Any of You use a Scroll Saw?

[Dave Lehnert]

Another scrollsaw project. Part of an 8x10 picture frame.

IMG_0511.jpg

[Mort Stevens]

This is what I do with my three scroll saws. I use them about 330 days a year. I sell all that I make with them.

Since you're doing this as a 'biz' more than a hobby, I suspect you don't get much satisfaction out of spending hours on something and then selling it! There are much better ways to spend your days than sitting sawing. So let me introduce you to the world of CNC. A CNC once programmed can do those designs in just a few minutes. Also bee careful with trademarked logos. The highly stylized "S" "TAM" & "Running Pony" are easily recognizable. Doing them for yourself is fine, but selling them might create some problems.

[Michael Moscicki]

Just some Christmas themed stuff that I made on a scroll saw. The tree is out of 1/4 red oak and the nativity scene is out of ply.

Tree1.jpgFinal product 2.jpg

Yes a CNC machine can do the stuff, but it lacks the handmade touch. When I give these as gifts to friends, they know that I took the time to make them.

I don't want to get in a purist debate, as a neander can say that a manual foot operated scroll saw is the only way to go or a handheld coping/fret saw. To each his own and I have no problem with people who use CNC's, but I myself would never replace my scroll saw with a CNC machine.

[Thomas Canfield]

I bought a Dremel scroll saw about 6 or 7 years back. I do not use it very often, but it can do inside cuts that cannot be done on a band saw, and the fine cut on little plywood pieces do not require any sanding. It definitely is not a "have to have" piece of equipment, but nice when needed and the price on the Dremel was not that much but does take up some space.

[Peter Quinn]

I got an old circa 1940's cast iron 18" craftsman from a deceased neighbors basement when his kids held an estate sale. Rusty skupper after years in a damp basement, cleaned up fine, still totally functional! I use it to make templates. With a good blade the cut is way smoother than any bandsaw blade, Italian or otherwise ( I too have a 20" Italian bandsaw sitting across the room). It takes up little space, it's always ready, and I can follow really tight lines on complicated templates without having to back out and change directions. Plus I don't have to switch band saw blades as often,and my saw doesn't want to take less than a 5/16" blade without playing some games with the guides which makes intricate scrolling on the big saw beyond reach. Almost no sanding patterns for the router bearing to follow as well. Another feature I've used is the ability to drill a hole and start in the middle of a piece, not have to saw into something then re glue it. Mine will easily cut 3/4" material with a decent blade.

[Rich Riddle]

Quite a few interesting projects. Hats off to you folks who have those skills needed for the more advanced work. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Charles Lent]

I use my 2 scroll saws frequently all year for smaller woodworking projects, but almost continuously from October to January.

I make 3D Christmas Ornaments and 3D reindeer. My family and neighbors seem to have an open demand for more of the ornaments every year. I make the 3D reindeer to give away to friends, cashiers, nurses, waitresses, sales clerks, young children, etc. during the Christmas Season. Whenever I go out to do any shopping or to go out for lunch I give one to anyone who helps or waits on me. I usually wish them a "Merry Christmas" and hold out my hand palm down with a reindeer held in it with my thumb. When they hold out their hand I drop the reindeer into it. This helps me get fully into the Christmas spirit and brightens the faces of a lot of people as well. This past season I made 91 reindeer and gave them all away. I also made 34 ornaments and gave most away, but added a few to our tree to replace some that I had given away during the last Christmas Season.

The picture attached shows a few of the ones that I made this Christmas Season.

Charley

[glenn bradley]

Obviously the usefulness of a tool will depend on what you do. I have a DeWalt and use it on thick material primarily. I do sometimes use it to add a bit of pizzazz to small gifts and such.

bird-fret-box-finished-6.jpg . scroll-bird-mom-xmas-2011 (3).jpg

I use one seldom enough that when I do want one, it had better work well. The DeWalt has done fine for me.

[Len Rosenberg]

I still have an Excalibur scroll saw I bought in the early 1990s. I used it many times to make toys and puzzles for my very young kids. Take very thin plywood, glue a photo or paint a picture on it, and use the scroll saw to make it into a jigsaw puzzle. Scroll saw the letters of the kids' name and let them arrange it on a stand, or wire, or whatever. Take 1/2" soft pine, stencil the image/outline of an animal, or train, or whatever, and scroll saw it into puzzle parts. Save the surrounding wood as a frame, paint the parts, and you have a fun wooden puzzle. My kids have grown and I haven't used the saw for many years, but it was great fun at the time. There are plenty of puzzle and toy plans out there for the scroll saw.

Len

[Grant Wilkinson]

I use mine for jigsaw puzzles and some small toy making.

[Keith Weber]

I use mine for one thing only, and I guess my use is a little different from everyone else's according the the above posts. I have the table tilted, and I use it to back cut coping cuts on crown moulding. If I found a better way of doing that, I'd probably get rid of the thing.

[Dennis Aspö]

I could have used it when I made my tilting router lift, there's a part of the process where a scroll saw would have worked, or a router table too but hey I was building that.

[Kevin Bourque]

I have a scroll saw. I keep it on the shelf next to my biscuit joiner. A very dusty shelf...

[julian abram]

Nice work Jim. Just another area of woodworking that few of us explore. Too many categories of woodworking and not enough time to do them all, must pick and choose according to interest.

[Brian Henderson]

I use mine for everything from puzzle making to intarsia to inlay work. It isn't something I use every day, but for the projects that need it, it is instrumental and irreplaceable.