That dumb moment I kept flipping my jigsaw blade the wrong way

So I was cutting a tight circle in some 3/4 ply for a cabinet job in Austin, and the blade kept wandering no matter how slow I went. A buddy walked over, saw the teeth pointing up, and just laughed. Turns out I had been installing the blade upside down for like a year, fighting the cut every time. Anyone else figure out a simple setup trick way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.eva4d ago

The real problem is most people don't think about which way the teeth are supposed to cut on the pull stroke versus the push stroke. Jigsaws cut on the upstroke, so the teeth need to point up to actually pull material into the shoe. Putting them upside down is a classic mistake because it feels more natural to have them pointing down like a handsaw. But the bigger issue is nobody checks their saw's manual for the specific blade orientation either. Some newer saws even have a quick release lever that flips the blade around if you hold it wrong. Also, marking the top of your blade with a Sharpie the second you open the package stops this forever.

the_rowan4d ago

Is it really that deep though? I've thrown blades in my jigsaw backwards more times than I can count and the cut still came out fine, just a little rough on the top side. Feels like one of those things that matters more on paper than in practice unless you're building furniture for a living.