Porter Cable 16" Saw?

[G-Man]

I picked up a 16" Porter Cable Scroll Saw at Lowes.  I got it for one purpose, I fly RC airplanes and needed something to cut intricate plywood parts.  Now that I have it, it seems there is just so much it can do.

Any comments on this saw?  I first picked up a Skill, but then read terrible reviews and returned it before I even opened it.  This one has a stand, and when I fired it up the other night and made some test cuts, it didn't vibrate much and was easy to control.

My last question concerns blades.  I cut some thin plywood.  1/8, 3/16, 1/4 stuff.  What blade shoud I use?  I was cutting this stuff with a small circular saw (at least the main cutout), and it ripped the stuff up pretty bad.  I had to cut it oversized and sand it to the lines.  I got a selection of blades, including the spiral blades.

I know I can trial and error it, but any insight is appreciated.

[Russ C]

I would use Flying Dutchman blades. The (New Ultra Reverse) FD-UR No. 3 or No. 5 will work great for straight cuts and leaves a clean cut on the bottom to. A flat blade is what you want, spiral blades will leave allot of fuzzys on the bottom and are harder to control when making long straight cuts. 

You can get blades from Mike's Workshop.

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm

[julief]

I am teaching two people to scroll on that saw.  It is a great entry level saw and should do all you want it to and then some.  As far as blades go, DO NOT BUY THEM FROM THE HARDWARE STORE!  Sorry, didn't mean to yell but you are paying 3-4 times what they cost and the absolute worst blades on the market.  Go to www.mikesworkshop.com  You want some FD-UR 1, 3, 5 and FD-NS 2/0.  That should do everything you want for your model hobby.  (You will get hooked on scrolling and we hope to hear from you often).

[G-Man]

Thanks for the info on blades.  I am going to return all the ones I got with the saw and pick up what you suggested.

I feel better about getting this saw now.  There wasn't a lot of choices in the smaller saws.

Also, when I assembled this one, one of the cross members was bent, and two of the feet cracked when installed.  I called Porter Cable and they are sending new parts.  I didn't want to return it after assembling it, so thumbs up for their customer services.

Gary

[G-Man]

Can I ask what blade would be good for Plexiglass or Lexan?

I ordered these:

FD-UR No. 1, 3, 5
FD-NS No. 2/0
FD-J No. 3/0
FD-P No. 2/0
Assortment Pack

[Rapid Roger]

Can I ask what blade would be good for Plexiglass or Lexan?

I ordered these:

FD-UR No. 1, 3, 5
FD-NS No. 2/0
FD-J No. 3/0
FD-P No. 2/0
Assortment Pack

I was just cutting plexiglass on my saw yesterday. It was 1/8" thick and I was using a Olson #3CT (crown tooth) blade. It cut just fine and I'm sure that any fine tooth blade will work just as well.
I think the FD-PSR No 5 with 18 t.p.i. should work just fine also as it has the rev. teeth and will keep the bottom side cleaner.
The thing to rember is to SLOW the speed down or the plexi will get hot and melt back together right behind the blade and trap it and you got BIG trouble then!!! (DAMHIKT) 

Rog

[G-Man]

Thanks, Mike at mikesworkshop said he will throw in some FD-Polar # 5.  He said this was a popular blade for this type of work.

[newtoscroll]

I have had this saw for nine months with no problem.  One thing I picked up was an air blower for a 50 gallon aquarium to blow the dust away better.  The light bulb will burn out and be hard to find a replacement bulb.  Instead, I got a light and magnifying glass combo which most people use.  Good luck.  If you get into scrolling seriously you will then pick up a second saw like the Dewalt and notice the difference in performance.  It is like buying a car you get what you pay for ie luxury or practical.  You have practical that will work but the Dewalt will make the ride much smoother and easier.  I just got a Dewalt but still use both.

[G-Man]

Can you tell me where you got the light/magnifier combo?

[dgman]

Hey G-Man, here is what I use. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003680/3555/Fluorescent-Magnifying-Lamp-3-Diopter-Lens.aspx

[newtoscroll]

if you are looking for a cheaper one, Michaels had them for 19.99 and you can use a coupon for 40 or 50 percent off.  This does not attach as sturdy as the one at woodcraft for I have both.  The one from woodcraft was about 40 dollars and is a better model.  However what I did was put a board between my stand and saw.  This board creates a shelf and I attached the light to the board.  I also clamped the light to the saw with a regular straight wood clamp with a piece of 2 by 4 spacer.  This gives great stability for the light and it does not vibrate.  With the cheaper model I clamped it to a bench next to my Dremel so there is no vibration.  You need to play around a little and you can eliminate any vibration and make it work.

[G-Man]

Thanks!  I was actually surprised how little the Porter Cable vibrated.  Hope my blades I orderd come in this week.

[dgman]

Thanks!  I was actually surprised how little the Porter Cable vibrated.  Hope my blades I ordered come in this week.

If you ordered from www.mikesworkshop.com, you will have them by Monday or Tuesday!

[G-Man]

I did order from them!

This is the kind of cutting I have been doing by hand.  It really rips the wood up, and I do a lot of sanding and knife work when I get it roughed in.  I hope the scroll saw helps.

[GrayBeard]

You will really 'rip' through a lot of those kinds of things.
You may also want to get some 'forstner' bits for drilling some of the larger holes.

~~~GB~~~