I am looking for a scroll saw. I have looked at the 20" dewalt but it is way out of my price range. The hitatchi looks pretty good and so does the delta. Does anyone have any first hand experiences or other suggestions. It will be used to build pine wood derby cars for the kids at my church as well as other projects as needed. I have used some that have a great deal of vibration so that is one of my main concerns.
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Mark
A chip on the sholder is a sign of wood further up !!!! -
I don't have any reccomendations on new ones. I've still got my old dremel 16" two speed scroll saw and it is still running very strong and smooth. I picked it up in '89 or '90 for making basswood architectural models. I kept it in the architecture studio for a few semesters and it logged 100s of hours between myself and my classmates. I don't know if the quality of their new ones are as good, but I would buy dremel again.Erik -
I don't have any complaints with the Delta SS350. I don't do a whole lot of scrolling but so far it's been more than capable for the jobs I've used it for._________________________
"Have a Great Day, unless you've made other plans"Comment
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Nothing against the scroll saw, but for making pinewood derby cars I would be more inclined to use my little 9-inch bandsaw. A scroll saw is great for doing real intricate cuts, especially "thru-cuts" as you see in all that filligree-like cutting in the scrollsaw magazines.
But for smooth outside cuts with little or no vibration, a bandsaw would be the ideal tool IMHO.
However, if you really want a scrollsaw, I have the Ryobi version of this Craftsman unit: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...me=Scroll+Saws
Ryobi no longer produces this saw under their own brand, but I do like the saw. I must admit that I haven't used it a lot, but it's fun to play with and it makes some very intricate cuts. There's a bit of vibration, but I can't imagine any scrollsaw not having any.
CWSThink it Through Before You Do!Comment
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Scroll Saw for Pinewood Derby
A scroll saw is a great tool for kids, properly supervised. While any power tool (and anything with a sharp edge) can be dangerous, the scroll saw doesn't cut thicker blocks (like in Pinewood Derby) all that quickly, and there's enough room and visibility to keep hands well clear of the blade. It will do fine if you use good blades. I've had good luck with several types of Olson blades. Normally the Bears (3rd grade) are the youngest that actually use a scroll saw, always with a parent, and always supervised by another adult who has woodworking experience.
Every year about three weeks before the Derby, our Pack has a workshop in the school cafeteria. This is much appreciated by parents w/o woodworking skills and/or tools. In a single Saturday morning a boy can have a car that will run a complete race w/o dragging or flipping, ready to take home for final sanding and finishing. We bring in a couple of scroll saws, several belt/disc sanders, two drill presses, and a few other things (sometimes a lathe with a chuck for the wheel mandrels, a Dremel set up to file and sand axles, and a Dremel with a router attachment and a jig to hollow out under the bottom of the car to attach flat weights). The drill presses are set up with fences and depth stops to drill holes for the axles. We have 4 - 6 adults helping out, one of whom is always supervising the scroll saws. The belt/disc sanders are great for the cubs, because they can take off material quick enough that they don't get bored, and they're not using sharp cutting tools.
In the ~nine years(!?) I have been involved with this, we have never had an accident with a power tool. When my son started as a Tiger (he's now a Life Scout) the workshop included a band saw and a full-size router that the parents could use; when I took over organizing the workshop, they were permanently banned because of the potential to do serious damage in a hurry. We didn't feel good supervision was enough to mitigate the risks with those tools, given the experience level of some of the users. I still help out with the workshop.
DIGRESSION: A key to getting everyone a car that will run down the track w/o mishap is getting the axles set the right height and reasonably parallel, and using a drill press guarantees this. The order of operation is important. If there's a way to square up the sides of the block, do that first (but you really can't take much off the sides) and then drill the axle holes-- BEFORE cutting the shape of the car. A number 43 or 44 drill bit is required (axle dia. varies a little year-to-year, and even kit-to-kit). The drill needs to be running as fast as possible and the entry feed rate must be very slow to avoid the bit walking. If you really want the axle holes parallel, build a jig such that a center axis of the car is held perpendicular to the drill bit; a runner can be attached to the bottom of the block (and later removed), with the runner sliding in a groove in the drill press fence (clamp the block bottom tight to the fence, with the side of the block off the drill press table). We don't do this jig at the workshop because we don't have that much time, and referencing the side of the block against the table gives a competitive car.
