer based on the bucket list of jobs above, or you're dillusional

Love your attitude, either way. Everything is possible, and after your €000s spend, the internet will prove the best and cheapest tool at your disposal, bar none:)

Calibos

I've watched several hundred Youtube woodworking vids at this stage. Sure, there has been a percentage of that content where I've said to myself, beautiful piece of fine furniture but oh dear that looks incredibly complicated and I don't think I'd ever be capable of it without a lot of dedication and hard work. However there was also a hell of a lot of the content where I could say to myself, I understood every step of that build, I can't see any major problems that I might have. I have no expectations that the projects I am talking about will be cabinetmaker fine furniture grade or anything like that. Most of what I am talking about will be white painted plywood and/or MDF some with solid wood faceframes, trims, moldings, crown moldings etc Of course Festool is overkill but the way I look at it is that even if I've had enough of this woodworking malarkey by the end and decide to flog all the tools at the end I'd probably get at a bare minimum 33% back of a €3000 spend for 'nearly new' tools Or conversely I've a set of great tools that will last me a lifetime which owe me nothing because they'd already helped me save thousands upon thousands.

As well as watching loads of youtube builds about a similar piece I'd have planned, to pick up design ideas or tips and tricks, I'd be designing in Sketchup and then posting on forums looking for critique, ideas, alternative ways of doing something, things to watch out for etc before I ever put metal to wood.

Heres a wardrobe I already built btw





(Sketchup model and Final Render)

Seve OB

Nice magazine

At least you had the Kleenex handy

Seve OB

Nice magazine

At least you had the Kleenex handy

dodzy

Seve double posted with excitement. No doubt he'll say it's a boards.ie glitch but we know the truth

Great job on the wardrobe by the way

Seve OB

dodzy wrote: »

Seve double posted with excitement. No doubt he'll say it's a boards.ie glitch but we know the truth

Great job on the wardrobe by the way

my hand was rattling :eek:

Calibos

I always put the kleenex and durty mag into my renders as an Easter egg. Amazed the sketchup 3D warehouse had 3D models of Kleenex and dirty mags in the first place. it came from Computer forum threads like, Show us your Room, Show us your PC Desk, Show us your computer etc where a running joke would be people pointing out Kleenex sticking out of the waste bin beside the desk or computer etc and slagging the poster for being a dirty so and so for not cleaning up before taking the photo. The joke being I was purposely putting the Kleenex and mag in a 3D render not accidentally capturing it in a real photo at all.

The Wardrobe is actually a real pine wardrobe in the house. I studied and measured it and modelled the individual moldings and tongue & groove panels etc and then virtually put the pieces together like in real life as opposed to the other way of modelling which would be more akin to sculpting the wardrobe shape out of a big rectangular block. Doing it the first way means you can run the 3D modelled parts through a script for sketchup which works out how many sheets of material you need and how to lay out the cuts to make the most efficient use out of a sheet.