OWWM Scroll Saw Question

[JohnW]

Acquired a 1950 ish Walker Turner 24" scroll saw about 10 years ago and it has been taking up room ever since. With the exception of a pulley cover, all parts appear to be present and in good working condition. I have never used a scroll saw and would not know the difference between this old unit and a newer model. Is this thing worth fixing up and using as a scroll saw? I remember someone once told me that this type of saw was no good and would not compare to a new lower end Delta let alone a + 1,200.00 German model.

I've fixed up a 1950 ish Rockwell/Delta bandsaw and Dewalt RAS and they are awesome. So I'm wondering if this OWWM would also be a solid performer if refurbished. I've been told NO...but don't know why. Opinions welcomed.

 

[Michael Mathews]

Maybe Bill Clemmons will jump in here. I think he has one similar to this. I'm not very familiar with this unit, but I would say the mass that is oscillating up and down might tell you something about how much vibration you might incur with this unit. I have the Dewalt 788 Type1 unit and just the short blade-holding arms at the front oscillate. Therefore, much less mass moving and more solid weight to keep the whole thing steady. Also, you might look and see how difficult and secure the blade holding is. On mine, it's very fast and secure. Setting tension on mine is just the turn of a small lever near the front. I'm not sure how this is done on this unit. I would say it'll probably be a great looking machine all cleaned up and in sound working condition. Someone that collects these old machines just might like to have it in their shop! Good luck!

 

[Mike Davis]

I believe that model has a spring in the upper arm and the blade is pulled from below. Very little mass is actually moving. The blade does take some time to change. Probably not the best for lots of short inside cuts but great for puzzles, sign lettering, and larger cutouts.

 

[KenOfCary]

One question that comes to mind immediately is does it use straight blades or the kind with pins at each end. The no-pins version is much preferred.

What Mike and Mike said makes good sense as well.

 

[sawman101]

My father had a similar Walker-Turner saw which eventually became mine. The big difference was it had a variable speed set up where you turned a small crank to increase the speed. My dad used it to cut out letters for signs, but that was all it was ever used for. The spring is in the top arm, as Mike said. The top crank is turned to set the tension. the pulley on the side drives a pitman which moves the blade up and down. The top and bottom arms are stationary and although there isn't much mass moving, it produced much vibration which makes it uncomfortable to use. Other than the aesthetic value of using an antique machine, it is impractical for the inside cuts used in most scroll saw patterns. It will work ok for outside cuts.:rolf:

 

[bob vaughan]

I've run into a few of those over the years. Some were in junk condition, but most ran smoothly. That one looks to be in particularly complete condition. On a worn out machine, the little stud on the upper plunger assembly will wear the slot. That slot looks good. There also looks to be an OEM lamp. That's rare.

I have a Delta of that same size and rarely do I not use it for some little thing or another during the week. I haven't done a scroll saw project in a couple of decades, but my saw keeps sawdust on it. Actually I'll use the scroll saw more frequently than I will a drill press.

Saws of that size and capability are best suited for detailing 3/4" thick wood. For pierced work like hand holds, its about the only thing unless you want to use a hand held saber saw.

The smooth cut works well for profiling jigs for the shaper and router table.

Of course, there's the issue of safety when cutting small pieces. I often consider my scroll saw to be an 1/8" band saw that I can do pierced work.

If your intent is to use it on 1/4" plywood cutting out picture profiles with a very fine blade, it might not be as suitable as other scroll saws specifically built for that type of work.

 

[JohnW]

Thanks guys, great info. The saw runs well and has very little vibration. What vibration it does have looks to be coming from the old drive belt which I'll change.

Bob, your description of using it as a 1/8" bandsaw was the perfect motivation to go ahead and get it running. I might try scrolling at some point but right now having a tight turn cutting machine without having to change out blades on the other bandsaws makes it worth keeping. I inherited this and a few other OWWM's from my FIL so getting rid of it is not something I want to do. But if they take up space, they must have a purpose.

 

[PeteStaehling]

When I was a kid we had a similar one in Dad's shop. It didn't vibrate much at all. It wasn't the greatest for really fine scroll work at least with the blades we had, but it was a work horse that we used a lot. We didn't have a band saw and it was at least a partial substitute for that. I kind of regret not keeping it when we sold the house after mom passed. I didn't have room for it at the time. There were a number of other things that I wish I had kept from Dad's shop, but I did manage to keep some of the smaller tools that I had room for at the time.

 

[bob vaughan]

Here's a muddy video of my scroll saw at work on 1" thick hard maple
(its photo bucket, so its fussy sometmes)

http://s142.photobucket.com/user/rmvaughan/media/MVI_2241_zpswzy62etz.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0

 

[JohnW]

This scroll saw has been sitting in my shop for many years and had never been used, or plugged in. Cleaned it up last night and got familiar with how it works, then plugged it in.

