Scrollsaw Accessories

[greasemonkeyredneck]

I was wondering if or what included scrollsaw accessories different people use. I am up to five scrollsaws now, even though I use my Delta more than any of them. The first thing I do when I get a new saw is take off the hold down clamp and the air blower. For my taste, neither of these items do anything besides get in my way. The air blower would actually be nice, but the ones on the saws I've got never blow hard enough to do a bit of good. I've read several different ideas on the net I'm considering to remedy the situation. I'm leaning right now torwards the fish tank pump idea. I'm also considering a better light and a magnifying glass. So anyway, what accessories do others consider necessary and not?

[blame]

i have the dewalt saw when i got it and was setting it up i pulled it out of the box and put it on the stand everything else was already on it thou it came with a user manual and abunch of allen wrenches i never used them. The hold down was never put on i keep it with saw but never used it.

i'd like to have the lamp that goes with it but feel its over priced and figure since i have 2 flex lamps i might mount one someday. the blower is like a small air compressor with a long hose to blow the dust away from you rather the towards. i think the dewalt is the best product for the money. about the only thing i dont like about it is the way the table is mounted it has alot of side to side play in it due to having left and right tilt which i dont use anyway but i'm sure i will at some point just dont really use the saw as much as i'd like to. i think for me the one best improvement that i can add is the foot pedal to lift the upper arm

[paul44224]

Welcome to the village! I also use a footswitch I picked up at Harbor Frieght. They have 2 kinds. The one to use is press on for power, lift off to stop. The other is press on for power, press on again to stop. That one does not last long, and more hassle to use. I think Sears quit selling them. You will have more control when sawing because you use both hands to hold your work instead of using one hand to hit the off switch. For me, my scrolling is quicker, and much easier!

Paul

[joleet]

Hey Redneck

Thought I would put my 2 cents worth into the hopper. First of all I too have a Delta and love it. Blower stinks, so I bought a fishtank pump and it works very well. My only advise is to get one large enough to do the job, but, mainly get one that is easy to change or clean the filter. Mine is hard to change and is very small, so, I use a long tube and put it as far away from the saw as possible. I also have an adjustable circle neon light with a magnifying glass. It's ok but sort of jiggles and sways making me crosseyed. I bought a head magnifying glass visor like the jewelers use and use the adjustable light and it works great. I also tried stronger reading "granny" glasses, but, if I used a dust mask, my breath would fog up the glasses. Oh well...Ron T.

[Travis]

The first thing I removed was the foot too. I hate it. In my opinion, it's not worth having unless you're teaching kids how to use a scroll saw. Since I don't have a scroll saw stand that came with it, I use a workmate bench instead. I prop a 2x4 under the back end of the saw. This tilts the saw just slightly toward me which makes it easier to see and cut. Then I clamp down the saw to the bench.

I also made a blade holder which I really like. Nothing more than PVC tubes with endcaps in a MDF holder. Works great!

 

Lastly, I keep a bunch of business cards at hand. If I need a zero clearance insert, I just cut a slit into the card, feed the blade through, and tape it to my saw bed. Works great for delicate work.

[Vector01]

The saw came with a light, blower and stand. I removed the hold down (too big). I removed the bracket for the light and blower which allowed me to reposition both. I replaced the cheapo bulb that came with the light with a better one. They both work great now.

 

I had a foot switch from my old saw. I had to cut the stand legs down 3 inches to allow for the height of the casters which I added. Unfortunately I don't have a spare room so I do all my cutting in the kitchen. The casters are great when the saw has to be moved around when company comes or for cleaning.

 

I removed the plastic side cover on the saw. Makes it much easier to get at the lower blade holder. My vacuum connection is on the opposite side so there's no problem connecting the vacuum. I use a mini shop vac which takes care of dust collecting. I made a quickie blade holder which also holds a few tools I use the most with the saw.

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[DAdams]

Hi I have the back of my Dewalt scroll saw up on blocks of wood to lower the front end of it Cause i'm a short lady. And I have a magnify light i use I have it mounted to a piece of wood drilled a hole in the piece of wood so that the metal post on the lamp would fit down in the hole i don't have the base that comes with the magnify lamps. so i made a make shift one that works for me.I clamp it to the underside of the Dewalt scrollsaw stand. I have a foot switch also on my scroll saw it is a lifesaver when you need to stop your scroll saw if you break a blade or need to stop scroll saw quickly. I use plastic credit cards Or Wal-mart gift cards for my zero turning hole plug on the saw table where the blade comes up through the table.I just tape it down on the table top after I poke a hole in the middle of the card from the saw blade to come up through.

[Christina]

I don't have any goodies for my saw lol. I have it bolted to a table, a 2 X 4 under the back legs to tilt it and I use the overhead light in the room. I don't have a blower.........I just blow on it as I go For zero clearance I just use a card.............I keep all those fake credit cards that come in the mail............just tape it on after poking a hole in it.

Someday though....

Christina

[Hawki39]

I like the idea of using a card for zero clearence scrollsawing....I have spent a lot of time searching thru the sawdust looking for a small part I cut only to find out that it got mangled

 

Butch

[shelayla]

Hi folks. For those of you that don't have the built in lamp on your saw, try using a clamp on reading lamp with the flexible neck. I also bought the foot control , haven't even hooked it up yet. After reading this subject line, I think I will send it back.

[joscrolls]

I have a 20" Craftsman Professional model. I was going through switches when I first got it, so I attached a footpedal(I see that now some come with a foot pedal) I find the blower works fine..just had to replace the little bellows inside cause it sat for a while in one position - just a couple dollars. I also changed the bottom blade change screw (a hex screw came with it I think) to a T-handle screw so I don't need a tool, although I often give it just a nudge with a pair of needlenosed pliers I keep handy. I've had it for years, and it's always worked great.

For a zero clearance plate I used an old shiny surfaced postcard cut out and glued to the plastic insert with some spray adhesive. When it wears out, I just grab another postcard.

I keep a little sanding block handy ( to clean up the back after each cut) and my blades of course, and an old blade to poke small pieces out as I cut.

Also have a magnifier light set up when I need to work on real fine stuff.

 

Shelayla - I'm pretty sure everyone is talking about the hold-down foot that comes with the saw.(did mine come with one?? lol)..designed as a safety feature to hold the wood against the table. I love my foot control...I would recommend you try yours before returning it.

[Travis]

I bought a foot pedal for my saw. It was just an on/off switch. I think if I had a foot pedal that worked more like a sewing machine pedal where the harder you press it, the faster it goes, I would really like that. But for now, its just easier for me to hit the on/off switch on the machine. I'll save the foot pedal for the router table or something.

 

Good call on the winged bolt. I've seen some saws that require a hex wrench to change the blade. What a pain. I was lucky enough to have a winged bolt on mine already. Though I had to file the end flat. There was a little nib on the end that made having a tight connection difficult.

 

One thing I have is a little pin vice. It basically looks like an Xacto Blade handle that holds a tiny drill bit. Its really handy to drill through the wood where it didn't quite go all the way through.