Buying a scroll saw

[Bodrighy]

I have been looking at the prices of scroll saws with the possiblity of buying one. 2nd hand on ebay is mostly a no no as they are usually buyer collects and where I live in Cornwall woud add a lot of pennies to the cost. I am looking at cheapest possible as long as it is functional. I have seen a few Silverline that are within my budget but knowing nothing about them am guessing that they aren't worth it. Any advice? I presume, as with all saws, the quality of blade maks a a big difference. Budget is about the £60 mark which I know isn't a lot but I live in hope

pete

 

[Gill]

Gosh, you posted on here in the summer of 2007 saying you were looking out for a scroll saw. They're not that hard to come across, honestly !

Saws in the price range you mention are pretty much of a muchness. I've never heard of Silverline but for around £70 you should be able to pick up a SIP, which I've heard reported as being a good introductory machine.

Gill

 

[Bodrighy]

Hi Gill....either you have a good memory or you are checking up on me :lol:

I am a turner and that has been a priority but I want to start decorating platters and thing with cut outs and a scroll saw would be ideal for what I have in mind. I only buy tools with money I make from turning so am limited unless I sell more. The silverline is all over Ebay and in a few of the shops online as well all around the £40 - £50 mark. Cheap tools can sometimes be worth the money but not wnowing anything about them apart from the basics I don't want to buy a pup. A hegner would be nice but not this week :lol:

Pete

 

[Gill]

Pete, you would be amazed at some of the things I remember - they're rarely anything useful, but they can be bewildering :lol: . I actually did you remember you asking.

It's always nice to have a top of the range saw, but if you're a turner you won't need one. Over the years I have seen various scroll saw brands come and go and the Silverline brand may well be just another. If you're only going to be making a few dozen cuts per year, it will probably be worth buying one (or a SIP) and learning to tolerate the shortcomings it will almost inevitably have. There again, you may be better off with a Dremel multi-tool and a carving bit, rather like Bin Pho.

The obvious way ahead is to buy whatever tool you think will achieve the effect you are seeking for the minimum cash outlay. If you do not like the way it works, you won't have wasted too much cash. If you do like it, you can upgrade to a better model when your introductory tool needs to be replaced.

I just wish I could offer you more information about the Silverline brand, but to me it looks like yet another of those generic Chiwanbodian imports.

Gill

 

[Bodrighy]

Thanks Gill. I have one of the Dremel type things but whilst it's great for smaller things when you get to larger cuts it is a pin. Binh Po is wayyyyy outside my league but If he can use one maybe I need to try harder :lol:

Pete

 

[Bodrighy]

Just spotted this one. Gorgeous and could be fun getting it back to it's pristine glory but don't know how practical it would be. :lol

Or how much it would finally go for, looks like a collectors piece
Pete

 

[Gill]

Owners try to convince everybody that those old treadle saws are collectors pieces!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[chrispuzzle]

An issue with the Silverline - which looks like a fairly common low-end design - is that it seems to have only one speed, 1450rpm.

That's not as flexible as the a variable speed like the SIP.

The two main issues with low end saws tend to be vibration and durability. Vibration can be mitigated by bolting the saw down to a good solid stand, or perhaps a workbench or even a slab of concrete. Durability is really about the work rate you expect from it.

I have tried a treadle saw and they are trickier than they look to work skilfully. But I have seen an experienced treadle user produce very good work on an old Gem/Hobbies. I bet if you do craft fairs, being able to sit at a treadle saw will be a crowd puller. Very rare to see one on eBay where the guy is prepared to post it!

 

[big soft moose]

we got one of these http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axmi ... 724456.htm for work during the budget spend up at the end of the last FY and its suprisingly good.

I used to have a scheppach scroll saw which was another entry level but very good indeed - until i killed it (they dont like being knocked of the workbench with a piece of 4x4 x8 oak)

i'm thinking about one of these http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axmi ... -23264.htm which are reputedly very good but well outside your budget.

ive never used a silverline scroll saw, but we used to have a silverline planer and the build quality was awful, so they might not be the best choice.

 

[Paul.J]

Hows aboutThis one.
Any good :? :?:

 

[Bodrighy]

Hows aboutThis one.
Any good :? :?:

There's an Axminster at the same spec for £20 less but at the moment I am picking brains to see whether to spend my hard earned money or be patient and save up. Looks like the variable speed would be useful but that puts the price up. I sdidn't realise there were so many.

