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A jigsaw and a circular saw are two staple power tools in your workshop for both experts and beginners. They are different shapes and can be used for different purposes. To make sure you dont make the wrong cuts with the wrong tool, our team will illustrate the difference between the jigsaw vs circular saw and probably help you which you need to buy first.
Jigsaw Vs Circular Saw
Lets take a deeper dive into each of these indispensable tools to understand the differences between the two.
What Is A Jigsaw
The profile of a jigsaw will be smaller than that of circular saws. The jigsaw has a thin and narrow blade that is held in a vertical position. Workers use jigsaws for a curved cut due to the easy maneuverability. A jigsaw’s smaller profile makes it more suitable for intricate and complex cuts.
They are often lighter than circular saws like theDewalt DCS391B because they are smaller. Other than more detailed and complex cuts, jigsaws can also make long straight cuts like a disk-shaped saw can. You will need to make sure your jigsaw blade is equipped with the pendulum option. This makes it less suitable for making long cuts. This feature allows the blade to make cuts with both an up and down as well as a back and forth movement.
PROS
- Excellent for many different cuts
- Lightweight and excellent for tight spots
- Can you create intricate details that are smaller or more complex?
- It is easy to maneuver
- Can be used to make straight lines in long lengths
- Pendulum option gives more variety of cuts
- Cordless options available
- It’s great for many materials
- It is easy to replace the blades, if needed.
- Very easy to use a jigsaw if youre a beginner
CONS
- This blade is more delicate than a disc-shaped saw.
- Not the best choice for larger jobs
The Purpose of a Jigsaw
The purpose of jigsaws and circular saws comes down to the detail and complexity of the job. When accuracy is required, jigsaws are the best tool to use. To give you an idea, experts recommend that jigsaws, such as the Skil-4495-202, be used for precise cutting.
Jigsaws can come in both corded and cordless options to suit your needs. For a smaller workshop, or for greater portability, we recommend the cordless option. However, a corded option will provide longer performance and more mobility.
What Is A Circular Saw
As the name suggests, a disk-shaped saw has a circular blade. You can expect to see a saw with a width of between 85mm and 250mm, which is a lot more powerful than a jigsaw. These circular saws are great for cutting straight lines and powering through thick materials. You can even find top circular saws that have dust collection, making your work easier. The RPM or revolutions per minute of disk-shaped saws can vary, with ones reaching speeds of 6500 RPM. This is a lot of power and allows them to cut through very quickly.
A disk-shaped saw will not be able give you the precision and control that a jigsaw offers, due to its power. Our team suggests using a blade guide to make sure the disk-shaped saw blade doesnt veer off course.
PROS
- More powerful motor
- A saw with a disk shape can be used to cut through more materials
- Both corded and uncorded options available
- Blades that are more durable and stronger
- The best choice for straight-line cuts
- Bevel adjustments are a great option for bevel cuts
- Simple and effective
- Easy to use a circular saw
- Reduces straight line cut time
- Power tools with high capacities and excellent quality
CONS
- Can be heavier than the jigsaw
- Not for curved cuts
Purpose of a Circular Saw
The disk-shaped saw is very powerful and can cut through many materials, including glass, masonry metal, plastic wood, etc. However, you will need a different type for each one. A circular saws is often the first saw DIYers and woodworkers go for. These saws are great for large jobs like cutting large pieces of wood and can be used to make straight cuts in a short time. It is used more frequently for home improvements.
If you need to cut a beveled, using acircular saw can do the job, but it cannot get you the same precision as the jigsaw for curved cuts. This is why our team recommends the circular saw for projects that are larger scale rather than small ones that requires precision.
The Main Differences Between A Jigsaw & Circular Saw
Both of these tools are great choices for a wide variety of materials. These tools can be used at both work and in your home workshop. They are mainly different in the type of cutting you want and the blade they use. Because some projects may require different cutting tasks, it is always a good idea to have both sets of tools.
A jigsaw is a more optimal choice to make curved cuts because of the smaller blade. For large pieces, a circular saw is ideal. A circular saw can be used to cut concrete blocks. The circular saw is also much more durable with a very robust blade to hold up to the powerful motor and RPMs.
However, dont believe that a circular saw is only good for cutting and ripping through large piece of timer, but its also an excellent tool for angled cuts and the depth can be adjusted as well. A jigsaw can also be used for the same purposes of a circular saw, however it will take at least twice the time and less precision for straight clean cuts.
Our team suggests having bothtypes of sawsin your arsenal. They can be used for different materials and can cut straight lines or curves differently depending on the project.
Jigsaw blades can be more fragile than circular saw blades. Thats not to say they snap easily, but if pitted against one another,circular saw bladesare tougher. On the other hand, even though jigsaw blades are weaker, they are also cheaper to replace.
The high-powered Rotorazer circularsaw has more blades than other models. This allows you to cut through different types of material. You will be amazed at how the circular saw can perform the job depending on which blade you choose.
These blades have different tooth counts. For example, blades for ripping materials have fewer teeth, and ones for cross cutting will have more teeth but they will also be smaller in size. A great tip for longevity and durability of the blade is to look for carbide-tipped options.
Cordless Or Corded Saws?
Both corded models and cordless models are available, so which one should you choose? The only thing you need to know is which type of saw you have.
If you are in a small workshop or require lots of movement, our team recommends that users get a cordless option like the 20-VoltDewaltDCS331B. You don’t want to be restricted by a long cable when you are cutting through large wood pieces. A tool without a cord offers more options for jobs off-site. These tools are easily portable, but you do have to be aware of the runtime by keeping a close watch on the battery life.
For larger jobs and ones that require a lot of cutting power, our team would advise going for a corded tool. Because they have more power, a corded tool can be used to cut through thicker or harder materials like metals.
As long as you have a power source, your battery life is not an issue. You will be able to cut through more materials and make quick straight cuts easily and one without a cord is usually lighter in weight due to the absence of the battery pack.
(If you are confused about different power tools, you can start withour comparison between circular saws vs table saw here)
FAQ
What is better a jigsaw or circular saw?
If you need to make precise cuts and curves, a jigsaw like the PCE345 by Porter Cable is better than a circular. Precision is the same area wheresaber saws fall short of jigsaws.However, we would recommend a circular saw if long and straight cuts are what you need and for larger projects. While a jigsaw can make many different cuts, a circular saw has greater versatility and is more versatile. However, a circular saw works better with more materials and has interchangeable blades.
Conclusion
When it comes to comparing the circular saw vs jigsaw, our team doesnt conclude that there is a clear winner because they are geared towards different types of projects. For cutting jobs that are more intricate, the jigsaw is the tool to use. However, if most of your tasks involve large pieces of materials, then a circular saw is the tool for you. Our team recommends adding both circular and jigsaws to your workshop as power tools for the first time woodworker.
For reliable jigsaw products, we recommend the following pages to you:
