What Is An Orbital Jigsaw Anyways?

What Is An Orbital Jigsaw Anyways

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WHAT IS AN ORBITAL JIG SAW?

An orbital jigsaw is a jigsaw that uses or is capable of, an orbital swinging action as it cuts through the material, rather than using a straight cutting pattern. This action is also sometimes called a “pendulum action”, and just like the name describes, it’s a swinging action that tilts the blade forward along the cutting edge with every stroke.

An orbital jigsaw, sometimes called an orbital sabre saw, comes with a motor, a handle, and a straight, narrow blade that’s mounted perpendicular to the tool.

This delicate blade moves up and down with every stroke, making this tool similar to the reciprocating saw in action. Unlike the reciprocating saw, though, the jigsaw is a tool that’s capable of making curved intricate scroll cuts in wood and other materials.

Most orbital jigsaws on the market are the corded electric variety, with cordless battery powered models with Lithium-ion batteries also proving popular for the cord-free convenience as well.

What Is the Difference Between A Jigsaw and An Orbital Jigsaw?

A Standard Jigsaw: A jigsaw using the standard action moves the jigsaw blades in a straight up-and-down motion, doing each stroke perfectly perpendicular to the length of the tool.

An Orbital Jigsaw: An orbital jigsaw, on the other hand, uses what is called the orbital action – with each stroke the blade is slightly angled forward into the workpiece as it is pulled up.

As the jigsaw blade is brought back down, it is then angled slightly backward on the downstroke, before it is reset to be perfectly straight down just in time for the next pulling stroke.

If you trace the movement of the tip of the blade of an orbital jigsaw in action, you will see that it follows an elliptical path – hence the name.

Many jigsaws also come with an orbital action setting, which lets you convert your jigsaw into an orbital jigsaw with the flip of a dial or a switch.

Jigsaw Orbital Setting Switch

Comparing Cutting Action: Compared to a standard action jigsaw, an orbital jigsaw gives a more aggressive cutting action every time the blade is angled into the material.

While an orbital jigsaw demands more from their motor, the orbital action they do also make them more efficient for a variety of applications, from cutting along the grain of thick wood pieces to working with tougher materials like laminate sheets for countertops.

An orbital jigsaw, due to the aggressive cutting action they do, also tend to vibrate more, and the cut they do also tend to be rougher and coarser, as well.

What Is an Orbital Jigsaw Used For?

An orbital jigsaw is useful for cutting through materials faster. If you have an orbital jigsaw with an adjustable orbital action setting, you can make the most out of the higher, more aggressive settings if you happen to be working with softwoods.

If you are cutting along the grain through a thick piece of softwood, that’s where the orbital jigsaw shines. The aggressive cutting action of the orbital jigsaw makes it much more effective for making quick, rougher cuts through thicker pieces of softwood, compared to a standard action jigsaw.

An orbital jigsaw can also make faster cuts through laminate countertops, plastic, countertops, and plasterboard and similar materials. Likewise, an orbital jigsaw with the orbital action at a lower setting is also useful for quickly cutting thicker metal sheers, aluminum, or plastic.

An orbital jigsaw at the low setting will also make faster work of straight and curved or scroll cuts, as well. You do have to turn off the orbital action if you need to start a plunge cut, though, as you need to have the tip of the jigsaw blade steady on one axis to make an accurate starting cut.

What Is the Advantage of an Orbital Jigsaw?

The main advantage of an orbital jigsaw over a standard action jigsaw is the speed and efficiency of the cuts it can make. An orbital jigsaw or a jigsaw with the orbital action setting turned on, can cut through thicker or harder materials faster.

The swinging motion imparted on to the jigsaw blade by an orbital jigsaw also makes it less likely to seize and get pinched by the material. Aside from driving the teeth of the jigsaw blade into the material, the pendulum motion also helps clear the sawdust and swarf from the kerf, keeping the path of the blade clear of debris and excess material.

This also leads to less friction generated during the cut. The less friction along the blade, the cooler the blade gets and the longer you can operate the orbital jigsaw before having to take a break. With less debris and sawdust to go against with every stroke, the sharpness and cutting life of the blade is also better preserved, as well.

