Carving Complex Things

I’m partnering with Black & Decker to showcase the MATRIX, its newest cordless 20v max drill/driver with a unique line of attachments that’s more adaptable than any other multi-tool that I’ve had the pleasure of owning.

First things first, I hope this quick vid of me without a head helps to show you how easy it is to swap out the attachments on the MATRIX, because if you haven’t seen the products firsthand, the versatility of the tool may still be a big question mark in your mind. It’s a question mark in my mind why I wouldn’t just slap on some makeup before making a video and show my face:

Easy, right? At least, that’s the adjective I chose to use 15 times in 27.2 seconds. All of the attachments slide on and snap in in that same way, and all operate by pulling the trigger of the drill. Gadgetry.

I’m rocking this MATRIX, testing its limits, its power, its battery capacity. It’s been getting a lot of use around here–not just in the projects like this one and the big wall storage unit that I made a few weeks ago–and I must say, I really do like the thing for its multi-usability and its light-weight design. Its whole array of attachments aside, there was one that I personally wanted to try as part of this product review series: The Jigsaw.

Now, I don’t do that many projects using a jigsaw, and I’ve never considered that Pete’s existing jigsaw was problematic in that it only has two settings, a low, and a high, but the MATRIX jigsaw attachment promised something new: variable speed capabilities. I had been very curious to know how that feature handles in a jigsaw. When it comes to describing the MATRIX, I start to sound a little like I’m describing Transformers, so bear with me. Because the tool is essentially a drill body with a whole bunch of different, functional heads, the jigsaw head in this case offers the user infinitely more control when it comes to maneuvering it. The blade will jig around as fast or slow as you want it to, just like you can control how fast your drill bit is turning based on how hard you’re a-squeezin’. Technical tool descriptions.

To test the sweet ability of the MATRIX Jigsaw, I chose to cut a few complex shapes: a trio of arrows that I considered might be eventually fitting in our nursery decor. Big sister likes her archery, and it seemed like a fun idea, but I fully admit that my drawing and sawing skills could be improved upon… I started out with a fairly advanced project to demonstrate how to wield a jigsaw.

I started by finding a bunch of 1/2″ x 3″ boards of scrap wood. On the boards, I sketched a few rough arrows.

I’m pretty bad at hand sketching and symmetry, come to find, so I went back and enhanced the designs so that they sat closer to/along the edge of the wood.

I was eager to see how well the tool handled while navigating details, and found that the ability to stop/start/slow/accelerate by engaging the power of the tool gradually was a great perk, especially when dealing with narrow spaces and turns in the design.

The attachment accepts most types of blades, both U and T shank, and they slip into place without the use of any tools, which only reinforces the convenient nature of the product.

I tried out the claim that the jigsaw could plunge through wood without having a predrilled point of entry–is this even a thing with traditional jigsaws? I don’t think so–anyways it worked, though it would definitely work better on a larger, less-detail-ornate project (like, for example, if you were needing to cut a hole in the center of a piece of plywood). As you can see in this next photo, the entry was a little rough, and that may be partially attributed to how narrow of a piece of wood I was working with (it was only clamped on one end and vibrated a lot beneath the tool itself). Choppy cuts cleaned up pretty well as I continuously went over the problem areas with the jigsaw blade to shave away imperfections, and other areas were improved upon with the help of the detail sander attachment.

It’s personally evident that I should have started with something less complex (I said the same thing when I made a stamp featuring the Made + Remade logo) but I like the concept, and with a little more practice to hone my skills (both in symmetry and in maneuvering a jigsaw to avoid accidental over cuts), a detailed cutting project using the MATRIX could turn out great.

Has anyone else tested out the MATRIX tools?