# Thoughts on laser cutters v scroll saw



## fred55 (4 Jun 2014)

I have been looking for a scroll saw for the last few months, looking at costs, performance, and usage when a neighbour put a spanner in the works !! - he had a laser cutter cost £500 is from Ebay. Having seen some of the samples work he has, it made me wonder! Scroll saw or laser cutter and looking at the price of some of the scroll Hegher! lasers are not too far away. So what to do.


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## stevebuk (4 Jun 2014)

Laser cutters have their place in the market but it all depends on what you want to class yourself as and what you want to cut, if it's thin MDF stuff then it's ok but remember you can't call it hand cut so you loose some of the originality from the item from a personal cutting point of view, if you want to cut thicker stuff then the laser is not really designed for it, I actually get quite a bit of work from people that own laser and router cutters because they can't cut what I can on the scroll saw.


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## Chippygeoff (4 Jun 2014)

I endorse what Steve has said but would like to add that a few friends have bought laser cut items made from thin plywood and I was dissapointed to see that the edges were black from burning, which in my mind lowered the quality of the product. They were bought from China. More recently at an event I attended there was a guy opposite my stand who was demonstrating a laser cutter. He was using it to engrave pre-cut blanks with well known sayings and I was quite impressed, despite the lettering catching fire now and again during the process. A light sanding afterwards and a coat of wax polish completed the process.


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## ChrisR (4 Jun 2014)

I think that it all depends on what you want to be, a button pusher, to turn out item after item, or do you want the satisfaction at looking at an item you have cut on a scroll saw :?: .

Take care.

Chris R.


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## smoggy49 (4 Jun 2014)

I was at an engineering exhibition last October, and watched a guy demonstrate a laser cutter. It was first day early on and he did the full works, cut out a very intricate pattern on the top of a small wooden box. I cant remember the full details but the cut was 0.5 mm accuracy was 0.8 of a micron and cost 12k. When he put the pattern back in to the lid he'd cut it from, the trapped air in the box stopped it from sliding back in. Very impressive but I felt the credit was due to the machine and the person who'd drafted the pattern. And for me it was quite an empty feeling and left me disappointed, very different from scrolling either my own work or seeing what others have done on here always an inspiration. 

Chas


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## marcros (4 Jun 2014)

I would go with the scroll saw. If you have some layering you can always trade something with your neighbour. That way between the pair of you, you have both bases covered.


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## Scrollerman (5 Jun 2014)

Hi free55

Is your aim to make money or learn how to aquire the skills for scroll sawing ?
I have to ask as it's not easy to suggest what you should do without knowing your aims ?


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## jonluv (5 Jun 2014)

Hi Fred55,
I suppose the question is - do you want to take pride in your skills or your computers' skills ?
Did a show last year and had a laser cutter next to me, stuff looked sterile no life I it.

John


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## Stu_2 (5 Jun 2014)

Scrollerman":2csrzroy said:


> Hi free55
> 
> Is your aim to make money or learn how to aquire the skills for scroll sawing ?
> I have to ask as it's not easy to suggest what you should do without knowing your aims ?



Spot on. If the plan is to turn out eBay orders etc. then the laser will be the best bet. You could always use the profits to buy yourself a nice standard saw, and have the best of both worlds 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## fred55 (5 Jun 2014)

Thanks for your thoughts - I'm almost retired from construction and teaching and want to get back into woodworking for pleasure so I think the decision has been made.


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## bugbear (5 Jun 2014)

fred55":2rwg5o19 said:


> Thanks for your thoughts - I'm almost retired from construction and teaching and want to get back into woodworking for pleasure so I think the decision has been made.



A scroll saw is more versatile, especially in DEPTH; a laser cannot do:

a-few-ideas-for-the-guys-who-sell-their-work-t80542.html?hilit=ikea

Smoggy's little deer:

post821895.html?hilit=%20deer#p821895

or these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF9hG6UUajw

BugBear


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## fred55 (5 Jun 2014)

Those look good - thanks bearhug - oops sorry BugBear; now to wait to see what comes up for sale on this site, if nothing reasonable comes up I'm just going to buy new scroll saw.


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