Greetings from Italy - need help choosing scrollsaw

[jim_mex]

Hi - Kinda complicated but I'm an expat Brit who works around the world as a ceramic manufacturing engineer. I've lived in Mexico the past 20 something years, own an oldish budget range but reliable Delta scroll saw and have been scrolling for about 3 years concentrating mainly on segmentation and intarsia work plus toy making.

I've just taken a job in northern Italy for 9 months near to the city of Verona and am interested in buying an economic but reasonable quality scrollsaw to use out here to keep me out of mischief - well maybe! Due to voltage differences - Mexico uses 110 - 120 v - there's no point in me buying a saw to take back with me hence my search for an economic model. At the moment I've found two saws I can buy locally, a model Valex SV4000e for about 130 euros which looks a bit like a crude cast iron boat anchor and a Jet JSS16 at 180 euros which looks a little more respectable.

Can anyone please offer me any advice on whether these machines will serve my purpose and if there are other similar or better machines available in Europe with a ceiling of around 200 euros. I want to use the saw largely for inlay work so the main criteria I have is that they don't bounce around in use and that they are fairly precise in cutting with fine blades. I usually use Flying Dutchman UR blades in sizes 1, 3 and 5

Thanks in anticipation of some help. I'm looking forward to participating in the forum.

 

[Mouse]

Hi Jim and welcome to the forum.

The two saws you named are among a number of tiawneeze clones? I have the SIP variant of them. The main difference between them all is the colour of the paint job. I am very happy with my saw but made a couple of mods to make it easier to work with. I normally run at about 1/2 to 3/4 speed with hardly any vibration with it just sitting on a work top with the bolt grommets in the hold down holes.. Mine came with an anti vibration mat that actually made it vibrate, that got binned along with the useless guard.
HTH

 

[jim_mex]

Thanks Mick for the feedback. Appreciate your help. I intend to look a little further before biting the bullet but for the moment I favour the Jet model. I did some reading up on the unit last night and it seems that the major issue with this unit is that the blade clamps are often poorly finished and don't grip too well but that doesn't worry me too much as its a problem I can easily correct. My main concern is to buy a unit without too much vibration. Like you I rarely cut at more than half the speed range of the saw and that certainly seems to help on all of these lower priced saws. Cheers!

 

[jim_mex]

Just an update - my choice of saw has been solved in the best possible way. A last minute search on the Italian version of eBay threw up someone advertising a Dewalt DW788 in mint condition just 60 kms from where I am living. The saw was bought by a very nice lady about 5 years back who unfortunately was involved in a serious car accident shortly afterwards which damaged the tendons and a finger of her right hand making it very difficult for her to scroll. It had been sitting idle gathering dust since then. I tried it out and it ran absolutely perfectly. Its now in my apartment waiting for me to buy some wood and a few simple tools. I payed 300 Euros for it which knowing how expensive they are here in Euro I think was a real bargain. It also came with the original Dewalt stand.