Jim McDonald Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Another fun--and HIGHLY unscientific--poll. WayneMahler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Are we betting on the out come??? New Guy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) If along side these results, we also had the numbers of years the folks have been scrolling, I think you might find a divide. All the old scroll saws were bottom feed only, so all scrollers that started during those years would have been bottom feeding, I would think for those folks, switching to top feed would be awkward. However, for those that have come into scrolling with the Hawk G4, DW788, or Excalibur, all of which are top feed capable, I suspect the numbers would tell a different story. Also, for those that cut exclusively cut puzzles and intarsia, I think feeding may be meaniningless for those project types. Edited November 2, 2016 by hotshot Tommy Johnson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) SCROLL SAW----FEEDING FROM TOP OR BOTTOM? Top feeding survey Edited November 2, 2016 by LarryEA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Hi, my name is Steve and I am a bottom feeder ! wombatie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I am a bottom feeder too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 If along side these results, we also had the numbers of years the folks have been scrolling, I think you might find a divide. All the old scroll saws were bottom feed only, so all scrollers that started during those years would have been bottom feeding, I would think for those folks, switching to top feed would be awkward. However, for those that have come into scrolling with the Hawk G4, DW788, or Excalibur, all of which are top feed capable, I suspect the numbers would tell a different story. Also, for those that cut exclusively cut puzzles and intarsia, I think feeding may be meaniningless for those project types. I'll disagree with you Randy. I started on a bottom feed saw. Used it for two years. I got the DeWalt saw because of the top feeding feature. It didn't take any time before I was proficient in top feeding! GrampaJim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Guy Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) I'll disagree with you Randy. I started on a bottom feed saw. Used it for two years. I got the DeWalt saw because of the top feeding feature. It didn't take any time before I was proficient in top feeding! I started on the Porter Cable for a short while before moving up, but the blade change mechanism was part of the reason for laying down that kind of money. I agree that it is easy for some to switch, but many do not. So with all the bottom scrollers, there has to be a reason. Edited November 3, 2016 by hotshot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I started with a Dremel and then bought two Deltas. Just seemed the way to thread a blade was from the bottom. I've never seen another scroller so I probably would have thought everyone was a bottom feeder if not for joining FREEFORALL and SSV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) This poll will be skewed results, most people don't have the top feed option with their saws. The question if they have a choice to top feed should be asked, if they don't have the option, then of course they will be bottom feeders. What about the Dewalt scroll saw, can you top feed with them? If you can, how easy is it to do so? I switched from being a bottom feeder, to being a top feeder as soon as I had the option. It didn't take any getting used to, it just seemed like the normal thing to do. Len Edited November 3, 2016 by Lucky2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I started on an old dremel 20 + years ago, then top feeding was not an option. Since then I have had several saws and now have an EX-21 and still bottom feed. I have tried top feeding but always go back to bottom feeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjweb Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I am a bottom feeder, I think I was born bottom feeding, and now too old to change, RJ Scrolling Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I didn't "mark" one or the other. As a newbie - I confess that I am still trying to decide which way I prefer. Since I have been primarily doing Intarsia work - I haven't had a lot of need to be "Feeding" the blade in and out from the top or the bottom. Just put the new blade in and cut the lines. I have recently done a few small pieces where I had to drill the holes and feed the blade and have tried both ways. Not sure I have figured it out yet if I have a preference. I think I am leaning toward the top feeding. With the saws I have, I can go feed from the top or the bottom. Maybe it has to do with my being left-handed which has made me more "ambidextrous" then the average gal. What I have figured out is that if I am doing work where I need to be feeding the blade in and out of drilled holes more than a couple of times, I much prefer to do it on the Excalibur over the Dewalt since the Dewalt I have to keep manually putting a board or something in to hold up the arm of the Dewalt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) I do both depending on the project size. You should have a both button. Checked both boxes instead. Edited November 3, 2016 by Rolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milehiscroll Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I have a Hegner so I don't have much of a choice. Bottom feeder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I'm an unabashed bottom feeder. My first saw was bottom feed only. I upgraded to a DeWalt after about 5 years or so. By that time, bottom feeding was pretty much embedded in my DNA. Actually, with saws like the Dewalt and the EX that I have now, lifting the upper arm makes bottom feeding easier for me. I tried top feeding a couple times and didn't take to it. I suppose with a little more effort and practice I would get used to it and end up wondering what took me so long to switch, but bottom feeding really isn't a burden to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I also started with a Porter Cable. After six weeks upgraded to a Dewalt. Took me a day and got used to top feeding. I would not buy a saw that I could not top feed with. Seems a lot easier for me. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendita Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I have found in my years of scrolling that after you drill all your holes you take a large nail and tap each hole on the bottom side you wont have any problem finding the holes as the blade just naturally slide into the hole if you still have a problem try poking a pencil in the hole leaving a little black mark in the hole so to see it better. If that dont work have you tried a bandsaw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munzieb Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I had an old Craftsman 16" and was pretty much forced to bottom feed. It could be tough with some of the vey small hole and not having a pattern on the bottom. Sold it last spring and got a EX-16. Even with lifting the arm, top feeding is the way to go and much faster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I have a Hegner so I don't have much of a choice. Bottom feeder Yeah me too! Would like the option especially on large fretwork projects but it is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) In Steve Goods recent Jet review, he made a comment "fortunately, over 90% of the people out there are bottom feeders, I don't know why that is, but almost everybody does" (30:44 in the video). I think what this poll does show is that the two camps are closer in numbers than what he thinks. What difference does it make? For those of us happy with our saws, and their capabilities, not much. But in establishing the value of a new scroll saw that is solely for bottom feeders, that distinction is meaningful as that saw "takes sides" with one group, alienating the other. Once i understood what Jet had done, my heart sank. If I were a bottom feed only user, and I was in the market, I would be very excited about the new Jet, but, I fall in the wrong camp for that saw. -------Randy Edited November 3, 2016 by hotshot Dave Monk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleJScroller Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 Proud bottom feeder here! When I started scrolling just a few short years ago it just seemed like the way to do it. I've tried top feeding on several occasions and it just seems awkward to me. I cant easily see under my table and honestly it hurts the old back to bend down and try and see what I'm doing. I've always felt that if it's not broke don't fix it...lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 Die hard bottom feeder.since 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubsterwine Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I have both a Hegner and a Excalibur so I have done both but perfer the bottom feed method that is why I am selling the Excalibur. Scrappile 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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