How to cut plywood crafts with a jigsaw - simple drawings for beginners. Crafts from plywood for a summer residence - we cut it out with our own hands What can be made from plywood at home
If sawing out various decorative elements, wood burning or carving has become your new hobby, then our advice would be to start with a material such as plywood.
There are several significant reasons for this:
Plywood is easy to work with.
If in your hands is good tool, and you start with small figurines, it will take you only a couple of hours to make them.
The material is universal in use, so you can literally make anything you want from it: furniture, toys, small decorative elements.
All this can be a wonderful addition to the interior of your home.
Features of working with the material
What is a plywood sheet. It consists of several sheets of veneer at once, which are interconnected with glue.
Important: plywood can be of different types: based on beech, birch, pine.
Not only the quality of the finished product, but even its structure and color depends on which sheet you choose.
If you are going to cut out various figures with a jigsaw, then you need to choose the most quality varieties plywood.
They are distinguished by their special strength, which ensures that the plywood does not crack, spoiling the entire appearance of the product at the most unpredictable moment.
If you are going to start work immediately, immediately on the day of purchase, then choose only dry sheets of wood.
They will not break a jigsaw file every 10 minutes.
To work with plywood, you will need to acquire a number of tools.
In principle, they are always the same for all types of products, so only a one-time investment is required:
- jigsaw
- Jigsaw files
- Hand or electric drill
- Ruler
- grinding machine
- Burner.
Framework
If you want to beautifully decorate your home or present an original gift to someone close to you, make a plywood frame with your own hands.
The preparation process will not take you much time, because you only need to get the necessary materials.
Note!
They are standard for all cases, and we have already mentioned them before.
We will offer you workshops on light plywood crafts. You can make both a regular straight frame and carve various patterns and figures on it.
First you need to make a template, and after that you can cut it out, trace the outlines with a pencil on plywood and start the manufacturing process.
This stage is not only the most responsible, but also the most exciting. If you put a piece of your soul into the work, everything will definitely work out. Finished construction must be varnished. Ready!
doll furniture
This task will be a real test for parents.
Note!
The so-called test of acquired design skills.
Creation feature doll furniture is that children absolutely do not tolerate falsehood.
If they see that the furniture is not worked out in detail, and instead of a stove for your favorite doll, you brought an ordinary bar rectangular shape, then you simply cannot avoid serious insults and childhood disappointments.
The second feature of making such crafts from plywood using a jigsaw is that all this furniture must be carefully designed sandpaper or grinder.
Your child will constantly be in contact with these self-made toys, and in the case of poorly finished edges, they may get hurt.
Note!
Well, the last feature of plywood and home crafts is that the materials for such furniture must be absolutely non-toxic and normal for constant contact with the child, because he can drag it into his mouth or take it to bed with him.
This is not a simple application or paper craft, so you need to take it seriously, following a whole list of actions that need to be completed.
Performing work from plywood
how simple furniture it is made in detail, and then assembled into one piece of furniture, so do-it-yourself plywood crafts should be done separately.
To do this, first of all, prepare special drawings of plywood crafts, on which you specify the dimensions of all parts and their fastenings.
Take the finished plywood sheet and attach the paper part template to it.
Circle the part with a pencil and cut along the contour with a jigsaw.
After that, each detail must be cleaned with sandpaper or a grinder, and only then must the piece of furniture be assembled.
When you're done with the whole set, open it up with varnish.
Below are provided different variants and a photo of plywood crafts. Choose the one you like.
Photo of plywood crafts
Many of us spend a lot of time on garden plot. At the same time, we want to be surrounded by comfort, convenience and beauty. DIY plywood crafts are a wonderful way of self-realization and decoration of the garden.
It's nice to play the guitar after a piece of sausage. If the mice are not caught, it will be bad.Working with plywood is easy and pleasant. The material is affordable. In the simplest version, for crafts, you will additionally need paint and some self-tapping screws. You will need a few tools, see the maximum list below.
Can be made from plywood decorative crafts for beds and fences, heroes of fairy tales and cartoons for the playground, birdhouses, bird feeders, flower pots and so on. Asking what kind of plywood you can make with your own hands, we conditionally divided all the figures into two groups: simple ones, which are made from one piece of plywood, and more complex ones, which are assembled from several parts.
"Cartoons" for children and adults Flat figurines made of plywood
Almost all of the examples above are cut from a single piece of plywood.
For making DIY crafts, it is better to use a sheet with a thickness of at least 10mm. In this case, the image will not warp and will last longer. At the same time, it is preferable to use moisture-resistant plywood in the garden and vegetable garden.
There is no dispute about tastes - the choice of your favorite option is yours The procedure for making plywood figurines is as follows:
- The contours of the drawing are drawn on a sheet of plywood with a pencil.
- The craft is cut with a jigsaw around the perimeter.
- The contours and the flat surface of the workpiece are processed with emery cloth.
- Color borders of various colors are applied to the part with a pencil.
