New to this

[Ptofimpact]

I had bought a Craftsman [ theres an oxymoron] low end scrollsaw, which is going back this morning. cut 3 small pieces of wood, and the machine sounds like a jackhammer.
I am just interested in an entry level low cost Hobby saw. Looking at Wen, thing got my attention was Easy to change blades. I get the Pinned/Unpinned thing, but figure I would be using mostly the Unpinned.
Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[sawman101]

I've had experience with Craftsman scroll saws up to Hegner and RBI saws. I love my RBI Hawk G-4, but I moved into a Dewalt DW788 scroll saw after the Craftsman and Delta saws, and was very happy with the performance and feel of the Dewalt. I cut for quite a few years on the Dewalts, and consider them to be the least saw to cut on, when it comes to starting out. The vibration and rough cutting on the cheaper saws leaves folks with a bad taste for scrolling. A saw that cuts smoothly and has very little vibration makes scrolling a pleasing hobby. Shop around for a used Dewalt saw, particularly on Craigslist, or even here in the classifieds. There are Dewalt type 1 and type 2 saws. The type 1 saws were made in Canada and had much better quality control, while the later type 2 saws are made in China. Expect to pay as little as $250 for a type 2 saw, or a little more for a type 1 saw. They retail for up to $600 with stand and light, while the RBI Hawks, and the Hegner saws retail for around $1400 new. There is the new Seyco saw, and the King saw, which replaced the Excalibur saws, selling for around $900; Excaliburs can be found used, but the Seyco and King are both new. Jet also is making a scroll saw, and I have had my hands on one, but not enough to form an opinion one way or the other. In general, the higher the price, the better the machine, but for an enjoyable experience, and years of cutting dependability, a used Dewalt DW 788 is the best place to start in my humble opinion.

 

[Rwe2156]

"Entry level low cost" is your problem.

There are plenty of quality scroll saws you have to be willing to value your hobby enough/afford them.

Check around on Craigslist scroll saws come up frequently.

I've heard the Dremel isn't bad.

 

[SteveHall]

I second sawman101's advice. I have a Dewalt DW788 Type 2 with stand and light, and it is fine for the occasional project. If I was a serious scroller, I would invest in one of the higher end saws he mentioned with even less vibration and deeper throats.

I should also mention that my first scroll saw experience was on my father's ancient cast iron something which had zero vibration. Fast forward 20 years to a used cheap something from Craigslist that I bought. It vibrated so badly that I re-posted it for re-sale the same day I brought it home and turned it on.

Blades are actually as important as the saw. THE source is Flying Dutchman blades, with high quality blades in countless sizes and cut directions. Get a few of every kind and size to experiment.

Spend ten minutes to make a little PVC pipe blade holder. Carefully color code the ends with paint/marker in some rotating color scheme so you can immediately identify a stray one. Make a little minimum radius chart as a guide until instinctual.

There are a lot of great scrollers here on NCWW that give great advice and will let you see their work and setup for tips!

 

[ste6168]

I started off with a cheap Skil saw, mainly bought it for my kids to make Christmas ornaments (a couple threads down) a few years ago. About a month ago Grizzly had the Dewalt 788 with stand a light combo on sale for $399, so I bought it and sold the Skil. It is AMAZING what a difference there is, and if I were smart, I would have bought one of these from the beginning. For my needs (occasional scroller), the Dewalt is perfect. If I did it more, or planned to scroll "full time" I would have probably bought an even nicer saw, such as the Excalibur or Jet. If you can find a Dewalt used (I think there is one in the classifieds now) I would jump on it, I think you'll be happy. Pair it with some Flying Dutchmen blades, and you should be set.

Edit: This was my solution to blade storage. Some plywood and cheap test tubes. Swings in/out for when in use. Got the idea from a post I saw here.

 

[Hmerkle]

I had bought a Craftsman [ theres an oxymoron] low end scrollsaw, which is going back this morning. cut 3 small pieces of wood, and the machine sounds like a jackhammer.
I am just interested in an entry level low cost Hobby saw. Looking at Wen, thing got my attention was Easy to change blades. I get the Pinned/Unpinned thing, but figure I would be using mostly the Unpinned.
Any thoughts appreciated.

Pete,
We have what we call the Good will Lathe and have JUST embarked on the "Goodwill Scroll saw" - this one will be a DeWalt that will be loaned to the NCWWer for a brief period of time (~3 months) to determine if he or she wants to invest in a tool of this caliber and continue with this skill / tool / style of woodworking.

Let me know if you are interested and I wil put your name on the list. (Since you are out at the east end of NCWW, you will have to figure out how to get it out to your neck of the woods!

Also take note that there is a DeWalt in the classifieds - not sure how good you have been this year, but perhaps Santa could be convinced that you were good enough for that used, but excellent saw for your future!!!

