Terribly lacking in details post about a scroll saw.

[Mr. Moose]

Okay, I'm going to do the best I can to describe my problem, and see if anyone can deal with it reasonably.

I have my granfather's scroll saw. I would say that my emotional attachment to this item is slight. If it were COMPLETELY non-working I would throw it out. It is a really cheapo "Durabuilt" saw made in the mid 80's overseas. No variable speed, just goes full bore.

However, the motor and everything work just fine, with one MAJOR exception. The cam holding the blade wobbles like mad, and is dangerous, not to mention that it's nearly impossible to make a cut.

It would appear that the bolt that serves as the, for lack of a better term, "axle" for the cam is a bit worn, and so is the hole in the cam. There is excessive play there, and the part of the bolt that should have a nut on it has stripped completely. I can throw on a few washers and make the bolt nice and solid, but there is still a fair amount of play, I would say a 16th of an inch at the end where the blade is.

There is no easy way to fix this, unless I throw a shim on the side of the cam, which seems risky.

So, is this fixable for less than the cost of a new cheapo saw, or should I just toss it and get something else?

If I can give more details, let me know. I would like to fix this cheaply, but I suspect it's going to take a fair amount of machine-shop work, and I doubt it would come cheaply.

Mark

[Wilson]

A machinist can bore the cam and press in a bronze bushing. If the shaft bolt has wear, a new one should be run in. The bushing would be bored to fit the diameter of the bolt. A moonlight machinist can probably do this for $50 or so. Hopefully the shaft bolt is threaded into the frame. If not, the job will be much worse. It would be great to use ball bearings, if the cam is thick enough. Can you make us a drawing? Wilson

[Phil-in-MI]

If your emotional attachment is slight, and you suspect the tool is dangerous, AND you can afford to purchase a new saw or do without a scroll saw then I recommend you convert the saw into scrap metal

Up to a few years ago, scroll saws all had long arms and a motor that drove the long arms with lots of engineering to avoid the problems of harmonic oscillations. Take a look at newer saws on the market (almost all price ranges) and you will notice the change over to only a few inches on the end of the arms are actually involved in the movement of the blade. IMHO this improvement has really reduced the vibration you feel on your finger tips (as you hold the wood while cutting) on most of today's scroll saws. Until you try cutting on an old scroll saw and then on a newer low vibration one, most people will not believe the improvement in trying to cut along a fine thin line.

Just MHO.

Phil

[Mr. Moose]

That was the perfect answer, because it gave me the language I was needing.

Bushing makes sense.

Shaft bolt is threaded and bolted on the other end of the frame. Of course, those threads are toast, so that would be a bit of a pain. But it may be doable.

I'll have to think about this a bit, but thanks a bunch!!

Mark