Newbie here and to Scroll Saw

[andymc007]

Hello,

Delighted to have found this forum and have already read so many great threads.

I am a bit of a late bloomer with wood and have recently had great fun sourcing tools for my newly renovated shed.

I bought an Aldi Scroll saw on a whim and I have immensely enjoyed making wooden animals for my little girl to paint and play with.

I have already come to terms with the fact that the scroll saw I have is basic and the vibrations and blade changing are not really useful to me progressing with the craft.

My dilemma which I hope you can help me with is this- I know if I spend £500-£650 I can get a really good Scroll saw from Hegner or Axminster but what about £250-£350?

It seems that the market is saturated with machines priced at £100-£200 with nothing in between.
Also it seems that these machines have the same issues as the one I have.

I guess I am looking for a scroll saw that has easy blade changing, low vibration and a good reputation within the community. I have seen second hand machines on ebay but most are pickup only and usualy hundred of miles from me.

I am actually pleased at buying my Aldi unit as it has made me practice hard to get it to do the most basic of tasks.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Andy

 

[Silversam]

Hello and welcome.
I had the same problem trying to upgrade my scrollsaw last year. All the good ones were miles away. I kept looking though and eventually found a secondhand Hegner with a foot pedal and I’m highly delighted with it.

I plodded on with the old ferm scrollsaw I had while I was looking for a replacement and like you said it helps with the learning. I liked the ferm scrollsaw but I wanted easier blade changing.

Don’t forget to check out the market place forum on this board as sometimes a scrollsaw comes up for sale.

I’m sure you will get one eventually. Just keep looking and one will pop up close by I’m sure.
Don’t forget gumtree as well for local adverts.

Be nice to see some of the work you have done so far. Post a few pics. Everyone likes to see other people’s work.
Good luck with your search.
Andy

 

[MJOriginals]

Welcome to the forum

Scroll sawing can be really great I started with one of the £100 saws as well and got the bug
I have used a hen get and they are really smooth and give a great cut but I found the blade changing a bit fiddly
I have an axminster style Saw the make before excaliber and if you take time to set it up properly it's a excellent saw also now Pegas do a set of low vibration blade clamps for it these are really good too
The blade change etc are easy particularly if you are doing piercing type work
It's worth the money
Anyway look forward to more chat on the forum
Martyn

 

[Scroll man dave]

Hi and welcome

I have a Clarkes variable speed scroll saw I'm also pretty new to scrolling and found there's nothing more satisfying than seeing the end product (sometimes) lol.
I'm quickly learning its doesn't pay to buy cheap and most of my time is spent trying to thread the blade through the drill holes without the bottom clamp falling of the clamp hook .
Also that annoying black plastic disc in the center of the table that sits 1 mm recessed which causes small workpieces to tilt and jam causing run off .
I'm ordering an ex-21 from Axminster pricey machine but will give years of pleasure ... They do finance on tools over £500 which makes it more affordable.

 

[andymc007]

Thanks for all the replies.
Much appreciated. Some good advice too. It seems like the manufacturers are missing a trick and are content in churning out low end units.

I just received my first packet of pin-less blades and visually they are so different. I foresee an afternoon of mumbling and moaning whilst I try to fit them in the hangers that came with the scroll saw.

 

[AES]

Welcome andy (from another andy)!

Yes, you've spotted what appears to me to be a gap in the market. Just about all the machines in the, say, up to about 150 quid mark seem to be much of a muchness (some say they all come from the same factory, with only external cosmetic differences). They all cut more or less, and if you're lucky buying new, you'll end up with a machine that hasn't got warped arms, etc, so you will produce at least "OK" results. But the fiddly blade change systems, poor tension adjustments, etc that are inherent on all these machines do become a right PITA after a while - DAMHIKT!

AFAIK, there's no decent machine in the price range you mention in the UK, so I'll second the above comment and say that if you want to get a better machine than your present one, you'll either have to pay about 500 quid and upwards for a really good new machine, or buy second hand.

Good brands to look out for are Hegner (and their Axminster Tools clones), Excalibur (ditto there are now quite new Axi clones of the various Excali models), Delta, and probably a couple I've forgotten. But for the budget you have, you should find one of the above in decent condition appearing from time to time on the various second hand Internet places, local papers, and even here once in a while.

Good luck and welcome. In my experience there are a lot of helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable members here who are only too willing to help - no question is stupid if you don't know the answer! And don't forget to look at all the other sections here - a lot of stuff comes up there which can be helpful to scrollers now and then.

 

[whatknot]

As someone said, saws up to about £150 are largely the same machines with slight differences

Then the dearer machines at about £500 upwards

There are a few in the middle range

Proxxon DS460 at about £380 to £400 and the lower model DSH at about £220

Delta 40 694 at £350+ (may need importing as it seems to have dried up in the UK) similar to the deWalt 788

But do keep an eye open for used machines, many people buy them and then realise its not for them, so they are little used quite often

 

[aramco]

welcome to the forum and good luck finding your new machine I opted for the axminster ex 30 in the end, one piece of advice I would offer, before you buy a machine look at where you want to be in say 5 years from now, - you will by now have got the scroll saw bug - not where you are today I started scrolling almost two years ago with a record power machine, and after seeing some of the work Charles Dearing has done decided that's where I want to go large patterns and large intarsia patterns like Brian - claymore - and others on this site, the head tilts as opposed to the table ,and the blade changes are things I used to dream about, and not have problems every time one had to change places on the pattern , but which ever machine you but above all else have fun.

John