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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: cornishpisky on April 26, 2010, 11:24:38 am

Title: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: cornishpisky on April 26, 2010, 11:24:38 am
Just curious what Scrollsaws everyone uses, there are so many on the market, some good, some not so good, so why not tell us about your saw/saws.

I'll start the ball rolling..

I started with a Hand Fretsaw about 24 years ago, hard work.. then i bought a cheap Clark 16" Scrollsaw, it served it's purpose but not a saw i would recommend though, now i use an old Walker-Turner J782 Scrollsaw thats around 60 years old, it's a lovely old saw to use, blade changes are a little slow by modern standards but still much faster than the Clark, i made a table for it from 3"x2" pine and 3/4" Baltic Birch Ply, altogether very heavy but very stable.

So what saw do you use?

Ian
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: kp91 on April 26, 2010, 01:00:12 pm
I've got 2 Delta Q-3 saws,  love 'em.

Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Marshall on April 26, 2010, 01:27:00 pm
My old Craftsman 16" V-S that I more or less use for fine detail sanding , and of course my great production saw the Dewalt model 788 saw that had opened up my scroll World in so many ways and fashions .........Marshall   ;)
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: shissta on April 26, 2010, 02:52:14 pm
Ryobi 16" at the moment.  Looking to upgrade to the Dewalt 788 very soon.  Pretty new to scrolling but love every minute of it.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: jabak on April 26, 2010, 02:53:15 pm
I use Hegner variable speed multicut 2s with 18" throat and 2 5/8" thickness capacity as my shop saw and the smaller Hegner Muticut 1 Variable Speed with 14" throat with 2" thickness capacity for transporting to craft fairs ect I find these are more than suited to my needs
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Joesawdust on April 26, 2010, 02:58:02 pm
Hitachi cw40 for the last 1 1/2 years, probably 100+ hours and no problems. Not a bad saw for the price. Been saving my pennies for either an Excalibur or Dewalt.  Right now someone has plenty of Hegners on Ebay, just to pricey for me, right now.

Greg
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: cherie on April 26, 2010, 03:05:00 pm
Mine is a Shopsmith.  One day I hope to acquire an Excalibur or a Hawk.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: ljfrompa on April 26, 2010, 04:21:42 pm
mine is a cheap craftsman my hubby bought for $99 on sale.
16" and variable speed.

i'll get a more expensive one some day but this one works fine for now :)
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: ufgator on April 26, 2010, 07:38:30 pm
Delta Model 40-560 Type II.  This is my first scroll saw and it is teaching me alot. Between it and this Forum I'll know what to buy next time.  Given some time and a little more money I'll be ready to move up.

Happy Scrolling
      Bill
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: MadHatter on April 26, 2010, 07:41:58 pm
my first one was a craftsman for a few years, after it broke I upgraded to a dewalt 788 just over a month ago.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: northie66 on April 26, 2010, 07:44:24 pm
Dewalt 788... and I just love it  ;D
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: ripchief on April 26, 2010, 08:43:55 pm
Dremel 1680...Not happy with it...Looking to upgrade (beyond Dewalt) after getting some bills taken care of.

At the time that I bought it, I was severely undereducated about scroll saws and only used it for a couple of things...Although, I did know enough to know that there were plenty of other models available that were not as good as the Dremel...Since then, I've read enough information, talked to enough people, and used it enough to realize that it has a few shortcomings that I probably wouldn't have with some of the other (better) models that are currently available.

Recommendation: Do your research...Find a saw you like within your price range that meets your minimum needs...Then, if at all possible (if not, just wait), buy what you think is the next better saw that's available...You might be more satisfied later...Just don't go too far overboard.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: dgman on April 26, 2010, 10:17:56 pm
I started on a Dremel. I now have Two DeWalt 788's. ;)
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: KENINLEX on April 26, 2010, 10:25:15 pm
I've had a 16 in Craftsmen for several years now. It still works ok but felt time to upgrade. I just picked up a used RBI220 vs for $400. I've done a few test patterns and really like it. I'll be heading back to Lex soon and look forward to moving the Creftsman out and the RBI in.
Upward an onward.

Ken
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: daneklund on April 26, 2010, 11:59:30 pm
I started with a Delta Q3 and now have an Eclipse.  Love the saw.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: chief on April 27, 2010, 12:47:50 am
Hab a Ryobi that broke blade holders all the time.  Got a Delta 16" that I still have in the box, and now I have a Dewalt 788.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: gunado on April 27, 2010, 03:48:59 am
I have a Delta 16" great saw best I have used, easy blade change down to 3/0
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: mouse on April 27, 2010, 04:12:30 am
Mine is a SIP 01373 16" about 3 months old. I modified the top clamp to quick release and the side panel for better access to the bottom clamp. For the price a very nice little saw.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: patch on April 27, 2010, 06:41:46 am
I have a delta it rattles and bangs  but still goes well it would be 4years old. I also have a Excalibur will never bay one again it will not stand up to the hard work bearing are housed in aluminium and come loss had to turn it out and put a metal sleeve to fix the problem  blade holder wears thread out again only  aluminium I use my saw 5 to 6 hours 5 days a week and it just over 12 months old  I paid $1300 AU for it thinking you only get what you pay for so I thought I was getting a good saw
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Manuel on April 27, 2010, 07:56:45 am
Just curious what Scrollsaws everyone uses, there are so many on the market, some good, some not so good, so why not tell us about your saw/saws.

