basic central machinery scroll saw from harbor freight..pin or pinless? - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board

obsessis · 06-26-2009, 11:03 PM

I am new to this and am about to get a scroll saw from a guy off of the internet here in my town. it is a central machinery 16" scroll saw, retail is $80, with a green base. It is the cheapest CM scroll saw that harbor freight sells.

anyways, i am looking into buying blades. i am checking out the .pdf file in the sticky that has olson blades. I will be sawing hard wood 1" thick. It seems that most of the blades good for that require a plain end, not pin end. Does anybody have this scroll saw or know what type of saws it takes?

I hope this saw will work out for me, i'm just doing some basic cuts into wood blanks to make scales for straight razors that I have.

wjbclocks1 · 06-26-2009, 11:23 PM

Go for a higher priced saw,one that will take pin or pinless blades
I don't think you'll be sorry for the upgrade.

obsessis · 06-26-2009, 11:36 PM

i'm getting this one for $20. i found a refurbished ryobi on amazon that was $80 shipped that i read takes both.

i will only be using the saw for straight-ish cuts, nothing intricate. as long as it saws it should work for me. if i get a lot of use out of the $20 one i wouldn't have a problem upgrading, but until I get a feel for how many straight razor handles I'll make I don't want to go crazy.

merry · 06-27-2009, 01:41 AM

if i was buying a saw get a good one you most likely will never be
happy with a cheap saw because they are not made that well i had a cheap saw from sears and did not like it they are a big differnce in saws. some time you can find very good used saws or rebuilt saw
i like the pin less blades so you do not have to drill a big hole for the pin. they are lots of rebuilt saw on amazon.com. just my thought.
merry

Jim McDonald · 06-27-2009, 02:53 AM

If memory serves me correctly, that saw is pin only and the arms look like they are ready to fold up at any minute. $20 for a saw may seem like a great deal, but like the others, I will tell you that cheap saws almost always give cheap results.

yost69 · 06-28-2009, 04:11 AM

I have only had one saw so i have no opinion on the saw you are purchasing.

But if all you are doing is straight cuts, with no inside cuts, then pinned blades will suit your purpose just fine.

Ben

georgewoodie · 06-28-2009, 04:32 PM

Obsessis:

I would go for a good saw rather than a $20.00 unit. If you are lucky you will get what you pay for. I would not expect much of a saw for that price.

A poor tool will likely turn you off from scrolling so you would be doing yourself a disservice.

Once you start with a tool, you will soon find more and diversified uses for it. The pin blades need a large enough hole to do blind cuts and will be a disadvantage in that respect.

Consider your age and then amortize the cost over your expected years of use. Better equipment is cheaper in the end.

Good luck.

Woodie

hpiguy · 01-14-2010, 08:12 PM

OK, reading this nonsense about this tool, it made me register so that I can clear some things up since I own a lot of HF equipment and aside from one air drill that seized (replaced no questions asked) have never had anything break.

The scroll saw from Harbor Freight is acutally a pretty good tool if you want to do almost any kind of work. If you are a hobbyist and will use this for a few hours a week, go for it.

It uses pinned blades AND non pinned blades. They include the adapters in the box to use non pinned blades. Another commen by someone who only saw the saw once online and is now an expert on it.

The arms will not "fold up". You can carry the saw by the arm. It's all metal and it's strong. What exaclty are you doing to get saw arms to fold up? Standing on them with a friend? We're cutting details into wood (I also use mine for my large r/c hobby) and thin metal, not making houses here.

The power of the saw may be lacking compared to a saw $300 more, but unless you are cutting very thick wood and trying to force it through, you'll be fine it just takes longer.

Resale? Who worries about resell on a saw they can get for $55.99 on sale with a HF coupon? Who cares. I don't buy a tool hoping I can resell it in 20 years, it's not a sports car.

Get the warranty if you are worried. It has a 90 day factory warranty as most Chinese stuff does. $9.99 extra and if anything besides a blade breaks in two years and three months, brand new saw.

I own dozens of different pieces of HF woodworking tools. If you have any questions from a hobbyist that actually owns something and uses it, feel free to message me.

mowerman1193 · 01-15-2010, 07:29 PM

I also have a few HF tools..Most of them I had good luck with but not all of them..I have been in the store and looked this saw over a year or so ago..If I recall right it will take both styles of blades..It is certainly built cheap..With just a stamped tin table ect..They plugged it in for me to turn it on and Wow it was very noisy and had a considerable amount of vibration..

That being said I am sure it would work great for the right person that doesn't do a lot of fine detailed fret work..I know it wouldn't be a very good saw for what I do..But it does have its place for use..I just don't really know where..certainly not my line of work...

When looking for a saw you need to ask what type of work do you want to do with it..look at where the controls are located ect..I doubt it would be very easy to make something like this with the saw you are looking at

Looking - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Photo Gallery

..Not saying you can't do it..just saying it would be more challenging to do..I also have a cheap low end saw but its certainly a better one than these..

Kevin

wiwoodsguy · 01-15-2010, 08:38 PM

Just a quick observation here. Every saw that I've seen that excepts both pinned and pinless blade comes with an upper and lower adapter that is about a half inch accross and so you have the option of threading the board and trying to place the blade in the adapter (well that don't work) or you can drill a half inch hole. Or use a pinned blade and drill a 1/8" hole. been there and done that Mike

06-26-2009, 11:03 PM	#1
obsessis Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 6	basic central machinery scroll saw from harbor freight..pin or pinless? I am new to this and am about to get a scroll saw from a guy off of the internet here in my town. it is a central machinery 16" scroll saw, retail is $80, with a green base. It is the cheapest CM scroll saw that harbor freight sells. anyways, i am looking into buying blades. i am checking out the .pdf file in the sticky that has olson blades. I will be sawing hard wood 1" thick. It seems that most of the blades good for that require a plain end, not pin end. Does anybody have this scroll saw or know what type of saws it takes? I hope this saw will work out for me, i'm just doing some basic cuts into wood blanks to make scales for straight razors that I have.