- The craft is consistently painted with all colors. Adjacent coats of paint must dry completely before applying the next color.
Guys from our yard Ready product It is convenient to fix with self-tapping screws to a fence or a wall. Look at the photo: you can “screw” hair, buttons, shoes, a wire tail and so on to the craft.
It is important that these elements hold securely, serve for a long time under the sun and rain, and do not pose a danger to people.
Animals, as always, are useful: a deer holds a flower pot With your own hands you can make the most various decorations for giving from one piece of plywood. We have selected some interesting options for you.
Why does a dog need a hare if it has a bone? 
These birds are clearly not friendly. 
Storks, swans, chickens: no one will fly away from you! 
Grandmother solves an important problem: what would she cook for her grandfather and granddaughter? 
Grandfather understands well that there will be no dinner without firewood. 
The granddaughter wastes no time and decides to milk the goat Volumetric crafts for the garden
It's wrong to say that voluminous crafts from plywood for the garden is noticeably more difficult. Of course, you will have to cut out a few details with your own hands. But some of them should be painted in one color, which simplifies the work.
It is difficult for a donkey to understand how one can sleep for so long, he is a donkey! All parts are prepared according to the scheme described above, and then fastened with self-tapping screws. Of course, the volumetric figure looks more interesting. The photo clearly shows that it is necessary to use a material with a thickness of 15-20mm. Each piece has its own shape and size. They can be placed optimally on the sheet of material and the plywood can be used sparingly.
The dog guards, the cat helps: in general, everything is in business It is especially pleasant when a craft made by yourself not only decorates the yard, but also performs a useful function. The photo shows just a few examples.
The observer is looking for birds - or a hedgehog? Patterns and schemes are not problems
Templates are best done by yourself. Firstly, it is not difficult, and secondly, you can make templates for your own and a new drawing when you get tired of repeating other people's ideas. Note that there are a huge number of children's applications for colored paper crafts, which are quite easy to cut out of plywood.
The easiest option is to apply the drawing directly to the plywood. Moreover, if you had five in drawing at school, it is not at all necessary to copy what has already been done.
Otherwise, a grid should be applied to the drawing you like with a pencil. Then the same grid is drawn on a sheet of material with a pencil. All elements of the pattern are transferred to plywood "in squares". It is convenient that the squares in the figure and the workpiece can have different sizes, that is, the drawing can be transferred to any scale.
It is most convenient and modern to do the work using a computer, which we did. Almost everyone has a program Microsoft power Point, where you should copy your favorite picture. Previously, the program sets the size of the sheet for printing on the printer 29.7x21cm.
We have a piece of plywood measuring 57x77 cm, and we set the size of the drawing based on the availability of material. It should be understood that the program takes into account the size of the entire image.
Then you need to print fragments of the picture on the printer, sequentially shifting it relative to the print sheet. For ease of printing, a grid of sheets for printing should be applied to the drawing and grouped with the image.
Now the sheets should be glued into a single image and cut along the contour after the glue has dried. A paper template is laid on a sheet of plywood and outlined with a pencil. Subsequently, individual parts of the drawing are sequentially cut off from the template and also transferred to the workpiece with a pencil. You can cut out!
About how to save your work and longer
It will be very disappointing if a self-made craft will peel off and warp from the first rain. So it is better to take a number of measures to save your own work.
First, it is better to use moisture resistant material. Secondly, it is necessary to impregnate it from moisture, for example, with “Pinotex”. Paints can be used acrylic and oil. It is important that they are for external use. Leave if you wish natural color wood crafts should be covered with transparent yacht varnish.
Prepare for the fact that the figure will have to be repainted every two to three years. If the plywood begins to delaminate, it must be puttied before painting, for example, with Silacryl sealant. It is very effective to hide the craft from the weather for the winter.
Let the video help you in your work. It remains to wish you good luck!
This article will help readers who want to try their hand at furniture design. We suggest starting experiments with making plywood furniture. The article provides examples of popular works famous designers, shows the basics of processing plywood, as well as making a rocking chair with your own hands.
Imagine the interior of your dreams that reflects your personality, emphasizes character traits and status. Modern trends in interior design are mostly inclined towards non-mass design items, but rather, author's production. However, there is an opinion that designer furniture has a very high cost and is often simply not available.
Factory-made furniture often does not meet individual preferences - it is simple, ordinary and typical, not always of high quality and often quickly loses its original view. The “advantages” of factory-made furniture include a rather trivial design. As a result, each apartment with factory furniture is often an example of an unattractive urban design. And I want something special and original.
Gothic leather furniture in the best traditions of post-art nouveau, designer Michel Haillard, France
There is a stereotype about designer furniture, it is associated with expensive furniture. solid wood with luxurious leather trim. That's how it is, but is it necessary to limit creative thought to such rigid limits, because the author's work involves, first of all, an idea that can be realized using various materials.
