saw quality

[calmdaw1]

I was wondering how much difference the actual scrollsaw being used makes? For those of you that started with a cheap saw and upgraded to a higher quality one, does the better saw perform better or faster?

I have only been cutting for about 6 months now. Probably made 75 items and have considered upgrading saws and letting my son use my cheapie but I wanted some feedback on whether the saws such as the DeWalt are that much better. I know when I upgraded my golf clubs I was disappointed to find out I'm still no good.

thanks for the help.

Doug

[minowevie]

well Doug. I don't play golf. and I think that is a talent all its own. but when I upgraded my saw. It sure did make a BIG difference. it just opened up a whole new world for me. it was like useing a hand saw compaird to a skill saw. much faster, and accurate. just the blade changeing was a big one. and the vibration was down to nothing. I think you might find with your pratice on a low end $$$$saw was well worth the work. for then you will see a much better turn out. just on blades alone. vibration can really were you out, and the blades. puching, pulling etc. tentioning. what a bother if you have to tighted it buy hand. feeding the blade through a hole, enstead of a slit in the table. there is just tons of great things. I think the Dewalt is a great low end $/ saw. I use a Hegner. that is High ? saw. so it is up to you. your friend Evie

[Gary W.]

I started with a Ryobi, about $100 and used it for a couple of years. Upgraded to the Dewalt and the difference is verapparant.

[wood-n-things]

I agree with Evie except that Dewalt is a middle of the road not a low end saw....The better the tool the better the end product...sometimes. Operator use is a determining factor but I don't think it is "THE" determining factor some tools just naturally perform better and make the user look better.

I started with ryobi 16" which accepted pinned and pinless blades sorta...I think I do much better on my Dewalt than I ever did on my doorstop...and not just because of practice.

[marshall]

Doug : I started out with a craftsman 16" and wore it out , just never thought that a higher end saw could be that much better . But I was totally wrong in my thinking the Dewalt was as much difference from the craftsman as daylight and dark .............never played golf so can't compare ..........Marshall.........

[Gypsum]

In the case of scroll saws, there is quite a difference between low end (<$200) and the more expensive saws. Vibration, ease of blade changes, etc. I have a Craftsman 16 that I had to make a tool to tighten the blade clamp.
Between a DW788 and a EX21, the difference is not as pronounced. I can't speak about the more expensive saws as I have never driven one. If you have a Woodcraft store in the area, they often have a DW788 on the floor for customer trial. They also sell the EX21 but didn't have one assembled. Floorspace was the explanation I received.
If you can try a higher end saw, it should answer your questions.
Good hunting.

[lucky788scroller]

In my opinion.. its not as much that the saw was that much better, but much more user friendly.Yes, I went from a vibrating nightmare, to a super smooth running saw, but what I think made all the difference was the fact that besides it was very smooth and stable, I am now able to turn off the saw,release tension, pop out a blade and reinsert it into another hole, tension it, and hit the on switch in about 6 seconds, and be cutting, all in one motion. No fumbling with cumbersome clamping techniques, no cussing as tightening the blade screw and having the blade walk out, no constant fiddling with the tensioning mechanism, no fighting to line up the blade in the holders, no hyperventilating just to keep sawdust from hiding my intended sawing path, and no screwing with a t-handle allen wrench to put in a blade. To me, its like going from a scroll saw designed by a rodeo clown, to going to a scrollsaw designed by a scroller.
Having the best scrollsaw in the world means nothing compared to having the desire to succeed. No matter the $'s a saw costs, they all take practice, and an operator with the desire to succeed.If one can only afford a $15 rummage sale scroll saw, yet really pours their heart and soul into their work,they can be just as successful as the guy with the fancy saw. I do love my yella saws and would recommend them to anyone looking to buy a scroll saw, but if it is not within ones budget, it doesnt mean they cant cut anything decent with a lesser saw. Their cuttings on their saw are just as capable of being great, although it may take more of a struggle to achieve good results, but in the end, it all comes down to operators skill, determination, and patience.

[Burdez]

Dale:
You said a mouth full there and I agree with every word of it even though I have not used any of the high dollar saws at this stage I am very happy with my Hitachi not bragging but I think I have produced some good work with it I have thought about upgrading to the Ex21 but right now I just can not see the expense when what I have is doing the job
Erssel

[dankc908]

I HAD to switch from a Craftsman to a DeWalt due to some serious surgeries on both shoulders. The tensioning knob, on the Craftsman, was way too difficult to deal with after surgery. I switched to the DeWalt and was able to set the tension very easily. For some strange reason the quality of my cutting improved dramatically! YES - the saw CAN make a difference but the "driver" is equally important. I have golfed in my past and I can guarantee you - new clubs NEVER helped. Different story with the saw!

[Rolf]

The only way to improve your skills is practice, so if you are a hacker then a new saw won't help. But as stated above, a well designed quality saw will kick the pleasure and ease of use up many notches. I went from an inherited Craftsman saw with the most idiotic blade clamping sytem I have ever experienced. It literaly took a minute or more to release the upper blade clamp put the blade through a hole re-clamp and tension. all that to do a 2 second cut. The next saw was the Delta SS350. the fastest blade clamp system (cam lock no tools) great saw for the money ($180) but my problem with it was the agressive front to back motion of the blade. Totaly unacceptable for the work I like to do. I then bought the RBI G4 (may they rest in peace) Top feed or bottom feed , smooth, deep throat worth every penny of the $1400 I spent on it. I can no longer blame my tools, my limits are totaly determined by my skills, which I hope over the years will improve.

So Doug the answere to your question Yes a good saw will make a big difference in the ease and joy of scrolling, the quality of the work however is determined by you.