dewalt scroll saw

[jeff oldham]

i just bought this saw and i do woodworking,,i built cabients ,,furniture,,,and have been doing it for years and love it,,,,but i can honestly say,,,i hate this scroll saw,,well not just this one but any,,,,i figure if it cant be cut with a band saw,,,you dont need it,,llol,,it takes forever to get the blade on it,,it breaks reguardless of how much tension is on it,,or bends,,,plus you cannot turn the material and follow the lines,,,,,,and im sure there is alot of people that love them,,,,but in my option reguardless of the price,,,personallity,,,i would not give a hundred dollars for the most expensive one made,,,a complete waste of money,,,but that is my option,,

[Larry Frank]

Like any tool, one needs to learn to use it. If you are breaking so many blades you are doing something wrong. It is not bandsaw. I can turn the material and easily follow the lines.

Can you make this on a bandsaw? I made it on a scrollsaw.

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[Richard Coers]

You need to take a class. My first impression is you are using the wrong blades and your technique is all wrong. Dewalt has sold thousands of that saw and if everyone had your issues, why would people keep buying them? Ever notice that not everyone has your problems? There is a lot of spectacular work out there. The saying goes, "It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools."

[glenn bradley]

Watching someone who knows how to use a scrollsaw can be a humbling experience. It is a method involving a good degree of finesse. I own the DeWalt. Certainly the best make/model (788?) I have used that costs under $1000. Purchased for a project and used little since its completion. Currently in the original boxes in an outbuilding awaiting a good reason for bringing it into the shop again.

[Cary Falk]

I sold my Dewalt scroll saw because I just didn't use it that much. It was by far the smoothest scroll saw I have used. Like everything else, the blade makes a huge difference. Those spiral blades are awesome. Use a tool outside of its intended purpose and it can be frustrating as well. Not every tool is for everybody and that is OK. I don't use hand planes. I can't sharpen, adjust, or use them. It's not the plane's fault. I can accomplish the same thing with a belt sander. I see many people post about how they hate belt sanders. To each his own.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I bought a 788 a couple of years ago from a school auction and I like it a lot, though I don't use it all the time. It's main use is cutting the F holes in the soundboards of fiddles, archtop guitars, and mandolins. I got it for a $105 bid plus BP and tax. I was the back bidder and the person who won the bid didn't pay, so the company offered it to me. I was driving down to get the bandsaw I had also bought, and paid for the scroll saw over the phone from a random spot on the side of the road.

[Charles Lent]

www.scrollsawvillage.com is a forum dedicated to scroll sawing with many very talented members who share ideas and "help the new guy" attitude. I also own a DeWalt 788 saw and at one time taught and demonstrated scroll sawing at trade shows. I'm just too old and with too much wrong with me to be able to travel with saw, tables, and supplies to do this any more, or I would still be doing it.

Scroll sawing is slow and most woodworkers can't get their head around doing small, slow, accurate, and delicate work like most scroll saw projects require. It takes a different mindset, a journey, not a destination, but the completed project, when it is finally completed, makes it all very worth doing for those of us who can appreciate it. Visit the Scroll Saw Village website and look around. It's quite a different kind of woodworking, but if you are up for a new and slower way of woodworking you shouldn't get rid of your scroll saw quite so quickly. Learn how to scroll and operate your saw properly. The DeWalt 788 is a great saw to start with. The smaller and cheaper models lack accuracy and features which frustrate new and old users quickly. The 788 and those more expensive saws of similar design are the best to get started using, and like me, kept using. Enjoy the scroll sawing journey and be happy. Treat the project being cut as an accuracy journey, not a race to the finish. Others, and me, on scroll saw village can help you quickly learn what blades to use and how to get comfortable using your scroll saw and enjoying scrolling instead of getting frustrated with it.

Charley

[George Yetka]

I bought the dewalt a few years back with the thought that Id put it in my basement so that when the kids went to sleep I could still play. I used it exactly 1 time over the last few years and sold it this summer. It wasn't for me though I may not have given it enough of a chance. I can appreciate it and know some people that can do amazing things with it. I put it together and it worked great I cut out half a dozen practice sheets I found online. It was a great saw for the money. and I got 80% back

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I don't have the Dewalt so I can't speak for it. I can tell you I bought an Excaliber for my wife who thought she wanted one. We both took a class at the WoodCraft store in Spokane. Here's what I learned. (1) Following the class, my wife lost all interest in using a scroll saw. (2) I have used it on a couple projects, the saw works well but using a scroll saw is like using my lathe. You need to practice and develop your skill. Being skilled in scroll sawing is a combination of skill and using the right blade for the project at hand.

[Patty Hann]

I don't have the Dewalt so I can't speak for it. I can tell you I bought an Excaliber for my wife who thought she wanted one. We both took a class at the WoodCraft store in Spokane. Here's what I learned. (1) Following the class, my wife lost all interest in using a scroll saw......

Ummm...why?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ummm...why?

Patty, I don't have a clue. After the class that day, I bought the saw. She hasn't shown one bit of interest in using it. I have practiced with it and have used it when applicable on a couple projects.

[Patty Hann]

Patty, I don't have a clue. After the class that day, I bought the saw. She hasn't shown one bit of interest in using it. I have practiced with it and have used it when applicable on a couple projects.

Just curious... I have one (Dewalt --2nd hand) But I haven't used it yet.
But that is only because I'm slowly (oh, so slowly) getting my gara-shop set up.
They have a few at the shop where I take my WW class. They are frequently in use all evening.

[Rick Potter]

Hey Ken...

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. My wife insisted I buy the top of the line RBI (Now Hawk) about 15 years ago so she could use it. Also got several pattern books etc. that appealed to her.

It is stored in a shed, and never used except to check it out. She still says she wants it. Paid $1100 back then. She chose that one because my dad had one and did craft shows. I inherited his later also...same shed.

They are both great machines, but I was never interested in them.

[Andrew Seemann]

I picked up a Dewalt 788 from Acme a few years ago on a Black Friday deal, something like $200 off regular price. I had an old Ryobi that I used when I needed the capabilities of a scroll saw. It got the job done, but unlike the 788, it was never a particularly enjoyable tool to use. I don't do "scroll sawing" per se (I have the skill, but not the patience or temperament for it, same with woodcarving), but I do have enough situations in general woodworking where a scroll saw is the best way to do something.

The last thing I used it for was cutting out inside rectangles in blocks of 5/4 LP Smartside trim for outdoor outlets. I actually used a coarse toothed coping saw blade in it rather than a standard scroll saw blade. It did a surprisingly good job of cutting through 1" of extra dense OSB.

[Jay Moodley]

Hey Ken...

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. My wife insisted I buy the top of the line RBI (Now Hawk) about 15 years ago so she could use it. Also got several pattern books etc. that appealed to her.

It is stored in a shed, and never used except to check it out. She still says she wants it. Paid $1100 back then. She chose that one because my dad had one and did craft shows. I inherited his later also...same shed.

They are both great machines, but I was never interested in them.

I too have a Dewalt 788. It’s positioned just inside my garage door and I have to remove the rust from the top every spring. My wife insisted on purchasing the saw more than 6 years ago and has never used it. She insists that we hold on to the saw as she may get the urge to learn scrolling someday. She also has a guitar, uke and pan drum, all unplayed.