Home - This Old Workshop
Rockwell Trans4mer Jigsaw
Rockwell Trans4mer Jigsaw
The Rockwell Trans4mer is a nice little jigsaw with a unique twist. The head of this tool rotates turning the saw into a miniature Sawzall of sorts. The rotating head can be turned into about 6 different positions. This allows the user to come at the cut from many angles. The little saw is very Ergonomic which is feature we have come to expect from all the Rockwell tools we have tested. The Trans4mer uses Rockwell’s 12 volt Lithium Ion Batter charging system that was first found on the 3rill. The Battery takes a 75% charge in 15 minutes and 100% in only 30 minutes. The saw ran for over 30 minutes of continues cutting in our tests before a battery change was required, allowing you to cut all day using the 2 batteries you have from the saw.
The charger has a brilliant display that is red when uncharged turning to a bright green when charged. This is one of the best features of the saw, making it easy to tell when your battery is pillowex charged from across the shop.
We cut plywood copper tubing brass and other non-furious metals with the metal blade and were very pleased with the results. The saw never bogged down at all. This is the little saw that could. It cut through hard wood right up to the limit of the blade with never a sign of a lack of power.
We recently got to use the little saw to aid us in upgrading the electricity in the Southern test shop. We cut the power outlet box holes through OSB and sheet rock, giving us a chance to rotate the head for ease of use. The saw did its job without complaint.
Next came a few Christmas cutouts, we were able to cut through ¾ birch Plywood all day and the saw kept up. As you all know I am a big fan of cordless tools from nail guns to jigsaws, if the job can be done equally well without a cord that’s the way I want to do it.
In this era many woodworkers don’t buy jigsaws because the big ones can be pretty spendy, are a pain to drag out, and blade changes can be difficult. None of this is true with the Trans4mer. The saw is affordable on any budget and it has no cord to get in the way it is surprisingly powerful and is easy to perform blade changes on. It accepts standard T-mount blades.
Yes there are still times I will get out the bigger jigsaw, but for day to day use this is the saw that sees the bulk of the work in our shop I believe this will be true in your shop as well. All in all a jigsaw is a necessity, especially if you don’t yet own a band saw. If you’re on a budget this could be the saw for you, after all it has not failed me yet and I have been using it for 5 months on a daily basis in my shop. This little saw gets a full endorsement from me I can’t imagine the shop without the Trans4mer.
Cheers
Lance Granum