Pro Performance Scroll Saw

[Jerrymjj]

I have "inherited" a scroll saw from my son which does all that you would want a scroll saw to do, make a noise, vibrate and appear to oscillate, other than cut wood. Though the arms do move up and down, the movement is minimal, less than half an inch in each direction, maybe less than a quarter of an inch. I have stripped it down, can find nothing wrong, the motor spins and so does the weight attached to the arm. It just doesn't seem to move enough to cut anything. I'd be massively grateful for advice (other than throw it away which as a pensioner, I cannot afford to do. )

Many thanks,

Jerry

 

[Toonie]

That sounds about right, Are you sure the blade is installed correctly with the teeth facing down?

Toonie

 

[Jerrymjj]

~Thanks for your help Toonie. Yes it is in the right way but it is an old blade that came with the saw. Could this be the problem? I can put my thumb against the oscillating blade without getting cut.

 

[Spence]

Has the blade been tensioned correctly and are these blades new?

 

[AES]

Yup, that's definitely wrong. While any scroll saw will NOT act like Mr. Scissorhands, it WILL give you a nasty "bite" - DAMHIKT!

If you only inherited that one blade with the saw I suggest you bin it and buy new. Anything will do for a 1st attempt, but real pleasure (and best results) comes from using a decent blade. I'd recommend Pegas blades (sold by Axminster Tools), and though you haven't said what you want to cut, a good middle of the road "size" (number of teeth in effect) would be a No. 5.

The attached blade chart does NOT refer to Pegas specifically but explains the general usage of the different blade numbers (which seem to apply to all blade manufacturers that I know of).

Generally blades are sold by the dozen, gross (or half gross). A dozen of one blade should do you fine to start off with and we're talking only a few quid here.

HTH

View attachment No_Fail_Blade_Chart_206122387.pdf

 

[Jerrymjj]

Many thanks for your extremely helpful advice. Currently I am somewhat stymied because the pinned blade is 165mm and I can find nowhere that stocks such a blade. Any help would be gratefully received.

 

[nev]

Coping saw blades are 165mm long. These are from Axminster, others are available there and elsewhere.

do they look like this?

Maybe the machine you have is not a scroll saw?

 

[AES]

Oh dear, when I read the name of your machine and thought I hadn't heard of it before I just put it down to the fact that I'm NOT an scroll saw expert (I only started seriously a couple of years ago)

AFAIK, only Dremel and (I think) Proxxon) scroll saws have blades SHORTER than the "standard" 5 inches (130 mm) scroll saw blades seen on other machines. So as suggested above I can only conclude (i.e. "guess") that your machine is not in fact a scroll saw at all - as suggested above.

Therefore it's probably more like a motorised version of a coping saw or jewellers' saw - as also suggested above.

The only thing I can do therefore is attach a list of the "special purpose" saw blades made by the Swiss firm Pegas - although I live there I'm not really being partisan as for me they're easy to come by, and I know that they do work well - as said in the previous post Axminster Tools are the UK stockists of Pegas, though I THINK there are other coping saw-type blade manufacturers such as James A Neil ("Eclipse") and I think Hobbies of Dereham and Hegner (the scroll saw manufacturers) also do such blades - dunno for sure. Some coping saw blades and junior hack saw blades are 165 mm long.

Anyway below's all the info I can find on Pegas' "non scroll saw" blades.

You'll have to look through the attached 2 files (lots of scroll saw blades are included there too) but you will find some blades of the length you need. Which blade you should choose depends a lot on what you want to cut AND on the method of how blades are attached on your machine - a decent close up photo of the blade fixing arrangement would help a lot if you have any doubts (and a general picture of your machine would be interesting anyway, 'cos I for one have never heard of it).

HTH

View attachment Pegas Metal Scroll Blades.pdf

View attachment Pegas Multi Scroll Blades.pdf

 

[AES]

Edit to above post re Pegas blades: I should have added that the "standard" length for most (all but a few?) scroll saw blades is 130 mm. Sorry.

