A good basic Scroll Saw

I am looking at purchasing a Scroll Saw in the next couple of days. I have reviewed a couple of books, (Nelson and Spielman, as well as the most recent Workbench review of scroll saws.) I have noted the key features such as blade changing, bevel tilt on both sides versus one, not using pinned blades, etc. Here is where I am at: I am looking for a good basic Scroll Saw for at most $250. I an not going to do a great deal of Fret Woork. I need to make some Pinewood Derby Cars, basic holiday cutouts, such as described in the December 2002 issue of Wood Magazine, etc. I hope to let my son "break into" woodworking with this tool.

My intentions are to purchase a good to very good 14 inch bansdsaw as I develop my shop. With this in mind, is the Delta 350 16 inch Variable that much better than the Craftsman 21610? Is there another model for my needs that I have overlooked? I am aware of the bias against "anything Craftsman" in my review of user group responses. Are their products really that bad?

I can get a Delta 350 LS with a stand from Amazon/ToolCrib for $199. I can get a 21610 from Sears for about $113. Which would be the best given my needs?

Thank you in advance.

John Canty

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John Canty
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snipped-for-privacy@juno.com (John Canty) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Check out these reviews:

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Reply to
Woodchuck Bill

I just got the Delta 350 from amazon. What an improvement over my old cheap import saw. Smooth, quiet, blade changes are a snap- 10 seconds.

The rest of the story.... My saw had an "infant mortality" problem. 3 days after I got it the motor started making knocking noises. Found the problem to be loose motor cover screws, allowing the motor to shift it's axis and possibly rub the armiture. I called Delta, explained the problem, (ready sto start cursing and complaining if they didn't satisfy- but unwarrented) they asked if I wanted a new saw or a new motor assembly with speed controller. New motor shipped to me at no cost. Can't say enough about their customer care.

Reply to
Tom

I just recently got a Dremel scroll saw. I love it. Blade changes are a snap. The dust blower works great and will stay where ever you want it. That's just my 2 cents

Rob

Reply to
Rob Hall

IMO it's hard to beat the Dremel scroll saw at Lowe's. We paid around $140 IIRC, and both SWMBO and our 12-year-old son have produced some very nice work with it.

-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

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Doug Miller

Reply to
Grandpa

The new Craftsman is SOOOOOOOOO smooth! It doesn't vibrate or rattle or dance on the table top or -----. I wish I had one!

Reply to
Lawrence A. Ramsey

Hust a side remark: On a "christmas market" (how do you call that in english?) i recently saw a treadle powered scroll saw, really a nice oldfashioned tool.

Reply to
Juergen Hannappel

I bought the Craftsman 16" and it is basically a good saw. However, the major complaint I have is that the blade clamp mechanism is a thumb screw which pinches the blade against another screw. This makes it difficult to clamp the blade without bending it or clamping it too tight so that it breaks when the tension is applied.

I wound up ordering the Delta clamp and retrofitting for my machine.

This was my first scrollsaw and I didn't understand the importance of the clamping mechanism (assumed they all worked well). As far as I can tell the Dremel has the same type of clamp as the craftsman.

If I was doing it over, I'd buy the delta for the same price next time.

Also, the variable speed is only important if you are cutting different types of material (metal, plastic, etc). If you are just cutting wood, a single or dual speed should work fine.

my $.02. Jim

Grandpa wrote in news:DtOdnQ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

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Jim

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DAN & CINDY

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