14"-16" Scroll Saw

[Travis Rassat]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this is kind of an open question that's been asked a million times before, but I didn't get much in my search.

I am interested in building wooden gear clocks. I find them to be pretty fascinating, and I hope to putz around with building one over the winter. I've already bought plans for one. Unfortunately, I've never done any scroll work. I don't have a scroll saw, and I'll need one to build the clock. Trouble is, I really don't know what to look for - what makes a good scroll saw?

The things most important to me in any tool are safety and precision. I really don't need a lot of bells and whistles, nor am I worried about production speed. I assume that a good quality, solid table with a solid tilting mechanism is important. I also figure that variable speeds are useful. I know there are a couple of types of blades out there. What else should I be looking for?

Specific to my needs, I would like to find something that is relatively compact. So, does anybody have a recommendation for a good-quality 14"-16" scroll saw?

Based on what I see pop up on eBay there are quite a few I am curious about:

1. Older Deltas - are there any particular models that are really good? I see some pretty cool old vintage units, but I don't know what to trust.

2. Craftsman - there are tons of Craftsman scroll saws on eBay. Most are probably to be avoided, but are any of these actually any good? Does anybody have any experience with the Craftsman professional 16" scroll saw?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...me=Scroll+Saws

3. Hegner - occasionally, I see a 14" Hegner out there. Is there anything in particular I need to know about these? Are they worth the money?

4. Dremel - I see quite a few Dremel 1680's on eBay. Are these any good?

5. Hitachi - I don't see many used ones, but a new one is relatively affordable.

I see stuff out there like the DeWalt, Excalibur, etc., but they're too big for my work area. I need something fairly compact. It amazes me that a lot of the manufacturers I am familiar with (Delta, Jet, Powermatic, etc.) don't make scroll saws anymore - I guess there isn't a lot of demand for them? Are there any other brands to watch for?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on this!

Travis

[Lori Kleinberg]

Hi Travis, sorry I can't answer all your questions, but I will tell you what I know about scroll saws. When I was thinking about getting one, the number 1 thing I was told to look for was table vibration. The more vibration the harder you have to work to control your cutting (for precision). I would think that if you google "scroll saw reviews" you should come up with something. I remember seeing a review about them not to long ago.
I did end up buying a Dewalt. They are a high rated mid priced saw and I have been very happy.
You could also google "mike's workshop" for help with blades. He even has sample packs.
Going by reputation, Hegner's and Excaliburs are supposed to be top of the line saws, but I don't have any experience with them.
Hope this helps till some of the pro's show up.

[Daniel Heine]

Travis,

You see a lot of craftsman andf Dremel scroll saws on ebay because people buy them and find out what garbage they ended up with. I bought the craftsman first, turned it on, and it almost shook right off the bench, sdo I returned it and purchased a Delta SS350 scroll saw a few years ago, and it is a very nice, smooth saw. A link to a picture of the saw:
http://www.coastaltool.com/a/delt/ss350.htm

The Dewalt is also a very nice saw. I know a man who cuts 25 peice jigsaw puzzles out of postage stamps with the Dewalt. Depending upon how much you weant to spend, and the size requirements there are a host of other options. If you are able, take a ride to Woodcraft or Rockler. Better yet, go to a woodworking show, or a local club meeting. Between those options you should be able to find what you want.

Good Luck,
Dan

[Doug Shepard]

I had a small Delta but sold it. I picked it up at a garage sale and had some very small scall projects in mind with a lot of detail. I wasn't really interested in doing a lot of scrolling though so got rid of it after the projects were done. The only thing is, that I never used it. I found that it's way too easy to cut more than you intended with a powered blade and ended up doing everything with a jewelers saw by hand and wearing a magnifying visor. It was a lot easier to control. I would think that trying to cut small wooden gears would suffer from the same problem on a scroll saw. Just my devalued $0.02.

[Travis Rassat]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Fortunately, one of our fellow Creekers stepped up and helped me out. I'm soon to be the proud owner of a ~1941 Duro 15" scroll saw. It's old school, but it does exactly what I need - it's simple, solid and relatively compact. I'm looking forward to using it!

Thanks again, everyone!
Travis