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« Last post by Greg B on March 13, 2024, 05:19:36 am »
The new discounted DeWalt scroll saw was delivered yesterday. The blades were a bit closer together than the first saw. It was hard to hold the camera phone and the measuring tape at the same time, but it looks like the blade distance is about 4 1/2 to 4 5/8. It's workable, but the blade distance is much greater than my old DeWalt. I'm going to keep it.
Here's the old post on this issues on scrollsaws.com
Problems with the blade distance being too long
Dear Rick:
There is a minor problem with the newest crop of DW788 Scroll Saws. The spread between the blade holders has lengthened slightly due to a manufacturing problem with the wedge. The result is difficulty inserting the blade into the blade holders because there is only about 1/8" above and below the holders.
Just wanted you to be in the loop so here is a cc of the most recent email.
Ron
From: Ronald G. Brown [mailto:ronbrown@coolhammers.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 1:33 PM
To: 'scrollsawer@att.net'
Subject: RE: DeWalt Scroll Saw Help #2
Tony:
Spoke with Larry today. He is not a direct line manager, but rather a 1-800 phone specialist. He has had conversations with the engineers and discovered that the DeWalt Plant Engineers believe the current crop of wedges were cut out of spec. The engineer actually had one machined to the correct spec and sent it over to the plant in Taiwan. Has no idea when the systemic problem will be solved.
Meanwhile, I guess the fix is to machine the wedge down some to achieve the 4-1/8" on center for the blade holders. I would not be afraid to do that in my own shop, but I can not recommend that you do it.
An alternative might be to ask Larry to have an engineering drawing/diagram of the wedge emailed to you and you could take it to a machine shop for the rework.
Good Luck and keep me posted.
Ron
From: scrollsawer@att.net [mailto:scrollsawer@att.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 9:20 PM
To: ronbrown@coolhammers.com
Subject: DeWalt Scroll Saw Help #2
Ron,
Just a follow-up note on our conversation yesterday w/re to the distance between the saw arms that only allow a five inch blade to fit into the blade screw-holders spaced 4 3/4" apart (1/8" protrusions at each end of thumb-screw clamps).
Larry Wagner, DeWalt Product Manager (1.800.433.9258) called me today to discuss my situation of having received three new #788 saws all with the same problem over the last three months which have had to be replaced under factory warranty.
He told me that he had been receiving other complaints recently about this situation as well. And, that he agreed that the top and bottom blade protrusions should be about 1/4" above and below the aluminum cast blade holder and not just the threaded thumb-screw clamp hole.
So there you have it. Three 'Type 1' saws (a fellow sawer friend of mine, yours and Mr. Wagners') that DO NOT exhibit this problem and, three, 'Type 2' machines that I have received from DeWalt since November that do have this problem. At this point I am compelled to believe that ALL 'Type 2' saws have this type of a problem.
It would be interesting for you to discuss this matter at your monthly scroll saw club meeting this weekend to gather a consensus of other DeWalt #788 scroll saw users w/re to this situation. Please ask them to call Larry Wagner to voice their concerns and complaints if they too are experiencing this particular problem.
Thank you again for your help.
Tony Kolodziej
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