Favorite Cutting Tool or Method

[Red Horse]

A saber saw is hand held with a reciprocating blade a jig saw is bench mounted it has an arm which moves up and down.
jig saw is a misnomer, like adjustable wrenches. Not all adjustable wrenches are cresent wrenches.but Cresent is the general term for an adjustable.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Jeanneau 45.2

What is the difference between a "sabre" and "jig" saw?

I think definitions have drifted a little over time. What was a jigsaw when I was small is now a scroll saw, and what was a saber saw is now a jig saw. I use the latter 2 somewhat interchangeably, though a saber saw is now generally a longer, more vertical tool more often used in construction.

[Mikado]

Originally Posted by Red Horse

A saber saw is hand held with a reciprocating blade a jig saw is bench mounted it has an arm which moves up and down.
jig saw is a misnomer, like adjustable wrenches. Not all adjustable wrenches are cresent wrenches.but Cresent is the general term for an adjustable.

If you Google jig saw and look at images, hundreds of examples are displayed and 100% are hand held, not a single image is of a bench mounted unit.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jeanneau 45.2

What is the difference between a "sabre" and "jig" saw?

Nowadays, it seems that both are hand held power tools and the difference is just be the direction of the blade. A Jigsaw has a blade at right angles to the motor, a sabre saw has the blade in line.

[billgewater]

Gee. If you use a hole saw and can live with that shape, all the problems disappear. One tool, no scratches, strongest residual shape. Delightful infinite axes symmetry. KISS
(Am working on an elliptical hole cutter...any ideas? ......besides using the hole saw at an angle, which does not work all that well.)

[foufou]

A lot of good suggestions here. What ever tool is used I make my hole slightly smaller than the intended finish size. Then I finish to size with a file. This a bit slow but I can achieve a very precise edge and size. F

[steamgoat]

My favorite,apart from a drill, is a Fein Multimaster, great for cutting wood or through screws,also is a good sander with a vacuum attachment for minimal mess. A bit 'pricy' but it is a quality tool.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Got one of these the other day, and it made quick work of 3/4 ply... Handy in a hard to reach spot... Not too hard to guide at all, but perfect circles and perfect straight lines would tough. Bit width tolerance is easy enough though. Found that plunging to 1/8th depth and using that as a guide was the best method... All in all elated to have it in my arsenal!

[bvander]

Depends on where and material.
Bimini metal hole saw kit works well up to 3" round holes. Also have used sawzall, saber saw, roto zip and a multitool.

[SailFastTri]

If it's thin metal and a square or rectangular hole I use a nibbling tool like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Plated-Nibbling-Tool-1/dp/B0002KRACO

[hellosailor]

A multimaster can be expensive. A Dremel with a router guide/head can be used as a router, o with the cutoff wheel as a small circular saw. But the cheapest simplest solution for a small job may be a keyhole saw, with a proper sharp blade, or a small japanese push-saw, aka "flush cut" saw, also used for flush cutting bungs. That last type especially makes smooth straight cuts, although it requires a bit more space or patience to get the wider blade started.

[Snore]

+1 for Dremel

I found that for cuts you need to set-up a fence. You also need to pick the right cutter for wood I free hand a sanding "paddle wheel" at low rpm.



Sent from my iPhone- please forgive autocorrect errors.

[thinwater]

Dremel makes a Fein Multimaster clone that has worked we ll for me.

Dremel Multi-Max Oscillating Tool Kit-MM45-04 - The Home Depot

[jeepbluetj]

As has been mentioned, depends on the hole you need and in what. I've used the multimaster with great results. Little routers and made a template for them. Dremels with a cut-off blade for certain things. Hole saws and/or forstner bits.

I wouldn't use a sawsall for anything that required any precision at all.

And I thought the difference between Sabre and Jig is whatever your dad called it - some dads had jigsaws, some dads had sabre saws.

[Cadence]

I went back and looked at the OP. Lexan or wood. Two different animals. With wood do it anyway you wish. With Lexan, hydrocarbon, plastic, you had better do it slow to avoid heat and a gummy mess.