Messerjg Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 So i am asking for a little help from all the experts here. I need help finding a good scroll saw. I have a cheap no good saw i have used for ever but it is not getting the job done. I have a cheap craftsman one and need to upgrade. I have read a lot on here and other forums and sites but cant find answers to the questions i have. The saw i have uses pinned ends and i cant get small fine cuts. It has a screw clamp that i have tried to use non pinned blades but is doesnt secure them straight, tight, bends them, they snap easily with just a half inch cut. Moving to a new cut hole, that blade cannot be used again because clamping destroys it so for a project with 300 cuts would require me at least 300 blades. Would would you recommend? Thanks for all your help!! amazingkevin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted July 8, 2017 Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 there was no place to click on your post except like so i had to reply this way.Yes cheap saw wear out and the slack in the worn bushings that never get oiled is the cause of your blade breakage.i have 9 dewalts so if that tells you i like them your right i;ve had a great time with cheap saws for years but they just don't last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 Go to the scroll saw review thread in this forum and you will get a lot of great info. If you have any more questions after that come back and ask. There are a lot of good saws out there. stoney and WayneMahler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCROLLSAW703 Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 You can ask 100 scrollers that question, & based on their preference, experience, expectations of the saw, what they do w/it, the list goes on, you'll get 101 different answers. My advice is to figure out what type of projects you want/like to do, how big of a saw you want within your budget, then start researching saws from there. Get away from the pin type blades. Scrappile and stoney 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 Best advice I can offer is get the best your budget can afford. I worked my way up to an Ex and that was good for me. Dewalts seem to have a decent review so it a middle of the road. Craigslist is a good place to look for a used saw but be careful and now what to look for. Scrolling Steve, SCROLLSAW703 and Roberta Moreton 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 I have a Dewalt 788 and that is the best that I can afford. I usealy put in about $80 in repairs per year. A new D.W. 788 cost about $550 and the next step up is about $700. Just figure out what you can afford and go from there . IKE Scrolling Steve and SCROLLSAW703 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 On 7/6/2017 at 1:33 PM, Messerjg said: So i am asking for a little help from all the experts here. I need help finding a good scroll saw. I have a cheap no good saw i have used for ever but it is not getting the job done. I have a cheap craftsman one and need to upgrade. I have read a lot on here and other forums and sites but cant find answers to the questions i have. The saw i have uses pinned ends and i cant get small fine cuts. It has a screw clamp that i have tried to use non pinned blades but is doesnt secure them straight, tight, bends them, they snap easily with just a half inch cut. Moving to a new cut hole, that blade cannot be used again because clamping destroys it so for a project with 300 cuts would require me at least 300 blades. Would would you recommend? Thanks for all your help!! Jeremy on the low side I would get the DW788 but I really try and do better. I have an Excaliber 16 it's a pretty nice saw but if you wanted only buy one saw that would last the rest of your life get one of the new RBI Hawks. Do some research. stoney and SCROLLSAW703 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCROLLSAW703 Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Jeremy, Hawkeye said pretty much what I hesitated to say in my last post. I'm a Hawk advocate myself. Yes, I started at the the bottom w/an entry level Craftsman single speed. I wore it completely out. Then I bought a used Craftsman VS that uses pin type or plain end blades. I still have it in service. Then the wife & I were in HD in Denver some 20+ years ago, & they had a Hitachi CW - 40 on sale. They said they weren't goin' to make the saw any longer.:( We kicked it around, & decided to bring it home. That saw has never failed me! After I read some of the reviews on it before I even put it all together, I looked at my wife & told her we just bought a pile of scrap iron! I've put over 3000 hours on that saw, & the only repairs I've made to it is new bellows & air lock line, VS switch, & power switch. That saw still cuts & runs like new! Then we bought a used VS220 Hawk on ebay. the feller said it was like new. Within two years, I'd wore it out enough it was time to trade it off. I'd made simple repairs to it, but things kept getting worse, so The folks at Hawk decided it was time for them to look at it. We loaded the saw in the pick up, & went to Bushton. When their crew went through it, it was going to take about $700 to fix it. I just traded it in on a BM - 26. That was in September of last year. I don't regret a minute of it! The things this saw will do, & the capabilities it has are just unbelievable! The saw is simple built, but has adjustments to make the saw cut any way you want it to. It's designed for top & bottom feeders, VS, tension release is at the nose of the top arm. I could go on, but you can check it out on their website. The price may make your face light up, & your hair stand up, but trust me, it's well worth the money. The tech service is top notch, & parts availability is not a problem, & fast shipping. Like Hawkeye said, & a few more too, invest in the best saw you can afford when you buy. Check out their customer service & parts availability & how willing they are tohonor their warranty & answer questions. Spend some time researching how well different breeds hold up under given conditions. Once you've decided on what you want, doresearch on that machine. Blade clamps, blade holders, speeds, lube points, etc. You'll figure things out as you go, but be cautious to not to just jump into something you're not going to enjoy. That's the important part. stoney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 Buy a Dewalt. You won't be sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 As said many times, buy the best within your budget. I have a DeWalt I used and still use for 10 years. My go to saw is an EX21. Scrolling Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrollerpete Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 I went from Craftsman to Ryobi to Dremel and then to the Excalibur, I found this saw is a Cadillac compare to all the other saws I had. Bought it new set it up and after 5 years still did not replace any parts yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 I am not in the market for a new saw, but if I was I would look at the Delta same as the Dewalt but over a hundred less. there are many fine saws out there but I believe unless you start looking from the 300. Dollar up new or used your not going to be happy. One last point unless you have absolute requirements all upper end saws will in most cases do anything you expect. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 Check craigs list in your area. Dewalt, RBI, Excaliber, Hegner, Delta, Jet, are some of the top names. Find something and check back with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 I just seen you are from Michigan.. I don't know what your budget is.. but just doing a quick search on craiglist I found some decent prices on a few older saws.. while I didn't really take a lot of time to read about any of these saws.. I just felt these are somewhat of a good starter saw for someone.. and the one saw here is what used to be considered a higher end Delta P-20.. parts for these older saws are getting harder to find so do keep that in mind.. The one 16" Delta I believe is a SS350 which isn't a bad saw.. I owned one for a couple years as a back-up saw.. Anyway you would need to do your own research on each of these saws or ask others here.. I'm just pointing you toward some of what I believe to be good prices on older saws.. https://jxn.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-scroll-saw/6218452549.html https://saginaw.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-variable-scroll-saw/6211018830.html https://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/tls/d/scroll-saw/6189536750.html https://saginaw.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-scroll-saw/6208811570.html https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/tls/d/scroll-saw/6199272456.html There are also a few DeWalts and other brands on Craigslist.. Just giving you some samples of something better than what you are trying to use.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted July 23, 2017 Report Share Posted July 23, 2017 On 7/12/2017 at 3:53 AM, SCROLLSAW703 said: I just traded it in on a BM - 26. Of course I interpreted all that as, "Hey, if you have a BM26 questions, I'm your man". :-) SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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