Scroll Saw Recommendation

[coleman10]

Looking for scroll saw recommendations, gents. I want to get into woodworking and need to get a number of things so I'm not looking to drop a lot. I'm sure it will all add up quickly. I did have a Craftsman scroll saw that my mom had from the early '70's. It was in not so great shape and I since I didn't have the room at the time, I donated it to charity. One of my big mistakes. I remember I used it when I was a kid and was constantly blowing the dust away to see what I was doing. The newer ones have a blower built into them which is pretty cool. Anyway, now I need to replace the saw.

I would prefer to stick with Craftsman (personal preference since my dad was a Craftsman guy), but I'm always open to suggestions.

Any opinions on this one? With points I can probably get this one for about $100.

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-...p-00921602000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Reviews on this one seem to be pretty good:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UKGL58/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Also, I am not interested in HF tools. Please don't suggest them.

Anyone have any suggestions or opinions? BTW, I'll probably also be looking to get other stuff as the need arises. The next two purchases will be a router and drill press.

Thanks!

 

[Maui]

I'd buy an older Delta-Rockwell scroll saw like this one:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=10477

In fact I did buy one like this several years ago for $130.00 and cannot say enough good things about it. It is cast iron and easily weighs over 100 lbs. When it comes to scroll saws, weight matters. My machine is smooth and quiet. It has a 24 inch throat depth, a 1/4 horse power motor, and has never let me down. I would select it over the best new scroll saw that you can buy today at Home Depot or Lowe's.

 

[f575gtc]

I just bought the Craftsman one, only scroll saw in that price range with a 1.6amp motor, all the saws carried by HD and Lowes are all under 1.6amp or are 1.6amp and cost $200.

The HF one is only 0.4 amps...

9817638895440226 < that code will get you $15 off and I had 10,000 in surprise points so it came out to $90 out the door.

It works very well, accepts pin and plain blades. I am using mine for 22 gauge steel and it works great.

 

[tarbellb]

I had the Craftsman you linked, given to me by my FIL. Its not great. You should really consider where Craftsman (power tools) is now as far as quality. They have been junk since the late 80's. Period.

Im not saying this to make you mad, its my personal experience (and many others), as I have owned many of their power tools over the last 20yrs. Repeatedly bad.

Harbor Freight and Craftsman are about equal in most cases, exception being HF doesnt charge as much.

If you want quality find a older unit, scroll saws always seem to be on CL.

If you want new, look at Grizzly or find the cheapest China made scroll saw ie HF or that WEN thing.

 

[lilredex]

Get the 24" Delta suggested above. It will be the last scroll saw you'll buy.

I have bought them for as little as $50....many do not appreciate what they have.

 

[coleman10]

Get the 24" Delta suggested above. It will be the last scroll saw you'll buy.

I have bought them for as little as $50....many do not appreciate what they have.

I actually did find that one for sale on CL. It's about an hour away and they are asking $300. Whoa! The problem with buying used off CL is you never know when or even if what you're looking for will pop up and if it will be at the right price. Buying new has its advantages - walk in, buy it, walk out.

While that Delta does indeed look good and quite hefty, it will take up too much space in my little, two car garage. I'd need one that I can put away on a shelf when not in use so a smaller one would be ideal. Sure wish I had a big, dedicated garage like a lot of you guys, but space is at a premium for me.

 

[rlitman]

I'd buy an older Delta-Rockwell scroll saw like this one:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=10477

Oh dear god NO. Don't do it. Resist the temptation. Save yourself.

The old Delta scroll saws ****! They use a spring above the blade that the blade pulls on. Every time the blade goes down, the tension goes up as it pulls on the moving spring. This variable blade tension (way too low as the blade is up, and way too high as the blade is low) leads to being unable to use super fine blades (the spring would just pull them apart), and has an unbalanced mass moving up and down that the weight of the machine cannot compensate for (i.e. no matter how heavy it is, the vibration *****).
And yes, I have hundreds of hours working with one in the past.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone likes them.

The two machines linked by the OP use a pair of arms arranged in a parallelogram, with the blade tension set at the back (IMNSHO this is by far the best method of making a scroll saw, of the numerous styles out there). These maintain a constant tension on the blade allowing for the finest of cuts (and work on the same principle as my Hegner).

