Any real advantage in an expensive saw

[ChuckD]

I got a "cheap" saw and used it six months and quit for five years.  I bought another and did nothing but cut out 2X4 toys, between 2 and 3,000 a year.  Wore it out in about two and a half years, quit again for a couple of years.  Scroll saws are not for me.  Then I made a mistake and tried out a Hegner at the State fair and what I discovered the thrill was of doing it right with the right equipment.  I was not at the time very good at what I was trying to do but I became better because I did upgrade.  There is also a saying,"Buy the best you can afford and save for what you want".  Until I got the best I didn't know what scrolling was.  Don't hold yourself back because you don't think you have the skill of someone else.  Use them as a mentor and get as good as they are.  Also remember 99% of the people who will be looking at your work has never seen your mentors, so to them your are great.  Who knows, maybe you are....   Good Luck

[Judy Hunter]

geneVG,  I have only used my Delta a short time but so far it is just great!  I did put lock tite on the set screws in the blade chuck. 

[cskipper]

I started with a really cheap saw and decided that I was not going to learn to scroll.  We returned it and bought the Delta from Lowes, which at that time was the great part of $200.  Wow - what a difference.  I used that for a number of years until I sold enough pieces to a gallery to buy a used Hegner from Craigslist for about 1/2 the new price.  WOW!!!!  Changed the arm for the one with the quick release at the front and added the flexible blower.  Amazing saw.  Last year I found a Hegner, again on Craigslist - for $200!  We exchanged emails and he verified it worked - he just wasn't interested is using it. I actually got it $200!! It is 12 years newer than my older one, included the light, stand  and foot pedal (which I don't use).  The table is more regularly shaped, and I switched the newer arm and blower from my older one.  This saw makes my older Hegner seem difficult to use.  It is AMAZING.  Now, can I follow a line any more accurately - well, um... at least I can't blame the saw any more.  I am still not great at many things, but scrolling is actually fun!  It runs as smooth as silk, and I have to set a timer so I don't sit for too long at a time. 

All that said, I wouldn't want to pay full price for any of the new saws especially since it's my hobby.  Finding a super deal - now that's a different thing altogether!

[stipes]

I cant say I went really cheep,,kinda a higher range saw in the Craftsmans line of saws. I didnt wanna blow alot of bucks to see if I liked scroll sawing...Well,,with my day job,milling on the side, and tryin to get a Daughter tru collage, I dont have alot of time to scroll,,but I enjoy ever min. I get to sit down and relax in the shop ...
     I'm saving for a Excalibur but what haunting me about getting one should I go with a 30-inch Excalibur , or the 21 incher.. I wonder how many projects other have done they wished they had a bigger throat depth...And wonder if you can get by with using a spiral blade to without having to go longer....
     
     

[Bill Wilson]

As you can see Malc, there are a variety of opinions on this topic.  The same question can be asked in just about any hobby.  Is there an advantage to the weekend golfer to own a set of top of the line clubs?  Is there an advantage to the casual fisherman to own an expensive bass boat?  Pick your hobby and you can ask the same question and apply the same logic to the answers.  Scrolling isn't all that much different, in this context.

Bottom line is it all comes down to what priority you place on the enjoyment of your hobby.  I think the more time you spend at a hobby, the more benefit you gain from top quality equipment.  It may not necessarily make you better (whatever "better" is to you), but it can make it much more enjoyable.  If it's more enjoyable, then you are more likely to spend more time doing it.  If you spend more time doing it, then you will be more inclined to tackle more challenging projects.  As you challenge yourself, your skills improve.  Did the saw make you better?  Maybe not in and of itself, but perhaps it provided some incentive for you to improve.

[daliclimbs]

I'm am sure there are many advantages to a high end saw. My problem is I don't have high end $$$ to spend on one LOL. All my saving goes toward my wood turning. I started with a hand-me-down single speed craftsman. And upgraded to a variable speed porta cable. It isn't the greatest saw in the world But I can do decent work with it because I have gotten used to it. Perhaps one day I will upgrade to a Great saw. But for now I'm OK with my mediocre equipment LOL. Some of the greatest masterpieces of all time were created with primitive instruments. The saw can only do so much.....

[Keefie]

I just got the Excalibur EX 16, it is a much quieter machine than the old one i had, and the top arm lifts up so you can feed the blade down through the drill holes instead of trying to twist your work to an angle where you can feed the blade in from underneath, that alone had saved me hours of time on the first project I made on it. I changed holes (and they were very small holes) and refirred the blade and was cutting again in about 20 seconds, I'm sure when i get more used to it I'll cut that time down even more. With the old saw sometimes that procedure took over 3 mins and I even bent a few blades when i had trouble feeding it up from underneath. This saw was best investment I've made for long time. Hope that helps

[spiderman]

I got a "cheap" saw and used it six months and quit for five years.  I bought another and did nothing but cut out 2X4 toys, between 2 and 3,000 a year.  Wore it out in about two and a half years, quit again for a couple of years.  Scroll saws are not for me.  Then I made a mistake and tried out a Hegner at the State fair and what I discovered the thrill was of doing it right with the right equipment.  I was not at the time very good at what I was trying to do but I became better because I did upgrade.  There is also a saying,"Buy the best you can afford and save for what you want".  Until I got the best I didn't know what scrolling was.  Don't hold yourself back because you don't think you have the skill of someone else.  Use them as a mentor and get as good as they are.  Also remember 99% of the people who will be looking at your work has never seen your mentors, so to them your are great.  Who knows, maybe you are....   Good Luck

Mentors heck you could even get better then a mentors if you try heck you could be 1000's times better then steve good.........   use the right tool for the job.

