During the Holiday slowdown I thought it would be interesting to show you some of the tools that I use to build bench work. Since I also spend quite a bit of time during the warmer months wood working, I tend to have more and better tools then the average home owner. Things like dust collection, large table saws, 12″ miter saws, band saws, large clamps and the like.

Jigsaws have never been a priority and I have suffered along with a homeowner quality Craftsmen for the last ten years. It did the job as expected and cutting corners was simply a matter of withstanding the vibration and noise long enough to wear the 3/4″ plywood down into submission. Cutting a 30″ radius 180 degree turn for model railroading seemed to take weeks.

This jigsaw on the left, the Bosch, has made all the difference in the world. As I began working on the current model railroad, the Craftsman finally gave up the ghost. With the pungent odor of burnt electrical in the air, I knew it was time to upgrade.

After some quick googling, I knew it had to be a Bosch. The reviews were outstanding. I had it down to two models: The 6.4 Amp 1590 or the 5 amp 1587. As much as I wanted the bigger, more powerful 1590, I knew that the 1587 would more than suffice. It probably didn’t hurt that the local Lowe’s was out of the 1590 and I was itching to get back to work as soon as possible.

I was simply amazed at how quick it cut through the 3/4″ plywood. Using the full orbital setting it chews very rapidly. When cutting Homasote, I have found that if I set the orbital setting back to off or one, that I am able to get a very clean edge. I am unsure why people often use a knife edge blade to cut the Homasote. Dust is often a complaint but since I do all of my cutting in the garage, it is not an issue for me. To cut masonite hardboard for the profile boards and backdrops, I drop back to the smaller profile 10 TPI blade with low orbital setting to get a nice smooth edge and rapid cut.

I have often found myself using the Bosch Jigsaw where previously I would have used a circular saw. I simply clamp a straight edge offset 1.25″ and cut.

Spending $125 or more for a jigsaw is quite an investment but if you are planning anything more than a 4 x 8 then it might be worth taking a look at a Bosch as it will save significant amounts of time and aggravation.