It should be noted that heavy classic furniture has practically left the fashion furniture Olympus with the exception of the works of several fashion designers, including the luxurious "animal" furniture of Michael Hallard. In turn, minimalism, which led the furniture TOP, requires a completely different design approach, involving other materials for manufacturing.
Recently in search inexpensive materials for the manufacture of furniture, designers paid attention to such an unpretentious and familiar plywood. Although plywood has long been used in the manufacture of furniture, various structural models are made on its basis, it is valued for its “ability” for absolutely fantastic transformations with relatively easy technological processing. At the same time, designer plywood furniture is more affordable than solid wood furniture.
Author's coffee table, designer Justin Couch, France
The world of furniture design knows the names of designers who have made a name for themselves in the manufacture of furniture from plywood. Their works have become the prototype of industrial designs, which are well-deservedly popular among lovers of modernism, there are also samples that are made only by hand.
Design fantasies in fashionable furniture interpretations
Almost every person is attracted by completely informal furniture solutions of fashionable Western designers. The global author's design develops in a completely different creative plane than the industrial one. In this creative space, the idea becomes part of the philosophical vision of the world, and the courage of the designer's thought is elevated to a cult. There are no rules, let alone prohibitions. Even functionality fades into the background. The main task of designer furniture is to delight consumers with its informal forms.
Left: Decorating a restaurant with plywood, New York. Right: bent plywood armchair
Many people think about what is creativity? In this case, the creative approach only partially conveys the meaning of this quality of artists. Creativity is the ability to rethink reality, to create some, often only understandable to him. creative idea and embody it, at first glance, in a trivial everyday object. Only a few original works have become the basis for industrial designs that successfully combine the main characteristics of factory furniture: ergonomics, functionality and technological ease of manufacture. The remaining models have become a real example of modern art.
Left: Shige Hasegawa floral furniture, Japan.
Right: Sunny plywood ottomans upholstered in dyed fur by Kyle Bunting Furniture & Art
Modern technologies furniture production in many respects have not undergone significant changes. Furniture is made in almost the same "grandfather" way as several centuries ago, and plywood is considered one of the most used furniture materials.
Pieces of furniture by the Dressler brothers, Canada
Ease of manufacture, sophistication, minimalism and a peculiar openwork of plywood furniture samples due to the use of many carved parts fastened together - lamellas, allow you to take a completely different look at the seemingly trivial furniture material.
The modern pioneers of plywood in a new incarnation were the Dressler brothers (Jason and Lars Dressler). For the manufacture of their elegant minimalist furniture models, they use high-quality birch plywood, which is cut on a special woodworking machine, processing, namely: grinding the elements, subsequent polishing, painting and final assembly, is done by hand.
The ease of manufacturing plywood lamellas and the possibility of manufacturing highly decorative furniture models have led to various design experiments. An example is the author's work of American designer Justin Couch, who uses contrasting applications from cut plywood covered with acrylic putty.
Left: designer bench made of plywood slats. Right: Justin Couch's coffee table
Justin Couch uses two types of plywood - birch for light parts, walnut for black parts, this approach makes painting easier. His furniture is informal, elegant and extraordinary. Justin Kauch's portfolio includes both exclusive author's models and products designed for mass production.
To some extent, the path of Justin Kauch was repeated by the American designer Hilary Wiezbenski, who founded a small company and makes designer furniture from plywood. She started by selling leaf tables. Over time, Hilary began to experiment with bent plywood. Internal admiration is caused by the original shelf with a “flowing” clock, made entirely by hand from steamed plywood.
Left: leaf table, designed by Hilary Weisbensky, USA. Right: a shelf with a "flowing" clock
Plywood is versatile, it can be used for making furniture, in interior design and allows you to achieve amazing effects and textures.
Left: Industrial model of Justin Couch's rocking chair.
Right: plywood nightstand by famous American modernist George Nelson
Author's models of plywood furniture
Most foreign design studios do not supply their products to Russia. Although delivery is possible, it is often associated with many difficulties. What to do if you want to decorate your home in a non-standard way and have some free time and desire? The answer is simple, you can try to make furniture with your own hands. It is possible and, it turns out, not so difficult. The plywood processing technology is quite simple, but we will talk about this later, but now we will pay attention to the author's furniture models that you can try to make yourself.
Designer sun lounger for garden and terrace
The original chaise longue was created by the design company DesignKoalition. The sun lounger will provide you with maximum relaxation and rest on fresh air. The base for the chair is made of plywood 18-21 mm thick, the guides are rigidly connected to each other wooden beams or metal pipe.
University lounger SOFT Rock
The University of Massachusetts has developed an original deck chair, which has become a real decoration of the university campus. Chaise longue made of flexible plywood, installed inside Neon lights which is powered by solar panels. The interior of the lounger, designed for relaxing, reading and studying, has excellent ergonomic performance.
