Reciprocating Saw
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A Reciprocating saw or Sawzall is a handheld electric saber saw. Recip Saws are usually used for demolition. You don't have too much control with this saw, but it does work for finishing cuts. The key to using a Reciprocating Saw is to keep the foot in contact with your material. The foot is the little guard by the base of the blade. If the foot isn't contacting the material, keeping the blade steady will be impossible. |
Reciprocation
The motor in a Sawzall makes the blade reciprocate, meaning it moves in and out. This is what makes it a member of the Saber saw family, like the jig saw. All Saber Saws' blades are attached on one side to a reciprocating motor giving it its sawing motion. This means you can make arched cuts with this saw. Again this saw isn't make for finish work. Which just means it's not easy to make accurate cuts.
Blades
There are all kinds of blades for a recip saw that allow you to cut all different kinds of material. The most common blade you'll need for a Sawzall is a Demo blade. The carbide demo blades will last the longest and go though embedded nails with no problem. Shorter blades will give more control, longer ones make reaching odd places easy.
I recommend buying [Diablo Blades] for all tools. With this kit you'll have everything you need for your Sawzall.
I recommend buying [Diablo Blades] for all tools. With this kit you'll have everything you need for your Sawzall.
Plunge Cuts
Plunging a Reciprocating Saw is actually really easy. Just hold the saw so the foot is contacting your material and the tip of the blade is just off your material. Start really slow by gently squeezing your trigger. Then, with the foot always in contact with your material, slowly tilt the blade into the sheet. as you tilt make sure your letting the saw do the work and not plunging in to aggressively. If the blade start "wiggling" too much, you have tilted to far. Just lift the tip and start again. It's not easy to do this extremely accurately, but that's not what this saw is for.
Remember to always wear proper eye protection when using this saw. While this is true of all saws, this particular type is very fond of throwing debris into your face.
Tool Basics
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