Travis Rassat
10-21-2008, 9:57 AM
Hi Everyone,
Sorry if this is kind of an open question that's been asked a million times before, but I didn't get much in my search.
I am interested in building wooden gear clocks. I find them to be pretty fascinating, and I hope to putz around with building one over the winter. I've already bought plans for one. Unfortunately, I've never done any scroll work. I don't have a scroll saw, and I'll need one to build the clock. Trouble is, I really don't know what to look for - what makes a good scroll saw?
The things most important to me in any tool are safety and precision. I really don't need a lot of bells and whistles, nor am I worried about production speed. I assume that a good quality, solid table with a solid tilting mechanism is important. I also figure that variable speeds are useful. I know there are a couple of types of blades out there. What else should I be looking for?
Specific to my needs, I would like to find something that is relatively compact. So, does anybody have a recommendation for a good-quality 14"-16" scroll saw?
Based on what I see pop up on eBay there are quite a few I am curious about:
1. Older Deltas - are there any particular models that are really good? I see some pretty cool old vintage units, but I don't know what to trust.
2. Craftsman - there are tons of Craftsman scroll saws on eBay. Most are probably to be avoided, but are any of these actually any good? Does anybody have any experience with the Craftsman professional 16" scroll saw?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921612000P?vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sName=Scroll+Saws
3. Hegner - occasionally, I see a 14" Hegner out there. Is there anything in particular I need to know about these? Are they worth the money?
4. Dremel - I see quite a few Dremel 1680's on eBay. Are these any good?
5. Hitachi - I don't see many used ones, but a new one is relatively affordable.
I see stuff out there like the DeWalt, Excalibur, etc., but they're too big for my work area. I need something fairly compact. It amazes me that a lot of the manufacturers I am familiar with (Delta, Jet, Powermatic, etc.) don't make scroll saws anymore - I guess there isn't a lot of demand for them? Are there any other brands to watch for?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on this!
Travis
Sorry if this is kind of an open question that's been asked a million times before, but I didn't get much in my search.
I am interested in building wooden gear clocks. I find them to be pretty fascinating, and I hope to putz around with building one over the winter. I've already bought plans for one. Unfortunately, I've never done any scroll work. I don't have a scroll saw, and I'll need one to build the clock. Trouble is, I really don't know what to look for - what makes a good scroll saw?
The things most important to me in any tool are safety and precision. I really don't need a lot of bells and whistles, nor am I worried about production speed. I assume that a good quality, solid table with a solid tilting mechanism is important. I also figure that variable speeds are useful. I know there are a couple of types of blades out there. What else should I be looking for?
Specific to my needs, I would like to find something that is relatively compact. So, does anybody have a recommendation for a good-quality 14"-16" scroll saw?
Based on what I see pop up on eBay there are quite a few I am curious about:
1. Older Deltas - are there any particular models that are really good? I see some pretty cool old vintage units, but I don't know what to trust.
2. Craftsman - there are tons of Craftsman scroll saws on eBay. Most are probably to be avoided, but are any of these actually any good? Does anybody have any experience with the Craftsman professional 16" scroll saw?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921612000P?vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sName=Scroll+Saws
3. Hegner - occasionally, I see a 14" Hegner out there. Is there anything in particular I need to know about these? Are they worth the money?
4. Dremel - I see quite a few Dremel 1680's on eBay. Are these any good?
5. Hitachi - I don't see many used ones, but a new one is relatively affordable.
I see stuff out there like the DeWalt, Excalibur, etc., but they're too big for my work area. I need something fairly compact. It amazes me that a lot of the manufacturers I am familiar with (Delta, Jet, Powermatic, etc.) don't make scroll saws anymore - I guess there isn't a lot of demand for them? Are there any other brands to watch for?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on this!
Travis