Coffee table by Jeffrey Matthias
An interesting and simple table to manufacture was proposed by American designer Jeffrey Matthias from Denver, a specialist in industrial design. On his website you can see his portfolio, which includes drawings of products for the independent manufacture of furniture. The main quality of industrial plywood products is the most economical cutting of plywood sheets, this is how this table was designed. Jeffrey enthusiastically communicates with everyone who wants to reproduce his furniture models and asks him to write to him on any questions that arise.
Children's table-tree made of plywood
If you want to decorate a children's room in the style of a "green" design outside the box, we advise you to reproduce this model of a wooden desk. The table is made of plywood, the edges are treated with a special acrylic putty, which allows you to achieve the effect of plastic. The result is an extraordinary children's desk and chair with a bright finish. The table is made of plywood 24 mm thick.
Model of a children's desk in the form of a tree (90x140x75)
Coffee table by Justin Couch
An interesting element in the living room will be a wonderful coffee table by Justin Kauch in the modern baroque style. To achieve a similar "varnish" effect, special acrylic putties are used, which make the surface look like plastic.
Armchairs by the Dressler brothers
Of course, an exceptional example modern furniture from plywood are the sun loungers of the Dressler brothers. Such products are easy to manufacture, the only difficulty will be in the manufacture of lamellae. However, the result in the form of ready-made chairs will bring a special note of fashion to your interior.
Chair brothers Dressler. It is assembled from lamellas that are pulled together
Rocking chair Toby Howes (Toby Howes)
Toby Howes is a well-known furniture designer in Britain, whose models are distinguished by exquisite elegance. They are an excellent example of contemporary furniture modernism. His portfolio includes a rocking chair made from bent plywood. Many masters find it difficult to repeat such a chair. Obviously, the plywood in this case is processed manually.
Plywood table by Erwin Zwiers
The countertop is original in this model. It is made using twisted sheets of thin, flexible tropical wood plywood. Agree - the table is non-trivial and easy to manufacture.
The success of the bench-chair is connected, first of all, with its exquisite ergonomic shape. Such armchairs become an element of children's rooms, public spaces and ultra-modern living rooms. For manufacturing, lamellas are cut out, which are rigidly fastened together. The result is a stable and lightweight construction.
Chair-bench DieFabric. Chair slat drawing
George Nelson's legendary Asterisks watch
It is impossible to ignore the masterpieces of the famous American modernist George Nelson. Asterisks watches are especially popular among its models. Like everything ingenious, they are easy to make and can become part of your interior if you make them yourself from thick plywood, cover with acrylic putty and, for example, yellow paint.
Technology for the manufacture of furniture from plywood
Plywood is widely used in the furniture industry, it is used for the manufacture of structural and decorative parts. Plywood boards are distinguished by high strength and elasticity, which allows them to be used in various furniture designs, which, as a result, also have a small weight.
Plywood grades and safety of use
Several types of plywood can be found on sale, birch plywood is considered the most common in our region, and other varieties can be imported from other countries. In general, plywood is divided into 5 grades, and sanded and unsanded plywood is also distinguished:
- FOF - moisture resistant laminated plywood, covered with a special layer of PVC film to give additional moisture resistance.
- FSF - moisture-resistant non-laminated plywood, usually birch, is characterized by exceptional water resistance. This is a plywood with a wide range of applications, it is also used as a furniture material; phenol-formaldehyde glue is used for its production.
- FK - birch plywood, produced using urea-formaldehyde resin.
- FBS - bakelite plywood, also called "marine" or "Finnish" plywood. Such plywood is coated with bakelite varnish, which gives it special physical and chemical properties. Bakelite plywood does not change its performance under the influence of a hot climate, moisture and sea water.
Regarding the safety of using plywood in furniture production long time there are disputes. For example, FSF plywood is made using resins with phenolic compounds, urea (ammonia) is used in FC. According to GOST, only the content of formaldehyde is regulated. The question arises, what is the emission of formaldehyde and what level is safe? In FSF plywood, the emission is less, which means it is safer.
All Russian plywood factories have an E1 safety certificate, there is plywood on the market that meets the E0 certificate, and some factories are also certified according to the “safer” standards CARB 1 and CARB 2.
From the point of view of furniture safety, it is better to avoid Chinese plywood, and opt for Finnish manufacturers that strictly comply with the requirements of standards, and Finnish resins contain a minimum of formaldehyde. When choosing plywood for a nursery, you should also avoid laminated products that contain a high level of formaldehyde. As experience shows, the issue of environmental quality of plywood from various manufacturers is quite controversial.
The cost of plywood can vary depending on the type, manufacturer, as well as the types of wood that are used for its production.
Marine Mahogany Plywood. Marine plywood made from gaboon veneer (Acuomea Kleinea), native to the Congo, can be sourced from factories in Holland, Italy, Greece, France, Israel and the USA. A variety of this type of plywood is Shorea veneer plywood, which grows in the Philippines, such plywood is more common under the names "meranti" and "luan", commercial grades "yellow luan", "white luan", "red luan" are also available. and red meranti. Usually such plywood is supplied with a thickness of at least 6.2 mm, the okume grade can be found in thinner sheets. The sheet size often does not exceed 1.22x2.44 m.
