Need help knowing if I got a good scroll saw!

[Ives]

I just got my first scroll saw, having no experience of power tools whatsoever! I live in the UK, is anyone else here? I got a Titan for £59 from Screwfix and are now on the fourth one before it's sort of right. But still, the bolt holding the safety guard on is too short so the guard is loosely on and the dust blower won't fit.

 

Also I'm not sure if it's me or the tension or the scroll saw, but I can't just feed the wood through, I do have to push it and the blade gets pushed back. Is that bad? I tried lower tension and it doesn't really help.

 

I really like this so far, so if I need to I will spend a little bit more on a bit better one, like £100 I think, but don't want to spend more if I don't need to. Screwfix says if I find a bolt in their catalog that looks right they can send me it....but should I just get a better saw? I don't know at this point if I need fancy features like variable speed etc.

[Messman]

I can not speak about the Titan saw, but as far as the movement when you are trying to cut, you want the blade tension tighter not lower. When you tighten the blade you should be able to pluck the blade with your finger and get a sound that is almost like a musical note.

 

The bolt holding the safety guard take to your local hardware store and find one that is long enough to ensure everything is secure.

[Travis]

One thing to check is to make sure the teeth are pointing down. I've done that a few times where I put the blade in upside down...it makes a big difference. Another thing to check is the material and kind of blade you're using. Blades with a lot of teeth per inch cut much slower, especially on hard woods. If the blade is old, naturally it won't cut as well. I'm not sure what its like in the UK, but the blades you buy from the DIY stores in the states here aren't very good. You're better off mail-ordering some quality blades. A lot of folks buy from Mike's Workshop (http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm). I'm pretty sure he ships overseas too.

[inspirations]

Hi Ives, i live in the U K in the Bristol area i do know the Titan scroll saw and screw fix company .You have bought the low end of the market, i would suggest

that you need to spend a little more than £100 .00 . Look at the Axminster power tool range on the internet very good company with an after sales department.

all the best

Brian

[roy_b]

Hi Ives.

I'm also from the UK and second everything Brian has recommended. I've been scrolling for only a few months and I suggest you go on to YouTube and find as many instructional videos as you can and things will become much clearer when looking to buy another scroll saw.

Hope this helps.

Roy

[northampton scroller]

Hi Ives.

I am also from uk. and have had several saws over the last 15 years. and I am a great believer in you get you pay for.

It is not a bad thing to start with a lower end saw if only to appreciate a good saw when you get one.

When I started I bought a delta 450 model for about £70 and I still have it allthough I use a excalibur ex 21 most of the time.

You might be better sticking with the one you have got untill you get a bit more experiance,and know that you want to carry on solling.

I agree with everyone else, there are some good saws to be found on ebay.

best of luck

Jim

[Lucky2]

Hi Ives, I can't speak of what the quality of your saw is, or about what you should buy as you live in England and I'm not familiar with what is available. There is one thing that I would like to tell you though, and it is that if your going to purchase another saw, you do want it to have variable speed. Not two speed, because that isn't much better than having just one speed. The reason I am saying this, is because with you just learning you may find it easier to learn how to operate the saw better, if you could control the speed at which you cut. I hope nobody is offended with what I stated, but personally, I found it easier to learn how to use the saw by cutting at the speed that I was comfortable with.

Len

[Ives]

Thanks everyone. And thanks Len, I was thinking maybe I should get a variable speed, so I can go more slowly!

[Silver Sliver]

You indicated that you "have to push" the wood. That tells me a couple things. One that your tension is not high enough, two, that you are cutting with a dull blade, upside down blade, or even the blade is in backwards. Been there, done that myself. Another reason might be that you are trying to cut too fast. It is better to use a higher speed (strokes per minute), higher tension and let the blade do the cutting by not feeding too fast.

[Ives]

Argh, you're right, I thought lower the tension was what I needed to do. Now we've returned the saw thinking it was bad. Well, out of 4, it turns out some of them were not and 2 were. It was the cheapest possible one, so I'm thinking maybe I should get a better one and get variable speed. On the last one, the blade was turned slightly and it went much faster than the other 3! I don't like that there's such a difference between 4 of the same exact model of tool!

 

That one cost £59. SO, I think I could spend about £100 max, what should I get? I really can't spend more than that, and shouldn't even be spending that at all but I'm addicted to this and miss it now that it's been sent back! Nothing's coming up locally on Ebay. I checked Axminster and their cheapest is £177.

 

Another question. I'm under the impression you need a band saw to cut wook 2.5 to 3 inches thick but someone on some forum somewhere is telling me you can use a scroll saw. I want to make these: http://shapeofaspoon.blogspot.com/search/label/tutorial

 

It's the dollhouse puzzle halfway down the page and the rainbow after it.