In article ,
MM wrote:
A jigsaw is not a tool for cutting a perfect straight edge.

Yes, I'm amazed about that, having read the same statement all over
the web. I have only ever owned a jigsaw, never a circular saw, so
apart from handsaws, the jigsaw is all I have (although I'd quite like
a bandsaw, but can't justify the cost). Maybe I was spoilt by the
excellent AEG non-"orbital" jigsaw I bought in West Germany in the
1970s.

Can you switch off the pendulum action? You can on mine, and that gives a
straighter cut. Slower, but better for a (nearly) straight line.

It is for curved and awkward shapes,

Something I never need to do!!

or for making an approximate straight cut (can be made perfect using a
router or other tool, afterwards).

That neither. I only want straight cuts in plywood or MDF. If I'm
sawing, say, a real wood floor board or similar, I use the handsaw.

A decent circular saw can give very accurate cuts. Most tend to get one of
those before a jigsaw.

--
*When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.