When you take your jigsaw to a thicker piece of wood, like a 4-inch piece of softwood lumber, chip clearance becomes a big issue with a standard action jigsaw. The narrow kerf and the small teeth mean that chips do not get enough chance to be shaken off from the gullets of the jigsaw teeth, and they quickly build up too – which, in turn, leads to heat build-up on the blade due to the added friction.

Even just a bit of orbital movement, from an orbital jigsaw at the lowest setting for instance, already gives the chips a much better chance of getting cleared – so much that you’ll be surprised at how much faster an orbital jigsaw can cut through a thicker piece of wood, with the blade staying cool and sharp at the end of the cut.

That said, an orbital jigsaw is less effective when cutting thin pieces, or when working on hard material like metal or ceramic. Starting accurate plunge cuts are also impossible to do with an orbital jigsaw with the orbital action turned on, too.

What Is an Orbital Setting On a Jigsaw?

Most of the better jigsaws on the market nowadays come with an orbital action setting in addition to variable speed control. This lets you, the user use the jigsaw with the usual straight up-and-down standard action for precision cutting, or use the jigsaw with the orbital action turned on for efficient, fast rough-cutting.

Jigsaws with orbital action features often come with a dial that lets you set the level of orbital action. Most saws come with four or more levels, including a no orbit level that turns off the orbital action of the tool. The orbital action dial, which controls the orbit setting, can be found at the left side of the tool in most jigsaws.

Some cheaper jigsaws do not have an orbital action feature, hence they will have no orbital setting available to them.

The higher the orbital action level, the more aggressive the angle that the jigsaw blade is set against the material and the faster (and rougher) the jigsaw can cut. At the maximum setting, the jigsaw can cut through thick softwoods with ease. Putting the tool at the no orbit setting, on the other hand, gives you the maximum control of the tool for precise, delicate cuts with minimal tearing.

There’s an ideal orbital action setting that lets you modify your jigsaw’s cutting action to best suit the material and cut you need to make.

The orbital setting of a jigsaw is very useful for straight cuts, where the orbital action follows the line of the cut and hardly affects the accuracy of the tool. For curved cuts, though, the forward motion of the blade may begin to affect your control of the jigsaw – in this case, a lower orbital setting should be used.

Plunge cuts are nigh impossible to start with the orbital action on, since you need to carefully start the cut with the tip of the jigsaw blade. When making plunge cuts, leave the jigsaw at the no orbit setting.

Making straight cuts on softwoods, especially along the grain or through a thicker work piece, can be quickly done with a medium to high orbital action setting. For rough cutting, you can set the jigsaw to the maximum orbital action setting and get the job done much faster. A lower setting will likely give you a cleaner cut, though, which is something to consider.

The same can be said for laminate countertops – a medium to high orbital action setting gets the job done faster if you’re remodeling a kitchen.

Jigsaws, when used on plastic or fiberglass, can impart a variety of finish depending on the orbital action setting that you choose. Cutting at the no orbit setting leaves you with the cleanest cuts and the best control of the tool. Using the jigsaw with a low to medium orbit setting also lets you make cuts faster and extends the life of your jigsaw blade too, which is a trade-off to consider in this case.

Jigsaws are also used to cut metal sheets, and the wobble imparted by the orbital action can affect the finish of the cut you are making. For cutting metal sheets, leaving the jigsaw at the no orbit setting is recommended. That said, a low orbital action setting can be useful for cutting through thicker pieces of metal or when working on pipes.

To Sum It All Up...

An orbital jigsaw is a jigsaw capable of an orbital cutting motion, which can provide you with a more aggressive and more efficient cutting action when cutting thicker work pieces.

The right orbital action setting will improve the speed of your tool and possibly extend the useful life of your jigsaw blades. Do keep in mind, though, that there’s a right time and place for turning on the orbital action of a jigsaw, and it depends on the material you are working with and the level of cut finish you want to achieve. 

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About the author

Ryan

I have been in construction nearly my entire life and have a fascination with tools and love when they make my life easier. Match that with my "research addiction" and you create something like this website!

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