Again HTH

 

[Aquachiefofficer]

I've just dug out my Eclipse coping saw and the blade is 165 MM. between pins. I think these are the blades you're loofking for.
Regards, Paul

 

[Jerrymjj]

I am overwhelmed by people's helpfulness. Thank you one and all. The tool is referred to in B&Q back catalogues as a scroll saw. The only UK blades I can find at 165mm are for coping saws. I bought a pack of these (I have nothing to lose) and even with a new sharp blade it not only will not scratch wood, it won't even scratch my finger! Both arms move, the blade itself moves 7.5mm up from its starting position. To determine this, I held a white marker against the blade and then measured the length of white on the blade. (Does this mean it is only moving 3.7mm in each direction????) I daren't tighten the blade any more, it produces a solid guitar string type note when twanged. I hate having anything that doesn't work but this is testing my patience. The motor runs apparently perfectly and the arm connecting the motor to the lower arms is funtioning as is the weight that whizzes round beside it. If the problem is lack of movement, I cannot see where it can be lost from. Any further thoughts from those considerably wiser than myself? Many thanks.

 

[Jerrymjj]

Sorry one other thing. Even if it is not a scroll saw, it is a saw and should surely cut something, if only my finger?

 

[Jerrymjj]

Well at least it proves it was sold as a Scroll saw!

 

[whatknot]

I would say you have a scroll saw and have the wrong blade fitted at the extreme of tension, hence why its not moving very much

Do you have a picture of the machine to better aid in identification? (I see you have jusy posted them, confirming its a scroll saw)

I have one of the standard machines (a Scheppach but they are common machines across several retailer badges) and the travel of a standard pinned blade is approx 18mm top to bottom

 

[whatknot]

PS if you go to Axminsters site, they sell Pegas pinned scroll saw blades

Although your machine should also take plain blades so you might try some of each (same postage)

 

[AES]

Oh dear (again)!!!

Yup, from the pictures it's definitely a scroll saw - and just to confirm that, just as YOU say, the label says so too ;-)

You're definitely correct, it should definitely cut something with a new blade - including your finger!

You say that the motor runs and that the counter-balance weight goes round and round (as it should of course), AND it also sounds like the blade tension is correct, or maybe, even a bit too much.

So now the only thing I'm now wondering is re the hole in the face of the counter-balance weight - where the "crank pin" (as on a car engine for example) sits into the hole for it in the face - has it perhaps worn so much that with no load the arms go up and down OK, but as soon as you put any load on the blade (which is of course transferred back to the arms and then to the "crank pin" siting in the hole on the counter balance weight) does the drive to the blade become virtually nil because the hole has worn too large (or come to that, has the "crank pin" worn away to an oval shape)???

Sorry I haven't explained the above very well but if you have trouble I'll do a sketch and scan to post it here for you.

The only other thing that I can think of is the "gurt big spring" at the back of the upper and lower arms broken - or VERY weak?? I don't know your machine, but you may need to remove the upper outer casing to see that spring.

Anyway, good luck, from the pics it looks to me just like so many other "badge engineered" scroll saws that come from the same (?) Chinese factory - though I AM surprised at the blade length on your machine - all others I've seen of that generic type definitely take 130mm blades.

Perhaps someone else with more knowledge of your particular machine will be along soon.

HTH

 

[whatknot]

Personally I don't think its much of a mystery, it just has a coping saw / junior hacksaw blade fitted instead of a scroll saw blade

 

[nev]

Well that definitely looks like a scroll saw

The only reference I can find online to a PP scrollsaw is a completely different model but does indeed use 165mm blades and the reviews attached to said page all comment on the lack of availability of such, so it looks like it could be destined for retirement due to lack of blades.

If it were me I'd take the side panels off and see if there's anything obvious not moving up and down when it should be, and if the blade tightening mechanism isn't wound fully 'out' to get a 165mm in?

 

[AES]

Re nev's comment, QUOTE: ..... so it looks like it could be destined for retirement due to lack of blades. UNQUOTE:

As per my post with the 2 .pdf attachments (blade charts) above, blades of that length ARE available - and not just from Axi/Pegas either.

As for whatknot's comment, I certainly didn't suggest it's a "mystery", but how many other scroll saw brands can you name that take 165mm blades? So not a mystery, but certainly unusual I think you'll agree?

 

[jeremyduncombe]

B&Q’s current scrollsaw range is made by the same company as your saw - Performance Power. They take standard 130 mm blades. I suspect you have the wrong blade on your saw - if it is too long, that is probably why the mechanism only moves a small amount. Try fitting a standard 130 mm blade. I am not familiar with your machine, but you will need to slacken the tensioning mechanism right off, and possibly push down on the top clamp in order to fit the blade. Let us all know how you get on.