tony brown
09-26-2011, 4:45 PM
I bought a used Dewalt 788 scroll saw at a flea market for $150. It looked to be in great condition, but I was skeptical because of the price and the fact that I couldn't test it before I bought it. The guy selling it was basically just flipping it for a profit. He said that when he got it, the table had a little surface rust on it, so he 'took it to work and bead blasted the surface'. Then he painted the entire table a matching silver color.
It runs fine and I have no issues with it. I sanded off all the paint with a series of grits finishing with 1200 and sealed the surface with Boeshield. There was a metal-on-metal noise when the tension was set above 4 and the speed higher than 3.5, but I read that is a known issue on some type 1 models. The fix was pretty simple and now it operates smooth and quiet.
It was missing the foot and bar that attaches the foot to the saw. I think this is more like a blade guard on a saw and most people remove them because they get in the way. I can replace both them for about $10. Since I have little experience with a scroll saw, I am wondering if I need the foot or should I use the saw without it? I am a scroll saw virgin, so would I be better off with the foot to protect me from slicing off something important?
Thanks
Tony
It runs fine and I have no issues with it. I sanded off all the paint with a series of grits finishing with 1200 and sealed the surface with Boeshield. There was a metal-on-metal noise when the tension was set above 4 and the speed higher than 3.5, but I read that is a known issue on some type 1 models. The fix was pretty simple and now it operates smooth and quiet.
It was missing the foot and bar that attaches the foot to the saw. I think this is more like a blade guard on a saw and most people remove them because they get in the way. I can replace both them for about $10. Since I have little experience with a scroll saw, I am wondering if I need the foot or should I use the saw without it? I am a scroll saw virgin, so would I be better off with the foot to protect me from slicing off something important?
Thanks
Tony