The construction of homemade machines based on engines from broken household appliances has already become a classic. Usually a motor from a washing machine is used for this, but a compressor from a refrigerator can also be used to good effect. Let's consider the option of making a jigsaw from an old compressor.
Basic materials:
- refrigerator compressor;
- steel shaft, with a diameter equal to the compressor piston or smaller;
- channel 27 mm;
- corner 25x25 mm;
- profile pipes 40x20 and 20x20 mm;
- rod d8 mm;
- pressure spring;
- wing nut M8;
- 2 M8 nuts;
- plastic bottle 2 l;
- chipboard;
- 2 bolts with M6 washers.
Assembling a jigsaw
The compressor has an outer casing that encloses the motor. To get to its motor, you need to cut the body along the factory weld. The electric motor with the piston open is removed from the casing.
The motor requires modification in the form of a mount to attach the file to the piston. To do this, the top of the piston is ground with a file, and a hole is drilled in its center. Since it is very thin, simply cutting threads into it will not work.
The prepared piston must be removed. Since compressors from refrigerators are not designed for repair, their disassembly is not structurally provided for.
To knock out the piston pin you will have to drill through the balancer.
For the removed piston, an extension is made from a steel shaft of suitable diameter. A spike is machined onto the shaft and fits tightly into the drilled hole in the piston. You need to weld a fungus onto the pressed tenon on the inside of the piston. The result is an improvised rivet that prevents the parts from coming apart.
The machine bed is made of channel. To attach the engine to it, a mount of 2 pieces of a 25x25 mm corner is used. They are marked for the mounting holes of the electric motor, drilled and, if necessary, sharpened.
The angles are screwed to the engine using bolts removed from the compressor. Next you need to install the previously removed rotor with crank. A lubricated piston is inserted into them, to the shaft of which an eyelet is additionally welded to press the nail file.
The assembled engine is placed in the center of the frame and welded to it at the corners. It wouldn’t hurt to weld a small piece of the shaft onto the compressor counterweight to compensate for the weight of the piston. This will reduce vibration during operation.
An L-shaped upper arm of the machine is welded from a profile of 40x20 mm and 20x20 mm, as in the photo. A hole is drilled in a 20x20 profile opposite the piston. You need to weld an M8 nut to each side of it.
A polished rod d8 mm will hold and tighten the jigsaw file. Grinding will reduce its diameter by fractions of a millimeter to prevent friction against the bushings. An eyelet is welded on one end to tighten the blade, and a thread is cut on the other.The rod is inserted into the hole of the L-shaped lever and pressed through a spring with a wing nut. Also, a frame for the machine table is made from a 20x20 mm profile. The ends of the nail file are clamped in the ears of the piston and rod with M6 bolts.
The design already has the outline of a finished jigsaw, but requires protection of the motor from sawdust. You can build a casing on it from a cut plastic bottle.
A chipboard tabletop with a pre-made slot for a nail file is screwed onto the frame of the machine table.
The assembled jigsaw has enough power to cut laminate, lining and even bars. The proposed design retains the possibility of modernization. You can modify the table so that it can be raised when the saw teeth wear off, or you can add a protective screen or lighting.
