Look Mom! One hand!!,
April 21, 2008
By CaptRayfrom Miami, Florida
"I guess every jig saw cuts, certainly some better than others. But there are features we forget to check-out when buying that can make an enormous difference when in the field. Or, in my case, when out to sea. At sea, good balance & safe handling are life-saving imperatives. My floating home is a type of sailboat design called a Cutter. A combination of concurrent unpredictable events resulted in my losing part of my mast & rigging, in such a way as to endanger the vessel & make use of the auxilliary motor ill-advised. A fellow cruiser risked his own vessel to travel some 20 or so miles in high seas to render aid in the form of a Makita cordless jig saw which he managed to pass to me in a plastic bag. With it in hand, fitted with a very long blade of a style I was not familar with, having no one else aboard to assist, I climbed my Sprucewood mast to the trouble, about 45 feet above deck, the boat rolling & pitching terribly in the high wind & sea to cut away sections. With great difficulty I did what would have been considered generally impossible , all owing to the superb BALANCE of the Makita tool. One hand for me, one hand for the tool, and in short order the job was done such that I could begin to motor to a safe haven for repairs. Balance! Who really thinks of balance when buying such tools? Thank God, Makita designers did the thinking for us all. If it was a life-saver for me, I guess it must be equally important to people in the trades who have to handle one eight hours a day! Proper Balance can take much of the effort out of any task. Thank you, Makita."
What is your level of technical expertise?:
Home Handyman
To see more images and rich media content please install the current version of Flash player.