Birch, cedar, beech, pine plywood. As a rule, it is plywood for a wide range of applications, made from available wood in the country of manufacture. It is this plywood that is more often used for making furniture; plywood with a beautiful finish is especially valued. decorative coating. Good material for the manufacture of furniture is Russian plywood, in many cases it is not inferior to foreign analogues.
birch plywood
Flexible plywood from tropical woods. This is an excellent option for the manufacture of bent parts. Flexible plywood made from ceiba wood, also keruing, wig, is highly valued. During the production of flexible plywood, it is given special qualities, any parts will have structural strength and will be self-supporting. This plywood was created specifically for design purposes. Also, ultra-light plywood from ceiba, sumaum wood has been developed, which is almost 2 times lighter than analogues. Tropical plywood is highly decorative; when stained, its texture can be compared with Wenge veneer, which is the most popular in furniture design.
Laminated plywood. This is a type of plywood with surface layer laminate. For furniture production used laminated plywood with different colors of finishes.
Plywood processing
Making furniture from plywood does not require significant professional training. Some pieces of furniture can be made with a jigsaw, router and drill, more complex pieces can be carved on a CNC woodworking machine. Bent parts will be difficult to manufacture.
There are several ways to make bent parts. The first method consists in steaming a plywood blank. This applies to traditional varieties of plywood, which does not bend. In the simplest case, the plywood blank is placed in a hot bath, where it is kept for about 30 minutes, while hot, the blank must be fixed on the mold and left for 5-7 days. This method requires careful bending.
Method for manufacturing a curved blank
You can make a bent blank from several thin sheets of plywood and give it the desired shape. In this case, flexible tropical wood plywood is used. To fix the mold, epoxy glue is used, which is applied on both sides of the workpiece. Glue soaks into upper layer plywood, polymerizes and then retains the desired shape furniture detail. Gluing plywood is done using ordinary wood glues - bone and skin, casein glue is not used, as it leaves streaks. You can use glue made from synthetic resins.
Ideas for decorating plywood furniture
The shape of the furniture is not always self-sufficient, the design also implies a color scheme. In some cases, the shape and color are dominant, such as in the armchairs of the Dressler brothers. British designer Erwin Zwiers emphasizes the natural beauty of the wood, while Justin Couch paints the texture of the wood completely.
In the manufacture of designer furniture, you can pay special attention, first of all, to painting furniture using decoupage technique. Here are some options for decorating furniture in this technique.
A wonderful pale pink plywood wardrobe will bring a kind of flair into the room of a young girl. At first glance, the exaggeratedly simplified forms of the cabinet are complemented by a bright color scheme that distinguishes this model from trivial industrial solutions.
Looking at this cabinet, you unquestioningly agree that the author's design creates a special world around its owner. Latex paints and varnish were used for painting.
The plywood bureau, decorated in a botanical style using decoupage technique, is very original. A whole series of furniture designed by the design studio Martha Stewart Living is made in this style. Floral motifs look very harmonious, and decorating furniture in this style is quite simple - the base is covered with primer, then a blank with a pattern is glued, and then varnished.
Martha Stewart Living Design Furniture Series
A luxurious mahogany cabinet can be made from meranti plywood. Light areas are decorated using decoupage technique.
FLORA wardrobe by Josef Frank Design
Instructions for making your own rocking chair
You can make furniture yourself, it is even easier to find a use for it. Even a not very successful first copy will decorate the interior of a summer house or terrace, in addition, some flaws can be hidden by painting or using textile decor. The first experiments can be started with making a rocking chair, it turns out it's quite simple.
To make such a chair, you need desire, a little skill, an affordable woodworking tool and plywood 1520x800 mm in size and 4, 10 and 15 mm thick.
At the first stage, patterns of chair details are drawn. A pattern can be made by transferring the pattern to cardboard with a cell size on a scale grid of 100x100 mm.
The drawing of the part is transferred to plywood and cut out with a milling cutter. It is necessary to lay out the parts in such a way as to perform the most economical cutting. For manufacturing, you will need 3 sheets of plywood 15 mm thick. Holes for screws are made at the attachment points.
All cut parts are carefully carefully sanded and polished with sandpaper with different grain sizes, only then the product is assembled. Usually priming and painting is done disassembled. If it is necessary to check for functionality, the chair is pre-assembled.
The back of the chair and the seat are assembled from plywood planks, which are glued onto thin plywood 4 mm thick (details 10-11). So it turns out flexible design backs. Parts 4-7, 8 and 9 are made from three sheets of plywood. Technologically, we recommend gluing three sheets of plywood and only then cut out the part.
