I think this may have been posted earlier, but I can't seem to find the thread. I picked up a 16" Craftsman Professional Tilt-Arm Scroll Saw on clearance for $60 earlier this week. I had seen these a few weeks ago in my local store for around $150. This model originally sold for around $270. The saw is model 22436.
I haven't done much scrolling with it yet, but here are some initial impressions:
The saw is a bit unusual in it's design. The arm tilts rather than the table this lets you make angular cuts without hold the stock at an awkward angle. It has an integrated dust collection system that seems to be pretty effective. I like it better than the blower arrangement on my Delta saw. The saw also uses a belt driven variable speed transmission rather than a speed controller for the motor. The control seems to work pretty smoothly. Since the motor runs at a constant speed you get more power at the low speeds and the dust collection fan runs at a consistent speed as well. The blower in my old Delta saw was so poor at slower speeds that I wound up hooking the blower to an aquarium air pump instead. The unit also has a worklight which I found to be fairly dim and not all that worthwhile. The saw comes with a metal stand even though it's not specifically mentioned on the box.
One issue is that this saw uses 5" pin end blades instead of the more common plain end blades. In many cases this won't be a big deal for people, but you do have to drill a larger pilot hole to thread the pin end blades through for interior cuts versus using a standard blade. If you are doing fine fret work this could be a problem. Sears did put a very easy to use quick release tension lever on the saw. You just push back a spring loaded lever on the right side of the saw and the upper arm tension is released for easy blade removal. There is a similar spring loaded lever to release the hold down foot and dust collection assembly so you can adjust them for different stock thicknesses.
I haven't mounted the unit on the stand yet, but I just took it out of the box and ran it while it sat on my bench. There was virtually no vibration in the bench unlike my older Delta saw that really has to be fastened down. I find the Delta to be tiring to use after a while because of the vibration. I find working on this Craftsman machine to be nicer. I do notice a bit of a whine coming from the dust collection unit when the saw is running, but other wise the machine runs smoothly.
I don't know if I would have paid the original $270 price for this, but for $60 including the stand it's a steal.
It's essentially the same as this current model http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00921612000 , but I don't believe the new model comes with a stand.
I haven't done much scrolling with it yet, but here are some initial impressions:
The saw is a bit unusual in it's design. The arm tilts rather than the table this lets you make angular cuts without hold the stock at an awkward angle. It has an integrated dust collection system that seems to be pretty effective. I like it better than the blower arrangement on my Delta saw. The saw also uses a belt driven variable speed transmission rather than a speed controller for the motor. The control seems to work pretty smoothly. Since the motor runs at a constant speed you get more power at the low speeds and the dust collection fan runs at a consistent speed as well. The blower in my old Delta saw was so poor at slower speeds that I wound up hooking the blower to an aquarium air pump instead. The unit also has a worklight which I found to be fairly dim and not all that worthwhile. The saw comes with a metal stand even though it's not specifically mentioned on the box.
One issue is that this saw uses 5" pin end blades instead of the more common plain end blades. In many cases this won't be a big deal for people, but you do have to drill a larger pilot hole to thread the pin end blades through for interior cuts versus using a standard blade. If you are doing fine fret work this could be a problem. Sears did put a very easy to use quick release tension lever on the saw. You just push back a spring loaded lever on the right side of the saw and the upper arm tension is released for easy blade removal. There is a similar spring loaded lever to release the hold down foot and dust collection assembly so you can adjust them for different stock thicknesses.
I haven't mounted the unit on the stand yet, but I just took it out of the box and ran it while it sat on my bench. There was virtually no vibration in the bench unlike my older Delta saw that really has to be fastened down. I find the Delta to be tiring to use after a while because of the vibration. I find working on this Craftsman machine to be nicer. I do notice a bit of a whine coming from the dust collection unit when the saw is running, but other wise the machine runs smoothly.
I don't know if I would have paid the original $270 price for this, but for $60 including the stand it's a steal.
It's essentially the same as this current model http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00921612000 , but I don't believe the new model comes with a stand.