DANG, the light works, the air diaphragm works, everything works. Did the coin test and had no trouble keeping a penny on edge. So much cast iron mass that there is very little vibration. It can use pinned or straight blades but I'll be using straight.

Only two issues I've found are:

Pulley shaft connected to the saw drive has 3/16" play in and out. Not sure if it's designed that way to allow for better alignment of the belt when changing speeds, or something needs to be tightened or its worn out.

Drive looks like it was designed to run in an oil bath and there was no oil in the case. Parts had a film of lubrication on them and no sign of wear. It's been sitting idle for 15 years so it may have leaked out or never was filled. Gasket looked good.

I will definitely be able to use this saw. Need to fill with oil, replace wiring and add switch on front of machine. The on off switch is on the back side of the arm and that seems like an inconvenient location.

 

[PeteStaehling]

Good luck with it. If you have the space I think you will find it will be worth keeping. For me it could fill the same niche between my 14" band saw and my scroll saw that is now occupied by a 9" bandsaw. That little saw is used for little incidental things many times a day pretty much every day.

Back in my Dad's shop when I was young, a saw much like it served as the only option for the stuff I now do on the 14" band saw, the 9" band saw, and the scroll saw. We were limited in that we couldn't do some of the things a 14" bandsaw would do, like re-sawing, but some really nice projects came out of that very limited shop.

 

[bob vaughan]

For oil, I'd recommend 10W30 Mobile 1 engine oil. Good stuff.

That play could be that the wrong step pulley is on there. Below shows me holding a stock step pulley beside an OEM pulley. Note the size difference between the smallest grooves. For general wood cutting, the highest speed is preferable.


VintageMachinery.org has several manuals on that machine.
[URL="http://vintagemachinery.org/m...- Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org[/url]

 

[JohnW]

Bob, I have the OEM pulley but do not have the nut at the end of the shaft. So it may just need adjustment and fastened. I downloaded some info from OWWM many years ago and have that in a binder. vintagemachine looks to be a different/new site based on info from the older site?

Sprayed the innards with silicone lubricant just to keep it oiled while I work on it running at the slowest speed. Thanks for the oil tip. I have that "in stock".

My first cut on this saw. Made a new insert.

 

[Pop Golden]

I have the Powermatic version of that saw. In spite of the new names on machines that is not a scroll saw, but a jig saw. Blades are a problem. scrollsaw blades are not strong enough for this saw. I make blades using 5 in. bandsaw stock and grinding about 1/4 in. of teeth off both ends. The teeth fight you when trying to chuck up a blade. I use my saw to cut internal stright cuts. I have a fence on it to do that. It is more powerful than most scroll saws and cut much thicker stock. For oil I use 30 weight non-degergent. That's what my air compressor called for. I also have a DeWalt scrollsaw & a Shopsmith 11 in. bandsaw running 1/8 in. blades for detail work. Here's a photo of my saw.

Pop

 

[bob vaughan]

Below is the 1997 price list or the above Powermatic 95 scroll saw. Back in the day, all of the 24" scroll saws were pretty competitive in price. This indicates what that Walker Turner would sell for today if it were available.

 

[JohnW]

Well, discovered the 4 sheave pulley was on backwards. Turned it around and the 1/2" threaded shaft extended out as it was supposed to do. But now the drive belt is too short. My FIL, God rest his soul, must have rigged it so his short belt would fit. So instead of buying a new belt, he rearranged the sheaves so that only ONE SPEED could be used, but it was the proper distance for his belt.

I adjusted the motor as far as it would go but the belt is still too tight and causes too much vibration. With proper tension there is virtually no vibration. I'll try a link belt, if it fits in the sheaves, and see if that works.

I hear you Pops about this being a jig saw. Instructions say this is also a good jig saw and you can swing the upper arm out of the way for more access if needed. Also makes for a nice detail sander with jig saw style sanding sticks.

Last night, I turned the sheave backwards, FIL style, installed a standard 5" scroll blade, and used it to cut out the tight turns on five "band saw reindeer". Used 7/8" thick cherry and it worked very well. Between the antlers the diameter is about the size of a nickle. No blade breakage yet but I'm sure that will happen. Just hope my hand stays steady and pants stay dry when it does.

 

[ashley_phil]

Well, discovered the 4 sheave pulley was on backwards. Turned it around and the 1/2" threaded shaft extended out as it was supposed to do. But now the drive belt is too short. My FIL, God rest his soul, must have rigged it so his short belt would fit. So instead of buying a new belt, he rearranged the sheaves so that only ONE SPEED could be used, but it was the proper distance for his belt.

Nice. Git 'r Done!!