This rotary jigsaw was also known as the Cutawl (Model K8). Based on the age of the motor and the history of patents on this machine, I believe it was made sometime in the 1930s. It had many other cutters available for cutting materials such as metal, wood, leather, fabric, drywall, and essentially anything else that is up to 1.25" thick and softer than hardened steel.
This restoration was a lengthly process as the motor needed work as well. I am stunned this motor eventually ran so well. There is zero play in any direction other than back and forth when I move the armature. For a motor that is ~85 years old, I was very surprised to see the bronze bushings having essentially no wear. It's possible they were replaced at one point.
After doing research on this tool and talking with some collectors and experts, I learned that there were certain parts that were fragile and prone to damage. The large wheel in the back is attached to the main shaft by a pin that does not go through the centre of the shaft, but is offset. This means that over time, the offset pin allowed the wheel to wear around the shaft and starting wobbling itself to the point of bending/breaking the shaft. I chose not to risk it and left the wheel as is.
While looking at a parts diagram of this tool, I decided it was too risky to try and hammer and pry off the rotary mechanism as it's filled with small steel balls and retainer rings. These two things are my enemies. All I do is loose them. The part works completely fine, so there is no reason to mess with it.
I could actually see myself using this tool for some applications. It has a very natural feel to controlling the direction of cut and I feel like I could be more accurate with this than a modern jigsaw.
Hopefully you get a chance to try one of these out one day!
Here is a link to all the materials the tool can cut: imgur.com/a/RDysJ
Thank you to Evapo-rust for sponsoring this video!
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