Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little (ie, to
allow for cutting curves)? I just bought an older B&D model 7517 or
something like that. It has a cast (aluminum?) housing, motor requires
oiling every so often, and has 2 places to check brush wear. I have no
idea how old it is. I picked it out of numerous other used ones because
I thought the motors on older units are supposed to be better than the
newer plastic housed ones. I got it to cut 1/8" plywood but broke 3
blades in about 10 minutes. That could have been from 1) my
inexperience, I've never used a jigsaw, 2) dull blades, or 3) bad
machine. Ended up using circular saw to make "finish" cuts. If the
blade isn't supposed to rotate at all then I have a problem and I will
return it.

"Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little..." No

Lex
"Andrew" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little (ie, to
allow for cutting curves)? I just bought an older B&D model 7517 or
something like that. It has a cast (aluminum?) housing, motor requires
oiling every so often, and has 2 places to check brush wear. I have no
idea how old it is. I picked it out of numerous other used ones because
I thought the motors on older units are supposed to be better than the
newer plastic housed ones. I got it to cut 1/8" plywood but broke 3
blades in about 10 minutes. That could have been from 1) my
inexperience, I've never used a jigsaw, 2) dull blades, or 3) bad
machine. Ended up using circular saw to make "finish" cuts. If the
blade isn't supposed to rotate at all then I have a problem and I will
return it.

On 4 Jan 2005 12:02:06 -0800, "Andrew" wrote:

Is the jigsaw blade holder/blade supposed to rotate a little (ie, to
allow for cutting curves)? I just bought an older B&D model 7517 or
something like that. It has a cast (aluminum?) housing, motor requires
oiling every so often, and has 2 places to check brush wear. I have no
idea how old it is. I picked it out of numerous other used ones because
I thought the motors on older units are supposed to be better than the
newer plastic housed ones. I got it to cut 1/8" plywood but broke 3
blades in about 10 minutes. That could have been from 1) my
inexperience, I've never used a jigsaw, 2) dull blades, or 3) bad
machine. Ended up using circular saw to make "finish" cuts. If the
blade isn't supposed to rotate at all then I have a problem and I will
return it.

I have a 30 year old B&D jigsaw.. sounds like the same type, oil hole
in each side near/above the blade? the blade holder assembly has
always has some play in it, but not really turn... are both allen
screws holding the blade tightened?

I've been trying to kill this thing for years and it's still in great
shape.. original brushes and all.. lol
We cut several holes in 1 1/8 underpayment for bathroom floors and it
took a LONG time, but kept right on cutting..

You might be breaking blades from not applying downward pressure to
the saw as it's cutting.. you'll know this because it's not a very
loud saw, but if you aren't holding the "foot" against the wood, it's
going to be loud and jump around a bit... and probably break a blade..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Well I took it apart to clean and inspect the inside. This thing is
built to last, not a piece of plastic to be seen! (Well okay, the
strain relief for the power cord is plastic.) I figured out where the
slight rotation is coming from, and it doesn't look like anything is
worn out or loose. The shaft slides along a block and the top of the
shaft has a channel in which the pin from the motor slides to create
the saw motion. I think the slight play actually is designed to
minimizes the impact on the motor. The thing runs true and doesn't
wobble around when it cuts.

In my infinite ignorance I managed to back out the blade holding screw
too far too forcefully and stripped the thread near the tip. It still
seems to hold a blade but I was pretty mad at myself. If only I could
find a cheap one for spare parts...