Newbie needs help!

[flyboy]

Hi;

I am a new scroll sawyer. These questions have probably been asked hundreds of times, so please pardon the repetiton. It looks fascinating, and when I retired, my office presented me with a Demel 1680.

I have done several small projects on it, and like scrolling, but frankly, am not very happy with my saw. It will not cut vertically, however I adjust the tension, and square the table, is vibration prone and noisy. It is on the stand that came tiwh it. I have seen projects in Scrollsaw that I would love to try, but am hesitant, due to my past experience.

I think I would like to have a DeWalt, but it will take some saving to accomplish that.

Can any of you gurus out there suggest ways to fix my Dremel so the problems are at least minimized? It is out of warranty. I realize I may have gotten a bad one, and another may operate just fine.

I have bought a couple of basic books, and read them. My choices seem to be: Live with the beast and try to love it, and saw big around the patterns, so I can sand them to final size; Sell it, and buy another saw of the same price or lower, and hope I win the lottery for better operation. Any recommendations?

Of course, my choices seem limited to another Demel, the current model that replaced the one I have, or go with Wilton, Craftsman, or Delta, which cost less, but may give more user satisfaction; then save my money for a few years, and buy the DeWalt.

Any guidance will be appreciated. Thank you.

[f250]

You need to buy the very best scroll saw that you can possibly afford. There is no way to get around this, it is a case of getting what you paid for and with scroll saws that is so very true.

You would be very happy with the DeWalt

Try sand bags on the stand to dampen the vibration. If you are not cutting vertically it is very possible that you are using either to small of a blade for the wood you are cutting or just pushing to hard and not letting the saw do the work.

Tom

[Arcy]

Non-guru here, but I have lots of recent experience in doing things wrong

I suspect these aren't uncommon problems and you may learn something from my mistakes.

If I'm not concentrating specifically on feeding the wood straight into the blade I tend to push it sideways. This causes all sorts of wonkiness, but clears up noticeably when I correct it.

It's also easier to stay on line if I slow down and cut deliberately rather than trying to feed too quickly. If I let my mind wander ahead of what I'm doing, the blade quickly follows.

Like riding a motorcycle, driving a car, skiing, etc:
Look where you want to go, and your hands and piece will follow.
Look where you don't want to go, and your hands and piece will also follow.

I hope this helps!

--Rob


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[greatdane2]

Try cutting along a red line, it is easrier to see what you are doing.

[Wood Dog]

If your printer does not print in color as mine does not........just use a highlighter over the lines. Personally I use the yellow one.

[~greg]

I got the Dremel 1800 and have been using it for 3 years. I haven't had any trouble with mine it was just taking the time to learn how it cuts. I also have a small Delta that vibrates really bad so I just use it on 1 project. I tried everything to tighten it up but nothing helped so that's when I got the Dremel. Knowing that the projects I make and sell gets me closer to getting a Hawk keeps me cutting with what I have.
Good luck.

[Ramjet]

As well as weighing it down ,try putting a thick rubber mat under the stand . It may absorb some of the vibration. . I would also contact the manufacturer and see what they suggest . Did you happen to get the receipt with the saw . May try returning it and upgrading . Other members will have suggestions too . Cheers
Roger

[newscroller]

I personally started the same way- trying to get more out of a cheaper scroll saw. After realizing that by the time I bought another cheap saw I could have had a good one. I finally decided to go for the Dewalt 788. I would hold out for the Dewalt and not buy another Vibrator. I'm sure you will be pleased with the results you get with the 788. I think many will agree it's the best saw for the money.

[greatdane2]

The first month that I was scrolling I had a cheap saw, I nearly quit I was so frustrated. Bought a Dewalt and nearlly wept with joy. I feel you can get away with cheap tools that you do not use much, like belt sanders. But the scroll saw is the anchor tool and needs to be as good as you can afford.
Alan.

[Mick Walker]

flyboy, could be the blades you are using. E-mail Mike at mike@mikesworkshop.com, tell him what kind and thickness wood you want to scroll and he will help you decide which blade is best. Check to make sure there are no loose bolts, nuts, etc on the saw and the stand it is on. Too much tension is better than too little. I thought Dremel made a fairly good scrollsaw but like any tool you could have gotten a lemon. Don't give up, scrolling is a lot of fun, maybe you just need to practice. The more you scroll the easier it gets.