06-27-2009, 02:53 AM	#5
Jim McDonald Sawdust Maker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Muncie, IN USA Posts: 1,128 Blog Entries: 9	If memory serves me correctly, that saw is pin only and the arms look like they are ready to fold up at any minute. $20 for a saw may seem like a great deal, but like the others, I will tell you that cheap saws almost always give cheap results. __________________ Jim If it cannot be fixed with a hammer--must be an electrical problem. "Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

06-28-2009, 04:11 AM	#6
yost69 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Berkeley Springs, WV Posts: 170	I have only had one saw so i have no opinion on the saw you are purchasing. But if all you are doing is straight cuts, with no inside cuts, then pinned blades will suit your purpose just fine. Ben __________________ Alcohol is not the answer. It just makes you forget the question. http://www.huhdowhat.com

01-15-2010, 07:29 PM	#9
mowerman1193 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bellevue Michigan Posts: 279	I also have a few HF tools..Most of them I had good luck with but not all of them..I have been in the store and looked this saw over a year or so ago..If I recall right it will take both styles of blades..It is certainly built cheap..With just a stamped tin table ect..They plugged it in for me to turn it on and Wow it was very noisy and had a considerable amount of vibration.. That being said I am sure it would work great for the right person that doesn't do a lot of fine detailed fret work..I know it wouldn't be a very good saw for what I do..But it does have its place for use..I just don't really know where..certainly not my line of work... When looking for a saw you need to ask what type of work do you want to do with it..look at where the controls are located ect..I doubt it would be very easy to make something like this with the saw you are looking at Looking - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Photo Gallery ..Not saying you can't do it..just saying it would be more challenging to do..I also have a cheap low end saw but its certainly a better one than these.. Kevin __________________ mowerman1193 Last edited by mowerman1193; 01-15-2010 at 09:30 PM. Reason: dead link

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06-26-2009, 11:23 PM	#2
wjbclocks1 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 305	Go for a higher priced saw,one that will take pin or pinless blades I don't think you'll be sorry for the upgrade.

06-26-2009, 11:36 PM	#3
obsessis Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 6	i'm getting this one for $20. i found a refurbished ryobi on amazon that was $80 shipped that i read takes both. i will only be using the saw for straight-ish cuts, nothing intricate. as long as it saws it should work for me. if i get a lot of use out of the $20 one i wouldn't have a problem upgrading, but until I get a feel for how many straight razor handles I'll make I don't want to go crazy.

06-27-2009, 01:41 AM	#4
merry Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 329	if i was buying a saw get a good one you most likely will never be happy with a cheap saw because they are not made that well i had a cheap saw from sears and did not like it they are a big differnce in saws. some time you can find very good used saws or rebuilt saw i like the pin less blades so you do not have to drill a big hole for the pin. they are lots of rebuilt saw on amazon.com. just my thought. merry

06-28-2009, 04:32 PM	#7
georgewoodie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 176	Obsessis: I would go for a good saw rather than a $20.00 unit. If you are lucky you will get what you pay for. I would not expect much of a saw for that price. A poor tool will likely turn you off from scrolling so you would be doing yourself a disservice. Once you start with a tool, you will soon find more and diversified uses for it. The pin blades need a large enough hole to do blind cuts and will be a disadvantage in that respect. Consider your age and then amortize the cost over your expected years of use. Better equipment is cheaper in the end. Good luck. Woodie

01-14-2010, 08:12 PM	#8
hpiguy Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2	OK, reading this nonsense about this tool, it made me register so that I can clear some things up since I own a lot of HF equipment and aside from one air drill that seized (replaced no questions asked) have never had anything break. The scroll saw from Harbor Freight is acutally a pretty good tool if you want to do almost any kind of work. If you are a hobbyist and will use this for a few hours a week, go for it. It uses pinned blades AND non pinned blades. They include the adapters in the box to use non pinned blades. Another commen by someone who only saw the saw once online and is now an expert on it. The arms will not "fold up". You can carry the saw by the arm. It's all metal and it's strong. What exaclty are you doing to get saw arms to fold up? Standing on them with a friend? We're cutting details into wood (I also use mine for my large r/c hobby) and thin metal, not making houses here. The power of the saw may be lacking compared to a saw $300 more, but unless you are cutting very thick wood and trying to force it through, you'll be fine it just takes longer. Resale? Who worries about resell on a saw they can get for $55.99 on sale with a HF coupon? Who cares. I don't buy a tool hoping I can resell it in 20 years, it's not a sports car. Get the warranty if you are worried. It has a 90 day factory warranty as most Chinese stuff does. $9.99 extra and if anything besides a blade breaks in two years and three months, brand new saw. I own dozens of different pieces of HF woodworking tools. If you have any questions from a hobbyist that actually owns something and uses it, feel free to message me.

01-15-2010, 08:38 PM	#10
wiwoodsguy Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 120	Just a quick observation here. Every saw that I've seen that excepts both pinned and pinless blade comes with an upper and lower adapter that is about a half inch accross and so you have the option of threading the board and trying to place the blade in the adapter (well that don't work) or you can drill a half inch hole. Or use a pinned blade and drill a 1/8" hole. been there and done that Mike