Best Hand Jigsaw with 360 Degree Blade Rotation?

[Bill Space]

Hi Guys,

Well after about 30 years my old craftsman jigsaw with 360° blade rotation finally bit the dust. It was not an electrical failure, but rather a mechanical failure in the mechanism for blade rotation.

I have a different jig saw, but it does not have 360° Blade rotation. And I have found I really miss that feature.

I don't really need the orbital blade cutting selections. Simple blade cutting action would be satisfactory.

I see sears offers a jigsaw with 360° blade rotation, but I wonder if someone else offers one that is better.

So if anyone can suggest something I should consider please do let me know! I don't mind spending the money for something good, although this is not a tool I use every day. It's just that sometimes being able to cut to the side, or in reverse, is just so convenient!

Bill

[Joe Jensen]

I had a sear jigsaw like that with a 1" stroke and it was marketed as 1HP. It was the first powertool I purchased, I think I was 10 years old and it was 1972. Mine mechanically gave up the ghost maybe 20 years ago and the part was no longer available. I kept it for a long time hoping to make a replacement part someday but I suspect I've tossed it by now. I did really like the rotating feature but I think the Bosch that replaced it is so much better that I wouldn't trade the Bosch for a new sears.

[Jamie Buxton]

I had one of those jig saws back in the day. The blade flopped all over the place, and it was a pretty crude tool. Modern jigsaws, from companies like Bosch and Festool, have a blade guide just above the shoe, and it provides much better control of the blade. The saw is a much more precise tool. However, that guide sacrifices the 360 degree rotation.

[Dave Zellers]

I still have my Craftsman jigsaw with 360º rotation sitting on the shelf. It's at least 30 years old. I save it for the times when my Bosch just can't do what the Craftsman can. They are few and far between, but they do pop up from time to time. It's especially useful when you install the blade backwards and then swivel it 180º to gain the advantage of the backwards offset. (you might need to own one to understand that). At this point it's important to always remember to put a couple drops of oil on the shaft before I turn it on.

Your best bet might be to try and find a used one and then also buy a second 'go to' jig saw. If you do buy a used Craftsman 360º, save your broken one for parts.

[Joe Jensen]

Nice one just like I had on the bay right now. Search Sears Jig Saw Auto Scroller

[Keith Pleas]

Interesting. Would there be any point in owning one of these if you already had a scroll saw?

[Tony Zaffuto]

Had/have one somewhere-hasn't been sed in decade/decades! As not accuracy friendly, and was succeeded first with a Makita and later with a Festool.

[Bill Space]

As Dave Zellers mentioned above, having the ability to rotate the blade relative to the body of the saw can be a great advantage at times. Greatly increases the usefulness of the tool sometimes when space is tight, or support is lacking.

I mainly use this tool for rough work. The 360 degree blade rotation feature seems rare. Buying a used one would be a crap shoot at best, so I think I will buy the model Sears offers currently.

This one:

334066

Was hoping to have more choices...

Bill

[Robert Willing]

Bill

I see they still call it a scroll saw. I still have mine and use it about 4 times a year, the blades are a challenge to buy at the big box stores. My cord needs replacing but I work around it and don't use it enough to replace it. I don't know how old mine is, but will keep it until it dies. I quite frequently cut through red oak 1" thick to get patterns out of a board, than finish on my band saw.