We have used my old VS 16" Dremel, a 16" Delta, and a big Hawk scroll saw. Esp. for the smaller saws, the important thing is to use a good blade, properly tensioned. If you do this, even an inexpensive saw will do fine, but if you don't, the block can vibrate severely and/or be cut too slowly to be useful.
All this being said, if you're the only one doing the cutting, go for a bandsaw-- it will be faster.Comment
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I don't own a scroll saw, so take this for what it's worth.
The Dremels frequently get top ratings from the mags. Craftsman also has a version of the Dremel.
Control of vibration is said to be the key to happiness. There should also be an air hose to clear sawdaust. A light would be helpful.
That's all I got.
JRJRComment
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i like my variable-speed dremel . i like that the controls are right up top/front.and that i can hook up DC to it(not that i generally do)
i've had it since like 2002 i think. but it hasnt been without some problems...the on/off switch gets full of dust and had to be unscrewed/ cleaned out a few time(no biggie) the light bulb blew and i havent found a replacement, the air hose to blow dust away hardly works at all anymore,i think its clogged someplace but its not in the tube itself cause i took tat off and blew it out...that ones important i gotta fix that,getting tired of blowing it away by mouth .
i do use it a Lot,so definitely held up well for the work ive put it through. i tend to just use the spiral blades as i like not having to constantly turn the project around...i dont get as niice a cut nor as thin a kerf as possible with regular blades, but i live with that,tend to make more rustic designs anyhow.namaste, matthew http://www.tribalwind.comComment
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Find a scroll saw club in your area.
First, they will have good advice.
Next, they may have someone who is upgrading or 'retiring' who is ready to sell a perfectly good one.You don't need a parachute to skydive, you only need a parachute to skydive twice.Comment
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I would keep an eye on CL
I do a fair amount of scrolling and used to have a cheap Delta variable speed saw but have since replaced it with a DeWalt. The main problem with the Delta was the really poor air system to clear the cut line. I ended up adding an aquarium air pump to blow the sawdust off the cut line and it worked out pretty well. The DeWalt has a great air system and is in fact pretty much vibration free. I think the main factor with vibration is to mount the saw well and let the stand absorb most of the vibration. I've heard good things about the Dremel units, but have never tried one. Do try to find a saw that takes plain end blades intead of pin end blades and that has an easy, tool free, blade change. If you get into scrolling very much you will be amazed at how short lived the blades are. You buy them by dozen, if that gives you a hint.Jim
64sedan_at_gmail.comComment
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a trick ive seen to dampen vibration is to build a wood box a few inches deep and the footprint size of the scrollsaw,line it with a garbage bag,fill it with sand,screw it closed and run bolts through it to bolt the saw to,namaste, matthew http://www.tribalwind.comComment
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I have the Craftsman unit that CWS pointed out, I like it quite a lot. The foot pedal really sold me, actually. I have cut wood up to about 2" thick without much difficulty, it's just s-l-o-w. Vibration is decent, mine hops around a little because I have it just sitting on a little tool stand. One thing that helped a ton was putting carpet samples under the feet to act as dampers. Don't bother with the Craftsman blades and get a pack of Olsons, they are way better at not drifting a cut. The stamped blades aren't symmetrical and tend to wander offline.Comment
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DeWalt 20" Scroll Saw
Scroll-saw suggestion: I know you said the DeWalt was out of your price range but if you think you would have any other use, I would highly recommend the DeWalt. I have had it for nearly 5 years and believe it was one of my best purchases. Have made hundreds of gifts and parts for furniture and never had a problem except a lighting strike (took out the electronic speed control). Grizzly has the saw, stand, and light for $469.95 (Grizzly Industrial Christmas Wish Book 2008).Comment
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I see we've found ourselves now talking "scrollsaw blades". Hopefully this will be of great help: While I'm by no means a "scroller", soon after I purchased by scroll saw, I went looking for blades and was directed to Mike's Workshop. There's a wealth of information there and Mike has got to be one of the veteran scrollers of our time. I haven't talked to him in a couple of years so I don't know his health or anything, but he's got to be one of the less expensive source's of quality scrollsaw blades. His web site is still up, so you might want to check it out.
http://www.mikesworkshop.com/
CWSThink it Through Before You Do!Comment
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I have had my DeWalt DW788 for a year and a half. I love it! I have finished alot of projects and vibration has never been a problem. I agree with the earlyer post about finding other scrollers in your area. They will be a big help in getting you started.
Just my thoughts.Cork,
Dare to dream and dare to fail.Comment
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