frankp

So I saw a couple of saws on Craigslist that are interesting to me but I don't know much about scroll saws.

If anyone knows anything about these and can give me an idea if they're reasonably priced, or how much work would go into refurbishing them further than they already are, I'd appreciate it.

They are being sold by the same person.

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/tls/1430365008.html

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/tls/1430357460.html

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firehawkmph

Frank,
I just saw one saw, the other post has been deleted. The one I saw looks pretty stout. Hard to tell if it's any good unless it's running.
The main things with a good scroll saw are no vibration, and the blade should travel as straight up and down as possible, theoretically with no orbit. After that, blade changing and tensioning needs to be a simple operation. I bought an Excalibur saw probably thirty years ago and it still works great.
Best to get something that works well or you won't want to do any of that fine fretwork or intarsia stuff you see on the forum from time to time.
Mike Hawkins

BHOFM

Best place to look for a scroll saw is the pawn shops.
The one down the street has five or six all the time.
I bought a Delta, one speed basic saw, like new for
$20. I don't use it a lot but it does all I expected of
it and for the price it is great.

One great thing about a scroll saw is the safety of
it. With a little instruction and a watchful eye over
the shoulder my grand daughter was quiet adapt
at it in short order. I put a soda straw over the
upper part of the blade just as a add precaution.

Found out you really need a owner manual with
these and got mine online for free.

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drcollins804

Both of these saws were of the older design that use a spring in the top that pulls the blade back up while the motor and cam pull the blade down for the cutting stroke. I have a Craftsman like the one that was in the deleted listing. Looks almost identical. I haven't used this saw as I already had a Dewalt saw that uses the pinless blades which allows making much more intricate cuts and take much less time for setup for internal cuts. The design does have one excellent feature as it will be a almost perfect vertical stroke but it also has the problem that if your wood has any stress in it and it pinches the blade the spring may not be able to return the blade to the up position for the next down stroke. I would personally keep watching for a newer saw that uses the pinless blades but that is personal preference. Prices did look very fair.
David

frankp

Thanks for the information guys. The guy emailed me last night after he sold one of the saws. I had told him I wouldn't be able to make it in the timeframe he will be available and he should sell the Delta to someone else if they were interested. The Dunlap is still available and I may pick it up after I return from my business trip, if it's still available.

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"I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!"

--Theodore Roosevelt