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How can a plywood cutting machine be constructed? In this article we are going to get acquainted with several machines that are different both in scope and design and find out whether they can be designed independently.
Straight cutting
This operation is most in demand in construction work: as a rule, elements of the subfloor, walls, various podiums and stairs have outlines close to simple geometric shapes.
For straight cuts the following are usually used:
- Jigsaw. The least productive tool, which also does not cope well with a constant cutting direction. Usually, after cutting out a workpiece, it is necessary to bring it to a decent state by hand grinding or a grinder;
- Hand circular saw. It provides excellent performance and where best quality cutting with minimal deviations from a straight line, especially using guides;
Tip: simple instructions will help you make the cut with a jigsaw or circular saw as precise as possible.
It is enough to screw a guide - a long straight strip - to the sheet with a pair of self-tapping screws. The tool is guided along the sheet tightly pressed to the rail.
- Finally, perfect solution– stationary circular saw (saw bench). By moving the workpiece along the machine table relative to the rotating saw, you can not only create products with a complex contour. In this case, the saw is used as a cutter.
Shaped cutting
Manual or electric jigsaw in principle, they are capable of coping with this task, but it will not be without problems. has extremely low productivity with low accuracy; The electric one allows you to cut workpieces with a turning radius of at least three centimeters.
Much greater accuracy and speed can be achieved by moving the workpiece on a stationary frame relative to the working part of the machine.
Is there a stationary machine for figure cutting plywood? Yes; and in different versions.
Jigsaw machine
The simplest machine for cutting words out of plywood is, simply put, manual jigsaw under a thin file, to which the manufacturer attached an electric drive. A tension saw with a blade width of 3 mm allows you to cut out parts of the most complex form with a minimum bending radius. Internal contours cut out with preliminary drilling of holes; then the file is passed into the hole and re-tensioned.
A jigsaw machine is a device on which transverse, longitudinal and angular cuts of workpieces are performed, as well as figure sawing. decorative elements. It is used in carpentry workshops and woodworking industries.
Some models can be equipped with an air pump that blows air over the sawing area, so you can maintain constant control over the operation and marking.
The operating principle of jigsaw machines is as follows: the workpiece is mounted on a work table, then the cutter performs reciprocating movements. There are some models that allow the table to tilt, lower, or raise for different parts of the saw blade.
Advantages
A jigsaw easily cuts thick wood, and with excellent surface quality. This device allows both hands to remain free to control the feed of the workpiece. Thanks to this, you can do the work accurately and, if necessary, cut quite sharp bends. Its popularity jigsaw machine acquired due to safety in operation.
Thickness of processed workpieces
As a rule, even relatively small jigsaws can cut 50mm wood, and more powerful models can handle twice that thickness.
Jigsaw table
Regardless of what material the workbench is made of (pressed or cast metal), it must first of all be smooth, rigid and flat. In almost all jigsaws, the table can be tilted to make bevel cuts, and in some models it can be raised and lowered so that different parts of its blade can be used as the saw wears out.
Electric motor
A small asynchronous 100-watt electric motor driving a jigsaw machine is capable of achieving a blade speed of approximately 1600 strokes per minute. There are models, some can be installed different meanings speed.
Saw stroke length
Despite the fact that a tabletop jigsaw machine is capable of cutting fairly thick workpieces, the blade stroke (vertical movement) is quite short. As a result, if you cut a lot of thin materials, only a small part located above the table will become dull. For more rational use length of the canvas, you can periodically place plywood or chipboard on the table.
Fabric fencing
On a jigsaw, as a rule, there is a very simple fence, usually consisting of 1-2 rods of wire or a plastic transparent screen. It is designed to prevent finger contact with the file. When cutting thick wood, a jigsaw without a guard is often used. For some models, fencing is only available as an optional extra.
Pressing device
Sometimes machines are equipped with a clamping device. It is used to prevent vibration of thin sheet material so that the workpiece does not lift from the table by the movement of the blade. The spring-loaded bar is automatically lifted by the workpiece when it is fed.
Removing sawdust
One of the quality indicators of tabletop jigsaws is the presence of a sawdust cleaning tube, which is installed behind the blade. Under pressure, air is supplied through it, blowing away the sawdust lying on the marking.
Jigsaw machine "Bison"
This model is an excellent solution for creativity. The equipment is designed for cutting wood and plastic workpieces at an oblique and right angle, at an angle and along a radius. Typically used in small industries. The work table can be tilted at an angle of 0-45 degrees, making it possible to cut at an angle. For more precise work, the jigsaw kit includes a side stop with a protractor.
