A jigsaw is the only power saw that cuts curves. It also handles straight cuts, plunge cuts, and cuts in materials from thin plywood to mild steel. It is safer and less intimidating than a circular saw, making it an excellent first power saw for beginners. Here is what to look for and how to use one effectively.

Jigsaw Buying Guide: Choosing and Using Your First Jigsaw

What to Look For

Orbital Action

The best jigsaws have adjustable orbital action, which moves the blade in a slight elliptical pattern instead of just up and down. More orbital action means faster, more aggressive cuts in wood. Less orbital action (or none) gives cleaner, slower cuts in metal and laminate. Look for a jigsaw with 3 or 4 orbital settings plus a zero setting.

Variable Speed

Cutting wood works best at high speed (2,500 to 3,000 strokes per minute). Cutting metal requires slower speeds (1,000 to 1,500 SPM) to prevent overheating. A variable speed trigger or dial lets you match the speed to the material.

Blade Change Mechanism

Tool-free blade changes are standard on any jigsaw worth buying. A lever or button releases the blade so you can swap it in seconds without any tools. Avoid models that require an Allen key.

Dust Blower

A built-in blower clears sawdust from the cut line so you can see where you are cutting. Some models also have a dust port for vacuum connection. Both features are worth having.

Essential Blades

Jigsaw blades are inexpensive and specialized. Keep a few types on hand:

T-shank wood blades (6 TPI): Fast cuts in dimensional lumber and thicker material
T-shank clean-cut blades (10-12 TPI): Smoother cuts in plywood and hardwood with less tear-out
T-shank metal blades (18-24 TPI): For cutting sheet metal, conduit, and thin steel
T-shank scrolling blades: Narrow blades for cutting tight curves and detailed shapes

T-shank blades are the universal standard. Avoid U-shank blades, which are an older design with a less secure fit.

Techniques for Better Cuts

Cutting Curves

This is where the jigsaw shines. Draw your curve on the material, start the saw at full speed in wood, and feed it gently along the line. For tight curves, use a narrower scrolling blade. Do not force the blade around a turn — make relief cuts from the waste side to the curve line so waste pieces fall away as you cut.

Straight Cuts

A jigsaw can make straight cuts, but it requires a guide. Clamp a straightedge to the workpiece and run the saw’s shoe plate along it, just as you would with a circular saw. For short crosscuts, a speed square works as a guide.

Plunge Cuts

You can start a cut in the middle of a panel without drilling a starter hole. Tilt the jigsaw forward on the front edge of its shoe plate, start the blade, and slowly lower it into the material. Practice on scrap first — the blade can grab and jump if you lower too quickly.

Cutting Without Tear-Out

Jigsaws cut on the upstroke, which means the top surface of the material tends to splinter. Two solutions: cut with the good face down, or apply painter’s tape along the cut line on the top surface. Using a higher TPI blade also reduces tear-out.

Projects Perfect for a Jigsaw

Cutting curves on garden bed edging or decorative shelf brackets
Making sink cutouts in laminate countertops
Cutting notches in boards for fitting around obstacles
Trimming panels during workshop projects
Cutting shapes for kids’ projects and crafts

What a Jigsaw Cannot Do

A jigsaw is not the tool for ripping plywood sheets or making long, fast cuts in lumber — a circular saw does that. It also struggles with material thicker than about 1-1/2 inches in hardwood, where the blade can deflect and produce an angled cut.

Think of the jigsaw as the tool for curves, cutouts, and detailed work, and the circular saw as the tool for straight production cuts. Together, they handle nearly every cutting task a homeowner faces.