Adding a light to the Trion

[derekcohen]

The only issue I have with the Trion is that it can be difficult to see the line as it is cut. There are a few work-arounds: remove the dust guard, even thought this impacts on dust control. And pull the jigsaw rather than push it, which makes it possible to see the blade  directly. Still, more light at the blade would help a great deal. And, yes, I know the Carvex has a light.

Well, I have not come up with a way to insert a light into the housing with the blade. That would be great, as it would be possible to use the dust guard again.

I was using the Trion today to remove the waste on a curved table top, and it occurred to me that I already had a light that might work. This one is sold by Lee Valley ...


https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ts/72426-magnetic-led-tool-light?item=09A0490

It has a housing with a rare earth magnet at the rear. So I epoxied a small steel plate to the front of the Trion ...



... and attached the light ...



How well does this work? Obviously it does not match a Carvex in this regard, and the dust guard remains off, but the light added was significant. Definitely worth the effort to do.





Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Mac]

What a simple upgrade...I'll be trying this!

 

[ChuckS]

I have a couple of those lights (one from the Veritas plunge base for rotary tools). The button batteries last ok.

For a better focus on the cutline, I adhere a button lamp to the dust shroud for my jigsaw, without losing the dust extraction function. The button lamp gives about 20 hrs of light before it's replaced.

For the DF500, I use a rechargeable larger led, attached to the bridge with self-adhesive magnets.

Let there be light!

 

[Cheese]

The nice thing about the Trion is that I've never noticed much difference in dust pickup between using the dust guard and not using it. So that bodes well for attaching the LED light on the front of the Trion. The Carvex on the other hand, really suffers when the dust guard is removed. FWIW...I did a comparison about 4 years ago between the Mafell, Trion & Carvex.

 

[onocoffee]

The nice thing about the Trion is that I've never noticed much difference in dust pickup between using the dust guard and not using it. So that bodes well for attaching the LED light on the front of the Trion. The Carvex on the other hand, really suffers when the dust guard is removed. FWIW...I did a comparison about 4 years ago between the Mafell, Trion & Carvex.

Did you make a video?

Could be the new Cheese Channel on YouTube...!

 

[Cheese]

Did you make a video?

Could be the new Cheese Channel on YouTube...!

You mean like Betamax...

I just did a quick photo session of differences between the 3 jig saws. Nothing involved just something down & dirty to validate the reason I spent the $$$ for the P1cc.

The results however, are pretty stunning.

 

[UncleRunkle]

The nice thing about the Trion is that I've never noticed much difference in dust pickup between using the dust guard and not using it. So that bodes well for attaching the LED light on the front of the Trion. The Carvex on the other hand, really suffers when the dust guard is removed. FWIW...I did a comparison about 4 years ago between the Mafell, Trion & Carvex.

How is the dust collection on the carvex?

 

[ChuckS]

One will be disappointed if one thinks the carvex or any jigsaw dust extraction will fare well like the domino machine or any Festool sander. I used the carvex a couple of times to cut 2x4 materials and the dust on the ground was pretty obvious. But the extraction on the carvex is better than that of the black & decker I have.

 

[Cheese]

How is the dust collection on the carvex?

I'll post some photos later tonight...but in a nutshell, the Trion was better when not using the guard while the Carvex was better when the guard was in-place. As far as the Mafell P1cc that doesn't even offer a guard...

 

[derekcohen]

I have not done a direct comparison of with- or without the dust cover on the Trion, but its use without the cover is decent enough to continue using it that way if it means better visibility of the line being cut. This photo is representative of the dust expelled forward when using a finer Festool blade and a CT26/27mm hose combination ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Cheese]

I have not done a direct comparison of with- or without the dust cover on the Trion, but its use without the cover is decent enough to continue using it that way if it means better visibility of the line being cut.

I agree, the small trade off in dust collection is well worth the additional benefits of lighting the area in front of the blade.

For the jigsaw test I used 3 identical, new Festool blades and each jigsaw was at max speed cutting 1/2" plywood. The chip guard was removed from both Festool jigsaws because the Mafell saw doesn't offer the option. The photos below speak for themselves.

 

[ChuckS]

Yeah, the dust cover shouldn't be used when accurate cuts are desired. I use the jig saw (as well as the bandsaw) mostly for rough cuts and the dust cover therefore helps.

For the final profiles, my preferred method is to route them with a template.