Jigsaw2Bandsaw Portable Worksation

So, I do a lot of sawing, and a bandsaw would be a nice thing for what I do, which is make props and replicas. A bandsaw would be nice, but I don't have $300 laying around so, I decided to make a device that converts my jigsaw into a mini bandsaw to get straight cuts on thinner wood. I'd been kicking this idea around for a while, and recently I've joined instructables and gotten into the contests. And when I heard that if I could make a creative portable workstation and get a chance to win a 3d printer , or CNC miller, I revived this idea, and got to work. Above, you can see the final product as well as a sheet with my original design, which is fairly simple: two boards sandwiching the shoe of a jigsaw in place and turning it into a table saw and mini bandsaw. The idea was simple enough, so I went to work and took pictures along the way so I could enter it in the contest. So here it is, my portable device that I call the jigsaw2Bandsaw. I started making it specifically for the contest, but in the end, I've actually found that this is a remarkably effective tool, and I am proud to add this to my workshop. So, here's how to build it... -----You will need: A 1 inch thick board for the base, (I used some weird fake cherry-laminated particleboard I found laying around), a thin board for the top,(I cut up a dry erase board), 4 steel 14 inch long bolts, a jigsaw, and a drill.

First, measure the width of the area between the shoe (gray plate) and the body. Then, cut a slot out so the saw will slide in smoothly. I cut an angled opening at the end so it's easier to slide the saw through.

First, cut out a hole slightly smaller than the bolts itself. Then, turn the bolt in the hole while pushing down to screw the bolt in. This takes quite a bit of elbow grease, but you'll notice that by doing this, you're creating screw ridges to secure the bolt with. This secures the bolt perfectly so the legs will stay put. Twist the nut for the bolt onto it, then twist the bolt into the hole you just made threads in. Twist the bolts just so that the ends only stick out on the other side a bit more than the jigsaw shoe. Do this with each bolt.

Saw a piece a bit larger than the baseboard from the dry-erase board or whatever thin board you have. Then, determine where the jigsaw blade will come through and cut a hole out for it. Glue the ends of the legs to the board with liquid nails.

Tape the corners down with some duct tape to secure it in addition to the liquid nails. Sand down the edges and put some felt pads on the leg bottoms so you don't scratch up your shop. : )

So now you have a neat little device to turn your jigsaw into a mini bandsaw. Great! But how do you use it? First, take out the blade from your jigsaw then slide it in until it's secure. Then, re-install the blade into the saw. Keeping clear of the blade, pull the trigger and press the speed lock as shown. Now you can carefully feed your wood through the blade and get cleaner, more even cuts than you can get with just a jigsaw! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and please vote for me for the portable workstations contest if you can! Thanks for viewing! Watch the demo video of my design here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=h_rkhMDT_Og