Table. List of parts and materials
| Part No. | Name | Qty | Dimensions | materials |
| 1 | sidewall | 2 | see fig. | plywood 15 mm |
| 2 | Rack | 2 | — | — |
| 3 | seat support | 2 | — | — |
| 4 | plank | 1 | 470x45 | — |
| 5 | plank | 1 | 540x45 | — |
| 6 | plank | 1 | 485x45 | — |
| 7 | plank | 1 | 470x45 | — |
| 8 | seat bar | 16 | 540x30 | plywood 10 mm |
| 9 | Back plank | 18 | 500x30 | — |
| 10 | Back base | 1 | 540x500 | plywood 4 mm |
| 11 | seat base | 1 | 540x480 | — |
| 12 | Step | 1 | length 535 mm, diameter 28 mm | Beech, birch |
A little effort and you can show off the chair own production, perhaps this will only be the beginning, and you will have a new hobby that will also save family budget. The ease of making furniture from plywood is really surprising, it can also be done by women who are always able to create something special from simple and uncomplicated things.
The variety of furniture options that can be made from plywood is a slight admiration for any person who does not even plan to make furniture on his own. Indeed, plywood is excellent design material, with which not only professional cabinetmakers can work. Making furniture with your own hands is available to almost every person who wants to try their hand at furniture design. Moreover, you can use the "tips" of fashionable furniture designers working with plywood, or create something of your own.
Fretwork, hand saw, has more than 450 years of existence. The first mention of this instrument appeared in 1870 in a book about ornaments. Over the past few centuries, with the help of this miracle jigsaw, all kinds of decorative items: picture frames, various furniture inserts, stylish caskets and boxes.
Much has changed since that time. The jigsaw has also undergone changes - now it has become electromechanical. And this is not surprising. The need for this tool has not gone away, just like in the old days, people are engaged in creativity, some for the sake of pleasure, and some for the sake of profit.
Tool for making decorative and openwork crafts
Sawing with a jigsaw - view creative activity, with which most people are familiar from childhood, from school time. At least it wasn't that long ago. When labor lessons began at school and girls learned to sew and needlework, boys were introduced to such a tool as jigsaw.
It is not difficult to use it, and crafts with a plywood jigsaw carry not only artistic value, but also practical use. Manufactured products can act as souvenirs: various caskets and toys, as well as have practical applications in everyday life. Decorated elements of the porch of the house, windows, stylish benches with carved legs, beautiful kitchen furniture and many others useful products from wood can be made using this miracle tool.
Ideal hobby tool
Manual jigsaw - a tool for figured cutting out of plywood or some other material, for example, plastic. Its manual version is budgetary - its cost does not exceed several hundred rubles, and the scope is very wide. Figured sawing with a manual jigsaw is an interesting activity. This is not only a pleasant pastime, but also practical benefits, not only financial, but also moral.
The design of this tool is very simple:
Electromechanical jigsaws
The electric manual jigsaw has become an indispensable tool in the household. It can be used to cut various materials: plywood, wood, plastic, metal, ceramics, etc.
This tool is powered by a 220 W electrical network and is a plastic case with working elements, equipped with a control knob. Its main component is the saw blade., which is mounted on a rod located in front of the device.
The rod is driven by an electric motor. The movement of the cutting blade is reciprocating. For some samples of this tool, to speed up the sawing process, the principle of a pendulum stroke is implemented, that is, the file goes not only up and down, but also back and forth.
Cutting blades - consumable and need to be changed from time to time. They are functionally different from each other - there are nozzles for wood, metal, ceramics. There are thicker blades, with greater or lesser rigidity, with larger or finer teeth. An important characteristic saw blades is their shank. The most common at present are files with U-shaped and T-shaped shanks. It is with such files that you need to purchase a jigsaw - then there will be no shortage of consumables.
An electric tool differs in many respects, but in this article we will pay attention to only one important factor - this is saw blade play. This characteristic affects the withdrawal towards the cutting blade during figured sawing. Jigsaws of many brands cannot cope with the task of a perpendicular cut, this is especially sensitive when cutting thick wood - the error can be up to 5 mm.
The experiments carried out on the figured sawing of a tree showed that the best jigsaw was a tool from the company Festool. Popular firm Makita in this competition showed itself not with better side- the error of the perpendicular-shaped cut turned out to be quite large (up to 5 mm), and the entry into the tree of the electric jigsaw of this brand also occurs with large chips.
- this is a professional equipment for sawing. Its design is more complex than the equipment discussed above. The principle of its operation can be compared with a sewing machine, which has a jigsaw blade instead of a needle. The quality of the products obtained with the help of this unit is incomparably better. Perpendicular cut error at big thickness workpiece is zero.
The only disadvantage of this electromechanical apparatus is its high price. But this is offset by the comfort of working on it and high performance at the highest quality received products.
Manufacturing technology of decorative and openwork products
To work you will need the following:
- Plywood or wood blank.
- Template, drawing or drawing of a future product.
- Manual or electric jigsaw.
- Files and needle files of various configurations.
- Wooden square and ruler.
- Skin of various grain sizes.