The Craftsman has a screw down blade clamp, which should allow the use of pinless blades. The Wen does not. If you're doing incredibly fine work, pinless is a must (especially when doing interior cuts). But I'm talking blades so fine you cannot easily see the teeth. Otherwise, you may prefer a pinned blade for the ability to quickly change them (which both saws will accept).

The Wen includes a light. The Craftsman does not. The Craftsman is 10lbs heavier, but has no table insert (that can be ok, but the hole looks a bit big, and I'd prefer a slot). That may be an issue. The Wen has a table insert, but the opening looks huge, and it looks sunken (which would catch on small parts). On the issue of the table, I really don't like either, because of this.

Some more bad news for you:
looking on Amazon at the pictures, it looks to me that the Wen comes out of the same factory in China as the Shop Fox, Rikon, Skill, Rockwell, Terratek, Grizzly, and Central Machinery (Harbor Freight's brand; look at the front plate and table insert; this one is missing some plastic from the others).

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UKGL58/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R23T08/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GXFZ9E/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GI77MU0/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CJLUYW/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008665D4S/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQJOR42/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NO7UCS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Really. Compare the blade guard, switches, table insert, vacuum port, blower etc. from the Wen with this one on HF's site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/16-inch-variable-speed-scroll-saw-93012.html
They're almost the same tool, except the HF is missing the light and is $36 less.
The Wen does have a better blade clamp, and quick release handle on the tensioner though...

 

[Maui]

rlitman, I do use extra fine blades on my Delta-Milwaukee, and have yet to break a single one. And I have used this saw continuously for over 8 years. The vibration ***** in your opinion? I don't feel ANY vibration when I run this saw. But the newere saws that I have seen and used vibrate badly. I have seen older scroll saws that are set up the way you describe, but my saw was not designed that way. It works flawlessly. I don't know what saw YOU had, but it wasn't the same as mine.

 

[ZRH`]

http://www.eclipsesaw.com/

Probably the best of the best, geared toward actual woodshops

http://www.seyco.com/

More affordable, popular in the serious hobby crowd

 

[Fretters]

Oh dear god NO. Don't do it. Resist the temptation. Save yourself.

The old Delta scroll saws ****! They use a spring above the blade that the blade pulls on. Every time the blade goes down, the tension goes up as it pulls on the moving spring. This variable blade tension (way too low as the blade is up, and way too high as the blade is low) leads to being unable to use super fine blades (the spring would just pull them apart), and has an unbalanced mass moving up and down that the weight of the machine cannot compensate for (i.e. no matter how heavy it is, the vibration *****).
And yes, I have hundreds of hours working with one in the past.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone likes them.

As Maui mentioned, the spring cylinder system is not inherently problematic. Sounds like you may just have dropped across a machine which had seen better days, and needed some maintenance. The old Meddings saws across here use a similar design for the upper cylinder, and vibration is not a problem with those either. When those springs setups aren't serviced/maintained properly though, they can quickly go to hell with regards to smooth operation. Looked after, they're fine, but treat them like **** and you know about it.

 

[coleman10]

http://www.eclipsesaw.com/

Probably the best of the best, geared toward actual woodshops

http://www.seyco.com/

More affordable, popular in the serious hobby crowd

I have to say that both of these are too rich for my blood.

Does anyone have any comments about this one? Found it used on CL. It looks like it's missing the blower tube, but that's probably an easy fix.

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/4822118605.html

 

[rlitman]

Does anyone have any comments about this one? Found it used on CL. It looks like it's missing the blower tube, but that's probably an easy fix.

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/4822118605.html

I used to own that exact saw too. It's MUCH better than the crappy new Chinese stuff for the same price. This is not a parallel arm saw though. It has a C shaped arm that pivots up and down. At the top of the stroke, the blade is vertical. At the bottom of the stroke, the blade is canted forwards slightly. This makes it cut aggressively as the teeth move slightly backwards on the upstroke. It's not the best for the finest of cuts, but it's also not half bad.

It is also a bit bigger than the saws you were looking at, and I think the price is way too much. I recall getting mine for around $80, and selling it for $35ish. $50 is reasonable.

 

[gol4]

I have the old 20" Craftsman also. Bought it for $25 off CL. As said it is decent. I don't care for the slow start up but has good power through the range of speeds.

 

[coleman10]

Thanks, guys. All this great info from real life experience really helps!