There is a hegner on Ebay at the moment at £21 but with 6 days to go I am pretty sure it'll shoot up
Pete

 

[Gill]

Both the Draper and the Hegner on eBay are single speed models. If you want to use your saw to cut details on turned platters, bowls and such, you might find the rapid stroke speed damages your work. I think it would be prudent to use a saw with a variable stroke speed control instead of one with a single speed.

Gill

 

[Bodrighy]

Both the Draper and the Hegner on eBay are single speed models. If you want to use your saw to cut details on turned platters, bowls and such, you might find the rapid stroke speed damages your work. I think it would be prudent to use a saw with a variable stroke speed control instead of one with a single speed.

Gill

How does the high speed damage the work? (See..I told you I was ignorant) Looking at some of the variable speeds they are only ranging from about 1400 upwards which seems pretty fast anyway. As a rough idea of what I am thinking if doing (attempting) this is the type of pattern I have in mind. This and other themes

Pete

 

[big soft moose]

one point mate - if you are looking at doing pierced work ala bin pho or cut outs like mark hancock then a powered fretsaw isnt the way to go.

the basic problem is that you cant get the bottom arm /base inside a form , so the only way you can work is to put the top arm inside and work upsidedown, which makes both holding the work piece and seeing what you are doing a total pain in the proverbial.

somewhere arround there is thread showing the jig i made to actually turn my fretsaw upsidedown so that i could cut on the upper surface and see what i was doing - however this was somewhat hairy and not something i'd try again - do do that kind of thing , either a dremel/proxon etc or a hand held fretsaw is the way to go.

of course thats only an issue on hollow forms and big bowls - cuts outs on platters etc are no problem.

 

[Gill]

Brittle or thin woods which are unsupported will splinter along their grain if they are cut at high speeds. That is one of the reasons why cross-grained good quality plywood is such a popular material amongst scrollers. You can minimise the risk of splintering by using a zero clearance blade insert and by fixing a sacrificial support to your workpiece, but there would still be no guarantee of success.

I agree with you that 1400 strokes per minute is pretty fast. In fact, there are many single speed saws which operate at this speed! I would only consider variable speed machines with a range of about 400 to 1400 strokes per minute.

How are you going to use your celtic knot pattern? Do you intend to relief cut it like this:

Fret cut it like this:

Or inlay it?

Gill

 

[Bodrighy]

I agree that trying to do bowls etc with a scroll saw, especially as I have never used one would be pretty difficult to put it mildly. It is platters I am thinking of. Using the saw to cut away the outside of a platter with a jigsaw is nigh on impossible as there is so much play in the blade and trying to get a decent edge has proven beyond me. Something like the celtic knot around the edge of a platter or in the middle of a flat plate is more what I have in mind. I also have an idea of shaping wood first and then turning it but don't know if that would work until I try it.

If I ever get remotely as good as Mark or Bihn Pho rest assured I'll let you know but don't hold your breathe :lol:

Pete

 

[Gill]

one point mate - if you are looking at doing pierced work ala bin pho or cut outs like mark hancock then a powered fretsaw isnt the way to go.

I agree.

Nevertheless, the big problem with Bin Pho's technique is that the power tool he uses to cut frets on his bowls actually chars the wood. That's something which most scrollers find completely unacceptable (just another of our peculiar quirks ).

The more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to the idea of using a hand-held fret saw for this sort of work.

Gill

PS I've never seen Mark's work. Got any links?

 

[Bodrighy]

one point mate - if you are looking at doing pierced work ala bin pho or cut outs like mark hancock then a powered fretsaw isnt the way to go.

I agree.

Nevertheless, the big problem with Bin Pho's technique is that the power tool he uses to cut frets on his bowls actually chars the wood. That's something which most scrollers find completely unacceptable (just another of our peculiar quirks ).

The more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to the idea of using a hand-held fret saw for this sort of work.

Gill

PS I've never seen Mark's work. Got any links?

Try here

Pete

 

[big soft moose]

The more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to the idea of using a hand-held fret saw for this sort of work.

Gill

so are you going to get a lathe then gill - another convert to the round side in the offing...

 

[Gill]

so are you going to get a lathe then

I've already got one. Or rather, my hubby has one. Spinny stuff doesn't really appeal to me and I don't get enough time to use my scroll saw as it is. All I've been able to make in the last week is a couple of compound cut Christmas tree baubles like this:

Pete - thanks for the link to Mark's website. Does he use a fretsaw to cut his projects?