“Entry Level” Scroll Saws
Recently I did a blog post on the basics of a scroll saw. In that post I implied that spending at least enough on a scroll saw to get beyond the inexpensive ‘big box store’ saws was a good idea, particularly if the saw was intended to be used for miniatures. I’ve implied it in other posts as well and I state it here explicitly. The higher priced saws offer lower vibration, more cutting precision, better control over blade tensioning, easier blade changing, and often other virtues. That said, most of us don’t have unlimited budgets so it is always good to look at what one can accomplish with lower-priced tools, even if they are of lower quality.
Steve Good has done just that. For those who don’t know the name, Steve runs one of the finest online scroll saw information centers. He produces first class video tutorials and all of them are available for free from his Scrollsaw Workshop blog. He also has a library of patterns available from the same place and he sells a couple pattern books as well. As a point of reference, Steve uses the Dewalt 788 scroll saw that I mentioned in my post and so I doubt he’d disagree with anything I’ve said in my post. But…
Steve just posted a short discussion, and 2 videos, on what he calls an “entry-level” Craftsman scroll saw ($109). He looks at some of the limitations, talks a bit about overcoming them, and shows the saw in action. In the end he suggests (and I agree) that you can accomplish a lot with these inexpensive saws.
Regardless of your views on saw quality or the size of your wallet, I urge you to take a look at these videos. Be advised, however, that you’ll need to scroll about halfway down the page to get to the actual blog post.
Cheers — Larry
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