plunge cut

Any cut made into a material that does not originate on either end or side of that material. One might perform a plunge cut when needing to cut an opening in the middle of a piece of plywood without damaging the material around the perimeter of the opening.
Plunge cuts can be performed by almost any type of saw but are most common when using a Jigsaw or a Skill Saw. The plunge cut is made by placing the leading edge of the foot upon the material and holding the rear edge of the foot up, off the material high enough the the blade does not contact the surface. When using a Skill Saw, one then holds open the spring loaded blade guard then lowers the rear edge of the foot until the blade comes in contact with the wood. Once the blade comes into contact with the material the blade guard can be released and the saw pushed forward until the blade is through the material or at depth. The technique is essentially the same with a Jigsaw, however there is no blade guard to deal with.

**DISCLAIMER ** Performing a plunge cut can be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Please seek professional, or extremely experienced assistance in learning how to perform this task.