 

[Ptofimpact]

Many thanks for the kind offer and as usual, great advice from good folks, Ok so as I am searching around in this new world of scroll saws....the better half plays Santas Elf, and tell the Daughter what I am 'looking at' Wen Scroll saw, never asking If its what I am interested in, but God love them, the secret is, the daughter ordered something, so now I am to sit Mute, and not know what I might get, Yes Blessed, but currently Hamstrung in choice~

 

[cskipper]

My very first saw was a really cheap one. I didn't know if I would like to scroll, and didn't see much point in spending a lot of money to discover that I didn't like scrolling at all. Then I bought a medium priced saw and used that until I could afford a better one. A few years later I found an even better saw that I could afford. I've been scrolling for a lot of years now. The other discussion in this thread is that the blades are very important and can make even a poor quality saw more manageable.

 

[tri4sale]

Many thanks for the kind offer and as usual, great advice from good folks, Ok so as I am searching around in this new world of scroll saws....the better half plays Santas Elf, and tell the Daughter what I am 'looking at' Wen Scroll saw, never asking If its what I am interested in, but God love them, the secret is, the daughter ordered something, so now I am to sit Mute, and not know what I might get, Yes Blessed, but currently Hamstrung in choice~

OK, now you got us hooked in, we are going to have to see christmas morning pics of what she ordered!

 

[mquan01]

Pete,
We have what we call the Good will Lathe and have JUST embarked on the "Goodwill Scroll saw" - this one will be a DeWalt that will be loaned to the NCWWer for a brief period of time (~3 months) to determine if he or she wants to invest in a tool of this caliber and continue with this skill / tool / style of woodworking.

Let me know if you are interested and I wil put your name on the list. (Since you are out at the east end of NCWW, you will have to figure out how to get it out to your neck of the woods!

I would like my name added to the list please....

 

[ScottM]

I started with the Dremel saw and then moved up to a Dewalt. It is a Type 2 and provided 1,000's of hours of use. I was lucky. I now use !mostly an Excalibur and a Hegner. The better the saw the better the experience and the more it can do.

Glad to provide instructions to any one who wants to learn to scroll.

 

[Bear Republic]

Make a little minimum radius chart as a guide until instinctual.

s!

Is that chart by the blade, type, material? Got an example?

 

[SteveHall]

Is that chart by the blade, type, material? Got an example?

Here's the simple one I use:
[font="Andale Mono", "Lucida Console", "Courier New", Courier, Inconsolata, Monaco, Consolas]
Size : Wood Thickness
00- 1: 1/8"
2 - 4: 3/8"
5 - 6: 1/2"
7 - 9: 3/4"
10-12: 1"
[/font]
There are other subtle factors to consider. Wood hardness, grain direction, and exact type of blade (reverse/back cut, spiral, amount of tooth set) contribute significantly to final selection and comfort. I also like high tension on my blades, which is easy for large blades but a fine balancing act for thin ones between control and not snapping the blade.

Lots of great scrollers here could speak volumes on this... other wisdom?

 

[ScottM]

Here's the simple one I use:

Size : Wood Thickness
00- 1: 1/8"
2 - 4: 3/8"
5 - 6: 1/2"
7 - 9: 3/4"
10-12: 1"

There are other subtle factors to consider. Wood hardness, grain direction, and exact type of blade (reverse/back cut, spiral, amount of tooth set) contribute significantly to final selection and comfort. I also like high tension on my blades, which is easy for large blades but a fine balancing act for thin ones between control and not snapping the blade.

Lots of great scrollers here could speak volumes on this... other wisdom?

This is a good starring point. I use two different brands of blades Flying Dutchman and Pegasus which I get online. I order them by the gross. One of the hard things for a new scroller to learn is a scroll saw blade are a disposal commodity like paper towels, glue and sand paper. Most last for 30 minutes or less. The harder the materials you are cutting the shorter the blade life. I get my blades through Wooden Teddy Bear and D& D Blades respectfully. Each company makes several styles of blades and multiple sizes in each. Different styles are made for different purposes. As a beginner I would recommend Flying Dutchman UR (Ultra Reverse). Start with sizes #1, #3, #5.

 

[cskipper]

I agree with starting with UR blades and but to also have blades that do not have reverse teeth. The reverse teeth can make cutting some things more difficult. Personally I like PS Wood Super sharps when I don't want reverse teeth. When starting out I'd suggest not getting caught up in any more distinctions than reverse teeth or not. I order by the gross too - makes it easier to throw a blade out as soon as it seems like it is gnawing the wood instead of cutting it. Relax, have fun.

 

[njohnston924]

Pete, I'm new to scroll sawing also. I bought a craftsman off CL a few weeks ago to start learning as well. I don't recall the model number, but mine is a 16". when I tried it out i had the same issue. I figured out that I wasn't unscrewing the blade tensioner enough when changing blades or starting a new section and this caused the upper arm to hit against the plastic cover over it. I push the upper arm down some when i'm attaching the blade and it doesn't hit the plastic and runs smooth and quiet.

As for the vibration, i'm sure it could be reduced, but I don't have anything else to compare to; it's manageable though. I enjoy it so far and I'm sure I'll want to upgrade after more practice.