I'll start the ball rolling..

I started with a Hand Fretsaw about 24 years ago, hard work.. then i bought a cheap Clark 16" Scrollsaw, it served it's purpose but not a saw i would recommend though, now i use an old Walker-Turner J782 Scrollsaw thats around 60 years old, it's a lovely old saw to use, blade changes are a little slow by modern standards but still much faster than the Clark, i made a table for it from 3"x2" pine and 3/4" Baltic Birch Ply, altogether very heavy but very stable.

So what saw do you use?

Ian
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Russ C on April 27, 2010, 08:11:38 am
M.Ramirez,
What is your point of just quoting someone ?  :o
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: keidiag on April 27, 2010, 09:47:40 am
I used a Makita SJ401 for quite some time until I wore it out. Not a bad little saw for the price...almost vibration free. I bought another SJ401 because the first one was so reliable. I only used it for about 20 hours when I decided I needed something much better to build my clocks and to be able to use a #8/0 jewelers blade so I purchased the Dewalt 788. The 788 is a fantastic saw...no vibration and I can use those very fine blades. I still use the Makita for sanding and filing.

Keith
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Denny on April 27, 2010, 10:06:47 am
Dewalt 788, Works like a charm. 
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: cherie on April 27, 2010, 10:38:08 am
I have a delta it rattles and bangs  but still goes well it would be 4years old. I also have a Excalibur will never bay one again it will not stand up to the hard work bearing are housed in aluminium and come loss had to turn it out and put a metal sleeve to fix the problem  blade holder wears thread out again only  aluminium I use my saw 5 to 6 hours 5 days a week and it just over 12 months old  I paid $1300 AU for it thinking you only get what you pay for so I thought I was getting a good saw

Patch, did you let Seyco know about the problems you were having?  After reading how you dislike yours, I may not consider this one anymore.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: ripchief on April 27, 2010, 10:49:25 am
Cherie...Seyco is NOT the manufacturer of Excalibur...They are one of many distributors in the US; perhaps one of the most popular...Excalibur is actually manufactured by General International...The company is based in Canada, even though manufacturing takes place in Taiwan...Please refer to the following website for more information, including contact info:

general.ca (http://general.ca)
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: firestarter on April 27, 2010, 12:35:05 pm
right now i'm useing my mom's 16" delta scrollsaw because my delta one broke one day.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: mark1945 on April 27, 2010, 05:55:19 pm
Started out with a Craftsman14 " which I still have.Thought I was upgrading to a Hitachi 16 " it mostly just set around now its the worst saw i ever owned.Now using a Dewalt 788 and love it smooth,quiet, easy to change blades.
Mark
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: wllcpenney on April 27, 2010, 06:00:01 pm
I use an MasterCraft 16 inch varblie speed a cheap saw but it gets the job done untill i come across a better saw


wllcpenney
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: garyinnevada on April 27, 2010, 07:40:09 pm
I have a RBI Hawk 220 VS Ultra. This saw is a joy to operate. So quiet, so smooth, there's nothing like it.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: patch on April 27, 2010, 08:04:58 pm
I have a delta it rattles and bangs  but still goes well it would be 4years old. I also have a Excalibur will never bay one again it will not stand up to the hard work bearing are housed in aluminium and come loss had to turn it out and put a metal sleeve to fix the problem  blade holder wears thread out again only  aluminium I use my saw 5 to 6 hours 5 days a week and it just over 12 months old  I paid $1300 AU for it thinking you only get what you pay for so I thought I was getting a good saw

Patch, did you let Seyco know about the problems you were having?  After reading how you dislike yours, I may not consider this one anymore.
Hi Cherie
I let the suppler know (Car-ba-tec ) here because it was under warranty, if I pay shipping both ways ($160 and Three weeks to repair ) they would repair it but in a few months I would have the same problem that when I took the step to repair it my self being a tool maker I have the gear and knowledge to do this
don't get me wrong here I think the Idea of the saw is great. It is a dream of mind to build a saw with all the good points in one saw
don't be put of by my bad experience the saw could be ok for you it must be personal choice   
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: jim stiek on April 27, 2010, 10:12:58 pm
I have owned craftsman c arm,delta 16", dewalt 20" and now a 220 vs hawk newer modle also cut on excalibur 20" a lot. I like the top feed of the excalibur but only usse it for light duty cutting as the hawk is as near bullet proof as they come. if I could only have one it would be a hawk. especially now that they top feed as well as the others.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: EZgoing on April 28, 2010, 04:36:18 am
Wllcpenney, I have the same Master Craft saw that you have...

Not a great saw by any stretch of the imagination.

Do yourself a favor and be sure to tear your saw apart enough to lube both arm pins and bushings from time to time...

