LarryEA Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congratu;ations Dave !!!!!!! How late are you staying up? Or should I say, "How long did you stay up?" Tested it out? jbrowning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have tested it out and am pleased. I did not buy the Dewalt light because I have not heard many good comments on it. I would appreciate any alternative lighting ideas. It also appears that an arm lift might be handy. I see there are a few different types on the market. Any opinions on those would be appreciated. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats Dave !....Enjoy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congratulations Dave! It should serve you well! The DeWalt saw was designed for top feeding. That is feeding the blade through the top of the blank when doing inside cuts. If you learn to top feed, an arm lift is not needed. I started scroll sawing on a 16" saw that was very tedious to change from one hole to the next. When the DeWalt saws came out, I had to have one. For me, top feeding came very natural. When the arm lifts became available, I had to have one. After a few weeks, I realized it was just in the way so I took it off. If you learn to top feed, you don't need an arm lift, NC Scroller and GrampaJim 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordster Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Good going Dave, I am jealous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Johnson Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats Dave. Save your money purchasing a arm lift. Dan is right. If you learn to top feed an arm lift isn't needed. As for a light I've always used one that's attached to my table. Lamp has a magnifier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats on the new saw purchase Dave, hope you enjoy owning it. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Ron, Do you know the brand of light. Does it get in your way since it is attached to the table? dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I too had a magnifying and lighted lamp and for me, I did not like the magnification distortions, I felt from it. I also did not like having something between me and my work, so I gave it to my daughter. To each his own and nothing is perfect for every scroller Dick heppnerguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 You and your DeWalt will be very happy together, believe me me and mine are. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats on the new saw. I found that if I tightened a bolt in the bottom arm just a little the top arm will stay up by itself like the EX. As for a light I bought a magnifier with LED's around it at woodcraft for around $40. It's a nice white light and they never shine in your eyes. At my age I need the magnifier. Enjoy the new saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Scroller Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Well done Dave I think a block of wood would do the job for a lift I have a arm light and magnifier on my saw. Roly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranMike Harley Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats Dave .. Here's to you and many happy scrolling years ahead of you !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrampaJim Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Ron and Dan are right, learn to top feed and you will like it a lot! Once you learn it, it is faster and easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Great saw, congratulations. I purchased a Magnifying lamp from Harbor Freight for around $40 and it works well. I have since purchased a little more expensive one and it works even better. The reason I stepped up a notch on the light is I prefer LED lights over Fluorescent and the glass lens has less distortion and will not scratch as easily as the plastic one on the HF one. That being said the HF one works fine, I now use it as an extra light to even better light my work. As for the arm lift I had a JimDandy on mine, worked just fine and I am sure the others on the market do also. A block of wood works fine also, except I kept knocking it off the table top. I can not top feed so the lift was required for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young_Scroller Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/topic/7697-click-n-lock/?hl=%2Bdewalt+%2Barm+%2Blift#entry54007 Check out this post and scroll down a little bit someone made there own arm lifter and in my opinion looks easier and better than most you can buy. As for what sparkey said, I read somewhere that iif you tighten the bolt that he mentoned it will where the inside bearings out faster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdatelle Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congrats Dave. You'll like it. The light I use is one of those magnifying ones with the light around it and it's magnified so it sticks to the metal table and you can just slide it around if it's in the way of some of your work. Dave Monk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharleyL Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Here is the lifter that is on my DeWalt http://www.jimdandy.com/products.html It's a spring counterweight system. With it in place and adjusted you can lift the arm to almost any position and it will stay there. I'm not saying that this one is any better than the others, just putting it out here for you to make your own choice, but this one works pretty good for me. Charley Dave Monk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I was at Walmart this morning and found a light that works perfect for me. It's almost like it was made for it. It cost $7.98. Thank you for all the great comments you all have made. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrowning Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Congratulations Dave, I'm sure you are going to make great things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have tested it out and am pleased. I did not buy the Dewalt light because I have not heard many good comments on it. I would appreciate any alternative lighting ideas. It also appears that an arm lift might be handy. I see there are a few different types on the market. Any opinions on those would be appreciated. dave If you purchase one, I really recommend The Lifter http://papasworkshop-org.3dcartstores.com/ I really liked it and they also advertise on this site. Scrappile 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have tested it out and am pleased. I did not buy the Dewalt light because I have not heard many good comments on it. I would appreciate any alternative lighting ideas. It also appears that an arm lift might be handy. I see there are a few different types on the market. Any opinions on those would be appreciated. dave I think the arm lifer i have is called the jim dandy,like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 If you purchase one, I really recommend The Lifter http://papasworkshop-org.3dcartstores.com/ I really liked it and they also advertise on this site. Good point, they are all good, so why not buy from someone that helps support this site. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Congrats on the new saw. I found that if I tightened a bolt in the bottom arm just a little the top arm will stay up by itself like the EX. As for a light I bought a magnifier with LED's around it at woodcraft for around $40. It's a nice white light and they never shine in your eyes. At my age I need the magnifier. Enjoy the new saw. Sparkey, I saw an article on tightening the bolt to hold up your saw arm. I also did it until I read the article. It said NOT to do this as it cause undue stress on the bearing it supports and will cause early wear, I immediately put mine back to it normal torque. Did not seem worth the price I might have to pay. I just use a 2 X 4 and it is no extra effort after a short while as it becomes habit. I also tried the wooden knob that Steve Good designed to help one give easier tightening and extra tightening on the blade thumb screw and in a very short time, i stripped it out, had a weeks downtime and unneeded expense from it. Dick heppnerguy Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarltheScroller Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I will argue with each and every soul that says an arm lifter is not necessary. I went for 8 years without one...used a block of wood. I splurged last year and got the Jim Dandy, mentioned above, and it is the single best purchase I have made. Yes, it is a top feeder, but every time you put the arm up you have to block it to keep it up while you feed the blade through the hole in the wood...at least if you are doing a fret work. Now I just push the arm up and it stays there. I can't understand why that is not part of the package. As for lights I have an old one from somewhere that has a big magnet base. It just sits way back on the saw's table and I can adjust it. Sorry no help about where it came from but it works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.