Scroll Saw Info Needed

[Daniel Yourdon]

Uncle Sam is giving some of my money back. So I am dutifully making my shopping list. A Scroll saw is very near the top. But I have never owned or used a serious one much. I have a cheapy chrafstmen that I use when needed. I of course want it to do everything, require no maintenance, and last forever. oh and auto set up would be nice.
considering such a saw would be to pricy for my budget. what would you recommend that falls around the $100.00 range.
what I really need to know is what features to be sure and look for. I already know about the blade length. my little craftsman uses 3 inch blades and they are a pain to find.
also models to stay away from.
My favorites so far are at lowes. good prices and the looks of the saws are nice. but that's about all i know.
Daniel

[Dave Bartley]

The best scroll forum that I have seen is at www.justwoodworking.com . They seem to have just about any answer you need regarding scrolling. They also have a forum for tools that may help as well.

[Terry Quiram]

Daniel

The best entry level saw on the market is the DeWalt but that saw is over your $100 budget. The DeWalt has good features, variable speed, tilted table (a big plus to reduce neck strain), segmented blower, very easy to change blades. You can set the blade clamps to be either right or left handed. DeWalt also has a nifty gadget that holds the arm up while you make blade changes for pierce cuts. If you can get a chance to use a couple of saws and compare how each change the blades, how smooth it runs,.... etc. I think you will find that DeWalt is what you are looking for and not want to settle for a lesser machine.

Terry

[Dave Sweeney]

The Delta SS-350 is also a very fine entry level scroll saw. It'll run you about double what you wanted to spend but you do get a stand with it.

[Michael Ballent]

Uncle Sam is giving some of my money back. So I am dutifully making my shopping list. A Scroll saw is very near the top. But I have never owned or used a serious one much. I have a cheapy chrafstmen that I use when needed. I of course want it to do everything, require no maintenance, and last forever. oh and auto set up would be nice.
considering such a saw would be to pricy for my budget. what would you recommend that falls around the $100.00 range.
what I really need to know is what features to be sure and look for. I already know about the blade length. my little craftsman uses 3 inch blades and they are a pain to find.
also models to stay away from.
My favorites so far are at lowes. good prices and the looks of the saws are nice. but that's about all i know.
Daniel

I would suggest you wait a bit and get the DeWalt. I love mine almost no vibration which is very important for scroll work. I am sure that you are itching for a new toy to play around with, but if the machine you end up with starts to rattle your bones while you are using it you may get turned off scrolling altogether... Patience will pay off down the road... Look for refurb units from DeWalt at Amazon, Harbor Freight, etc.

Good luck,
Michael

[Dennis Peacock]

Daniel,

If you budget was BIGGER....I would suggest you get an ECLIPSE scroll saw like the one Terry Quiram has. What a WONDERFUL machine!!!!

I have used several scroll saws in my time and I currently own an Excalibur scroll saw.......Terry....I got it fixed and it at least runs again.

If you get the money....the DeWalt is the best choice for the money but for the best scroll saw I have EVER used.....it's an ECLIPSE...

[Daniel Yourdon]

Thanks for all th suggestions Folks. I know I have lliked DeWalt in the past. So I'll look into your suggestions. I use a scroll saw when the band saw just won't get the job done. If I get a good one I will probably take up alot more projects for it also. a little of that you don't know how much you will use it until you have it syndrome.
Daniel

[Skip Brant]

I just bought the Craftsman #21610 on sale for $129.00. The Dec. 2003 issue of Workbench did a review of scrollsaws and gave it their top nod. They gave the Ryobi SC164VS the Top Value as it is only $99.97. I have only used the Craftsman once - easy to adjust table tilt, all controls for on/off and variable speed are on the top which is a vast improvement over my old Delta. So far so good.

[Stan Smith]

I have had an RBI scroll saw for a number of years and it gets a lot of use. I would rather pop over to the scroll saw to make a curve cut than change blades on the bandsaw. However, it is around $1,000 which is over your budget. I used to have a dremel which I never used.

You have to try and forecast what you might do in terms of future projects. For example, I knew that I liked intarisa, small pic frames, toys, etc. so I knew that my scroll saw would get a lot of use and ended up getting a very good one. On the other hand, if you think that you will hardly ever use it, an expensive one is not the way to go. Another example....I upgraded my portable delta planer to a floor model jet. I didn't really use the delta planer very much and now that I've upgraded to the Jet, I hardly ever use it either and probably should have just kept the delta. Now the drum sander is a different story....Taking time to think out your decision will pay off in the long run.

You might want to consider a used one that is good quality as opposed to buying a cheaper new one, FWIW.

Stan