Depending on exactly what you want to cut, you can find all kinds of saws out there. While some of them are ideal for basic jobs, others are ideal for industrial applications. But whenever you are using a saw, it is highly important to ensure that you have the right one. And if you’re in the market for a new saw, you may come across jamb saws.
If you are unfamiliar with the same, this guide is perfect for you! We are here with all the details about jamb saws, their uses, types, functions, pros and cons, and some of the best jamb saws to get the perfect one for your required application.
What is a Jamb Saw and its Use?
Before checking anything else, it is quite important first to understand what exactly a jamb saw is and the purpose it offers. Unlike some other manual saws, jamb saws are usually electric-powered saws. As for their function, they are used to make undercuts around the bottom casings of doors that are called jambs. Hence, these saws made for cutting door jambs are called jamb saws.
Since jamb saws are made to cut under door jambs, they have a perpendicular blade that is quite low. It essentially looks like an angle grinder where the blade is replaced with a saw for cutting in tight spaces under door jambs. Because of the same reason, jamb saws are also known as undercut saws. And these saws are perfect for installing laminate or wooden flooring under door casings. This is quite important if you want to have a clean look.
What are the Different Types of Jamb Saws?
Now that you know that jamb saws are used for dealing with door jambs, you may want to get one for yourself. However, depending on the task that you want to finish, you may want a specific type of jamb saw. This is due to the reason that there are two types of jamb saws out there, which includes:
- Flush Cutting Jamb Saw: Just per the name, a flush-cutting jamb saw cuts along a flat surface, which is generally the floor. And this type of jamb saw is used to cut door jambs according to the height of your floor.
- Undercutting Jamb Saw: On the other hand, an undercutting jamb saw is used to cut under the door jambs without damaging the door jambs. This type of jamb saw is useful when you want to install flooring under your door without damaging your doors.
How Does a Jamb Saw Function?
Whether you are using a flush-cutting jamb saw or an undercutting jamb saw, it is highly important to know exactly how a jamb saw functions. This is quite important to ensure that you are cutting jambs properly without damaging your floor or your door jamb itself. To start using a jamb saw, you have to first adjust and set your jamb saw according to your floor thickness. After that, you can turn on the jamb saw and start cutting the door jambs of door casings as required. Once that is done, you can optionally use a chisel to clean up the cut and install the floor around door jambs.
Pros and Cons of Jamb Saws
Even though jamb saws are highly functional for working around door jambs, even jamb saws are not perfect. Like any other power tool, jamb saws have pros and cons. And if you want to pick the perfect power tool for a given job, it is highly important to make sure to keep all of the following pros and cons in mind:
Pros of Jamb Saws:
- Jamb saws are highly specifically built for cutting around door jambs with high precision. This makes them perfect if you are working with door jambs.
- When compared with other saw types, only jamb saw can offer clean and precise cuts in tight spaces like around door jambs.
- While reciprocating saw or oscillating tools can be used around door jambs, using them can be a bit tricky.
- If you work on industrial applications quite often, adding a jamb saw to your tool kit can be a great idea even though it is only used for specific applications.
Cons of Jamb Saws:
- In case you wish to use a jamb saw for anything else other than working around door jambs, you will be disappointed because of the highly specific design.
- Since jamb saws can only be used for a specific application, you’re better off with all in one tools if you are on a tight budget.
Safety Precautions for Jamb Saws
If you are using a power tool like a jamb saw that can cut through wooden door jambs within seconds, then taking some important safety precautions is highly important. While there are a lot of things to keep in mind while handling a power tool like a jamb saw, here are some of the most important ones:
- Whenever you are using a jamb saw, you need to make sure that nothing gets in the way of the cutting blade. Because depending on what hits the blade, it can completely jam it and even damage the jamb saw itself.
- Since the cutting blade of a jamb saw rotates at a pretty high speed, it can cause a lot of wood chips and other debris to fly around. Therefore, you should consider using a dust cover paired with a shop vacuum to eliminate the extra dust and debris.
- As you use your jamb saw more and more, its cutting blade will only get blunt with time. And over a long period of time, this will make cutting things difficult for the jamb saw. This can make your jamb saw to make even more debris and wood chips to fly around. Hence, wearing eye or even face protection is recommended.
Top Picks for the Best Jamb Saws
After going through all these details regarding jamb saws, you would also want to get one for your toolkit. Although, despite being a highly specific power tool, there are still thousands of jamb saws to choose from available out there. Since it can be quite difficult to pick one of these, here are some of our top picks for the best jamb saws:
1. Roberts Jamb Saw
The Roberts Q.E.P jamb saw can be a great option for those looking for a powered jamb saw without paying a premium. Since it uses a 1100 watt electric motor, it is able to offer a maximum speed of up to 7500 RPM which is pretty high. And when combined with its 6 inch cutting blade, you can get quite great performance out of it.
Best Features:
- Powered by a 1100 watt electric motor
- Rated speed of up to 7500 RPM
- Uses a 6 inch cutting blade
2. Kraft Jamb Saw
Kraft Tool’s FC518 is one of the best options out there if you want an affordable manual jamb saw. Since you get a blade length of 12 inches with this jamb saw, it can easily cut through door jambs even if they are in a tight spot. And since it has 14 cutting teeth, it also offers sharp cuts.
Best Features:
- Manual powered jamb saw
- Uses a 12-inch long cutting blade
- Offers a total of 14 blade teeth
3. Crain Jamb Saw
This Crain No. 835 jamb saw can be a great option if you do not have any budget issues and want a high-end powered jamb saw. Compared to other jamb saws, this one has a much more powerful 1560-watt electric motor that outputs a motor speed of up to 6500 RPM. While this might not be the highest motor speed, you do get a comparatively larger 6.5-inch cutting blade for even better performance.
Best Features:
- Powered by a 1560-watt electric motor
- Rated speed of up to 6500 RPM
- Uses a 6.5-inch cutting blade
4. Bon Jamb Saw
The Bon 24-307 jamb saw can be another great option if you are on a budget and want a manual powered jamb saw. Similar to the previously mentioned Kraft Tool jamb saw, this one also has a blade length of 12 inches so that you can cut through door jambs without any issues. And thanks to its 10-point cutting teeth, it offers quite sharp cuts while working on door jambs.
Best Features:
- Manual powered jamb saw
- Uses a 12-inch long cutting blade
- Offers 10-point cutting teeth
Conclusion
Even though jamb saws are used for a highly specific job, this guide should help you learn everything about them and pick the perfect one. Not only have we covered the basics of jamb saws, but we have also covered their pros and cons in detail. You can also learn about the functionality and types of jamb saws up above, which can be useful if you are new to jamb saws. Last but not least, we have also discussed some of the best options available out there when it comes to jamb saws. If this guide has helped you learn more about jamb saws, then leave your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.