Cutting drawings
To start work, you need to determine what should happen at the end of the work. To do this, you need a drawing or a template for the future product. You can invent and draw it yourself, or use ready-made solutions. There are many collections containing drawings and craft diagrams. The internet is also teeming with variety. interesting ideas. And for almost everyone there is a curious scheme or drawing.
Usually, schemes for small crafts are removed on A4 paper. To create drawings of decorative and stylish furniture or other large-sized household items, whatman paper is used in sizes A0 and A1, however, other paper and cardboard media can also serve this purpose, for example, pieces of unnecessary wallpaper glued together.
After the drawing is selected, it must be transferred to the material from which the craft will be made. There are several ways to do this:
Technology
After applying the drawing to the workpiece, from which the future craft will be made, they begin to cut it out. Sawing starts from the internal elements of the workpiece and only then cut out the outer contour. This procedure is more convenient - it is much easier to hold the workpiece.
The holes for the jigsaw blade are drilled in sharp places of the inner contour, which also facilitates the work. Holes must be drilled carefully as back side chips may form.
To avoid this, you need to follow simple rule- do not drill holes completely. For example, if the thickness of the plywood is 3 mm, then the depth of the hole to be drilled must also be set to 3 mm. This is easy to do if you limit the depth of entry of the drill into the plywood with electrical tape - wrap the drill with it, leaving only the tip 3 mm long without tape. After drilling, turn the workpiece over and pierce the holes with an awl.
After the workpiece has been sawn, it must be process and polish. If the outer contour is not difficult to process, then grinding the internal elements is sometimes difficult, especially in sharp corners. Such places are difficult to grind with a file or needle file. Therefore, ingenuity can come to the rescue. You need to cut off a thin strip of sandpaper and insert it instead of a jigsaw file and then it will be much easier to process hard-to-reach places.
The principles of sawing with a manual or electromechanical jigsaw are similar, but there are differences.
Work with a manual jigsaw
When working with this tool, an additional device is required - sawing machine. It must be equipped with a clamp for attaching to a workbench or table. This device serves as the base on which the workpiece is sawn. This addition can either be purchased at the store, or you can make yourself from a piece of thick plywood.
When working, the workpiece should be fixed at chest level - this will make the work more comfortable and maintain posture.
When working with a manual jigsaw, accuracy and patience are needed.. The files of this tool are quite fragile, so you need to avoid sudden movements and distortions of the blade, and also during operation, do not let the file overheat, for this you need to stop working every 10 seconds and let it cutting blade cool down.
When sawing, the jigsaw should remain in one place, that is, it does not move forward or backward, the movement of the manual jigsaw is vertical, reciprocating. Only the workpiece is moved, turning it smoothly, without stopping the translational movements of the manual jigsaw.
Sawing with an electromechanical tool
The principle of operation is very similar to hand tool. The difference is that for a manual jigsaw you do not need optional equipment(machine with a clamp). And also when sawing out, the figured movement is carried out not by the workpiece, but directly by the tool itself. The wooden blank is firmly pressed or attached to the workbench, and all curly movements are made directly with a jigsaw.
Electric jigsaw has an advantage over manual- this is the thickness that he can figuratively cut out. A 50 mm thick wooden blank is not available for processing with a conventional, non-electric tool. So, if you need to decorate the elements of the porch or furniture, then you can’t do without a jigsaw.
The choice of a power tool must be approached very carefully, since not all tools allow high-quality figured sawing of great depth.
Safety
Basic safety precautions are required for all types of physical work.
First of all, you should properly organize the workspace. Despite the seeming formality, it is very important condition. A properly equipped place provides not only comfort and convenience, which is important when working for many hours with a manual jigsaw, but also directly affects the quality of the project being implemented.
As a persistent structure, a special machine-table is used, behind which the name "dovetail" has stuck. It is a small rectangular board with a wedge-shaped cutout that turns into a working field for sawing. The dovetail is attached to the edge of a table or workbench with a clamp.
They work with a manual jigsaw while sitting or standing, placing the workpiece for cutting at a level of 30-40 cm from the eyes. The light source is placed in front at an angle to the work plane. Compliance with these rules will allow you to control the cutting line as accurately as possible, thereby improving the quality of the sawn project.
Which jigsaw to choose?
Despite the simplicity of their design, modern manual jigsaws have a number of features that you should pay attention to when choosing. It is better to refuse models with a sheet iron frame by choosing a jigsaw made of metal tube. This option provides a better tension of the blade and eliminates its distortion, so that the file will not “take away” during operation.
The file is fixed in the frame by tightening the upper and lower wing nuts. When choosing a jigsaw, pay attention that it is equipped with high-quality steel lambs with wide ears. This will significantly increase the ease of use of the tool in the process.
How to properly prepare the tool for work?
The file in the jigsaw is fixed strictly vertically, with the teeth down. The fabric must be stretched. The degree of tension is regulated by compressing the frame: the tool rests on the edge of the table or is squeezed by hand, after which the lambs are tightened, if necessary, tightening them with pliers. When straightened, the frame will provide the proper tension to the blade.
