Comments on: Reader Question: Can you recommend a good scroll saw?

by: Fred Schnepel

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:22:28 +0000

My first scroll was a Ridgid and liked it very much. Unfortunately I used it quite a bit cutting 1″ wood and the motor finally gave out. Ridgid doesn’t make scroll saws anymore.
Last Christmas my kids bought me a Delta, BAD NEWS. First, it wouldn’t take any blades with the holding bit which turned out to be a disaster. The Delta couldn’t hold the blade tight enough so the blade kept slipping out. Under no circumstances would I ever use a Delta again even if someone gave it to me at no charge.
Make sure, in whatever you decide, that your next scroll saw has holders that accept pin blades. Also, ensure that the blade at the top is easy to undo in case you make a lot of projects that require drilling a hole, undoing the blade, then inserting it, that makes everything much easier.

Feel free to email me at: Fschnepel@aol.com inf you have any further questions.
That’s about it, have fun and Merry Christmas

by: Brew

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:32:52 +0000

If you want higher end, go with a Hawk.

by: nrChris

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:05:17 +0000

Paul,

I certainly didn’t mean to imply that my old man is scrolling one-handed. There is certainly a level of concentration needed sometimes, which is more of what I had in mind. Particularly where you can hold delicate work with both hands while killing the saw with the foot switch. I have carelessly backed into the blade when letting go of a work piece to reach for the switch. Good for you if you have never made that mistake.

by: Phillip

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 04:13:56 +0000

I really love my Ridgid 16501 scroll saw (several years old already), but unfortunately it is an orphan. Ridgid has discontinued this saw. It has been an impressive little jewel, though for a cheap, lightweight saw it really has no drawbacks for the hobbyist. My next saw to replace this one would be the Dewalt.

by: Riskable

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:54:45 +0000

My wife (the scroll saw expert) says that the DeWalt 788 is the best. It is expensive though…

http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2043

-Riskable
http://riskable.com
“No person is free until they can tell the truth without retaliation, live without debt, and change their mind without disaffection. This is freedom from religion, freedom from inequity, and freedom from dogma.”

by: Paul

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:35:39 +0000

I have an older Delta scrollsaw. I think I paid something around $129 for it. I think the saw I have works well. The scrollsaw I have looks a lot like the machine on the left in the picture of this post. Really, the work that you can do on a scrollsaw is unique to the machine. Jigsaw, heh, don’t make me laugh! I have seen some pretty impressive bandsaw work. But no, jigsaws don’t even come close to what scrollsaws are capable of doing. That’s like saying sure I can cut dovetails with my circular saw.

Hey nrChris I’d like to see your father scrollsawing with one hand. Me, I always use two, with no footswitch. I’ve done a fair bit of scrollsawing and I cannot imagine the situation where a footswitch would be needed.

I would only need to upgrade my current scrollsaw if I determined that I needed more throat clearance, my machine only has 16 inches, or wanted a smoother, or more powerful unit. I heard someplace that at the time at least, my Delta was considered one of the smoothest cutting machines in its class. I think that the Hawks are top of the line scrollsaws. I’m just not that involved in scrollsawing for that sort of an investment in equipment though.

Here is a link to Hawk scrollsaws in case you want to check out “the best” to compare what you’re getting to. Lord knows, for what they’re charging their machines had better be the best!

http://www.rbiwoodtools.com/scrollsaws.html

by: nrChris

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 05:05:05 +0000

Funny that this came up today, James. This weekend I read a review of the DeWALT DW788. You can read it at:

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/DW788.shtml

Certainly worth looking at. Not a tool that is really on my radar at this point, but I know that my father upgraded his scroll saw recently for one reason–the need for a pedal foot control. Makes sense, but something to consider if you are planning on doing delicate work requiring both hands.

by: James

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:34:25 +0000

Fine Woodworking #177 has an article on choosing a midrange scroll saw. If you have an online subscription, you can read the article here:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=24140

The article contains a lot of good information and concludes that the DeWALT DW788 is the best overall and the Dremel 1800 is the best value. Since both of those are more expensive than the Delta, which is not reviewed, I’d recommend reading the article to see what to look for.