JET jigsaw
This high-performance model is designed for cutting contours along various trajectories, both internal and external, including curved ones, in wood of any hardness. The cutting vertical blade performs high-speed cutting. The blade speed can be adjusted between 400-1600 rpm.
Machine power - 90 W. The model is equipped with a fairly comfortable work table 410x254 mm with the ability to adjust the tilt angle by 0-45 degrees to perform more complex sawing.
The article will primarily be useful to those people who often work with wood as a hobby, without making money from it. The author presents a fairly budget project table jigsaw, which can be assembled in one day, with minimal costs for materials.
To create the machine you will need the following materials:
- Working manual jigsaw;
- Plywood;
- Self-tapping screws and bolts with nuts;
- Guides for furniture drawers;
- Two bearings;
- Compression spring;
- Spray paint;
- Self-adhesive paper.
Materials and tools are standard, available in every workshop.
Step 1. Body.
The first step is to create a body for a manual jigsaw from plywood. Here you need to think in advance where the holes for the switch and speed controller will be located.
It should look something like this:
Step 2. Tabletop.
It is better to take a thick piece of chipboard with good coverage, since the workpieces being processed will rub against it during operation of the machine.
A hole for a saw blade is drilled in the chipboard. The jigsaw itself will be attached to the back of the tabletop.
A stem for attaching the boom is also made from furniture guides:
Here's what it looks like assembled:
And the tabletop is attached to the body:
Step 3. Arrow.
The boom itself will be made of two furniture guides. They are bolted together to increase rigidity.
The boom supports are made of chipboard. Before painting and installing them, the point at which the boom is attached to the support is measured. Before doing this, they need to be installed in their place:
After this, it is necessary to drill holes in the support for the bearing seats.
Step 4. Painting.
The prepared supports are spray painted.
While they dry, the machine itself is covered with self-adhesive tape.
Step 5. Assembly.
Bearings are inserted into the supports and screwed into place.
The boom mounting axis will be made of two bolts screwed into the guides as shown in the photo. The diameter of the bolts is selected in accordance with the diameter of the inner race of the bearing.
The bolts are tightened securely, after which the two halves are screwed to each other.
This clearly shows how the boom will be secured in the supports:
The boom is installed in its place and secured with nuts.
Next you need to install the garter spring. It is necessary in order to return the arrow to its original position after the jigsaw pulls it down. This is how the saw will move back and forth. It must be adjusted so that it is not too soft (this will complicate the operation of the machine) and too hard (this can lead to overheating of the jigsaw motor).
How to secure it is shown in the photo:
Then, from a thin strip of metal (1 mm), it is necessary to make fastenings for the file to the arrow. They must rotate freely on the axis, since during operation the boom changes its angle of inclination to the jigsaw, and if they are static, this can lead to breakage of the saw.
This is what the mounts should look like:
The boom supports are additionally reinforced with a long bolt, it can be seen in the photo:
Step 6. Electronic part.
Since access to manual jigsaw limited, it is necessary to bring the controls to the outside of the case.
To adjust the rotation speed of the jigsaw electric motor, the author used a phase power regulator. Here is its electrical diagram:
Here's what it looks like:
When installing the board to the semistor, it is necessary to screw the radiator; if this is not done, it may overheat and fail.
The jigsaw is disassembled and the power regulator is connected to electrical diagram.
It is also necessary to install a power button for the machine.
Many years ago, while studying in an aircraft modeling club at the House of Pioneers, I first learned this interesting tool, like a jigsaw. It was an ordinary steel arc with a handle. A thin strip with teeth, a file, was clamped into the ends of this arc. This simple tool was used to cut out many ribs and frames for future aircraft models.
Time has passed, and an era of universal joy in owning any instrument has arrived.
The screwdriver has already been forgotten, because there is a cordless screwdriver.
Few people cut trees anymore with a two-handed saw, popularly known as “Druzhba-2”. What for? After all, there is a chainsaw.
The hand plane has not yet been forgotten, but it is no longer as popular as before. There is an email. planer, surface planer, jointer.
But a manual jigsaw, the so-called pioneer one, still no, no, and will appear in the hands of folk craftsman. It has no equal in cutting out a unique, delicate pattern.
But for many years, craftsmen in many countries around the world have been using a jigsaw machine.
Back in the late 60s and early 70s, my parents annually subscribed to me such magazines as “Model Designer”, “Young Technician”, “Appendix to To the young technician", "Science and life".
