Sawing straight with the jigsaw: How do you make a straight cut?

Before you start, you need to choose the right saw blade. Wide saw blades are best suited for straight cuts.
In our guides you will learn how to change the saw blade  , and which saw blade is best suited for which material .

Your workpiece – in this case the wooden board – should be firmly secured before you saw it. Clamp it to your worktop or trestles with at least two G-clamps.

Once the workpiece is clamped, you can draw your cutting line. The best way to do this is to use an angle that you place on the side of the board. This allows you to simply draw the line at a 90 degree angle with a pencil. Pay attention to accuracy.

Some jigsaws have a pendulum adjustment with several steps. Sawing with a pendulum action results in faster progress, and the saw blade is protected. However, the higher the pendulum action, the greater the material tear-out. However, a straight cut can still be successful.
The pendulum action is activated or deactivated depending on the material to be sawn: The pendulum action should be used for thicker and harder materials. For example, it is not necessary for ordinary shelf boards with a thickness of 20–30 mm.

Our tutorial video gives you all the information you need about the pendulum action on jigsaws.

Before you start sawing, you should make sure that our CutControl is attached to the jigsaw. The small CutControl unit is attached in front of the saw blade and helps you to stay on the marked line using the corresponding markings. Be sure to use it when you need to make straight cuts. Place the saw on the mark and switch it on. At the same time, the working light is switched on to help you to keep an eye on the line. Saw without interruption until the wooden board is cut through. To keep dust to a minimum, you can also connect a vacuum cleaner directly to the saw.
You can also use a parallel guide with the jigsaw for very long straight cuts. This guide automatically keeps you on the cutting line during the sawing process.

Would you like to know more about correctly using Bosch jigsaws? No problem! In our guides we explain the most important basics , as well as how to perform round sawing . However, in addition to the details, we also give you some important tips on processes including sawing without fraying, sawing plastic  or metal  and sawing out a worktop . These are also available in video format in our sawing playlist on YouTube.

Remember, straight jigsaw cuts are needed for many DIY projects: For example, a DIY greenhouse made from an old window . Have fun building!