The jigsaw is a small but powerful power tool which is mainly used for cutting in general and also for making different shapes for different projects. The structural appearance of the jigsaw is a bit different from the other typical saws. It has the basic structure of a pistol. At one side there is a pistol-like handle and a trigger at the fingers position and on the other side, there is a reciprocating blade which makes the cut in an up-down motion. To know more about the best jigsaw and its uses, read this article of mine on how to use a jigsaw. There, a little description of jigsaw safety is given. In this article, we will only discuss the jigsaw safety measure thoroughly to get the best of jigsaw.
Quick Overview
Why do I need safety measures for a jigsaw?
You need a full-on preparation about jigsaw safety measures because unlike the other power tools, the jigsaw is also one of them and it is as dangerous as the other power saws. If you are not careful enough and underestimate the power saw, they will also do not care who you are; they will not hesitate to run through any part of your body. They are not the handsaws that they will not cut you unless you intentionally cut yourself.
Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The personal protective equipment generally refers to the protective gears which are used to protect the saw user from any potential risk of accidents. Not only with the jigsaw, but this safety equipment must also be worn by the saw operator all the time when he or she is using any kind of saw; especially the power saws. In this article, only the personal protective equipment required to be used with the jigsaws will be discussed.
• Whenever you are working with any type of power saw, you must use these two safety materials. They are the eye-protective goggles and earmuffs for protecting the ears from excessive loud noise made by the saw.
• Sawing wood also causes the spread of a huge amount of specks of dust. The wood specks of dust can cause serious harm to the human body if they can get a way inside your body. Wearing a dust mask will protect you from those evil dust.
• Wearing a steel toe boot is also a very good option for you if you are cutting heavy pieces of wood. There is a possibility of falling the cut part of the heavy wood on your foot accidentally. The steel toe boot will be the watcher of your feet and protect you from any harm that might come from the outer area.
• Wearing loose clothing and jewelry extended from your body is a bad idea while cutting with a jigsaw or any other saw. It compromises the jigsaw safety uses. Wear fitting clothes when you are sawing and tie your hair if they are long. Put out any long jewelry while sawing, if you wear any.
Choose the best and the safest jigsaws from here.
Electrocution safety for jigsaws
A jigsaw is a power tool which runs on either electricity or battery. So if you use the jigsaw recklessly then there is a great possibility that you will get electrocuted.
Use jigsaw in dry condition
The jigsaw and other power saw are made for cutting wood efficiently. No matter what happens, you cannot use it in wet condition. Whether it is on wet wood or raining or in a wet working area. Electricity and water are not so great together. So if you make them friends then they will gift you with electrocution. So, I repeat, no matter what happens, do not use the jigsaw in a wet environment.
Use a jigsaw with RCB circuit breaker
This is jigsaw extra bonus safety tips for you to be safe from electrocution. The RCB circuit breakers reduce the risk of the machine getting on fire from any electrical fault from the power source. This circuit breaker is specially designed for automatically cutting the power supply when an unusual amount of electricity is drained by the jigsaw. But if your jigsaw is a battery operated one then you do not need an RCB circuit breaker as there is no such necessity of supplying any electricity to run the saw.
Use appropriate blades
This is a basic matter in case of almost all the power saws. You have to use the right type of blade for the right type of work on the right type of workpiece for the right type of cut you want to make. Did not quite get what I said, isn’t it? Well, allow me to break this down to you.
There are various types of blades available for many types of jigsaws. These various blades are used for cutting different types of workpieces like wood, metal, plastic, etc.
You have to use a wood cutting blade for only cutting wood. Because they are made that way to cut only woods. You have to use a metal cutting blade for cutting metals only. The metal cutting blades are made strong so that they can cut through hard substances like metal. If you use a wood cutting blade for cutting metal then instead of cutting the metal workpiece you will make the blade dull, blunt or bend or even break the blade or you could just make the jigsaw faulty.
There are also some variations in the blades. Some blades cut faster and some blades cut slower. Some blades give a smooth cutting result and some blades give a rough cutting result. The type of the blade is measured by the unit called Teeth per Inch (TPI). The blade whose TPI is more, it cuts slowly but the finishing result is very smooth. And the blade whose TPI is less can cut very fast but the result is very rough.
So you have to choose the right blade for your saw and your project yourself if you want a good result from your work.
Safety during cutting with a jigsaw
When you are cutting with the jigsaw, you need to keep some things in your mind.
- When you are running your blade through the cut, do not exert too force on the saw to go through the cut. Let the saw and the blade do the cutting work for you. You just have to make sure they are on the right path. If you force your saw through the cut, you will get unsatisfying results from it. Besides, any kinds of an accident like a kickback, bending or breaking the blade in the middle of the cut. The blade of the jigsaw is a thin one. The hard and thick blade of other saws does not stand a chance against the binding of wood.
- Always use a sharp and perfectly shaped blade while cutting.
- Clamp the material you are cutting properly before starting to cut. Or else it might slip or move around and cause a disturbance in your cutting.
- And lastly, I am mentioning this now instead of putting it inside other things to realize the importance of this; you must read the manufacturer’s manual of your particular saw very thoroughly. All the safety warnings and all the other things about your jigsaw and jigsaw safety will be stated there specifically.