For sawing with a hand jigsaw small parts, figures with sharp contours and complex patterns on wood use small files with large quantity teeth per inch. They do not stick on turns, creating a thin and neat cut, leaving no chips. To create large plywood products and long straight cuts, blades with large teeth are used, which cut an order of magnitude faster.
Let's get down to business. How to cut plywood and wood with a jigsaw?
To get an accurate and accurate cutting line, a number of basic rules should be observed:
- The hand with the jigsaw should only perform vertical movements.
- Up and down movements are made without sharp jerks and with maximum amplitude in order to use the entire working length canvases.
- The second hand in the process of sawing smoothly unfolds and moves the workpiece.
- No need to press the file on the workpiece and exert lateral pressure on the blade.
- Sawing occurs only at the moment when the file moves from top to bottom, so the reverse movement must be carried out freely without pressure.
Working with a manual jigsaw, it is not driven along the pattern line, but along the inside of the contour, since even the thinnest blade leaves a cut, the width of which should be taken into account. This is especially important when sawing products with precise fitting elements, for example, or.
When finished, do not forget to loosen one of the clamps so that the jigsaw frame does not lose its elasticity.
And what about the development of basic techniques?
The most intricate patterns are always based on a series of basic shapes and elements, having worked out which you will be prepared to complete complex projects. It is desirable to do this thin plywood up to 3 mm thick.
Obtuse and right angles : the jigsaw moves smoothly without pressure on the workpiece, as if idling; at this time, the second hand slowly turns the wooden blank to the desired angle.
Inner circular contour : for this, a small hole is drilled in the inside of the figure, through which the file is passed. When sawing a circle, the cutting line is drawn along the inner contour of the pattern. The stroke of the tool should be of medium intensity; the workpiece unfolds in proportion to the movements of the jigsaw.
oval outline : When sawing such a figure, increase the stroke of the jigsaw in steep sections, turning the workpiece in this place faster.
sharp corners: a neat sharp corner without chips and other defects is obtained by bringing together two cuts.
Advice! Sawing complex openwork patterns, start work from the center of the wooden workpiece, evenly shifting to the periphery. This will greatly simplify the sawing process and avoid breakage of fragile work at the finishing stage.
You felt the jigsaw well, achieved a smooth ride and kept a neat cutting line, but here the movement of the tool is difficult and the saw blade is wedged in the workpiece. This is a typical situation that occurs when carving plywood with a hand jigsaw. It happens for the following reasons:
- Overheating of the file - when long work The fabric expands with heat. To avoid similar situations take short breaks or periodically wipe the canvas with a damp cloth.
- Features of a wooden blank. The movement of the jigsaw may be difficult due to the fact that the file has run into a denser area: a knot, a clot of glue in plywood, etc.
- On long cuts, the file can be clamped between two almost separated pieces of plywood. You can continue comfortable sawing by fastening the divided ends with a clothespin
What kind of plywood is needed for sawing with a jigsaw?
Practice shows that best material for work with a manual jigsaw - birch plywood with a thickness of 2 to 8 mm. It is affordable, easy to use and highly durable.
To create small details or a “dense” openwork pattern, it is more appropriate to use three-layer plywood up to 3 mm thick. It is easy to cut and at the same time it is quite durable. The probability that you will spoil the sawn curl at the next jamming of the canvas is much lower.
When choosing a material for crafts, pay attention to the fact that the plywood is even and without a large number knots. Examine the end for the presence of air chambers, their presence indicates uneven application of glue. It is better to refuse such low-grade plywood, otherwise you cannot avoid a large number of chips that will spoil the appearance of the product.
But what if you use wooden blanks?
For all its practicality, plywood does not have such an expressive texture as a board. When cutting plank projects, you can use these advantages: play on the difference in colors and shades, the orientation of the wood fibers (as in intarsia), etc. Crafts made of wood have a more attractive end (without a layered structure like plywood) and are much easier to process with a finishing compound.
For sawing with a manual jigsaw, blanks made of soft and hard rock up to 10 mm thick. When choosing a material, give preference to boards tangential sawing. It is not recommended to use radial cut blanks, because. they have parallel annual rings, which, due to their hardness, will lead the jigsaw away when sawing.
What to do if chips constantly appear?
The number and size of chips depend on the type of plywood used, the quality of the canvas and how correctly the master cuts. Cutting with a manual jigsaw without chips will help a few tips and professional tricks:
- using low-quality plywood that is prone to chipping, cut more intensively by installing blades with a fine tooth;
- work with a file with a reverse (reverse) tooth designed to minimize chipping.
- glue the cut lines on the reverse side with adhesive tape or masking tape;
- moisten the back of the workpiece.
How to transfer the scheme to a wooden blank?
There are several convenient options for transferring a printed drawing to a wooden base:
- using carbon paper and redrawing the template manually;
- gluing the sheet on double-sided tape;
- sticking the picture on the glue, the remnants of which are rubbed with sandpaper at the finishing stage.