[spiderman]

I cant say I went really cheep,,kinda a higher range saw in the Craftsmans line of saws. I didnt wanna blow alot of bucks to see if I liked scroll sawing...Well,,with my day job,milling on the side, and tryin to get a Daughter tru collage, I dont have alot of time to scroll,,but I enjoy ever min. I get to sit down and relax in the shop ...
     I'm saving for a Excalibur but what haunting me about getting one should I go with a 30-inch Excalibur , or the 21 incher.. I wonder how many projects other have done they wished they had a bigger throat depth...And wonder if you can get by with using a spiral blade to without having to go longer....
     
     

Go with the ex-21 excalibur scroll saw.   unless you want to pull your growns then get the ex-30.

[thawkins57]

I started with a Craftsman $125 saw, had to take the first one back because it wouldn't even run... used the second one once and took it back as well.  Invested in an EX16, and I love it.  If I had kept the Craftsman, I wouldn't be scrolling.

[spiderman]

i'm thinking about getting my money  back for my ex-21 scroll saw.  I took in to get fix but they have not got around to it they told me that acmetools is backup 3 weeks.  If they don't get it fix this time i'm going to take it back and ask for my money or a new saw this is BS.   



My dewalt is going to H*** on me. 

If this ex-21 is not fix this time around i'm just going to ask for my money or a new say if it not fix i'm just going to come back and delete my account on here.

[julief]

I've enjoyed reading this thread.  So here's my 2 cents.  I started on an 18" Dremel.  Loved it but certain projects were very difficult.  Portraits, in particular.  It was hard to feed and change the blade.  The vibration was enough to damage the delicate cuts whether I was using a flat blade or a spiral.  The aggrivation factor was overwhelming sometimes.  So I felt limited by my saw on the types of projects that I could do.  Don't get me wrong, I loved my Dremel, but I felt there was more I could do.

Getting my EX21 gave me confidence to try more involved projects that I would never had attempted with my old saw.  Bevel cuts and inlays became so much easier to do and I could get through the most involved portrait without wanting to smash it against the wall.  Everyone who knew what I was doing comented on how much better I was getting at it.

I was a single mother with 2 kids in college.  I needed the extra money and both my saws got me there.  I do believe my prices and my sales increased after getting the EX21.  The quality of my projects did improve.

My Excalibur was used every day for several hours.  I did several shows a year and had to make a living.  Now, my saw is like an old friend that I visit a couple times a week.  I never regretted spending the extra money, although I aggonized over it before I actually did it.  I would do it again in a heart beat.

[Jim Finn]

...........The Polymax?s mainframe parts are all cast Iron. And, the saw weighs 104 pounds, which deadens almost all vibration. It has two stroke settings, which gives it a total of eight speeds.....Bottom Line, Is there any real advantage in buying an expensive saw for the average scroller?........

I started with a $200 scroll saw that cut OK but broke within a year.  I then bought a new DeWalt(Type 2) and it lasted 20 months before falling apart, literally.  I then bought a new Hegner Polymax and have had it 2 years and it still runs fine.  I also bought a used (25 year old ) Hegner Multimax and it also works well.  The Dewalt was smooth and cut well  but just did not last.  I could cut OK on all of the saws , so for me, durability is the difference.

[zgrimsley]

I started on a one speed pin end craftsman saw and always knew of better ones and wanted to move up. For Christmas, I got new craftsman that is variable speed. Used it just a little but makes a BIG difference. I think an expensive saw is better but do not know up to what point that is true.

[tinker1]

How i came to owning the saw i have now

I started out on a craftsman single speed pin end blade saw also.
It worked for what i needed at the time. (cutting 3/4" and up wood)
Then one day a fellow co worker of mine, (and a woodworker) brought in some
intricate pieces of work (wall plaque's).
I was amazed at the detailed fine line cuts, I questioned him on how he cut them and what type of saw he was using etc.
He told me he use's a craftsman varible speed saw, with plain end blades, he also told me where i could order these type's of patterns, blades, plywood, etc.
I did some researching on the varible speed saws, which led me to Rick Hutcheson's website, which led me to buying a delta Q3.
I found the saw at a local tool sales business and ordered one from them (they didn't have one in stock at the time).
I purchased the saw at that time for 375.00 with stand and never looked back it's been a very reliable saw and does everything i've asked of it to this day.

As for the craftsman I just gave it to my brother-n-law this past month for his woodshop. (He works with thicker woods)

Here is Ricks website: (Steve also has a link to it on his blog)
http://www.scrollsaws.com/


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