What Do You Need In a New Scroll Saw?
If you’re looking into woodworking, or you’re an old hand at woodworking who’s only just now putting together your own shop, you’re going to be looking at what tools you need. There are a number of considerations when looking for the right tools with which to fill your shop, of course. There’s what kind of woodworking you plan on doing, there’s the size of the shop, and there’s the amount of money you’re going to be able to spend. All of these things are important, but it is especially important to understand which one is your primary consideration.
| Model | Variable speed (Strokes per minute) | Motor | Weight (lbs) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dewalt DW788 | 400 to 1,750 (SPM) | 1.3 Amp | 65.6 lbs |   |
 | Dremel MS20-01 | 1,500–2,250 (SPM) | 9.6 lbs | |
|
 | Delta 40-694 | 400-1,750 (SPM) | 1.3 Amp | 60 lbs | |
 | Shop Fox W1713 | 550-1700 (SPM) | 1.2 Amp | 35.3 lbs | |
 | Excalibur Scroll Saw 16" | 400-1400 (SPM) | 1.3 Amp | 53 lbs | |
After all, if you have a lot of money to spend, but not a lot of space in your shop, then you’ll have to purchase tools that are smaller and take up less space by default. If you plan on doing more intricate wood carving projects and fewer large carpentry projects, then you probably don’t need a band saw. So figuring out what your primary consideration is going to be is probably the most important first step in putting together your shop. However, presuming you’ve figured that out, and presuming you know that you want to purchase a good scroll saw, how do you know what sort of saw you want? How do you know if you even want one?
If you’re uncertain if it’s the right tool for you, consider the uses of the tool. These saws are similar to a band saw, in that it comes with a table on which you lay the piece of wood you’re needing to cut. Unlike a band saw, however, the bade is not a stationary rotating blade. Instead, it uses an up and down sawing motion, much like a jig saw.
If it works much like a jig saw, why not just purchase a jig saw and be done with it? Because a jig saw is a hand tool, where as a scroll saw is a table tool. Jig saws work perfectly fine for situations in which you’re only having to cut smaller pieces of wood, but for larger pieces, they don’t work as well. Not to mention, a jig saw tends to use a much smaller saw, which can make it incredibly difficult to cut the larger areas you might need to cut. Not to mention, a jig saw often has problems with control. That is, the power of the motor can sometimes force a jig saw to cut things out of line with what you’re trying to cut. A scroll saw, by contrast, simply doesn’t have that problem.
This is because they have a type of table saw, and it’s stationary so that you move the wood into the saw, instead of moving the saw through the wood. So if what you’re wanting to do is cut a number of different curves and joints, but you’re also going to need a large amount of control over how those angles get cut, then you definitely need one. Essentially, any time you’re wanting to cut stylized designs in wood, or cut dove tail joins, then you’re going to want to use a scroll saw. In addition,it can often take the place of several other tools you might need. Since it works similarly to a band saw, you could actually use the it in a situation where you might need to use a band saw. This means you can avoid having to purchase both a band saw aswell, and instead simply purchase the scroll saw. As already discussed, it also fills the function of a jig saw, so you can avoid having to purchase one of those, as well. So once you’ve decided on purchasing one, what are the things you need to consider in the purchase? It’s not enough to simply go and buy the first model you find, after all.
You’ll need to consider your needs. There are three main things you should consider when you’re trying to decide what kind of tool to find. The first thing you should consider is what you’ll actually need the it for. If you’ll be doing simple cut outs, you might not need a particularly fancy scroll saw. Simple cuts require simple products, and if you don’t have any ambitious projects planned, you could save yourself some money by purchasing one of the products with fewer functions. However, if you’re planning on making use of your shop for many years to come, you may want to spring for the fancier model. You may not be planning any ambitious projects now, after all, but who knows what you’ll want to put together in the future. As such, it may actually be a good idea to get a higher cost scroll saw with a number of features as a way to plan for the future.
The next thing you should be considering is the speed and exact features of the machine. There are three speeds, slow medium and fast, and what speed you’ll need depends on what sort of material you plan on cutting. You’ll also need to consider exactly what kinds of cuts you’ll be making, and if the scroll saw has the features you need in order to make those cuts. And lastly, you’ll want to consider the flexibility of your machine. Can your machine do the jobs of several other machines? That’s an important thing to know, because it could wind up saving you money by allowing you to avoid purchasing extra tools. You’ll also want to pay attention to how easy it is to clean up after using the machine, and how easy it is to get replacement parts for the machine. While you never want your machine to break down, the fact remains that sometimes, machines do in fact break down. In that case, you’ll want to know that you can get the parts to repair your machine and get back to work.
