Sally B wrote:

I am trying to cut 40mm thick Maple worktop with an oldish Bosch 450w jigsaw
and new Bosch bimetal 'clean for hardwood' T101BRF blade, but the saw keeps
kicking/jumping off the work, despite my holding it down firmly. I have a
feeling that the speed of the blade affects things, but can't find any
information about it. Can anyone offer advice? Someone has suggested to me
that Festool FSG blades would be better.

Cutting thick worktops is not always easy, but should be possible - I
have done it with a jigsaw many times. You won't get a "perfect" cut,
but it should be acceptable for cutting out holes for sinkes and hobs etc.

However you will need a supply of sharp blades with relatively coarse
teeth - fine ones may clog and give the kickback you are seeing. You
will need to change the blade *often* - don't be surprised if in the
space of one sink cutout you need to use four or five blades. Chipboard
is a very abrasive material to cut and quickly dulls the blade. The
moment that happens it gets much harder to maintain any quality or
progress of cut. If the worktop is melamine faced then cut it from the
underside if possible[1]. This will also reduce chipping of the surface.
If your jigsaw has the option of a pendulum action then turn this on to
its lowest setting. That will help clear the sawdust and prevent the
blade cloging.


[1] if not possible, then cut through masking tape placed along the cut
line to reduce chiping on the surface.

--
Cheers,

John.

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