And in one of the issues of some magazine I first saw drawings of a jigsaw machine from an old sewing machine. But I abandoned aircraft modeling, delved into the radio circle, and, in principle, I no longer needed the jigsaw and I passed on these drawings.
Years passed, views and preferences changed.
And so a house and a workshop were built. And the beauty of cut wood or plywood haunts me.
On the Internet I found some very interesting works of art, cut out of plywood.
I even started cutting something out with a pioneer jigsaw. But it’s so dreary and unproductive that I started thinking about a jigsaw.
And then I found myself faced with a choice, although not large quantities, but still.
The machine itself is complex.
According to my requirements, it should have:
- No vibration,
- Clamps for flat and pinned files,
- Smooth adjustment of the crankshaft flywheel speed,
- Good and reliable cutting airflow,
- Backlight,
- A working table that does not bend and does not stain the part,
- Large saw stroke,
- Control of the machine with a pedal,
- Asynchronous motor, because the collector motor is very noisy,
- Long continuous operation time,
- Reliable upper clamp of the file after numerous rearrangements. On average, depending on the complexity of the product, the file needs to be disconnected and clamped again up to 1000 times on the product.
- Not difficult to maintain. So that the wife can work on it.
- Low price
The last point certainly made me smile. Machines are on sale from 2 to 50 thousand rubles.
And the cheaper the machine, the more time you need to devote to it before work. Setting up, adjusting, and sometimes turning out new parts and replacing bearings.
This is the task I puzzled myself with.
A jigsaw machine is a device that provides high-precision implementation of operations related to the processing of workpieces from different materials. Using such a machine, you can make smooth or curved cuts of varying complexity on sheet workpieces. When cutting on the inner surface, the outer edge of the material does not change. This machine can be used to work with timber, plastics, and some types of metals. If you have to use a jigsaw frequently, this machine is the perfect choice. would be better suited for this purpose.
Design and operation
The main components of the entire structure of the machine are the table, motor, saw, crank and tensioning mechanisms. In addition, there are additional functional elements.
The material being processed must be on the work table. The material from which the countertop is made is very important. Choose a cast rather than stamped table. On the working surface there may be additional rotating mechanisms, with the help of which you can change the angle of inclination of the table and cut. The dimensions of the table are determined maximum dimensions processed workpiece. Most models have a saw length of 300 to 400 mm.
The power of the power unit affects the list of materials that can be processed on a jigsaw. If you plan to process not only wood, then you need to choose models with a power greater than 200 W. For the home handyman A 150 W device will be sufficient.
The jigsaw is the main working unit of the equipment. The file is selected depending on the type of cut and the density of the workpiece; in addition, you need to take into account the width and thickness. Small-sized devices can cut timber up to 50 mm thick, more powerful professional machines They can also handle workpieces up to 100 mm in thickness.
The torque created by the motor is converted by the crank mechanism into the movement of the sawing unit. The tensioning device tensions the saw as it moves across the material.
The operating principle of this device is quite simple. The workpiece is mounted on the table, then, under the control of the master, the saw makes the cut.
A jigsaw for wood has a number of advantages over other more simple devices. First of all, the device guarantees a high-quality cut. The machine makes it possible to carry out longitudinal, transverse or angular cuts with maximum accuracy, with the formation of a smooth edge. Another advantage is the fact that the master’s hands remain free, therefore, the workpiece is easier to control, therefore, with a certain level of skill, the most complex bends can be obtained. It is also worth noting that the presence of protective covers minimizes the possibility of getting herbs.
Files for a jigsaw most often have a length of up to 35 cm and can cut material up to 10 cm in thickness. The width of the files can be very different - from the thinnest two-millimeter to the coarse ten-millimeter, with a thickness from 0.6 mm to 1.25 mm. Please note that even the thickest and widest files will easily break if the necessary tension of the file along its entire length is not ensured. Leaf and coil springs are responsible for tension.
Quite often, such a machine has an air pump that cleans the cutting line from sawdust, as well as a drilling unit. The block is extremely useful, because with it, the master is not distracted by connecting an electric drill and drilling holes - everything is done on the working plane of the machine. But such machines also cost more.
There are several options for creating a jigsaw machine with your own hands. For the most simple machine A jigsaw table can be created quite quickly. The main advantage is simplicity. The device is simply mounted on a tabletop or workbench and can be easily disassembled when work is completed. The downside is small area. The simplest machine has the following components:
- plywood sheet
- mounting screws
- several clamps.
