User:Luigizanasi/sandbox

Before diving in, I decided to do some research, both on the web and in the books I have handy. I should say where I'm coming from: there is total confused morass of woodworking terms, where the same thing is called by a different name in diffrent paklces and times and different things are called by the same name in different palces and times. And even sonmetimes by the same person. There is no authority that tells us what the "correct" name for anything is, so our job is to document them all and try to make it clear what we are talking about. Pictures help.

I looked up the US, Canadian, UK & Australian web sites for what the Sawzall-type reciprocating saw was called. In North America, we call it a Sawzall because Milwaukee invented it, just like a portable circular saw is a Skilsaw, but I digress. Here are the results of the web search:

So, Reciprocating saw is the winner for the sawzall-type saw, although "sabre saw" is also used in some UK and Australian web sites (and one Canadian one!). BTW, I also have a Makita POS reciprocating saw. The collar kept on falling off and now I have lost it. Doesn't seem to affect the performance though. As a North American, a sabre or saber saw is another name for the electric jigsaw with a somewhat obsolete flavour. But it gets more confusing when I looked the different types of reciprocating-action saws in my wooddorking library.


 * Feirer Cabinetmaking and Millwork, the standard school text in North America, calls the sawzall a "reciprocating saw". Feirer calls the electric hand-held jigsaw a "bayonet saw", with mention of it being also called a "saber", "sabre" or "hand jig" saw. Feirer has an entire chapter entitled "Jig or Scroll Saw" devoted to the 'lectric scroll saw.
 * Audel's Carpenter's and Builder's Library (old standard trade reference &mdash; I have the 1974 edition) has "saber saw" for the jig saw, no mention of the sawzall, probably not invented yet. Scroll saw is scroll saw.
 * Percy W. Blandford, The Woodworker's Bible (1976) ISBN 0-517-448629 (1985 edition) has saber saw for the jigsaw, but he also calls the scroll saw a "large saber saw" in the picture but a "fret-saw" or "jig-saw" in the text. One picture is of a really neat contraption where the top of the blade is held by a bow (as in bow and arrow) type thing fixed to the ceiling, and the bottom fixed to a motor. {Pretty cool, you could cut curves in anything with that.
 * Ernest Joyce, ''Encyclopedia of Furniture Making" has "jigsaw" for jigsaws, but notes they should more properly be called "sabre saws" as jig saw "could also be taken to mean power-driven fretsaw in which the blade is secured at either end." No sawzall.

So I propose this article be about the sawzall type reciprocating saw. Sabre/Sabre saw should be a disambiguation page pointing to this page and to the jigsaw page. All the articles should mention the other uses of their title and provide the appropriate redirect. as well, all the articles should mention the varied names the tool has gone under. And Bob's your uncle. Luigizanasi 06:05, 17 October 2006 (UTC)