Mine were shot when I got the saw.

I need someone like Patch [machinest] living next door to me so we could re-bush it... LOL

Ez
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: budprine on April 28, 2010, 06:30:12 am
I've been thru a Craftsman, a Hitachi CW40, and now have a DeWalt 788.  The DeWalt will be my last saw I love it so much.
On a similar  subject, while I had the Hitachi I had to go on the net to get an instruction manual.  While browsing there it became apparent the Hitachi was a saw also marketed under the Craftsman name.  Not anymore though.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: julief on April 28, 2010, 08:25:45 am
excalibur EX21 - I started w/ a 18" Dremel and fell in love with the craft.  My EX21 is used daily - I'm making a decent living with it.  I've had it about 3 years.  The only problem I've had is wearing out the blade holder ends.  The are easily replaced.  I just keep a spare pair for when my blade starts slipping.  My next saw will be the EX30.  I wouldn't hesitate to stay with Excalibur.  I looked at several saws before i invested in this one.  It runs very quiet with very little vibration.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: deerwatcher76 on April 28, 2010, 09:20:02 am
I have a Craftsman 16vs that I use for everything and have had no major problems. Just bought an older Craftsman at the flea market that I'm fixing up. Its a 21inch
JD
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: macfil20 on April 28, 2010, 12:53:04 pm
I started oout with a craftsman then bought a mastercraft maximum and last year when I retired, my wife bought me the Excalibur EX21. What a change, no more vibration
JP
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Curt on April 28, 2010, 01:25:54 pm
I started about 5 months ago with a hitachi from lows for $176.  It just stoped working at about 2 months so I brought it back and got another one.  The second one stopped working in one month.  I think they got a batch of faulty on/off switches.  I got fed up and bought an EX-21.  Excalaber 21 inch is great.  the saw tilts and the platform stays level that is great for bevel cutting.  Also the saw lifts up you can feed through the top of your project.  I love it.....
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Rightarm on April 28, 2010, 09:31:06 pm
Mine is a 1671 Dremel. A fellow firefighter gave it to me. He bought it in a yard sale for $10.00. I had no idea what to do with it until I started watching Steve on Youtube. It needed some parts, like the blade tensioner, and the blade adaptors. I called Dermel, they had the parts in stock. The rest is history.  8)
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Edgar on May 05, 2010, 07:47:48 am
Being scrolling for over 50 years and still use a hand held fretsaw. Have a Hegner for cutting thick wood and doing angle cuts.
Edgar
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: tgaspard on May 05, 2010, 08:07:58 am
Well, we have 4 Scrollsaws in our shop. I actually started scrolling serveral years  before i met Joe and before he and I got married.  He loved working with wood as well.  So, to start things off.  I ordered a Trademan scroll saw from Ebay almost 6 years ago.  Then we purchased a Delta for him from Lowe's.  We thought we were finished buying saws, until, the trademan decided to start somewhat stripping the screws that would hold the blade in place.  We then bought me a Ryobi from Home Depot.  So with now having three saws, We passed my older saw onto my step-son.  Who thought he wanted to start cutting only to find out it was a very short lived phase of his life...LOL. Looking at Craigslist one day I found a DeWalt 788 with the stand for 350.00.  Needless, to say, that is how I became the owner of four Scrollsaws...LOL.  And believe it or not they all 4 get used.  One we use for straight cuts, one we use for quick cuts, I cut on the DeWalt, hehehe, and Joe cuts on his Delta...LOL....

So now you know my story....LOL

Tonya
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Dawie on May 05, 2010, 09:53:37 am
I use a Proxxon DSH/E. A super saw. I was taught on a Hegner, but to expansive for me. Most of the saws I read about I have never heard of, probebly depends on where in the world one lives. I live in the Netherlands and mostly Hegner or Proxxon and Dremel here.
David
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: GWhit on May 05, 2010, 09:43:47 pm
I started on an old Craftsman pinned end single speed than I found a vari-speed pinless tradesmen at a yard sale in Vermont for $20 and used it for about a year until I found a Dremel on clearance for $96 at Home Depot in Mississippi.          now if I could only find an Ex 21 new for about $200......
Oh well, I can dream.

Gordon
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: firewood on May 06, 2010, 10:58:40 am
I started on an old Craftsman pinned end single speed than I found a vari-speed pinless tradesmen at a yard sale in Vermont for $20 and used it for about a year until I found a Dremel on clearance for $96 at Home Depot in Mississippi.          now if I could only find an Ex 21 new for about $200......
Oh well, I can dream.

Gordon

you can`t go wrong with a hegner in various models.
they are expensive but quality products,german made.
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: Dragonlord85 on May 06, 2010, 01:34:53 pm
I am currently using a Ryobi VS20 but am looking at upgrading to the Dewalt. The Ryobi does fine but it does have some vibration to it and the blade changing can be difficult. I have been scrolling for about a year now so I feel that it is time to upgrade (even though my wife doesn't).
Title: Re: What Scrollsaw you use?
Post by: uddeholm on May 06, 2010, 01:38:10 pm
I have a hegner. well worth the money