As a working base, you can take a sheet of laminated plywood, in which you need to drill holes for mounting fasteners and for the file itself. Plywood should be taken with a thickness of over 10 mm. In this case, it is also necessary to drill holes for the mounting screws in the sole of the jigsaw. Homemade design attached to the workbench using clamps. It is worth noting that the screw heads for fastening must be recessed into the surface of the sheet so that they do not interfere with operation. Such a device can easily cope with the processing of small workpieces, the thickness of which does not exceed 30 mm. A drawing of such a machine can be found on the Internet and assembled with your own hands in your workshop or garage.
The second version of the machine has the following components:
- chipboard bed
- vacuum cleaner tube
- piece of laminated plywood for the machine cover
- confirmants.
This option is a little more difficult to assemble, however, this task is completely solvable. The bed is made from chipboard. It has a back wall and two sides. In order to get to the power button it was not difficult; there was no need to install the front wall. IN back wall you need to drill holes for the vacuum cleaner tube and cord. It is better to cut the cover for the device from a piece of laminated plywood 10 mm thick. After this, the entire structure is fastened with confirmants. The jigsaw itself can be installed in a similar way to the previous option. On a machine created in this way, you will be able to process larger workpieces. Of the minuses, we note that when working with large workpieces, the jigsaw saw can deviate in both directions and even backwards. Consequently, the quality of the cut decreases. However, this can be dealt with. You just need to install it on homemade machine bracket, which is a stop. In this case, the jigsaw blade will move between two 11 mm bearings screwed to an L-shaped steel strip. The back of the canvas will rest against the wall of the bracket itself. Such a system will prevent the web from deviating from the specified trajectory.
The bracket must be attached to the frame, which is created from 50 by 50 mm bars. The frame is lowered or raised, it all depends on the length and thickness of the workpiece being processed. To ensure the mobility of the frame, it together with the stop must not be firmly fixed to the side of the machine, but pressed against it with a hardboard, steel or textolite plate. Next you need to install vertical stand frame between the hardboard and the frame. The machine will become even more convenient if you attach an additional limit bar to it, with which you will cut the material into blanks of equal thickness and length. This limiter is attached to the machine using clamps. It can be made from wooden beam, as well as aluminum or steel corner.
To create a table for a jigsaw from chipboard, you need to have certain carpentry skills, because the process of connecting its frame with legs must be done in a tongue-and-groove manner. The tenon-groove itself can be replaced with a connection using dowels, wood glue and self-tapping screws. The cover must be removable to ensure access to the tool during repairs. To create a multifunctional machine, it is worth providing a place for mounting a milling manual typewriter. For the table you will need the following materials:
- block 80 by 80 mm
- block 40 by 80 mm
- a piece of laminated plywood or chipboard measuring 900 by 900 mm.
First you need to measure the gap between the legs. Optimal distance 60-70 cm. The bars for the legs and drawers are obtained by longitudinal sawing of 80 by 80 mm bars. The height of the legs is selected at the discretion of the master. Each end of the legs and drawers must have two holes for dowels. Similar holes should be present on the sides of the legs. Next, you need to coat the dowels halfway with glue and insert them into the ends. After this, you can begin assembling the entire frame. In this case, the frame will not be disassembled.
All surfaces at contact points must be coated with glue. However, self-tapping screws won't hurt either. They will make the structure more durable. Holes for self-tapping screws must be prepared in advance. The lid is attached to one of the drawers using hinges. A slot needs to be made in the cover to facilitate removal and installation of the jigsaw.
In the back of the tabletop you need to screw two strips in which a quarter is selected. It includes the sole of the jigsaw. The strips must have holes for further installation of bolts or clamping screws. As a result, you will get a fairly simple and spacious table. Thick chipboard or plywood will help to achieve high strength of the lid. Sheets must be thicker than 20 mm.
A standard jigsaw blade is not suitable for creating complex patterns in plywood. For these purposes, a thin file is needed. It can be attached to hand power tools using an unusual device. The jigsaw, as in previous versions, is attached to the tabletop. But the thin nail file must be taut, easy installation will not work on a pendulum. To facilitate the procedure of tensioning the canvas, it is worth creating a rocker arm from a block. In this case, the tension of the file will be provided by a spring. The lower loop of the spring must be put on the transverse pin, and the upper loop is inserted into the adjusting screw, which changes the tension force of the damper.
Please note that all wooden blanks for such machines must be made from hard wood. Since a jigsaw machine does not have the ability to fasten a blade with a thin section, you can remake a piece of an old blade by pre-drilling a hole in it and equipping it with a screw and nut, as well as a clamping plate. The rocker arm must contain a vertical slot into which a second steel plate is inserted. It is attached to the rocker with screws.
