I'm assembling tools to start my first proper build with and for my son. We made an MDF template today, looking good!.
My question is about saws. I have a Bosch jigsaw which is quite low powered and ok for cutting MDF but not thick hard wood. I've been looking at band saws. Most of those costing less than £100 get poor reviews. I can't see that I will be making industrial quantities of guitars, so spending hundreds of pounds seems excessive. I'm looking on ebay and Gumtree but there aren't many in my neck of the woods (Bristol/Cardiff).
Is there a minimum spec I should be going for? What about a better quality jigsaw; would that work? Despite my almost complete lack of woodworking experience I managed to keep a steady hand on the template, admittedly only 9mm MDF though.
Any advice from the more experienced builders?
Thanks
Simon
Comments
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
Since you're making templates, I assume you'll be using a router to finish the outline - you could go straight for the router without trimming the blank and cut the shape out in several passes. (Probably easier with a guide collar on the router and
a suitably undersized template.)
I also bought a cheap bandsaw, and was pleasantly surprised with what it could do, but the lack of throat depth made cutting even half a body awkward.
i'm leaning towards a Jigsaw I think. Would any of these be up to the job? All seem to have suitable maximum cutting depths, but is there anything else to look out for?
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/saws/jigsaws/Bosch-PST-900-Pel-Compact-Jigsaw-10957573
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/saws/jigsaws/Mac-Allister-Laser-Pendulum-Jigsaw-MJS750L-750W-12389434
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/saws/jigsaws/Black-and-Decker-520W-Auto-select-Jigsaw-10477539
Cheers
Mac A has the highest power and longest guarantee.
But I'd suggest heading down to B&Q (if that's where you're going to buy it from - I wouldn't normally recommend anyone going to B&Q for anything) and just picking them up to see which is the most comfortable in the hand, and which seems the most solid.