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New Woodworker here


Charles Henry

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Hello Bruce, and thank you! I saw you in the Chat room, I sent two messages. Were you able to see them? I was reading through the chat room thread and I read quite a few instances where people stated that they didn't get to chat with anyone who was in there. I'm wondering if there's some issue with it to where my messages aren't showing up for other people, and vice versa.

Hi Charlie:

 

I saw the red one in the header and thought it was a private message.  I clicked on it and then realized it was the chat room so I backed out.  It must have come up as me entering the chat room.  Sorry about that.  I am not actually anti-social.  I was pressed for time.  :)

 

Bruce

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I believe I've decided on which Scroll Saw I want to buy. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, the winner is!!!...... The Excalibur! Now I just have to save up 800 or so dollars!! I love the features, I like how the blade and motor are what angles, It's got a solid stand, it's operational vibration is pretty much non existent! I saw a video where a guy stood a nickle up on the deck, and then turns the saw on, and the Nickle doesn't move! Can't wait!

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It appears that the Excaliburs have been discontinued, at least for the time being.  I think someone above mentioned the new offerings from Jet and Seyco as potential alternatives, with similar design features.  Hawk and Hegner are top of the line, commercial grade saws, with higher price tags.  The DeWalt is pretty good bang for the buck and is very user friendly, so it should be a good choice for you, but I know some folks, who really use theirs hard, haven't been happy with it's durability.  I liked mine a lot.  Had it for over 10 years and never had any significant problems with it.  Only reason I replaced it was I had the opportunity to upgrade and wanted to take advantage, before it passed.  I'm a little uneasy now, given that Excalibur has gone dark, but I'm happy with the saw.

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So I'm doing a little reading, and I believe a foot switch scroll saw might be something I'd be interested in. I'm guessing the foot switch acts like a speed control, much like that of a sewing machine? That's pretty awesome. After using one for a while I'm sure it'd be natural just like driving a manual transmission!

I recently went to Harbor Freight and purchased an inexpensive on/off pedal.  I didn't like the idea of having to keep my foot on the gas and I don't need another object on the floor to trip over.  The way I have my workbench set up, I was able to fasten the pedal to one of the support beams so I can "bump" it with my knee.  This kept it close, but out of my way.

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welcome to our friendly family. I can already tell that you are comfortable with the people here and open to ideas and to responding. I have a Hawk and a DeWalt and I use both but mostly the DeWalt because I  like the way it is designed for easy and user friendly. Saws and blades are something that is personalized like cars. Some love Fords and some Dodges and both get you from point A  to point  B but you can not convince a Ford man that Dodge is worth having. so it is with blades and saws. Just be sure and do not buy the big box store blades as they are not the ones you will want. Ask about them and when you do, be sure and let us know what type of scrolling projects you have in mind, as that has a lot to do with what which blades are best for the project and wood you are using.. Nice to see that you have already made so many posts.. We all like you already  :D  :)

 

Dick

heppnerguy

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Thanks Happnerguy. When people say "Box store blades" I'm guessing Box store blades are like, regular blades? have a bigger depth so they don't make sharp turns very well? I saw some blades at WoodCraft and they were small, very small, no pins at the top or bottoms, and they had teeth that went in a spiral from top to bottom. I'm guessing those kinds of blades are the ones I'd want to use the most?

 

There's always time Turner! I got over the "I think this might be a dumb question" a LOOOOOOONG time ago. Even if I know the answer, I may ask the question anyways, just so I can see what other people's opinions are and how they may handle things, depending on the question. Might just learn something you didn't know :)

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Thanks Happnerguy. When people say "Box store blades" I'm guessing Box store blades are like, regular blades? have a bigger depth so they don't make sharp turns very well? I saw some blades at WoodCraft and they were small, very small, no pins at the top or bottoms, and they had teeth that went in a spiral from top to bottom. I'm guessing those kinds of blades are the ones I'd want to use the most?

 

There's always time Turner! I got over the "I think this might be a dumb question" a LOOOOOOONG time ago. Even if I know the answer, I may ask the question anyways, just so I can see what other people's opinions are and how they may handle things, depending on the question. Might just learn something you didn't know :)

 

 

Home Depot and Lowes are a couple of the big box stores.. Yes, they do not handle the right blades.. the ones you mentioned seeing in Woodcrafters are called spiral blades,,,,they are like liver,,,you either love it or you hate it. Most people do not use spiral blades as they control very differently and make a lot of extra frizzies at the back side of your work, however the one that desire the spiral can make way more delicate cuts without the tiny pieces breaking.. I have taught myself to use both but the spirals I did not get into until after I had scrolled for 6 years then decided I needed to learn them so I started working them.. One good place to buy blades it   www.woodenteddybear.com   there are a lot of others but this is where I buy my blades....Woodcrafters carry some of the flat blades too and they do have the right ones you will be after but they are more expensive in the packs they carry..  hope this helps

 

 

Dick

heppnerguy

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oooh, okay, thanks for the information Heppner! In a previous post I exclaimed I would be going with an Excalibur. Well a bit of time has passed, and some more thoughts, and I'll probably be going with the Dewalt instead lol. It's 400 cheaper, so that' 400 I can spend on blades, wood, and experience! I'm saving up money now for one, so hopefully in 2-4 months I'll have my own Scroll saw to play with!

 

Did you decide not to use the spiral blades for a period of time, because they were tougher to use? Or was it just a personal preference? I kind of figured that was what everyone was using, based on some of the videos I've seen. I guess the other blades used are just like the normal ones (normal size) but just a whole lot thinner, so they can make sharper turns?

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