Once you’ve figured out the general things you’ll need in a scroll saw, it might help to consider some of the features in more detail. For example, what type of arm do you need? Their made with one of three different types of arms, which are the mechanisms that power the blade itself. The oldest style of arm is known as the parallel arm. The design of this kind of arm actually goes back all the way to 1870. How it works is that two arms are made to run parallel, and the blade is attached to each of the arms. In this design, there are two pivot points, which allows the blade to move in an almost true up and down motion. This style of arm is also the safest style, because should the blade break in mid-use, the top arm swings up, thus ensuring the blade is no longer moving and keeping the user from accidentally running their fingers into the blade. The most recent innovation in arm style is known as the double parallel link arm. This design uses two parallel arms that go back and forth, which is what causes the blade to go up and down.
The most recent models will use this style of arm. The last type of arm you’ll find is referred to as C-Arm type saw. This style of arm is shaped like a C, with the saw blade being held by the top and bottom of the C. This style is only has one pivot point, and creates a slanted and aggressive cut. Many of the cheaper models of scroll saws will come with a C-Arm for this reason. In addition, this is the least safe type of arm, because when the blade breaks, the top of the arm continues to move the broken blade until the saw is turned off. There’s already been discussion about making sure you know what you’re going to be using the saw for, but you might also consider what level of work you plan on doing. If you’re a wood working hobbyist, you might want a fancier saw for fancier projects, but the real truth is that you won’t end up using the scroll saw often enough to warrant a high-priced tool. However, if you’re setting up a professional wood working shop, it might well be a great idea to buy the higher priced scroll saw even if you don’t necessarily need it.
If you’ll be doing lots of work on the tool, and you’ll be making money off of your work, it’s entirely possible that the work you do with your saw will allow the saw to pay for itself. The average price of a scroll saw tends to run around four hundred dollars, although you can find plenty of different saws anywhere from eighty dollars to two thousand dollars. There’s no particular price range that will have the best scroll saws available. You can find great saws in the eighty dollar price range, and you can find some saws that are absolutely worthless in the two thousand dollar range. So it’s important to get a good sense of the saw you’re thinking of purchasing, and making sure it’s a saw that’s going to work for a long time to come.
Another thing you’ll want to pay attention to, and so few people actually do, is how easy or difficult it is to change the blade and the blade tension. There are a number of saws out there on the market that require specialized tools in order to change the blade, or in order to change the blade tension. This may seem safer, since it ensures the blade is locked in place more firmly, but it also means you’ll have a much more difficult time in changing out blades and adjusting the tension and angle of the blade mid-project. When you’re looking to find the best scroll saw, you should make sure to ask the sales person to show you how to change the blade and change the blade tension. Have them walk through each step of the process, explaining as they go. This will give you a good idea of how easy or difficult it is to change the blade around, which will let you know whether or not it’s a good buy.
Another thing you should pay attention to is the style of blade the machine will use. There are two styles of blade, pin end blades and plain end blades. Pin end blades have a pin at each end of the blade, in order to help them hold in place. Plain end blades are simply flat, using clamps to hold them in place. Pin end blades are safer, because there’s less of a chance of them slipping out of socket during use. However, if you plan on making a lot of detailed, intricate cuts, then you’re going to want a plain end blade. Plain end blades are much more flexible, and allow for a much larger range of motion when you’re trying to make your most delicate cuts. So if you’re wanting to make more intricate cuts and grooves, you should make sure to purchase a machine that only takes plain end blades, and not a machine that takes pin end, or takes both.
There are a number of other design features that each and every product is going to have, everything from table tilt to the foot pedal. When you’re looking at a new scroll saw, you should make sure to test every function the saw has available. Make sure it’s going to be comfortable to use, and make sure the functions are made firmly enough that they’ll last you for a long time to come. That way, you won’t have to worry about replacing the saw in too short an amount of time. We hope this article will help you find the best scroll saw for you.
Before you start using the scroll saw, make sure that there is plenty of light to work with. You will also need to be able to clearly see the markings on the material you are working on. Also make sure that you are always wearing protective eyewear before beginning to work. Most materials can be cut with a variety of blades so it is important to check whether you have the correct blade fitted before working. It is also important to remember that the thinner the material, the smaller the teeth will need to be on the blade.
If you are just starting out with scroll sawing, try using a heavier gauge blade. The cutting will go a bit slower, but will be much easier. Additionally, the blade won’t be as likely to break if you put a bit more pressure on it. When working with specialty materials such as Plexiglas, it is important to remember that these require special blades. A tip to remember when cutting Plexiglas is to use strapping tape to mark along where you are going to cut. This will help make the cut smoother and cleaner and will also reduce the chances of the plastic getting hot and fusing back together. This will also work with wood. The tape will help reduce the friction between the blade and the material. You can also try dry lubricants.
A very important thing to keep in mind is not to try rush the cutting. The reason for this is that your finger could slip and make contact with the sharp blade and if you try to push hardwoods and other tough materials too fast, the blade could turn sideways. The will cause a skewed cut or bent blade.
You can come up with really neat and amazing creations by just choosing to make use of a wide range of scroll saws that are available in the market today. These tools are actually really affordable and will not leave a big hole in your pocket if you decide to make a purchase. So what are you waiting for?