badbanjo Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 Has anyone had any experience with the entry level scroll saws such as the Wen, Ryobi, or Shop Fox for casual use? My planned use for a scroll saw is just to support my relief carving/chip carving hobby. I would only use it a few times a month at most to cut something I will carve. Reviews online appear to be mostly paid for by sellers because they say how great the saws are and then you look at online forums and most users say they are bad and that you should buy only a top-level saw so that you won't want to trade up later on. So, are the entry level ones good for casual use or are they really pieces of junk that will break down on you after a dozen or so uses? OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 Look for a good used Dewalt. You won't be sorry. They are a workhorse and can be bought for $200-300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 I don't know how much you are intending to spend but if looking at "new" saws Grizzly has a pretty impressive price on their newest saw which is very much like the Excalibur or Pegas.. Probably a bit steep for what you're looking at as I think it's priced in the $500 - 600 ish range. Personally I'd look at some better name brand used saws like Ray mentioned before I spend about the same money on a new entree level saw.. the thing is that these lower end saws can make the scrolling experience not very desirable with a lot of vibrating and not very user friendly blade changes etc.. Many times people start with a low end saw and find that they are limited and find themselves somewhat enjoying the sawing but cumbersome blade changing etc. has them searching out another saw in a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 Started scrolling a year ago and tried the Wen and returned it and almost decided to forget about the hobby until I bought the Dewalt. I learned quickly using a high quality tool and made plenty of projects so far. Best shop purchace I've made for my new woodworking hobby, next to my Dewalt table saw I will not buy cheap power tools that are vital to my craft! danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimNC Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 I have a Wen LL2156, 21 inch about $375 and had it for over a year now and really like it. I tried a Dewalt scroll saw at a woodworkers show and I could not tell the difference. The past year a have use it just about every day. Don't confuse this the cheap Wen 16 inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBob Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 Don't buy anything that uses pinned blades. It is not too hard to find a good quality used saw. danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChelCass Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 I also have the Wen 2156 have had it for a couple of years. Great saw. Have not had a ounce of trouble with it. Got it on special on Amazon. It does everything the Expensive saws do. I do a lot of fret work and have also cut some thicker wood with ease. I added the deadmans switch and that works great. Blades are easy to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted August 25 Report Share Posted August 25 Pinless blades only, no adapter needed. variable speed. The top arm raises The table tilts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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